OPINION: Talk of the Town

Albuquerque needs a new leader

As an Albuquerque native who has raised his family here, I cannot sit back any longer without voicing my displeasure for the lack of strong leadership in our community under the Keller administration, which has had eight years to turn the tides of our deteriorating city.

I am embarrassed and, at the same time, fed up by what I witness on a day-to-day basis with ongoing vices in our city — crime, homelessness, panhandling, drugs and an overall disregard for the law that has impacted all of our lives, directly or indirectly. Of course, we should all attempt to take care of our corner of the world as best as we can, but we desperately need a stronger and more assertive leader whose passion should be to clean up the lawlessness that continues to infiltrate our neighborhood and community in general.

Eight years was sufficient to get this done, yet it continues to worsen. In fact, before Keller became mayor and state auditor, he was the state senator of the East Central area for six years. I would encourage you to take a drive along that corridor and see how that has turned out. For those who believe we are going in the right direction, wake up and see the mediocrity that is all around us. We as a community should no longer award this blatant mediocrity.

Mark Edwards

Albuquerque

To fix education, hold leaders accountable

In her opinion piece in the Oct. 12 Sunday Journal, “Education that will help our kids succeed,” Deb Haaland’s assertion: “The solution (to the problems of worker shortages in New Mexico) is to invest in pathways to careers now …” is as specious as it is myopic.

Fixing education will take more than partial solutions and lofty promises to reverse a decade of system-encrusted failed leadership, policy and implementation that has anchored New Mexico near the bottom of the country in K-12 education. As she frames it, the solution is to start with career-oriented learning in middle school as a way to engage kids’ interest. Actually, kids start in preschool and proceed through fifth grade to junior high or middle school. These years establish foundational skills in computation and literacy, essential for skilled trades and vocational avenues Haaland advocates.

Without addressing this reality in the age of artificial intelligence, the incomplete educational program she presents is a picture of smoke and mirrors. What are her positions on SMART goals, high expectations, high-quality grade-level instructional materials, data-driven decision-making and accountability the habits of school governance demonstrated to boost student outcomes? Relating learning with career relevance is an important, but only one, strategy for student engagement. Competence itself is an essential motivator.

Arts, extracurricular activities, music and athletics are also essential, as the higher attendance and graduation rates of students who participate attest. Ironically, progressives’ sudden discovery of the need for vocational education in public schools reverses their position since the 1970s just when MAGA’s assault on higher education has gained traction with working people. In a world of AI, basic skills are as necessary for vocational jobs as for white collar ones. To fix education in New Mexico, voters need to raise their expectations for their political leadership and hold them to a higher standard.

David Foster

Albuquerque

Cowboys are still America’s Team

Regarding Jeffery Mitchell’s column on “America’s Team,” I have to wonder how making the change from the Dallas Cowboys to the Philadelphia Eagles would work? Perhaps a time machine could transport us back to 1978? Mitchell neglected to point out that this was part of a promotion film for the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers were also considered.

True, the Cowboys’ fan base played a big part in the decision, but remember back then both teams were extremely popular. I see how the Eagles might be considered, being the national bird, but it’s hard to change the past. Also remember that the starting quarterback for the Cowboys was Roger Staubach, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and there is a star on their helmets like the American flag. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a one-time promotion somehow stuck and is now a part of our football lore, for better or worse. Perhaps the winners of the Super Bowl could be called champions instead.

Tom Kerley

Albuquerque

A poem on tech detox

What if we sent our screen-bound youth not to clinics, but to the mountains?

Philmont Scout Ranch already saves summers — why not save minds, year-round?

No phones. No feeds. Just sky, sweat, silence.

Could we not turn this wilderness into a place for digital rehab — tech detox with dirt, wind, stars?

The infrastructure exists. The crisis is real. The solution is timeless.

Let the land do what it’s always done:

Unplug, rebuild, return.

Steven Ritzdorf

Omaha, Nebraska

Candidates’ stance on charter schools critical

As an Albuquerque native and parent, I know how important next month’s Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education elections are. The board’s decisions shape our children’s education, their teachers and their future opportunities. For families like mine, this election isn’t abstract — it’s personal.

One key issue should be top of mind for every voter: Where do the candidates stand on charter schools?

Charter schools are free, public and open to all. In New Mexico, they are funded based on student enrollment, cannot be run for profit, and meet the same transparency requirements as districts. They undergo annual state reviews to ensure accountability and must correct any findings, a process not typically required of traditional schools each year. Albuquerque’s charter schools are some of the highest performing in the state and serve with missions to meet the needs and interests of students. Take Altura Preparatory School: Over 80% of students are proficient in reading and math, including more than 80% of economically disadvantaged students.

Families notice results like these. Today, nearly 9,000 students in the Albuquerque metro area attend an APS-authorized charter school — and they aren’t alone. Surveys show that 82% of New Mexicans want more public school options, and 73% support expanding charter schools. That’s why voters should closely review the Albuquerque Journal’s 2025 candidate surveys, especially question No. 9 on charter schools.

We need board members who reflect how our community feels about school choice and support giving every student access to the best school for them — whether charter, magnet or traditional district. Candidates that hedge on this commitment because of budgetary issues miss the point. Public education should serve students, not bureaucracies. And competition from charters often raises the bar for all schools.

Before you vote, check where the candidates stand and spread the word. Charter schools are vital to Albuquerque’s future — and they deserve full support.

Jake Lujan

Albuquerque

Debate should have included all candidates

As residents of Albuquerque, we have the right to hear from every candidate who wants to lead our city. Yet KOAT chose to leave candidates off the mayoral debate stage on Wednesday. That decision didn’t just silence those mayoral candidates — it silenced the voters.

Debates are supposed to serve the public. We know Albuquerque is facing tough problems — crime, homelessness, economic growth. Every candidate should have to answer for how they’ll address these issues, and every voter should be able to compare their answers side by side. When organizers decide who is “worthy” of being heard, they deny us the full picture.

A large share of voters are still undecided. That means these debates matter — this is when people are listening most closely, weighing their options and deciding who to trust with their future. By limiting who participates, the debate becomes less of a public service and more of a curated show.

Voters — not TV stations, not insiders — should decide who gets a shot at leading this city. Anything less is an insult to the democratic process. Cutting candidates out of the conversation doesn’t just tilt the stage, it tilts the entire election.

Katrina Tracy

Albuquerque