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Sunday, October 25, 2009

New Mayor Will Move City Ahead

By Sherman Mccorkle
Chairman, Mayor-elect Richard Berry Transition Team
          Since Mayor-elect Richard (RJ) Berry was chosen to lead our city for the next four years, there has been some speculation about what kind of leader he will be. For those of us who have known RJ and talked at length with him about his vision, we have no need to speculate. We know him to be a pragmatist who meant what he said when he campaigned on the platform of being pro-business and in favor of a common sense agenda to move our city forward.
        And with the recent announcement of both a life-long Democrat and a well-known Republican to fill two of the city's top positions, the message should now be clear to everyone that RJ Berry makes his decisions based on what is best for the city.
        As head of the transition team, I am pleased with Berry's selection of David Campbell as his chief administrative officer designate. He brings 28 years of city hall experience to this position, having served constituents previously in several positions that directly operated within the scope of the CAO's office and also as an advocate negotiating resolutions between constituents and city government. He has previously advised the City Council, mayor and CAO in ethics and, along with his law degree, he also holds a master's degree in public administration. This dual perspective of understanding the intricate workings of city government and having empathy of those served by that same government will serve him well as he balances the imperative of fiscal responsibility with the needs of our community.
        Campbell not only brings experience, he also has earned a high level of respect with a reputation of being fair and honest. He recently shared with me that one of his goals is to continue to professionalize the cadre of city employees with proper training and mentoring. He wants to ensure that Albuquerque has a workforce adept at using technology with the potential of saving taxpayer dollars. For example, Campbell pointed out that each month due to massive photocopying, the Planning Department goes through what must be hundreds if not thousands of trees just to maintain the department. By digitizing some of their processes, it will not only make the information more accessible to citizens but also be better for our environment.
        With the appointment of Darren White as chief public safety officer, Berry adds to his team a well-known lawman with a long track record of putting public safety first, having previously earned the prestigious Rodel Fellowship from the Aspen Institute, which called White "among the very best, brightest, and most promising members of America's emerging political leadership." The two-term Bernalillo County sheriff and former Cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety will move forward with Berry's campaign promise to make Albuquerque safer. To that end, his top priority will be to ensure that the necessary resources are allocated to address the issues of property crimes and escalating gang activity. And with his successful track-record of reaching across the aisle to work with the Democrat-controlled Bernalillo County Commission for the past six years, citizens can rest assured that White will be effective at reaching his long-term goal of improving the quality of life for everyone who lives in Albuquerque. As he told me, "We have a good police department already. We just want to make it better."
        As a native New Mexican and long-time champion of job creation here in Albuquerque, I am greatly heartened by the prospect of a brighter, better future for our city with RJ Berry as our mayor-elect. And with the naming of Darren White and David Campbell to the mayor-elect's administration, the promise of greater safety and fiscal responsibility will position us to move forward out of a recession and on to healthier growth as a city, creating the right environment for new businesses to become established and established businesses to expand.