Yes — it’s election season again. We’re here to help you make an informed decision.
If you’re like us, you’re probably still recuperating from the hotly-contested March municipal elections in Taos, Questa and Taos Ski Valley. But, like it or not, it’s the season again. After all, this is an election year, and that means voters in Taos County have important decisions to make come the party primaries on June 7, which is a mere month away.
The good news is that we’re here to help you get the information you need before you go vote. Starting this week and for the next two weeks, we’ll be hosting forums for each of the three major positions being contested this year. They will be held at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative boardroom, 118 Cruz Alta Road. Here’s the schedule:
MAY 5: Taos County sheriff, with candidates Steve Miera (D) and Michael Tafoya (D)
MAY 12: State representative for District 42, with candidates Kristina Ortez (D) (incumbent) and Florence Miera (D)
MAY 19: Taos County commissioner candidates for districts 1, 2 and 5, with Bob Romero (D) and Susan K. Trujillo (D) for District 1; Juan J. Cisneros and Miguel Alfonso Romero Jr. for District 2; and Cristobal M. Duran (D) and Ronald J. Mascarenas (D) for District 5.
Be sure to keep an eye out for our special election section this month, with profiles our newsroom staff is compiling on all of the candidates above, as well as candidates for Taos County assessor,
Randy L. Baca (D) and incumbent Maria Dimas (D) and Taos County probate judge candidates Charlene Tsoodle Marcus (D), Gabriel J. Romero (D), Suzanne Valerio (D) and Juan Andres Vargas (D). Our current division 1 and 2 magistrate judges, Ernest L. Ortega (D) and Sara Anne Blankenhorn (D) are both unchallenged this year. We encourage you to keep an eye on the decisions they make in court as they continue to serve in their roles.
In one form or another, this newspaper has been hosting candidate forums for nearly 50 years, and we consider this a major component of our public service as Taos’ community newspaper. What you’ll see in the forums is just a snapshot of what our editor and all of our reporters do day in and day out — talking to our elected officials, presenting them with hard questions and stoking an interesting discussion to deliver the best information possible to the public. We invite you to send questions to us on our Facebook page or through editor@taosnews.com for any of the forums.
We’ll have limited in-person seating, so if we run out of space or you prefer to watch from home, please tune in to our livestreams. We’ll broadcast on our website, taosnews.com, and on our Facebook page, facebook.com/taosnews.
Lastly, please get out and vote. It takes just a few minutes and makes a big difference. Early voting begins May 10 and continues through June 4. Absentee ballots can also be requested starting May 10 and will be accepted through June 2.