OPINION: Albuquerque voters have a better choice than more of the same or doom, gloom and bad ideas

As a father of three, a prosecutor who took down decades of police corruption and someone who loves our city, I refuse to accept an Albuquerque defined by denial or by doom. Our city deserves more than either Mayor Tim Keller’s spin or other candidates’ gloom; it deserves a future.

Keller tells us to believe in a comeback we can’t see. But the people of Albuquerque are not blind — we know what our streets, our neighborhoods and our future feel like right now.

The reality is only 1 in 10 Albuquerque renters can afford to buy a home at the same time Keller pushes for tax breaks to developers for luxury housing without guaranteed good wages for workers as part of the deal. The possibility is city-led development of green, affordable housing that expands supply, creates union jobs and generates revenue for the city.

The reality is homelessness has doubled in three years. But the city’s approach of arrests and sweeps is making it harder for people to get off the street. The possibility is transitional housing, care and security that build ladders out of homelessness while reducing the impact on neighbors and small businesses.

The reality is Albuquerque feels less safe no matter the statistics. But that doesn’t mean the only alternative is throwing half the city in jail. The possibility is police focused on serious crime, expanded Albuquerque Community Safety, a single county-wide 911 dispatch center staffed by first responders and robust prevention programs that intervene to prevent crime before it happens.

The reality is even City Council isn’t being told where our tax dollars are being spent. The possibility is a transparent budget where every penny is accounted for — and the public never has to wonder what is being hidden.

I know how to take on entrenched systems and deliver results. As U.S. attorney, I ended generational corruption in Keller’s police department. As a candidate for mayor, I’m demanding that voters know whether Keller created a new generation of downwinders and exposed Albuquerque residents to toxic asbestos removed from the Gateway Center

As mayor, I will bring the same accountability and focus to the highest level of city government.

The reality is I’m not running for mayor to advance my career. I already have one. I’m running for mayor because I want my children — all of our children — to grow up safely, choose Albuquerque and not feel like they have to move away to find safety or opportunity.

The reality is that we do not have to look at our city with rose-colored glasses nor do we have to view each other as enemies. Albuquerque is not hopelessly broken. Albuquerque is full of possibilities. We can build a safer, stronger city. We just need new leadership to make it happen.

Editor’s note: The Journal last Sunday inadvertently ran an earlier op-ed from Alex Uballez. This is his response to Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City address.