An Albuquerque landlord and small business owner had strong words for leadership regarding the crime rate, which CBS News ranked as the ninth worse in the nation in 2020. KOB4 reported that the city recorded more than 2,100 burglaries and 748 robberies, according to numbers released by Albuquerque Police.
Sabrina Winder, a small-business owner who owns properties in Albuquerque with her husband, Steve, said that she doesn’t blame the overworked police department, but instead said the city's leadership is responsible due to prioritizing criminals rather than the safety of the city.
“Our leaders have failed us,” Winder told the New Mexico Sun. “The number one priority of our leadership should be getting the crime under control - and that means supporting the police to let them do their job.”
Winder said the crime rate has gotten out of control and that it is unacceptable that her son can’t feel safe while waiting to be picked up after school at night. She said friends and relatives don’t feel safe visiting because they feel their car could be broken into, or something even worse. Winder said crime has become so common that people tend to not even call the police because of the lagging response time.
“Until the crime problem is fixed on multiple levels, nothing else matters,” Winder said.
Winder also said she disapproved of the government bureaucracy in the city, saying if businesses don’t have the ability to thrive, then the city will suffer. Winder added that the taxes in the city are “extremely high” in comparison to the median income.
“I find it unconscionable that we are charged such outrageously high taxes and yet we still see such a poor management of the money here that the city is barely able to provide the most basic public services,” Winder said.
KOB.com reported that some fast food restaurants have been robbed at gunpoint and needed to close early, citing Burger King as an example. Fast food locations like Carl’s Junior stopped accepting cash. A person who worked security at a hotel said he had also been robbed at gunpoint and that a Subway restaurant down the road had also been robbed.
Winder was recently in the featured on KOB4 for helping her tenants by offering discounted rent during COVID-19. While there is plenty Winder loves about the city — from its weather, to the food, to the people — she said changes need to be made and that leadership has not adequately addressed the challenges the city has faced.
She hopes that this next election brings forth someone who recognizes the city’s greatest issues to make it safe and affordable. For that reason she endorsed Lori Robertson for city council in District 7, saying that her business experience and perspective to understand policies will help businesses. She also liked that Robertson supports police and has worked with the homeless community to address their needs.
“This is a critically important election that will directly impact our city,” Winder said.
In the runoff election for city council District 7, Robertson takes on Democrat Tammy Fiebelkorn. Fiebelkorn told KRQE that climate change and clean air is her top priority while Robertson said her priority was supporting small businesses that have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic
In District 9 run-off, Republican Renee Grout faces Democrat Rob Grilley.
Early voting is underway and goes until Dec. 4.
