Dist. 23 candidates concerned about crime
Corrales Democrat faces newcomer from ABQ
After narrowly ousting a two-term Republican incumbent in 2016, Daymon Ely says he quickly grew frustrated by partisan gridlock in the Roundhouse.
But, he said, bipartisan collaboration during this year’s 30-day session on crime-related legislation has him optimistic about a less combative — and more productive — state House of Representatives in future years.
“We’re all starting to realize that if
we partner together, we can get a lot done,” the Corrales Democrat said in a recent interview. “We have money, we have the will — 2019 should be a great session for New Mexico.”
Ely is opposed in this year’s House District 23 race by Brenda Boatman, an Albuquerque Republican who is making her first run for elected office.
A former Army air traffic controller, Boatman returned to New Mexico as a single mother and has since got her pilot’s license, worked as a certified selfdefense instructor and taken an active role in a religious nonprofit group that does construction projects in Mexico.
She said she was encouraged to run for the key swing seat, which encompasses Corrales and a swath of Albuquerque west of the Rio Grande.
“I want to make the state better so my kids don’t leave,” Boatman told the Journal.
Both candidates cite crime as a key issue in the race.
Ely, a legal malpractice attorney and former Sandoval County commissioner, co-sponsored legislation this year that convened a criminal justice task force chaired by retired state Supreme Court Justice Edward Chávez.
The task force’s 81-page report was recently unveiled and calls for more data sharing among law enforcement agencies, more funding for treatment programs and expanded loan repayment programs to incentive young adults to become prosecutors, public defenders or police officers.
“The thing that we’re really running into is government entities don’t play well together,” Ely said.
Boatman said she supports the task force’s efforts and would seek to follow through on its report if elected. She also called for more mental health services in New Mexico schools and the creation of halfway houses to help deal with behavioral health issues.
“To me, we’re not going to get jobs until we fix our crime and education problems,” she said.
However, the two candidates disagree on some issues, with Ely supporting a proposal to legalize and tax recreational marijuana use and Boatman opposing the idea, unless such a law included an age limit of 25 and was enacted after further study of long-term effects.
Ely has reported raising $112,647 on his re-election campaign, including hefty donations from several labor unions and contributions from fellow attorneys. He has reported spending more than $102,000, primarily on campaign mailers and digital ads.
Boatman has reported raising roughly $45,856 since entering the race, with contributions from several political committees tied to oil and gas companies. She has reported spending nearly $35,000.
Democrats currently outnumber Republicans by a 38-32 margin in the state House.