Commission, clerk, judge endorsements
Three county commission seats are on the ballot in the June 4 primary — and two of them are hotly contested, offering voters a substantive choice.
And, while incumbent
Hank Hughes in District
5 is a fine elected official, voters would have been better served had someone challenged him, just so the issues of his district could be included in campaign forums and discussions. Only the open seats attracted candidates this year — but, boy, what candidates. The primary is essentially the election since no Republican or Libertarian candidates are on the ballot in November.
If you care about county government, vote in the primary.
In District 2, Lisa Cacari Stone, Scott Fuqua and Benito Martinez Jr. are vying to succeed outgoing Commissioner Anna Hansen. In District 4, it’s Stephen Chiulli, Adam Fulton Johnson and Mika Old who hope to sit in current Commissioner Anna Hamilton’s seat. Both incumbents are ineligible to run again due to term limits.. Because of the fierce competition, citizens have been able to have a vigorous airing of issues and can choose among candidates with different policy positions and personalities.
Other competitive races this election include the contest for county clerk and for magistrate judge.
District 2: Lisa Cacari Stone would bring the mind of a scientist with a background in public health policy to the commission. A professor at the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health, she is committed to formulating policy that improves people’s lives. Her understanding of health policy will be essential as Santa Fe County seeks to leverage its resources to improve mental health and substance abuse care for county residents — the overhaul of behavioral health is something that will involve all levels of government in new Mexico, and Cacari Stone is ready to contribute.
She is fierce in support of protecting water resources, improving the county’s emergency preparedness plan and isn’t afraid of making hard choices. The first in her family to complete college, she ended up with a doctorate. That’s just one example of her work ethic and tendency to overachieve. The commission has difficult choices as it works to increase affordable housing, improve public safety, regulate short-term rentals and deal with the county’s rate of growth. It will need energetic, thoughtful and focused commissioners. For District 2, The New Mexican endorses Lisa Cacari Stone.
District 4 also has three fine choices for the open seat. Santa Fe native Adam Fulton Johnson currently serves as executive director of the nonprofit Old Santa Fe Association, where he has become immersed in the growth and development issues of our region. He grew up in Santa Fe and left to complete his education — he also has a doctorate. His key issues are protecting the environment, improving water sustainability and preserving the cultural heritage of the region. Those aren’t just slogans, though.
Johnson served on the citizen advisory committee to update the Santa Fe Land Development Code and already has worked to tighten restrictions on investor-owned, short-term rentals in the county. He is committed to the community, as when he organized volunteers to preserve Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery and to adopt and restore the iconic train at Salvador Perez Park. As a young father raising a family in Santa Fe, he is future-focused with a detailed plan on how to get there. In District 4, The New Mexican endorses Adam Fulton Johnson.
Santa Fe County clerk: The county clerk race features incumbent Clerk Katharine Clark against her predecessor, Geraldine Salazar. Clark has been credited with improvements to the county election system that make voting easier and vote counting fast and accurate. Increasing the number of drop boxes so residents can turn in absentee ballots and efforts to expand the electorate by outreach to high school students and tribal communities are just two of her many initiatives.
Clark is known for using technology to improve the operations of the clerk’s office, including digitizing real estate records, shortening the turnaround process for probate and launching a self-serve real estate document portal. She had to implement same-day voter registration as required by the Legislature and also now runs rankedchoice voting elections for the city, as well as school board and other local contests, in November. It’s a tough, wide-ranging job, and Clark has risen to every challenge thrown at her. For Santa Fe County Clerk, The New Mexican endorses Katharine Clark. Magistrate judge: We continue to advocate for requiring magistrate judges to be licensed attorneys, and in this contest, the lawyer is current Judge Morgan Wood. Appointed to the seat, she now must win an election to serve out the term. Wood understands the power of the court in serving the people who appear before it, and the necessity of a judge knowing and applying the law fairly. For magistrate judge, The New Mexican endorses Morgan Wood.