Letters to the Editor

By ALLEN SCHMIEDICKE 
Los Alamos 

Everyone is talking about adding more and more housing to get people living in Los Alamos.

Set a limit of 25,000, let’s build taller building, higher density and more than 1 house on a lot. But no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room. And that elephant is water. 

The county has a limited number of water rights. If the county needs more water rights, than the county has to find them and buy them. All water rights in the state are spoken for.

If you look up Los Alamos County water rights, the county will tell you that it has 5,541.3 acre-feet/year. What it does not Read More

By STEPHANIE NAKHLEH
Los Alamos

In a way I appreciate Tony Berretta’s anti-housing letter to the editor, as horrifying as it is, because he probably speaks for lots of people who think quietly to themselves, “Poor people are criminals and we don’t want them in this town!” but are too smart to say that out loud.

Well, Tony said it out loud, so now we can talk about it. First, is “affordable housing” the same as “low-income housing?” No. Low-income housing is a subset of affordable housing, it’s not identical to it. What is affordable in Los Alamos? According to Zillow, the typical home value of homes Read More

By The Price Family
(Steve, Aimee, Maya, Ian)
Los Alamos

We are writing to endorse and offer our full support for Suzie Havemann for County Council.

We have known Suzie for 15 years. In fact, we “met” before even moving here. Our family relocated from England, and while looking online for rental housing, I reached out to her for advice. She was friendly, knowledgeable and responsive. 

Once we arrived here, she welcomed us and helped us get on our feet. Several years later, she helped us negotiate an amazing deal to buy our home. This involved a non-standard and highly creative purchase agreement Read More

Read More

By TONY BERETTA
Los Alamos

I use the term low income housing and not the euphemism affordable housing.  All housing is affordable if you have the income commensurate with the cost of the housing. Low income housing is for those who have low income and we have more than enough of this in Los Alamos.

The problem with low income housing is it brings into the community those with low income. We have cleaners who come every other week to clean our house. Does this mean I want them to be neighbors or even live in Los Alamos – hardly! They need to live where they can afford to live, which is not in Los Alamos.

If I sound Read More

We, the undersigned, have known Sharon Dry as a longtime member of the Los Alamos community. We endorse her for County Council, and we ask you to vote for Sharon on Nov. 8.

Sharon understands the nuances of living in Los Alamos since she has lived in the county for most of her life. Sharon has been active in the community and has served in many local organizations since her childhood. She worked alongside leaders and youth from Los Alamos to build homes in Mexico with the United Church. She served our local youth for several years with Young Life and as a Girl Scout leader. Most Read More

BY BILL and JENNIFER MCKERLEY
White Rock

We are writing in support of Tim Bullock for Los Alamos County Magistrate Court Judge. Tim is licensed to practice law in Colorado and New Mexico and has substantial expertise as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.

Tim has over 20 years of experience representing clients in a variety of situations and courts. He has brought multiple cases before the Colorado Supreme Court. In addition, he has presented oral arguments before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tim is currently practicing civil law.

Our interactions with Tim have shown him to be personable Read More

By KAREN HOLMES, J.D.
Los Alamos

I am an attorney supporting Catherine Taylor for Magistrate Judge. From the outset, it’s important to note that I write this LTE as one concerned with preserving the impartiality of our judicial system, and as an attorney who has no conflict of interest in this election nor will ever appear as an attorney in the Magistrate Court.

In this LTE, I address how licensure is not as relevant in this case as some may believe, and how a judicial candidate’s demeanor and attention to ethics is paramount to the role.

Recently, Catherine Taylor’s experience and qualifications Read More

By ANDREW FRASER
Los Alamos

This afternoon I voted for Randall Ryti for Los Alamos County Council. I’m writing to encourage all other voters in the County to do the same. At his campaign website (https://www.ryti4council.com/issues).

Councilor Ryti describes his positions on four issues that he believes are priorities for the County, namely: Housing, Public Health, Environment, and Local Business. While Councilor Ryti’s efforts on these issues have been valuable, I join with others who have written to support Councilor Ryti (namely: The Kellers, David Hampton, John McCann, James Robinson, Read More

By PHIL DABNEY
Attorney at Law
Los Alamos

I am writing to support Tim Bullock as the most qualified candidate for Los Alamos County Magistrate Court Judge.

Tim is the only licensed New Mexico attorney in the race. He has substantial court experience from more than two decades of experience representing clients in many courts. He is even tempered and knows how to handle stressful situations. 

As our county grows and matures, the legal issues that are presented in Magistrate Court become more complex and difficult. A licensed attorney with substantial experience is best suited to serve in this Read More