Be part of the process and support Rep. Trujillo
Residing in Santa Fe since 1993, I’ve now lived in New Mexico for longer than in any other one place. My husband of 31 years is an Albuquerque native, but we met in my hometown of San Francisco. It’s there, in 1984, that I survived both a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and bilateral broken jaw. In 1985, I sustained a second TBI. Both times, my car was rear-ended by distracted drivers. Over the ensuing 25 years, I very slowly found my way back to purpose by becoming a disability advocate and working on service animal law during these past ten. In 2012, while riding in a brand new 2012 Lexus Sedan, the passenger side was T-boned at an I-25 & Frontage Road intersection when someone ran a red light trying to get a jump onto I-25 during rush hour. I received a third TBI, along with a broken wrist, crushed sternum and fractured foot.
There’s a lot that probably wouldn’t have come my way had I not faced these challenges. I wasn’t always graceful learning to navigate how hard it was to feel like nobody understood, I’m not proud of behaviors that could be unpleasant to witness. However, I am proud of the fact that with the help of many folks along the way and a lot of hard work, I’ve persevered and learned a few good recipes on how to ‘make lemonade out of my lemons.’ I’ve traveled an unexpected map from artist, designer and educator into advocacy. It’s here that I’ve learned the patience it takes to work on improving policies and practices that I hope will serve people and communities, especially those who live with disability. Politics, except to lead protests, was never my thing … but now it’s become a tool for creating systemic change in a world that’s become more and more broken.
As luck would have it, I’d moved to a state where government, although not always pretty, is fairly accessible to its citizens. The Roundhouse is our house … if you choose to check your ego at the door and get involved. Not everybody else in there will leave theirs behind, but being respectful and treating others as you’d want to be treated yourself will garner better outcomes. It’s taken time to learn to sit back, always tell truths I can back up with facts and never to give up when I know what I’m aiming for could possibly, at least someday, help improve outcomes for the better. It’s in the spirit of this that I’m asking Santa Fe District 46 voters to support re-electing New Mexico State Representative Carl Trujillo to the New Mexico State Legislature. He’s gone out of his way to support both people-centered and animal-centered issues that are close to my heart and my life. He’s sponsored legislation I’ve written on disability policy and done so as a consummate professional, even facilitating the passage of one item right on the floor of the House through an eloquent introduction.
He shows up at meetings where very few others do, he stands up for the smallest of us, he asks questions and waits not just to hear the answers, but wants to learn more about them. He takes calls, wants to know what you think, seeks out the research or reads what you provide. I’ve watched him be forced to accept compromises from the ‘tough guys’ or ‘tough gals’ instead of being the hardhead and lose the whole ball game. I hope you, the constituents, will get engaged, vote, become part of the process and choose the best to represent us.
NAT DEAN Santa Fe