Mayor Webber is the leader Santa Fe needs

Over the last year and a half, New Mexicans have come together like never before. While the pandemic raged before us, we took masking, testing and vaccination seriously. In the Legislature, we worked hard to pass COVID-19 relief measures that would help everyday New Mexicans, including small businesses and those with low income. I sponsored legislation that impacted our infrastructure, our schools and our working families. I’m proud to be part of a legislative body that fought for the needs of New Mexico’s communities.

Leadership at this time is critical. While we worked in the state House, leaders like Mayor Alan Webber worked in cities to protect the health and safety of their residents. Webber championed a municipal mask mandate from the beginning, distributed millions of dollars to people in need and protected those experiencing homelessness by standing up an emergency shelter and securing the purchase of Santa Fe Suites to serve as a longer-term solution to housing insecurity. For those reasons and more, I’m supporting Mayor Alan Webber for reelection.

It’s not easy to lead through a pandemic. I know this firsthand. While the pandemic brought new challenges, it also exacerbated existing struggles like food insecurity, internet access and homelessness. Many found themselves in dire financial situations. In the hardest of times, people struggle to make ends meet. At the state and city levels, we put programs in place like rental assistance, eviction moratoria and tenant hotlines. We directed money to food security programs.

Still, there are expenses that families find themselves faced with that can’t be addressed by these broad programs. Maybe a car breaks down and someone can’t get to work, causing a cascade of consequences — a lost job leads to loss of income and that same lack of transportation makes finding a new job impossible. Some found themselves caring for family members — sick elders, children at home in remote school — and unable to work while expenses rose.

In these situations, people often turn to predatory lenders and payday loans for quick cash to prevent crises. And unfortunately, these loans often lead to a vicious cycle, digging a family further and further in debt, unable to escape the sky-high interest rates as expenses continue to pile up. I’ve dedicated an untold amount of time and effort to reforming this system, and Webber has joined in the fight.

Under Webber, the city of Santa Fe has signed onto an important program called TrueConnect, which helps people who find themselves with an unexpected expense to access the cash they need without the devastating consequences of predatory lenders. TrueConnect allows city employees to take out a shortterm loan with far lower interest rates that they can pay back through a paycheck deduction over the course of a year. This saves the individual money and in many cases saves them their jobs. They can still get to work. They can still access the internet at home when they need to work remotely. They can pay for child care so they can make it to work on time. TrueConnect works for employees and employers alike.

I’m grateful I get to work with Webber, and I’m proud to endorse him for a second term. We need strong leadership through this challenging time, and Webber is the person to provide it. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Mayor Alan Webber for reelection.

State Rep. Susan K. Herrera serves District 41, which includes portions of Santa Fe, Taos and Rio Arriba counties.