Ortez right choice for Dist. 42
In the general election this fall, the residents of Taos County will vote for our first female legislator to the New Mexico House of Representatives (District 42).
Kristina Ortez is one of two candidates running for the position. I came to know Kristina as a member of the 2020 cohort of Emerge, a program that trains Democratic women to run a successful campaign for elected office. Along with other talented women from throughout the state, including Taoseñas Aurora Valdez and Corilia Ortega, we were able to collaborate, learn and grow in our desire to give back to our communities.
Throughout the months of training, we reflected upon our respective desires to be of service to our neighbors, the general public and the state of New Mexico. The experience was impactful and unexpectedly unique in that I was able to learn firsthand, as a future constituent, about my future representative, Kristina Ortez.
To say that I was impressed by Kristina’s vision and message would be an understatement. As a result, I humbly support her and, along with many others in our county, will work to get Kristina elected because I genuinely believe she is the right person for the job.
While each of the “Emergistas” brought unique life experiences and perspectives, in Kristina, I found a future public servant who desires to expand educational opportunities for the youth in our communities, which includes fully funding robust early childhood education programs. As someone who attended public schools in our county, this is fundamentally important to me. Having been a student in Peñasco and graduate of Taos High School, I know that providing a high-quality education to our youth is critical. Aurora, Corilia and I are examples of individuals who benefited from public education in Taos County and went on to college, later returning home to give back to the communities that gave so much to us growing up.
As a mother of two young daughters, Kristina has balanced the joys and demands of being a single parent and has led a nonprofit organization as the executive director of Taos Land Trust. In the midst of all that activity, and the challenges presented with the pandemic, she has also undertaken a first-time run for political office while at the same time committing to train herself to organize a good, honest and informed campaign that is centered on the people.
Kristina is not a career politician. She is not entrenched in politics. Instead, like many, she has the lived experience of a working mother who has observed what is and is not working in our communities. She will bring a fresh and dynamic perspective to the House of Representatives which will be guided by doing what is right for the residents of Taos County.
Kristina will also bring a cultural sensitivity and understanding to elected office defined by having been raised in an agricultural community, similar to those you find throughout Taos County. Aside from her work with Taos Land Trust, Kristina has served as a commissioner for the Vigil y Romo Acequia Commission and is a board member with the Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos. She understands the need to preserve and foster connections among those of us who continue to work the land through our centuries old acequia systems.
For someone like me, who lives outside of Taos and in a small, agricultural village, I know that I can count on Kristina to advocate for the needs of those who live in the rural communities throughout our county. Kristina understands that she will be representing not only those who reside in the valley of Taos. From Amalia, Costilla, Cerro, Questa, Red River and San Cristóbal in the northern part of the county to Peñasco, Vadito, Río Lucio, Rodarte, Llano, Chamisal, El Valle and Las Trampas to the south, we should all be sure to vote for Kristina.
House District 42 is diverse in so many treasured ways and we need to support Kristina Ortez, our next representative in New Mexico’s House of Representatives.