Ten candidates running in the June Democratic Primary Election attended Kiwanis on May 10 to introduce themselves and list the issues that they believe are most important this year. Candidates in front row from left, Maria Sanchez-Gagne for district attorney, Chris Chandler for council, Karyl Ann Armbruster for PEC and Antonio Maggiore for council. Candidates in back row from left, Marco Serna for district attorney, Kristin Henderson for council, Jennifer Padgett for district attorney, Stephanie Garcia Richard for House Dist. 43, Amy Woods for county clerk and Pete Sheehey for council. Photo by Don CaspersonTen Democratic Party candidates attended the May 10 Kiwanis meeting, introducing themselves and seeking votes in the upcoming Democratic Primary.
Two of the races in the Democratic Primary—the district attorney post and the three Los Alamos County Council positions—are contested. All of the candidates in those races attended, and each candidate spoke for three minutes, describing his/her background and qualifications and explaining what he/she believed to be the most important issue in the race.
The district attorney race is hotly contended this year. Here’s a look at the Democrats vying for this position:
Three Candidates for DA
The three running for district attorney (listed in the order in which their names were chosen as the next speaker) are: Maria Sanchez-Gagne, Jennifer Padgett, and Marco Serna.
Maria Sanchez-Gagne, who now works for the state Environment Department, said, “I am a career prosecutor.” She stressed that she has spent 20 years prosecuting cases, and she added, “I am dedicated to helping victims—to restoring their lives and obtaining justice.”
Sanchez-Gagne, a Santa Fe native (and bilingual in English and Spanish), is a former assistant district attorney in the First Judicial District (1996 to 2000, during which time she was a children’s court attorney and prosecuted felony cases under then-District Attorney Henry Valdez), and a former assistant attorney general (2000 to 2005 under then-Attorney General Patricia Madrid). She noted that she drafted New Mexico’s human trafficking law. Her literature shows that she established and headed the Border Violence Division in the AG’s office “to fight human trafficking, money laundering and to work on international criminal extraditions.” She said she is concerned about repeat offenders and would make it a priority to prosecute them vigorously, and she told of one person with seven DWIs who recently got probation. She also said that, if elected, she would “work to improve training of officers.”
In her literature, she said, “I have served our community for 20 years as a criminal prosecutor seeking justice for victims and have prosecuted serious violent crimes including homicides, sexual assaults, human trafficking and crimes against children. I am not afraid of prosecuting difficult cases in order to ensure our community is safe. As your next district attorney, I will serve you with honesty, integrity and experience.”
Jennifer Padgett, the second candidate to speak, is the current district attorney. Padgett, a former Dona Ana County prosecutor under Susana Martinez (now the governor), was appointed by Martinez to fill out the term of District Attorney Angela “Spence” Pacheco, who retired. Padgett will fill out Pacheco’s term, which ends Dec. 31, but she must be elected to continue in the post after that date. Padgett said she grew up in Albuquerque, played college soccer in Virginia, and then returned to New Mexico and “dedicated her career to helping children,” a decision that led her to law school and prosecution of crimes against children. Padgett served as an assistant district attorney in the Third Judicial District Attorney’s office in Las Cruces under Martinez, then went to work for Pacheco as a senior trial prosecutor in 2010. Subsequently, Martinez hired her as an assist general counsel and then appointed her deputy secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department. Eventually, she became administrative services director for the department. Pacheco speaks highly of her.
She has, in previous years, been registered as a Green Party member, a Republican, and an Independent—but she is now running as a Democrat.
She told Kiwanis that she feels she learned leadership skills in her post with CYFD that would be useful in the district attorney position. She said, “My career came full circle” and has now returned to prosecution. Her literatures said she believes in “accountability and incarceration for serial repeat offenders,” but “diversion and treatment for non-violent offenders.”
Marco Peter Serna was born in Albuquerque and grew up in Santa Fe, but spent a lot of time with family members in Española and Chama.
Recently, he has been working in the Attorney General’s Office, prosecuting Medicaid fraud and elder abuse. Before that, he was a prosecutor in Valencia and Sandoval Counties. His literature says that in 2013, he was named “Prosecutor of the Year for Domestic Violence” by the New Mexico Bar Association. He has served as assistant attorney general, “focusing on elder abuse and Medicaid fraud under Hector Balderas.” And he has “prosecuted hundreds of cases in a courtroom, including homicides, violent felonies, domestic violence offenses, crimes against children, and drug trafficking.” He is currently a board member for the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association.
Serna told Kiwanis that drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions in New Mexico. We must try to work with non-profits and seek long-term treatment as a permanent solution, he said. He would work with community leaders to “put a dent in addiction.” He also believes that domestic violence and DWI need more attention. He said we must “protect our families.” He would like to see a reduction in recidivism, and he indicated that he would use diversion as an alternative to prison sentences at the misdemeanor level.
In his literature, he said he would “take a forward-thinking direction on drug addiction because addiction is not a crime and treatment should be a part of sentencing.”
Four Candidates for Three Council Posts
The four candidates vying for the three County Council positions (listed in the order in which they spoke after local Democratic Party Chairwoman Robyn Schultz drew names from a Kiwanis cup) are: Antonio Maggiore, Chris Chandler, Pete Sheehey, and Kristin Henderson.
