OPINION: Talk of the Town

ABQ specialist not available under insurance plan

Unfortunately, I have breast cancer and was informed by my oncologist and my breast surgeon the only plastic surgeon in Albuquerque for reconstructive surgery did not take my insurance. To be clear on this subject, the other plastic surgeons locally are for cosmetic surgery. Because I wanted reconstructive surgery after my mastectomy, I was referred to Santa Fe for a new breast surgeon and plastic surgeon. I am happy to report the Santa Fe doctors I use have been excellent in every way. As you can imagine this has been an added expense for me to drive back and forth to doctor appointments and difficult to pay for because I am on Social Security.

Before the last legislative session I contacted Think New Mexico and signed its petitions for common sense solutions which the think tank then sent to our elected officials. I also told my story on Nextdoor and encouraged people to contact Think New Mexico, but I do not think very many people paid attention because they have not been directly affected by this dire situation.

Thank you for trying to do something to help with and inform people of the need for change.

Katrinka Smith Sullivan

Albuquerque

ABQ needs real solutions, not political theater

As an immigrant-focused nonprofit that spearheaded Albuquerque’s immigrant-friendly policies in the early 2000s, Enlace Comunitario remains committed to supporting localized efforts to strengthen immigrant rights.

Enlace supports people-centered solutions, not retaliatory political theater by elected leaders who are amplifying calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be situated in the city’s Prisoner Transport Center. Having ICE at this center would create due process and community safety issues. Due process is framed in the U.S. Constitution as a right to which every citizen and noncitizen is entitled. But in the recent joint statement by select city councilors, it seems that anyone who is arrested and transported to the Prisoner Transport Center is deemed a “criminal.”

This dangerous, predetermined judgment would undermine every New Mexican’s right to due process and would establish a two-tier justice system: One that denies due process for our immigrant neighbors, especially immigrant survivors of violence who are falsely accused of crimes. As a domestic violence service provider, Enlace frequently hears from immigrant DV victims that perpetrators weaponize the justice system against them, especially if a victim does not have legal status or does not speak English. This has resulted in victims being detained by law enforcement and sent to the Prisoner Transport Center where these councilors want ICE to be present.

In terms of community safety, increased ICE activity fosters a chilling effect for survivors of violence, making it exceedingly less likely that any form of violence is reported to law enforcement. Not reporting violence makes everyone less safe. ICE is not a safety solution. Especially now, they are arbiters of harm — ripping families apart, undermining local economies and adding another layer of surveillance to an overpoliced population. Albuquerque needs less surveillance and more community-centered solutions — solutions that can begin with supporting some of the hardest-working New Mexicans: immigrants.

Matt Mirarchi

Albuquerque

The money trail behind malpractice reform

Nearly $1.3 million. That’s the amount New Mexico Safety Over Profit (NMSOP) has raised in recent years, according to donor and spending records released under a settlement with the State Ethics Commission. The agreement ended a lawsuit over registration and disclosure rules, included a $5,000 fine, and — most importantly — opened the books on the group’s advertising campaign against malpractice reform.

One number in that list is hard to miss: $425,000 from Iowa trial lawyer Nicholas Rowley. Another: $245,000 from the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association. Together, nearly three-quarters of a million dollars from just two sources. More than 50 contributors in total, almost all trial lawyers or their firms. This was not a casual neighborhood coalition. It was a coordinated lobbying effort.

Why bring this up here, in Albuquerque? Because Sam Bregman, who is running for governor, has a direct connection: NMSOP’s executive director also manages his campaign. That doesn’t mean wrongdoing. It does mean voters deserve to hear, in his own words, how he sees malpractice reform and how he’ll handle potential conflicts.

A constructive way forward:

• Make public any boundaries between your campaign and NMSOP.
• Say clearly whether you support a reasonable cap on contingency fees and directing most punitive-damage dollars to a patient-safety fund — so more of each award reaches injured New Mexicans while keeping costs in check. If not, share your alternative.
• Support interstate licensure compacts to bring more doctors and nurses here.

SB176 never made it to the floor; the first Senate committee — Democratic-led — voted 5–4 to set it aside. While the politics churn, premiums rise and clinics struggle.

Transparency isn’t a partisan issue. It’s how patients get care.

Patrick Hudson

Cedar Grove

School calendar should adjust for temperatures

Every year there are complaints about the heat when Albuquerque Public Schools open. The school calendar regularly provides for opening around Aug. 1 and closing for the summer around the end of May. The average high temperatures for the first two weeks of June are several degrees cooler than those temperatures for the first two weeks of August. The school board or school administration should explain why this calendar is sensible.

Richard Minzner

Albuquerque

Replace confusing lights with safe, signalized crossings

The Aug. 3 Journal article about the death of cyclist Kayla VanLandingham on July 22 was heartbreaking — and infuriating — because it was preventable.

In 2020, I contacted the city of Albuquerque multiple times about the dangerous flashing yellow light trail crossings. I said that “drivers have no idea what to do when they see a biker or pedestrian” because “there are no laws” or signage telling them to slow down, stop or yield. The city’s response? “We’re looking into the situation … and should have a resolution within the next six weeks.”

Five years later, nothing has changed.

Carlisle isn’t the only hazard. Similar unmarked crossings exist at Wyoming (north of Constitution), Eubank (north of Indian School), and Juan Tabo (north of Menaul) — all high speed six-lane roads. The signs show a bicycle and a pedestrian, but no words or other information. There are no painted crosswalks. Drivers are left guessing, and cyclists and pedestrians are left in danger.

At a Bike ABQ meeting on Aug. 5, I heard Kayla’s mother speak. Her daughter loved biking and volunteering to teach bike safety. That love cost her life at a crossing that I — and others — had already flagged as deadly.

The city must remove these confusing yellow lights and replace them with fully signalized crossings now. We don’t need another grieving parent to prove the point.

Marilyn Gruen-Majewski

Albuquerque

Pedestrian crossings should be easy to understand

It was a tragic accident when the bicyclist was killed on Carlisle.

It would be simple to improve the signaling at locations like this. People seem to be confused by the current system. Everyone understands a conventional signal system at any major intersection. There is no reason we can’t do the same at these pedestrian crossings. The light for traffic on Carlisle would be green until a pedestrian pushes the “walk” button. They would wait for the “walk” light to turn on, just as they would at a major signaled intersection. Cars would recognize the cyclist through the yellow and red lights.

No flashing lights. No pedestrians or bikes in the crosswalk while the light is yellow.

Sound familiar?

Ed Dunn

Albuquerque