Keller will act, while Lewis will wait for others

WHILE THE Oct. 22 Albuquerque Journal piece on the mayoral candidates reported on a wide variety of issues, one clear theme emerged: only one candidate understands the value of responsibility. Committed leadership means not blaming others, passing the buck, or waiting for someone else to fix your problems. Tim Keller’s stance on every issue begins with taking responsibility and then using the position of mayor to actually get something done.

After reading the various positions of Dan Lewis, I’m left with one question: What good does it do to have an entire political platform based on waiting for other people to act?

Lewis wants Albuquerque to wait. His crime plan is to wait for the Legislature to reinstate the death penalty and to wait for voters to elect new judges. His education plan is to wait for Albuquerque Public Schools to spontaneously break itself into pieces. However, it’s clear that Albuquerque is done waiting. It’s clear that Albuquerque is ready for leadership that stops blaming others for our problems and digs in.

As state auditor, Keller has done just that. He took the responsibility of that office seriously and exposed countless examples of government agencies mismanaging our taxpayer dollars. His tireless work of exposing fraud and abuse demonstrates a leader who understands the importance of being an elected official. Keller’s proven record of stepping up as state auditor and not waiting around for other government agencies shows a level of urgent responsibility that he will bring to the Mayor’s Office . ...

When we vote on Nov. 14, we’re ... placing our trust in a leader. We’re signaling our confidence in a stated vision. When we vote for Keller, we’re making the unequivocal statement that we expect our leaders to take responsibility. And then move our city forward. TREY SMITH Albuquerque