OPINION: Talk of the Town

Keller’s message was more subtle

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has shown himself to be a responsible, earnest, creative and honest mayor of Albuquerque over two very challenging terms in this city. Contrary to Jeff Tucker’s op-ed in the Oct. 26 Sunday Journal, Keller’s offhand comment that he wasn’t interested in the votes of those who think solutions to homelessness and crime are as simple as locking people up or deporting them, had a more subtle message.

Drugs and crime have no simple solution and taxpayers and voters would be wise to acknowledge and learn from some of the lessons we are learning on a national level. Second, watch out for who you elect. Keller is an honest man with a proven track record in Albuquerque. We are stuck with four years of a president who flaunts the law daily, has thrown thousands of people out of work, has made a mockery out of our government, destroyed our national reputation, and summarily reversed our pathway towards becoming a more humane and inclusive democracy.

Albuquerque is a multicultural metro area of a million people that is honestly struggling and working toward solutions that fit all of its citizens, and with Keller at the helm, it is asking citizens to do their part in participating in those solutions, from the privileged to the humblest.

Christine Gilbertson

Albuquerque

Why we’re leaving New Mexico

My wife and I have lived in Albuquerque for 50 years, the last 38 in the East Mountains, “our forever home.” This means we need to travel to Albuquerque for most of our shopping and medical care, which we don’t mind. But we feel we have to travel beyond the Central, Juan Tabo and Eubank corridor because Smith’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target and Walmart are less safe and employ armed guards.

In need of back surgery, I called a local neurosurgeon’s office, hearing, “We will call you in about four months to make an appointment in approximately six months.” Frustrated, I called Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. They apologized for having no appointment with the neurosurgeon until next week. When I saw him, he said, unsolicited, “Never have surgery in New Mexico.” Having done his neurosurgical fellowship in Phoenix, he witnessed firsthand the poor medical care New Mexico has.

Surgery in Ohio was a blessing. I went from barely walking to walking up to six miles a day three weeks after surgery. Commenting on the Nextdoor app about this, I got, “If you don’t like it, leave.” So we are leaving the state, our forever home, grandkids and friends to have quality medical care, and shop without locked-up merchandise and armed guards. We are leaving a state at or near the bottom of most good lists and at or near the top of bad lists.

Our decision to leave was most difficult. Wake up, vote against the politicians who say what they want under the guise of what we need, who will not be swayed by injury lawyers. Or, continue to vote the same and keep getting what you have. We will be back to visit but not stay. We truly hope that Albuquerque will grow to be a better, safer place.

Craig Furry

Tijeras

Give-away program won’t solve problems

New Mexico has many things going for it. The climate is mild, it has stunning southwestern vistas, a diverse culture, world class national laboratories and a robust Department of Defense presence. On the flip side the state has problems with endemic crime, homelessness and poverty. Further, it is losing medical professionals due to the high cost of malpractice insurance and excessively high punitive damages. These doctors can easily get jobs in neighboring states where insurance costs are lower and punitive damages are controlled.

The Democrats have a lock on the state Legislature where many of these problems could be addressed. Instead of solving the problems they chose to stay the course. For example, they could help reduce the cost of medical malpractice insurance by reducing the malpractice awards. But the Legislature is beholden to the trial lawyer lobby for campaign donations and so New Mexico continues to hemorrhage doctors. The state also has a severe problem caring for abused and neglected children with stories of Children, Youth and Families Department negligence and institutional rot appearing almost weekly.

With these severe unsolved issues, the progressive Democrats are poised to introduce universal child care, which will likely become another expensive failed social give-away program. The program will sink many millions of dollars from state coffers and deliver expensive babysitting. The program is not means tested and it lacks the hundreds of child care workers to be successful. The state should solve the considerable problems it has and not launch another mega expensive child care program that is destined to crash and burn.

Andrew Ongstad

Albuquerque

Support modernizing bonding, cleanup rules

As a family doctor working in rural New Mexico, I’ve seen the impact of increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases on people living near oil and gas production areas. Children suffer severe asthma attacks more frequently and have difficulty controlling day-to-day symptoms. Older citizens have worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease, and people die at younger ages — all due to inhaling these pollutants.

Oil and gas corporations that drill for, extract and profit from our public resources should be required to clean up after themselves, 100% of the time. They can’t be allowed to leave the costs and effort of plugging and cleaning up unproductive wells to our taxpayers. If they can’t afford the costs of cleanup, they shouldn’t be drilling here.

If an ordinary person rents an apartment, they have to provide a security deposit to cover any damages they may cause; if anyone owns or drives a car in New Mexico, they need automobile insurance to cover costs in case of accidents, injuries or property damage. The same principle should apply to oil and gas companies operating on our lands — they should post sufficient bond, as the proposed rule requires.

