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:
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.
Quick-build projects - whether inside the MRA or out, we can try solutions without spending months on study after study. Whether we’re addressing excessive speed on Roadrunner Parkway with flex-posts and paint, adjusting signal timing on Lohman, or calming traffic in a neighborhood with murals and tactical urbanism, I will challenge the City to think of quick, low-risk, and inexpensive options.
Starter homes - For most of our 175+ years, Las Cruces was built with an eclectic mix of housing options: small starter homes, larger single family, townhomes, small apartment blocks, large-lot, and more. In the last 20 years, that has been forgotten, and growth focused on costly tract homes and large apartment complexes. I will champion City policies that encourage a healthy mix of housing at all price points, lowering costs for renters and homeowners alike.
Increasing shade - The weather in Las Cruces is spectacular, but it is undeniably hot. Making sure that street trees and native plants are abundant along our sidewalks and trails makes the outdoors a more accessible part of everyday life. I will also support changes to policy that allow our city to be cooler - promoting alternative paving surfaces, allowing various types of shade structures, and reducing minimum parking requirements.
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:
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.
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.
Youth activities - I will push for more positive youth activities, both city-sponsored and private, and the transportation options that gives people of all ages the freedom to get there.
Community Health and First Responders - Las Cruces Police and Fire Department are out there 24/7/365 helping everyone in our community when they need it. 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. As we come to rely more on LCFD for ambulance service, I will ensure they get all the support we can offer.
Sustainable 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:
Leadership by Example - I will continue to champion City-owned buildings and infrastructure being built to the highest efficiency and environmental standards. Efficient buildings and an electric-first vehicle fleet not only save taxpayers money on maintenance, but serve as an example to our neighbors of what is possible.
Infill development - I will encourage the development of vacant land already inside the city, where the 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.
Mixed-use - Where Las Cruces does expand, amenities like grocery stores, offices, shops, parks, and community safety complexes should be encouraged and integrated in ways that increase convenience and minimizes car traffic.
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.
Equitable energy transitions - While Las Cruces is not exactly known for bitter winters, we all need to heat our homes and enjoy hot water and cooking. Efficient, reliable, and cost effective heat pumps and EVs are coming into their own while natural gas infrastructure is aging and proving 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.