Two of the candidates are current councilors, and one is a past councilor. Only one, Maggiore, is new to the field, and he spoke first:
Antonio Maggiore, a Los Alamos native, is the source of the “got Antonio?” signs around town. He told Kiwanis, “I am passionately devoted to this town … I want to see it improve.” One improvement effort that he’s known for is the little garden on the west side of the ascent to the bridge to Los Alamos National Laboratory. “It’s proof that I like to get my hands dirty” he said, and “…There’s nothing dirtier than politics.” His campaign handout says he supports “sustainable, sensible growth”; the strengthening and support of small business; the creation of “a strong, inclusive community”; an “increase in green energy production”; and “tourism—more than just the national parks.” He said it’s unfair to expect local stores to remain open on Sundays and then not shop in them. He also said that there’s more to tourism than the visitors who come to see Los Alamos. The community should improve and expand its housing and its downtown area, making itself “an example to the rest of the state,” he said.
Chris Chandler is a former member and chairwoman of the County Council. She is also a former member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and two Charter Review Committees (1995 and 2010), and she is currently active in many other local organizations. One example: She is currently a member of the Family YMCA Board. “I know a lot of you in this room,” she said. When she first came to Northern New Mexico, she worked for a law firm in Santa Fe, but subsequently, she worked as an attorney for LANL. She’s now in private practice. Because of her many activities, she said, she has a detailed knowledge of how the county and the lab work and a “good understanding of government.” She said she is “very interested in public participation” in government. She feels that the most important issue right now is “ensuring that the Comprehensive Plan reflects the views of Los Alamos County citizens; that it is well done; and that when it is done it will be well enforced.” She noted that such things as open space, tourism, and housing location and density will be affected by the plan. In her literature, she says, “Our future is bright, and I believe we have many opportunities to move our community forward. We are also facing a number of challenges … I have a wealth of experience that will help us address these challenges.”
Pete Sheehey, a County Council incumbent seeking re-election, has been in Los Alamos for 30 years. He has lived in Los Alamos as a single person, a man with a family, and a retiree. He is an Air Force veteran; he spent many years working at the laboratory as a physicist; and he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Four years ago, he said, he ran for County Council, asking many people in the community what they wanted. They told him to go ahead with good projects and spend money—“but within reasonable limits.” He has tried to do that. He said he listens well, and is persistent, concise, and supportive. He asked, “How do we prepare for and get consensus for the future of this town?” The answer, he said, is to invest in such a way that people want to stay here. He spoke of the importance of “communication, prioritization, fiscal responsibility, (and) sustainability.” He also mentioned “civil community discussion.” He singled out the need for “less pollution—more sustainable everything.” And, he said, if that is done right, the community will actually save money.
Kristin Henderson, also a County Council incumbent seeking re-election, said that she has been in Los Alamos since 2003. Her husband works at the lab, and they are raising two daughters. She has a degree in law from the University of California-Los Alamos, but she has worked in many fields. She is currently working in real estate. She said she hopes that she has shown, during her four years in office, that she is “highly analytical, hardworking, and intelligent” and can “work well with people.” She said her No. 1 concern is the heavy turnover that the lab is facing. Most of those who retire will stay here, she said, and they will continue to compete with the in-coming “best and brightest” for acceptable housing in town. She mentioned the need for vitality in the downtown area, good housing stock, and development of the new Manhattan Project National Park. In her literature, she says that she has championed such issues as: including the needs of families in council decisions; saving 4-H (and legalizing city chickens); maintaining diversity in public art; supporting the Teen Center and Family Strengths Network; revitalizing the downtown areas of Los Alamos and White Rock; improving housing; and implementing the national park.
Unopposed Democratic Candidates
Three unopposed candidates in the Democratic Primary came to the May 10 Kiwanis meeting, and, because the candidates in contested race kept their remarks concise, there was time for the unopposed candidates to speak for two minutes each.
One of the three “unopposed candidates” who took time to come and meet Kiwanis members on May 10 was the current District 43 state representative.
Incumbent District 43 State Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard stressed the experience she has gained in two years representing Los Alamos County (and Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe Counties). She noted that Los Alamos is a “one-company town,” and said that she has worked hard with local officials to promote diversification and attract new employers. She also said she is deeply concerned about taking steps to improve mental health and fight drug addiction.
Among the accomplishments listed on the “Friends of Stephanie Garcia Richard” website are these three: “Sponsored the legislation that revived the Technology Research Collaborative to bring our state universities and national research labs together to create opportunities to grow our high tech economy. (Was) named MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Legislative Champion of the Year after leading efforts to strengthen DWI (driving while intoxicated) laws in New Mexico; co-sponsored legislation that keeps the Lottery Scholarship solvent … (and) traveled to Washington to fight for stable funding for LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory).”
Garcia Richard has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Barnard College and a teaching degree from the University of California-Los Angeles. In 2012, she defeated then-County Council Chairman Geoff Rodgers by a 56.8 to 43.2 percent margin to take the post that had been held for many years by Republican Rep. Jeannette Wallace, who served in the Legislature until her death. Garcia Richard serves on the Appropriations and Finance Committee and the Education Committee.
Amy Woods, who is unopposed in the Democratic Primary for Los Alamos County Clerk, grew up in Los Alamos. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and has worked n both large and small companies. She is an associate broker with Zia Realty Group, and she is currently serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. She stressed, in her remarks at Kiwanis that she would like to see the County Clerk’s Office make good use of technology. In her literature, she also said that she would “assure continued quality service” in the office.
Karyl Ann Armbruster is running unopposed in the Democratic Primary for re-election as public education commissioner. Armbruster spend 17 years as a middle school teacher. She took a moment to tell her Kiwanis audience that the Public Education Commission’s major responsibility is the authorization of charter schools. They also close charter schools that are not doing well.
Kiwanis has invited Republican candidates for local offices and offices that affect Los Alamos to come and speak at the club’s noon-1 p.m. meeting Tuesday, May 17. The meeting is open to the public.
