Economic development is a critical key to addressing the larger issues of poverty and crime in our city. D6 needs job diversity, which leads to more employment opportunities and wage options, which in turn keeps our residents working closer to home and family.

From day one, the biggest plank in my campaign platform has been economic development and concerted reinvestment in our district.

Here are some first steps I will take to move us in the right direction:

• Utilizing programs such as federal Main Street grants to reinvest in San Mateo Blvd

• Creating Opportunity Zones within our district

• Using state and federal grant programs to make start-up dollars available to our local entrepreneurs and small businesses

• Working with community leaders in their initiatives to address the shuttered Walmart and Walgreens – along with other abandoned properties in our neighborhoods – so the people of our District can take ownership of our future.

• Allocate money towards infrastructure such as lighting, street cleaning, and beautification initiatives throughout our district.

D6 has suffered for decades under single- or dual-income models, and economic segregation in the form of "low-income" and "affordable housing." I will push for multi-income housing incentives, which will in turn lead to more diversity in our population.

A diverse economic base gets the attention of City leadership, resulting in more equitable treatment while fostering diverse, vibrant neighborhoods.

We have a housing crisis in our city, but we also have roughly 1,500 abandoned homes sitting vacant and neglected. Let’s get people in them—we can provide housing to those who need it while cleaning up the blight in our neighborhoods.

• We need to revitalize the Safe City Strike Force to condemn abandoned properties so they can be brought on the market

• We must pledge support and more city funding for the “Restoring Our Communities Program,” which provides funding for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and resale of single-family properties to increase homeownership opportunities for low-moderate- and middle-income households.

• We should also be looking at programs like the West Denver ADU Pilot Program which, if implemented in Albuquerque, will help us to build new, long-term units that will be affordable to a broad spectrum of our working-class residents.

  Programs like the Denver model emphasize offering support to homeowners and builders by incentivizing the construction process from design to actual construction in exchange for a guarantee of affordability. Programs like this will allow controlled urban density and infill while creating much-needed housing opportunities for renters and generational properties, freeing elder housing to the market, or allowing young adults to stay closer to family. Furthermore, homeowners can build wealth through rentals and increased equity, or families can save resources by living communally.

There's a lot to repair in our relationship with APD, but I think we can bridge our gaps and meet in the middle. I have been a proponent of ACS since the very first day, and will continue my support. I also believe we need to engage our community members who may not want excess police presence to implement proven Eyes On The Street practices to safeguard our community.

Public Safety, for me, is the protection and general well-being of our entire community, and the protection from events which may endanger the safety or security of the public, cause injury, and/or property damage.

I have seen first-hand in my district that we need stronger Code Enforcement, especially as pertaining to securing empty or dilapidated structures. Many of our roads are in disrepair, and we need to be more proactive in handling crime as addressed by our existing laws.

A friend once said, “City Council holds the purse strings,” and I believe that we need to loosen them up for those that serve our community. Up-to-date training and workplace safety, competitive wages, the right budget for the right equipment, proper benefits for a lifetime of service, and taking care of those that take care of us should always be the focus of those in government.

As a City Council member, I would vote to ensure adequate funding for staffing, equipment, and training as well as make myself available to hear from leadership on how I may best assist our departments.

I would also seek to strengthen the unions and their positions to ensure safe working conditions and bargaining power. We need higher wages to attract new hires, strong benefits to retain them, and we need to ensure a healthy and safe working environment for all.

Finally, we need to seriously consider the issue of equity of funds across our city. I will advocate for a NEEDS based approach to our budget—just like you do for your own household, you budget for all your bills and once those are paid you have a little extra for those upgrades or new purchases to increase your quality of life. With a needs-based budget, we can address things like equitable affordable housing across the city and improve sidewalks, streets, and other essential city infrastructure. New Mexico is poised to have 3.4 billion dollar surplus and I plan on working with our State Legislature to achieve some of these needs for our infrastructure so that we can focus on affordable housing.

D6, east of San Mateo, has the densest and most-impoverished population in the city. Systemic neglect over the past 5 decades has created the dereliction we see today. This is not acceptable. I will address all of the issues plaguing District 6 with a critical eye on how to elevate the "forgotten" sections of D6 so that ALL residents enjoy safe neighborhoods, opportunities, and prosperity.

Past leadership has ensured plenty of beautification projects for other parts of our city, whether attached to road improvements, redevelopment, or expansion. D6 has been left to languish. I aim to fight for the facelifts and fortifications our district needs, especially along the historic gem that is Eastern Route 66.