OPINION: Our connected future: Jobs, education and safety in New Mexico

I’m running for governor for one reason: I believe that with dynamic leadership and the right policies, New Mexico’s best days are ahead of us. But to realize that future, we must stop treating our biggest challenges in isolation. Jobs, education and public safety are deeply connected, and for too long, our leadership has failed to understand and act on those connections.

When families have access to quality schools and good-paying jobs, our communities are stronger, crime is lower and prosperity is a real possibility for everyone. New Mexico deserves a vision that tackles these three priorities together.

My experience as a successful New Mexico entrepreneur working with clients like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, University of New Mexico Hospital and the Navajo Nation has taught me an essential truth: lasting results come from addressing root causes, not just reacting to symptoms.

To begin, despite the news of large data centers coming to our state, let’s remember that our small businesses are the true backbone of our economy. They stabilize neighborhoods and provide the jobs that support our families. Yet, New Mexico ranks poorly — 44th out of 50 in CNBC’s “Top States for Business”— due to barriers like business unfriendliness, high taxes and a lack of access to capital. This must change.

I will champion common-sense, pro-growth policies by cutting unnecessary red tape, expanding access to capital, and actively encouraging entrepreneurs to start, grow and stay here.

I will advance policies that expand career pathways in growing sectors like energy, technology, defense and innovation. It’s essential that our leadership champions new opportunities that will lift communities and ensure that incomes finally rise faster than the cost of living. Moreover, when people can find good jobs close to home thanks to a growing economy, it reduces desperation and makes our communities safer than ever. That’s why I believe job creation is not just an economic policy; it is a public safety policy too.

At the same time, fixing our failing education system must be given equal attention.

Under my leadership, we will ensure high-quality schools focus both on fundamental skills like literacy and math, but also the real-world skills necessary for tomorrow’s workforce. We will implement meaningful parental choice so every parent can find the right educational fit for their child. And we will install accountability for outcomes, ensuring our schools are delivering on measurable results for students that aligns with taxpayer spending.

Our schools must equip young people with skills, confidence and a sense of purpose. When students see a path to a bright future, they are far less likely to fall into cycles of crime and dependency. A strong K–12 system is the most effective long-term strategy we have for workforce readiness and crime prevention.

In short, our state must inspire students to succeed and then ensure economic opportunity is available to them when they are ready. While both education and job growth have the benefit of yielding stronger and safer communities, we also need a public safety system that emphasizes prevention and enforcement. Students and business cannot thrive unless they are also given the best environment to do so. By connecting this strategy to our economic and educational reforms, we can reduce the conditions that contribute to crime and substance abuse.

New Mexico does not need small ambitions. We need big results for our kids, our workers and our communities. By embracing accountability, opportunity and effective governance, and by seriously connecting education, jobs and public safety, we can build a future where every New Mexican has a real chance to succeed. This is not a partisan vision; it’s a common sense New Mexico vision. I invite you to join this movement.

Doug Turner is a Republican gubernatorial candidate in New Mexico. He is the founder of Agenda Global, a strategic communications firm.