Platform

Vibrant, Affordable Neighborhoods

Las Cruces is making big investments in District 3 to revitalize our spaces, connect our neighborhoods, and increase safety. I believe in streets that are safe for everyone to walk and bike around, neighborhood businesses like coffee shops and grocery stores, and abundant housing in a variety of styles and price points. The City should provide infrastructure and support to neighborhoods, while allowing them to grow and mature to meet the needs of residents. I will support:

  • Cooler Buildings - The weather in Las Cruces is spectacular, but it is undeniably hot. We’re on track to have over 30 days over 100 degrees in 2025; AC is critical to survival in the desert heat. I will champion policies that ensure that all residents have adequate air conditioning in their homes, and offer support for homeowners and small landlords to update or repair AC systems.

  • Starter homes - For most of our 175+ years, Las Cruces was built with a mix of housing options: small starter homes, single family, townhomes, small apartments, large-lot, and more. In the last few decades, that has been forgotten, and recent builds are mostly costly tract homes and large apartments. I will champion policies that make it easier to build sensible homes and repair existing ones - especially out of traditional materials like adobe - lowering costs and preserving our history and culture.

  • Quick-build projects - We can try solutions without spending months on study after study. Whether we’re addressing excessive speed with flex-posts and paint, adjusting signal timing, or calming neighborhood traffic with murals and tactical urbanism, I will challenge the City to think of quick, low-risk, and inexpensive options.

  • El Paseo/South Solano MRA - I have supported the MRA as a citizen and as a Councilor I will promote programs that help residents and businesses maintain their buildings, redevelop over-built parking lots for better uses, and increase safety so that we can all feel good about using the area to its fullest potential.

  • Increasing shade - Neighborhoods need to be walkable not just in distance but in comfort. Abundant street trees, native plants, shade structures, and cooler paving materials makes the outdoors an accessible part of everyday life.

Community Safety

Community Safety means addressing the root cause of tough problems that bring harm to Las Cruces’ residents and visitors. There is no simple solution to society’s ills; a holistic approach is needed to keep everyone in our city safe and healthy. I will support existing programs that the city has, and fight for issues like:

  • Juvenile Crime Prevention - While overall crime in Las Cruces is down (as of June 2025), the proportion of juvenile crime is climbing. If youths are engaged in positive activities, whether at school, home, libraries, parks, or businesses, they’re not on the streets. I’ve been involved in non-profits that provide after school programs and science education for over 20 years, and I’ll continue to support and push for more opportunities for our kids.

  • Police and Alternative Response - I’ll give our first responders the tools they need to hold criminals accountable, and fund the diversion, intervention, and treatment programs to stop the cycle of crime, poverty, and drug use. I will work with officers and community leaders on culture issues, and work to repair the trust between law enforcement and the community. I will especially support and work to expand alternative-response programs like Project LIGHT, so that everyone feels safe and confident when they need to call for help.

  • Fire and Paramedics - Las Cruces Fire Department are out there 24/7/365 helping everyone in our community when they need it. Our first responders deserve the best pay, training, and facilities we can provide. I will continue to support the updates, renovations, and new builds of fire stations; they are not only operations bases, they’re homes. As we come to rely on LCFD for ambulance service, I will ensure they get all the support we can offer.

  • Community Health - Improving the general health and safety of our community lessens the load on our valuable emergency responders, allowing them to focus time and resources where it matters most. I will make sure that the city is an attractive place for doctors,

  • Safe Streets - thousands of preventable crashes, hundreds of injuries, and dozens of deaths happen every year on Las Cruces roads. Most streets are designed for speed first, and safety for cars, not people. We can reverse the trend and be a place where children can safely play in their neighborhood, and where commuting to work isn’t the most dangerous thing we all do each day.

  • Reducing poverty - Abundant and affordable housing ensures that everyone in the community has a stable base. I have been on the advisory board for Roadrunner Transit for several years, and will continue to support them and advocate for a convenient, comprehensive, and safe transportation network that ensures that everyone in the city has access to jobs, healthcare, and other activities.

  • Helping the unhoused - Our unhoused neighbors each have unique struggles. We need to provide services and housing options that are accommodating to families, faith practices, and pets that may keep people away from existing services. I will continue programs of support and transition to housing, while also investing in short-term solutions so that no one has to sleep on the street in the meantime. We have great non-profits doing the hard work on the ground, and I will prioritize supporting their work and listening to their needs.

Strong City

Las Cruces - like every city - is a complex system. We have great weather and a beautiful landscape. While that environment draws new growth, outward growth impacts the environment in negative ways, imposing burdens on our air, water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Our city is intimately connected with our environment, and the ways that we grow are constrained by nature as much as our City balance sheet. As Councilor, I will support holistic Sustainability policies including:

  • Mixed-use - Realize Las Cruces has given us the foundation, now we need to seize the opportunity to get our neighborhood grocery stores, offices, shops, parks, and other spaces. I will ensure that the City follows through with permitting common-sense developments that increase convenience and minimize traffic.

  • Infill development - It is undeniable that Las Cruces is growing - people are coming back home, new people are moving in, and more young families are choosing to stay. As we grow, it makes sense to develop vacant land already inside the city. Density not only makes the town feel more connected and complete, it uses existing infrastructure that is sustainably financed. Growth outward is possible, but we should do so with consideration and respect for the land.

  • Sustainable Infrastructure - Pipes and roads are long-term investments that ultimately fall on taxpayers to maintain. I will carefully consider new project proposals, asking tough questions to make sure the city is getting sustainable growth, not long-term liability.

  • Lead by Example - I will continue to champion City-owned buildings and infrastructure being built to the highest efficiency standards. Efficient buildings and an electric-first vehicle fleet save taxpayers money and lift up Las Cruces as a forward-thinking leader in the field.

  • Equitable Energy - While Las Cruces is not exactly known for bitter winters, we all need to heat our homes and cook our food. Efficient, reliable, and cost effective heat pumps and EVs are coming into their own while natural gas infrastructure is aging and costly to maintain. As new energy sources come online and old ones phase out, I will make sure the City does what it can to support all residents when they’re ready to upgrade.