Questions to Santa Fe District 4 City Council candidates
The Journal asks candidates for Santa Fe City Council the
following questions:
1. Why are you running for office?
What are your top priorities?
2. Considering
3. What, if anything, should
4. Do you support
5. Do you support the city ordinance requiring 30 percent of
most new homes to be sold at below-market prices as affordable housing? What
else, if anything, should
6. Have you or your business— if you are a business owner—
ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?
7. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business
bankruptcy proceeding?
8. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with or
convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony? If so, please
elaborate.
9. Have you or your business been involved in any litigation
with
Santa Fe District 4 City Council
Carol Robertson Lopez
ADDRESS: La Avenida de
AGE: 56
EDUCATION: Bachelor's, master's degrees and all but
dissertation for Ph.D.,
OCCUPATION: Retired from the state Department of
Transportation.
FAMILY: Husband, Jeff Case; son Michael, 19
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Two terms on the Santa Fe
City Council, Mayor Pro Tem, chair of the city Finance Committee and the Public
Safety Committee.
1. I want to continue to stand up for neighborhoods and
people of District 4, making sure that this district gets quality city
services, great parks, roads that are safe to drive, trails that are fun and
safe, and neighborhoods that are protected. I want to continue to fight for
more affordable housing, southside services,
2. It is clear that
3.
4. I would like to see it expanded to all workers, not just
business that employees more than 25 persons. I would like
the county to look at passing such an ordinance. I look forward to the analysis
of the impact of the living wage on our economy. Many communities are
struggling with wage issues and are no longer waiting for the federal or state
government to deal with the minimum wage.
5. Yes, I supported this measure. We have limited resources—
water and land— and if we do not mandate that these resources be directed to
produce 30 percent affordable housing, we will only have very expensive second
homes and "high-end" housing. We can save money on housing with an
overhaul of the permit development and review process. Let's make it easier and
more open while we make sure all the rules and regulations are followed. Right
now, it is estimated that the city's inefficient review process adds $20,000 to
the cost of each house.
6. No.
7. No.
8. No.
9. No.
Ronald S.
ADDRESS: Siringo Rondo South
AGE: 37
EDUCATION: Graduate of Santa Fe High and attended
OCCUPATION: Management analyst, state Department of
Transportation.
FAMILY: Wife, Amber K. Espinosa-Trujillo; two children, ages
7 and 4.
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: This is my first try at
attaining a political office.
1. I am running for office to make Santa Fe a better place
for my wife, children and family to live. Having lived in
I want to see all city streets in Santa Fe ADA Compliant. I
want to find solutions to alleviate the reasons we as Santa Feans
pay much more for basic necessities while other outlying cities don't pay as
much. And I want for the city to care about its future. Children are our
future, be it as leaders, entrepreneurs, or the work force; the city needs to
create more activities that will benefit them.
2. The city can't just completely halt development; that
would be wrong. But the city needs to limit the number of units being built if
there is not going to be enough water to sustain the growth. We just can't look
at what is going on in today's world. What's
3. My top priorities would have to be water, and finding
ways to increase the levels we have in our reservoirs and wells while
decreasing the amount we use in the city. Ways I plan to accomplish this are by
requiring all new houses to be fitted with gray water recycling. Also the new
homes to be built could be landscaped with drought tolerant plants and possibly
artificial turf. The city needs to find ways to recycle water, and ways to
eliminate the use of water completely. By requiring new homes to be fitted with
gray water recycling and by adding artificial turf to the city parks we can
start saving water for better usage.
4. I support workers getting paid better in order to survive
in a high-cost city such as
I just see scenarios of how a worker with years of
experience is now being paid what the minimum wage is, but he/she got there by
learning the ropes, and working hard to achieve the pay he/she is getting, and
now someone who has no experience at all will be paid the exact amount as that
person with years of experience. Is the owner of the business now going to be
able to compensate the worker who has all the experience and give him/her a
raise? The answer is 'probably not,' as the owner is now having to pay the new
required rates and can't afford to give raises to the employees who have earned
it through dedication and hard work.
5. Yes. I support requiring 30 percent of new homes to be
sold as affordable housing, but when we say affordable, I don't believe selling
a house at $150,000 is affordable to a first-time home buyer. Houses need to be
affordable to the person's income. In the real world we just don't pay for a
house— there are other expenses that come along with the house and these must
be factored in when qualifying the home buyer.
The city needs to look at creating affordable housing
subdivisions where all houses are affordable, and not just 30 percent— this
will take some effort between the city and builders, but I believe it can be
done. The regulations around affordable housing need to be revised to give
points (reduced amounts) for those that serve the community: teachers, police
officers and fire department.
6. No.
7. No.
8. No.
9. No.