Some people think the ‘little local’ elections don’t matter. Who really cares about the school board if you don’t have kids in public schools? Does the City Council really influence anything important?

Consider what those ‘little local’ elections have meant to New Mexico as a stepping off point to higher elected office. Here are three examples:

• Governor Lujan Grisham started her political career as a Bernalillo County Commissioner. Next steps were Congress and then governor.
• U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich was first elected to the Albuquerque City Council, then Congress and currently serves in the U.S. Senate.
• Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada served on the Albuquerque Public School Board (APS) before being elected to the Bernalillo County Commission.

Aside from being a possible first political step, school boards hire superintendents, approve budgets, and often influence what is taught in schools. That means they are directly or indirectly affecting your taxes as well as the education of our children. 

New Mexico Business Coalition (NMBC) sees a split path for kids being educated in the state’s school system. NMBC said the students will either become New Mexico's workforce or the New Mexico's next generation of government assistance recipients. 

In New Mexico’s two largest cities, there are some hotly contested races and stark differences between candidates. In contrast to others seeking the job, APS board candidates Ali Ennenga, Crystal Tapia-Romero, Arthur Carrasco, and Courtney Jackson believe major change is needed and they’re willing to step up and make it happen.

We’re seeing the same positive characteristics in Las Cruces Public Schools  candidates Henry Young and Eloy Francisco Macha.

When you talk with some of these school board candidates, you can’t help but wish they were running for higher office because they have the leadership vision so needed in New Mexico. 

Considering city races, you should know that city councilors will impact your taxes. They also have opportunities to dictate business policies which interfere with employer-employee relationships and drive-up costs. These policies often lead to fewer jobs as some businesses either cannot or are unwilling to comply with overbearing government policies. Voters should decide if they support continued government growth funded by tax dollars or if they’d like to see more accountability and vastly greater improvement to the city’s management.

If you’re happy with the way your city is managed from bottom up, then you certainly can keep that trend going. If you’re not, you need to vote for better leadership. There are new choices that deserve serious consideration in Albuquerque and Las Cruces.

Why the focus on New Mexico’s largest cities? There are myriad reasons, but the rampant crime is a big one. Albuquerque is no longer a safe place to live, and crime is increasing significantly in the southern part of the state with the current open borders policies. If you don’t live in one of these cities or know someone who does, you may have no idea how bad those areas are for crime and safety.

Louie Sanchez, Dan Lewis Rene Grout and Lori Robinson are on fire to help Albuquerque solve the crime equation and get the city moving in the right direction.

In Albuquerque, there has been some modest improvement on property crime, but homicide and violent crimes are up significantly. People often can’t get police to respond because APD is so short staffed, and too many officers are assigned to paperwork compliance for the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Most jurisdictions that have dealt with DOJ police oversight push to be free of that control in five years or less. Albuquerque has surpassed seven years with no end to the DOJ oversight being considered. It’s sad that we don’t have the leadership mindset to take back control of our police department. 

This election offers choices for new leadership in the Albuquerque Mayor’s office too. Keller, the incumbent, campaigned on making Albuquerque safer and not raising taxes. Neither of those things happened, but he’s seeking another four-year term. You can watch some interesting interviews that get to the heart of what matters in just 16 minutes:  Tim Keller and Manny Gonzales.

If you consider the magnitude of influence elected officials have at every level of government, you know why these ‘little local’ elections are critical. What matters most is your vote. Early voting goes through Saturday, 10/30/21, and election day is Tuesday, 11/2/21.

Larry Sonntag is an Air Force veteran and Albuquerque Police Department retiree. He has lived in New Mexico for over 50 years.