Since 2019, New Mexico has spent more than $50 million to plug about 1,000 orphaned gas wells. We still face up to $1.6 billion in future cleanup costs. Abandoned wells are dangerous. Methane and toxins leak into air and groundwater, harming wildlife and public health, especially in rural and tribal communities. Leaking methane is wasted, worsening global warming without doing anything toward supplying our energy needs. Let’s protect our air, water, health and wallets, making sure no one gets to profit while leaving the rest of us with the mess.

Nona Girardi

Los Alamos

Reconnect ABQ with poetry

As a local author and poet, I’ve been working to spark more engagement with poetry here in Albuquerque. My book, “Grace: And Other Poems,” reflects my faith and reflections on life, and I wish to reconnect our community with poetry. I’ve partnered with local businesses to help get my work seen, hosted my first book signing (which had a wonderful turnout), and have been working with my church to keep poetry alive in spiritual and creative spaces. Looking ahead, I’m developing a children’s chapter book inspired by my poem, “The Dust Bunny,” aimed at introducing young readers to imagination and meaning through poetry. I hope to continue sharing poetry with more people in our city and would love to connect with others who share that passion.

Stephen Landis

Albuquerque

New Mexico needs pediatric specialists

We desperately need pediatric specialists in New Mexico. When my twin granddaughters were 6 months old, they had eczema so bad they were miserable. They were referred to a pediatric allergist. Because there was only one part-time doctor in New Mexico, they had to wait three months for an appointment. After treatment, they could finally sleep through the night and so could their parents.

Stop driving doctors away from our state from the high cost of malpractice insurance. We deserve better.

Katie Cunningham

Albuquerque

Zoning idea would harm NM families

I see the term “NIMBY” thrown around and to be honest, it stinks of virtue-signaling privilege. People here have been in their communities across generations of their families. Others have worked and overcome struggles like homelessness and addiction to achieve home ownership. In a state where class mobility and generational wealth are virtually nonexistent, home ownership is one of the few ways poorer working-class people can achieve stability and security to thrive.

So when people get upset about Mayor Tim Keller and Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn’s zoning proposals that would change zoning to potentially allow anyone to come into a community to buy properties and gentrify communities without impact studies, planning or input from residents, the term NIMBY gets thrown around by their neo-liberal colleagues to demonize anyone who doesn’t fall in line and support it.

These people have every right to be upset when their livelihoods are jeopardized by monied interests and they aren’t given a say in what happens to communities their families have been in for generations. The problem is that very often the ones throwing around the term “NIMBY” don’t have it happening in their own backyard or haven’t had to overcome obstacles toward home ownership. It shows a complete disregard for the struggles of the working class, the poor and the marginalized.

So please, continue to use the term and let us all know that you’re a neo-liberal colonizer in disguise. Those of us who truly care and have progressive values see you for the frauds you are and demand proper planning and input into the future of our communities.

We’re speaking directly to you, Mayor Keller and Councilor Fiebelkorn. It’s an election season. There’s mayoral candidates and even a write-in (Jaemes Shanley) for District 7 against Fiebelkorn. Accountability matters.

Steven Holman

Albuquerque

Avoid deadly crashes by design every week

West Side commutes are slowed by dangerous and deadly crashes, almost always at an intersection of Coors Boulevard between Interstate 40 and Paseo Del Norte.

Racing, distracted driving, speeding, driving under the influence and red-light running all contribute, and delayed legal consequences are doing little to deter this illegal and deadly behavior. Perhaps that’s because the straight, wide and interstate-like design of Coors allows dangerous drivers to feel safe. Installing roundabouts would force drivers to go slower, eliminate hazardous left turns and opportunities to run lights, and make our roads safer. Intersections such as Western Trail and Unser, Montaño and Unser, Montaño and Golf Course, Tucson and Coors, Sevilla and Coors, Montaño Plaza and Coors, La Orilla and Coors, and Eagle Ranch and Coors could all be replaced with traffic circles.

Installing traffic circles along with protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks and curb bulb outs, and removing slip lanes has proven to reduce road fatalities. Unlike speed traps and cameras, road design forces drivers to respect the law 24/7, even when they don’t have a license plate, or else they risk crashing themselves into a barrier.

Implementing these measures would likely not impact commutes much. A traffic study on Gibson found similar features only added a whopping 30 seconds per trip during rush hour, and in that case entire lanes were removed. If the city is serious about Vision Zero, we need these features everywhere and we need them now. We shouldn’t have to wait for expensive traffic studies and public opinion on every inch of roadway to tell us what we already know about safety. We should be using every tool at our disposal to make drivers slow down and pay attention. For 30 seconds a day, the life saved might be yours.

Bryan Dombrowski

Albuquerque