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Front Page
opinion editorials
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bernalillo County Office Endorsements
County Clerk, Maggie Toulouse Oliver: When Democrat Toulouse Oliver was named county clerk last year to fill an unexpired term, she got right to work — literally.
Immediately after being sworn in, she was handed a stack of marriage licenses to sign. She hasn’t stopped working since. She kicked off her administration by having sit-downs with election stakeholders — party officials, legislators, activists, poll workers and voters. She learned what went right and what, all too often, went wrong. And then she set about fixing it.
Her repairs include better poll-worker training, an automated system that tells folks where they vote, improved Web access and posted sample ballots, written processes and procedures, and more and larger early voting sites.
Toulouse Oliver has 13 years in the political/electoral field, serving on the county Board of Registration and running campaigns. With almost 18 months in as clerk, she says she’s eager “to continue what I’ve started.” The winner of the June 3 Democratic primary will face Republican Richard Abraham in the fall. Voters should put Toulouse Oliver on that ballot.
Commission District 2, Teresa Córdova: The Democratic incumbent has worked since 2005 to bring a full complement of services to her diverse district, which includes the South Valley and runs from Tóhajiilee to Mountain View. Those include:
n Jobs. Córdova supported revenue bonds for TempurPedic and Verizon, worked with Mesa del Sol developers so South Valley growers supply the vegetation for landscaping, and helped establish the South Valley Economic Development Center to help small businesses with training.
n Infrastructure. Córdova has helped obtain funding for road projects, open space and parks, advocated for additional bus routes and was key to establishing a 24-hour nurse hot line and the South Valley Health Commons, which provides medical and dental care to around 5,000 residents a month.
n Planning. Dedicated to the area’s rural culture and wedded to the concept of community, Córdova wants to kick-start the Southwest sector plans so developers and residents have certainty up front of what an area will look like.
Córdova has a Ph.D. and teaches planning at the University of New Mexico. She has shown the ability to handle countywide issues, from reining in the jail budget to finding funds for before- and after-school programs.
The primary winner will take on Republican Cecilia C. de Baca on Nov. 4. The Journal recommends Teresa Córdova for the job.
Commission District 4, Ivonne I. Nelson: Sitting as chairman of the Bernalillo County Planning Commission for the past four years, Republican Nelson has brought an engineer’s detachment to some of the more emotional issues confronting the county.
“Reasonableness,” she says when asked the trait that most suits her for the seat being vacated by Tim Cummins. “The ability to separate feelings from fact. I can bring that to the commission.”
A priority for the developed parts of a district stretching from the Sandias in the Northeast to the Northwest Mesa is to improve public safety by reducing response times for law enforcement, fire and ambulance personnel. In undeveloped areas around the county, her planning experience would contribute to quality development under rules that don’t change (as the city’s have) in the middle of the game, leading to expensive lawsuits.
The Journal endorses Ivonne I. Nelson in the primary. There are no Democratic contenders.
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