By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
The League of Women Voters of Los Alamos hosted candidates for the Public Regulatory Commission Dist. 3 seat and NM Senate District 5 candidates Oct. 1 at a forum via Zoom. The candidates for NM House District 43 were included in the forum Oct. 5, along with County Council candidates.
Two candidates are vying for the seat on the PRC. They are Libertarian Christopher B. Luchini and Democrat Joseph M. Maestas.
Maestas is a native New Mexican. He holds a master’s degree in engineering. Maestas worked as an engineer and regulator for the federal government until retirement. He has served as a city councilor for the City of Española and the City of Santa Fe. He was also mayor of Española.
Luchini has a doctorate in physics and has owned and run several businesses since leaving Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2001. Luchini has a decade-long background in geothermal electricity projects. He grew up in Las Cruces.
While Luchini touted his status as a “non-career politician,” Maestas said his years in government service have prepared him for the PRC seat.
“I have the expertise and experience to create a consensus,” Maestas said. “My goal is to make the PRC a model regulatory commission. “
Both candidates are concerned about climate change and supportive of the Energy Transition Act, which passed in the legislature in 2019.
“Greenhouse gas emission should be illuminated, even if expenses increase,” Luchini said “Rate payers should be paying what they need to pay and not a cent more.”
“There’s so much facing the state to transfer to a clean energy future,” Maestas said. “We’re taking leaps to be carbon-free by 2045.”
The candidates also agree about voting no on Constitutional Amendment 1, which would change the elected board to one appointed by the governor. Reduce the board from five to three commissioners and extend the term to six years. Bother were concerned that industry insiders would have too much sway with an appointed committee. Luchini thinks the race should be nonpartisan.
Libertarian candidate Lee Weinland and Democrat Leo Jaramillo are vying for the NM State Senate in District 5, which encompasses the Los Alamos town site and part of White Rock. The Democratic candidate is running unopposed in District 6.
Weinland’s family has been in New Mexico since “back to Civil War days.” Former Gov. Gary Johnson has endorsed Weinland. He pointed to water rights, education, infrastructure, energy and the environment as his main areas of focus.
Jaramillo is a native son of Española. Currently, his the chair of the Rio Arriba County Commission, where worked in collaboration with State, County, City, and Pueblo elected officials as well as non-profits to find solutions to the issues of homelessness, mental health, residential care for the elderly, and community health and wellness, he said. He worked to bring a drug and alcohol treatment center to the county and worked on the solar battery project, which brought hundreds of jobs to Rio Arriba County, he said. Jaramillos’s priorities include rebuilding and strengthening the economy, affordable housing, education and broadband issues, he said.
Both candidates are pro-choice on abortion and both support a $15 minimum wage for state employees. Both stressed the importance of bring broadband Internet to the entire state. Both expressed cautious support for the Health Security Act, an approach that shifts private insurance to a supplementary role and covers all state residents under one plan. Both said they think the plan could work, but might suggest modifications.
While agreeing that the state should reduce its carbon output, Weinland said he does not favor getting rid of oil and gas because of the jobs and income they provide.
“The industries need to be better regulated,” he said.
Jaramillo favors phasing out CO2 emission plants and replacing them with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Jaramillo suggested coping with the expansion of LANL facilities and operations by exploring the use of satellite offices off the Hill and telecommuting options. Weinland and Jaramillo agreed that LANL must continue to support northern New Mexico communities in education and business.
When ask about special needs education, Weinland shared that his daughter Katie has special needs. So this is an issue dear to his heart.
“The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation really needs help,” he said.
A former teacher, Jaramillo said funding for special education is vital.
“Education can’t have a one size fits all model,” he said
Both candidates said teacher pay needs to go up. Jaramillo said he favors tapping the income on land grand funds in the short term to off-set budget shortfalls in education.
Democrat Christine Chandler is the incumbent in the race for NM District 43 Representative. Her opponent is Republican David Hampton. The candidates covered many of the same points in the Chamber of Commerce Forum covered last week in the Los Alamos Daily Post. Read that story here. This story focuses on issues not covered at that forum.
On the topic of health care, Chandler said she supports the Health Security Act, “by and large”.
“There are questions that I need answered,” she said.
She pointed to the achievements of the legislature in health care, including expanding Medicaid, ability to purchase drugs from Canada and the regulation of “surprise” medical billing.
Hampton said he would focus on reducing health care costs by supporting Tort reform to eliminate frivolous law suits.
Chandler supports overturning the state law that criminalized abortion before Roe vs. Wade. This law criminalizes abortion “in virtually all cases,” she said.
Hampton said he “does not support abortion” and does not support decriminalization.
To fund education, Chandler supports tax code reform, she said. She supports using land grant income funds to support early childhood education.
Hampton would cut spending on education by 21 percent in order not to raise taxes.
On the question of a guaranteed minimum wage of $15 for state employees, Chandler is in support while Hampton is not.
“If we attract businesses to the state, prosperity will naturally raise wages,” he said.
