Opinion

Letter to the Editor: We Need Strong Sheriff Who Understands The Law

by

By JOHN N. HORNE
Los Alamos

Jarrett McDonald (Republican candidate for sheriff) recently wrote a letter to the editor explaining what his vision of the office of the sheriff should entail. In my opinion, his letter displays a significant lack of understanding as to what the office of the sheriff in New Mexico is and what the sheriff is required to do under New Mexico state law.

Mr. McDonald comments often on the County Charter, the H class County, and home rule status of Los Alamos. He uses this as the basis for the following statement: “The duties of the sheriff in Los Alamos County are different than Read More

Letter to the Editor: County Provides Infrastructure – Business Thrives

by

By RICK REISS
Los Alamos County Councilor

With the volatile business and economic climate we now live in, the communities that will succeed and prosper are those that find a way to stimulate the efforts of their local business community with strategic support from local government entities to get the ball rolling.

Support, in the form of infrastructure and essential services, benefits the bigger community and enhances our business climate. Providing this catalyst to local business then serves to provide better products and services to the residents of the community

I am happy to report that

Read More

Letter to the Editor: Economic Development And The Health Of Los Alamos

by

By ANDY ANDREWS
President, LABi

Many factors contribute to the economic health and vitality of a community. Two of the most important are Commerce and Economic Development. You might believe that these two factors describe the same thing, but they do not.  o distinguish between them it is important to start with two other terms – community and county.

The community of Los Alamos is the group of people that reside within the boundaries of the legal entity called the county. You might want to include the daily commuters as part of the community, but this can confuse the discussion. Beyond the

Read More

Letter to the Editor: Here’s Some Stuff That Wasn’t ‘Broke’

by

By GEORGE CHANDLER
Citizens For Good Government

Here’s some stuff that wasn’t “broke”:

  • Airport security before 9/11
  • BP procedures for supervising its contractors before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
  • Nuclear weapons security before a defector walked into our embassy with design information about the W-88.
  • Mississippi levees and floodwalls before Katrina.

Get the idea? The Utilities Charter Amendment #2 is preventive maintenance.

Please don’t let cynicism and a false narrative about the council stop you from voting for clearly necessary preventive maintenance.

The smart thing to Read More

Letter to the Editor: We Extend Our Sympathy To Residents Enduring Barking Dogs

by

By Los Alamos Couple

Dear County Councilors, Law Enforcement Officers and Residents,

We read with interest the letters from individuals and families who are frustrated with the difficulty of enforcing the nuisance dog barking ordinance and the lack of sensitivity and cooperation on the part of neighbors who continue to allow their dogs to bark and annoy others. 

We extend our sympathy and support to these residents. We know it can be a lonely battle. It’s one we’ve been fighting for over four years with considerable, but not total, success. It is interesting that we discussed the ordinance Read More

Letter to the Editor: Central Avenue Improvement?

by

By CHRISTINE WEAVER
Los Alamos

I wasn’t in town to attend the Block Party opening the “new and improved” Central Avenue, but I did take a walk down the street yesterday.

I have read that the majority of improvements were in underground utilities (or something like that) and the line-of-sight for pedestrians crossing the street. However, it baffles me that these so-called improvements couldn’t be done while still keeping the charm of the street intact. Just a personal note: I never had a problem crossing the street as long as I waited for cars to stop at crosswalks!   Read More

Letter to the Editor: Please Folks, Let’s Unplug And Notice Our Surroundings

by

By STAN PRUEITT
Former Los Alamos Resident
 
I was born and raised in Los Alamos and until recently lived there. I want to remind my fellow Los Alamosians to be observant and to pay attention to their surroundings. 
 
We often are so absorbed in our daily routine that we forget to notice situations that may require our attention. This inattention could be hazardous to not only our own lives, but also the lives of others around you.

For example, my father left to take his golden retriever for a walk there in Los Alamos. While on his walk he had a medical condition that caused him to fall to Read More

Letter to the Editor: Search Exponentially

by

By DAVID NORTH
Los Alamos

Maybe, like me, you figured the unlikely phrase “live exponentially” sprang forth from a creative frenzy at the company hired to brand Los Alamos.

Not so.

A simple web search tells us it’s been floating around for years. Try it! But remember to put quotes around the phrase or you’ll probably get an Ebola story first.

Apparently it started blossoming about six years ago, usually as part of a longer predicate such as “live exponentially longer” or “live exponentially healthier” where “exponentially” Read More

Letter to the Editor: Charter Amendment #2 Would Give Council More Unrestrained Power

by

By MORRIS B. PONGRATZ
Former County Councilor

I would like to lend my voice to that of Anthony Amsden, John Arrowsmith, Robert Gibson, Wayne Hardie, Kevin Holsapple, Lawry Mann, Ken Milder, Gil Miranda, Chris Ortega, Felicia Orth, Ralph Phelps, Khal Spencer and others who have urged defeat of Charter Amendment #2.

I served on the 2009 Charter Review committee. In that committee former Utility Board member, Harry Ettinger, and I (a six-term member of the County Council) were asked to review the 1968 charter section on utilities and make any recommendations to the full committee. 

Quoting Read More

Letter to the Editor: Thank You To Los Alamos Police Officer

by

By DOROTHY BROWN
Los Alamos

As a 15-year animal shelter volunteer, I would like to publicly recognize an officer who responded beyond his job description and upheld the highest of humane standards.

Cpl. Brent Hudspeth was called to 48th Street the evening of Oct. 11 to pick up some roaming kittens. He determined that the kittens were too young to comfortably and safely spend the night at the shelter, so he brought them to his own home. They eagerly accepted the cat milk he fed them, and he was able to determine their age at about four weeks.

Our community can be proud to have officers who perform difficult Read More