E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Friday, October 08, 2010
Openness, New Jobs Big Issues
By Dan McKay
Journal Staff Writer
Wayne Johnson wants a more transparent, open county government. Janet Saiers says creating jobs is No. 1.
Voters will choose one of them Nov. 2 to fill the District 5 seat on the Bernalillo County Commission. The winner will represent the East Mountains and a chunk of the Northeast Heights.
The seat is open because incumbent Michael Brasher, a Republican, is leaving after two consecutive terms, the maximum allowed for the office.
Johnson, a Republican, owns a media production company, and Saiers, a Democrat, is a retired city planner who has served on the community college and flood-control boards.
It's been a rocky year in county government. A county-funded investigation revealed nepotism involving a son of then-Deputy County Manager John Dantis; a former county commissioner was offered a job despite a hiring freeze; the supervisor of a house-arrest program was charged with bribery; and the county acknowledged overpaying a jail vendor, among other controversies.
Johnson said the county needs to get its "house in order."
"We need to create a transparent and open county government," he said. "We need to approach our spending as your average everyday folks approach their spending."
Saiers, on the other hand, said that, while the county needs to restore public confidence in its work, the top priority is getting the region to work together to create more local jobs.
"The whole local economy is a critical issue," Saiers said. Job creation "can't just be all call centers."
She added that the county needs to do more to prove to residents that it's working in their interest, especially after the nepotism scandal and other controversies. Hiring a new jail director and chief of the detox center are good starts, Saiers said.
"It's going to take these kinds of things to help restore some of the confidence that's been lost this last year with the leadership, with the county manager," she said.
Johnson is more strident about it.
"I truly believe (county officials) are just hoping the media and public scrutiny go away," he said. "I would like the opposite."
He adds that the commission "has ceded too much of its own authority to the county manager."
Johnson and Saiers both say development in the East Mountains will be an important issue. Johnson said there needs to be clear, easy-to-understand planning documents and a healthy respect for property rights. Saiers said new development must be "done the right way" and assured of fire and police protection.
Johnson has raised about $23,000 so far for his campaign, and Saiers has raised about $2,200, according to state records.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
