Letters to the Editor

By CHRISTINE DUBOIS 
Los Alamos

Do you check the crosswalk before you turn? 

This morning on my walk to work two cars didn’t.

I was crossing at Diamond and 38th Street. The first car sped right through but had the ounce of decency to wave at me, at least acknowledging that he almost hit me. The second, not so much. She had to swerve her gold SUV into the right most lane to avoid hitting me. I was about five feet from serious injury today. Not two minutes before, I watched a former student of mine ride his scooter through the same intersection on his way to school. Would those two cars have seen him? Or would they Read More

By DUNCAN HAMMON
Los Alamos

I have a few suggestions for Rep. (Christine) Chandler for the upcoming legislative session.

1) A significant portion of the budget windfall should be used to prepay the government’s obligations to the public employee’s retiree funds. This would serve two purposes. First, the return on the investment would increase the effective contribution and second, it would provide a cushion the next time the state’s income drops. However, it must be clear that this does not represent employee contributions. The recent pay raise for government employees increased Read More

By NYLEA BUTLER-MOORE
Los Alamos

Response to Joyce Brinton Anderson’s Opinion article (link).

Another Scenario?

Sometimes the reality isn’t what we perceive it to be. (Hoping that is the case regarding the damaged political signs in your yard.)

Prior to the 2020 elections, a neighbor was upset that several of the candidate signs in his yard were cut, bent, mangled and pulled out of the ground. He assumed that a person of a different political persuasion had destroyed the signs, and the response was to put up more and more signs, including threatening ones to anyone who trespassed.

On one of my Read More

By KELLY MYERS
Los Alamos

In the year 2022 when we find ourselves facing the gravest midterm election cycle in my lifetime (62 years), local elections have never been more critical. That is exactly why I support and will vote for Suzie Havemann for a position on the Los Alamos County Council.

I know Suzie and have witnessed her character and her strengths. Suzie is diligent; she does not mess around. Organization, fact finding, and a strong work ethic contribute to this characteristic. Suzie is intelligent; she is bright, educated, and experienced. Her background as Director of the Los Alamos Read More

By KEI DAVIS
Los Alamos

In Support of “Enough is enough” and a shout out to Aaron Walker, too.

In his recent letter (Link), Richard Skolnik, as ever, hits the nail on the head, and doesn’t mince words. 

(Transparency, accountability, and responsible behavior? Surely you’re joking, Mr. Skolnik!)

I noticed one omission, perhaps deliberate in the interest of keeping the message succinct.

The second bullet list is not entirely parallel with the first, omitting a comment on the responsible use of consultants. This is a can of worms that somehow needs to be addressed. Mr. Skolnik identifies one symptom Read More

By REID PRIEDHORSKY
Los Alamos

Expanding the golf course is a bad idea.

The local golf community should respect their neighbors by operating within their existing footprint. Recreational success in this community is not measured by the number, size, and/or cost of development projects completed.

The County Council has (correctly!) directed staff and advisory boards to “minimize impacts to existing trails and open space to the greatest extent possible” on this matter. None of the four golf course options under consideration meet that standard, because they all disrupt trails and remove Read More

By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

The Los Alamos County Nuisance Code taxes my time, patience, and peace of mind. 

The draft nuisance code also taxes me financially for sidewalk repair, home/motor vehicle repair (motor vehicle covers), and transporting undesirable materials to the Los Alamos Ecostation. There is no one in Los Alamos County municipal government who represents my views.

The basic structure of the draft Nuisance Code remains unchanged. A sentence may have changed. A pronoun or adverb may have changed. However, the basic structure of the Nuisance Code remains unchanged.

The Stamp Read More

By AARON WALKER
White Rock

The County Council meeting last night was a spectacle of how out of touch several sitting members of Council are.

I am of course referencing the discussion regarding the Chapter 18 nuisance code update. This is a work that has been in progress for close to six (yes, six) years now. What does it look like we are getting out of it? Class discrimination, elitism, and much more.

Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (DPS, the consultant) stated several times throughout their presentation that the feedback they had received was that residents wanted a nuisance code that was focused on health Read More

By ANNA DILLANE
Los Alamos 

Dear County Council members:

The code revision being considered is offensive and overreaching! This community has told you over and over and over that we don’t want Los Alamos Code Enforcement to resemble an HOA!!

You need to REWRITE this code and focus on Health and safety issues only!!

The sad thing is, I don’t think you (the County Council) care what we think. I think if we send you 100’s of emails, you will ignore us (AGAIN). You will CLAIM you have 100’s of proponents who (somehow never make their comments publicly).

But at LEAST I am telling you now, in no uncertain terms Read More

By CAMILLE MORRISON
Los Alamos 

I saw a sign for the Gun Show this weekend. 

They have had Gun Shows for years but I don’t understand why they would have one so soon after the shooting at Uvalde. 

A few years ago  there was an armed robbery at LANB in White Rock.

The robber got away on foot. 

The only shots fired were by a customer who chased after the robber.

I was in lockdown at Chamisa elementary school for 2 1/2 hours. The kids were in lockdown until their parents could pick them up. Read More