Opinion

DeVolder: Did Constituents Get What They Wanted?

by

By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Reference: McCollough, David. John Adams. New York: Simon & Shuster.  2001. p.136.

Given the choices made by Los Alamos County voters, did they get what they wanted?  

On the negative side, voters received wildfires, traffic congestion, rampant construction, loss of open space, shuttered businesses, crumbling infrastructure, and overreach by municipal government in the form of inept/regressive building construction practices as well as the Nuisance Code. 

Added to this are some incompetent, distracted, and substance abuse-affected drivers in Los Read More

DeVolder: The Way Things Are

by

By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Reference 1: Los Alamos National Laboratory Director’s Colloquium – “Out of the Ashes,” circa 2000.

Reference 2: Los Alamos County – Building Safety Division – Code Compliance Section – Policy,  Procedure and Process Manual, August 28, 2018.

Local elections are not too far off in the future. It is worth reviewing what has and has not been accomplished in Los Alamos County (wildfires, infrastructure, Nuisance Code, traffic congestion):

Wildfires

There have been wildfire issues in the Los Alamos area for more than 100 years. Historically, large-scale sheep grazing Read More

Daily Post Q&A With Council Candidate Suzie Havemann

by

Los Alamos County Council candidate Suzie Havemann recently stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post to discuss her candidacy. Photo by Carol A.Clark/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Democrat Suzie Havemann is running for Los Alamos County Council. She recently stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post to answer questions about the local election.

This is part of a series of Q&As with political candidates that the Post is publishing ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election.

POST: How Long Have you lived in Los Alamos?

HAVEMANN: About 38 years total – 30 of them as an adult raising two sons with my husband Scott Read More

Judge Elizabeth Allen: Why I’m Running For Re-Election

by

By Judge Elizabeth Allen
Los Alamos Municipal Court

Fourteen years ago, I passed the bar exam and embarked on a meaningful career as a lawyer. I have worked as a prosecutor, a defense attorney, and a sole practitioner. I represented children in child protection court, lifers in prison on their post-conviction appeals, and families seeking special education services. My favorite job, though, has been serving as the Municipal Judge in Los Alamos, and that is why I am running for re-election.

As a new judge in 2019, I was excited to learn the position and to improve the court process. Not only did my Read More

Stradling: County Council Governance 

by

By GARY STRADLING 
Republican Candidate
Los Alamos County Council

Government is intended for the benefit of the people. It is best when it embodies the principles of our US Constitution:  liberty, governance as delegated by the people, equal standing of all, and representation in law making.

Los Alamos County Council represents us in making the rules under which our county operates. The Council conveys the will of the people to the county management. It is, and must be, the boss of the county staff.  As I have served in senior government organizations in Washington DC, I have seen that when leadership Read More

Madrid: Pepin Award ‘An Absolute Disgrace’

by

By GERALD A. MADRID
Albuquerque

In response to the article (link) about Artie Pepin getting a national award for his work “improving” the pretrial system in New Mexico. Pepin along with the late Supreme Court Justice, Charles Daniels are the two directly responsible for bringing bail reform to this state. It has been an absolute failure and the thing most responsible for the “catch and release”, the “revolving door at the jails” and the spike in crime.

Albuquerque has already recorded over 100 homicides this year and on track to break last year’s all-time high of 117. Bail reform has completely Read More

Fraser: A Unique Opportunity For Better Broadband

by

By ANDY FRASER
Los Alamos

On Saturday, local online newspapers republished a Los Alamos County news release (link) announcing the mailing of a survey “to assess broadband availability, affordability, and accessibility throughout the county” to a randomly selected sample of households. 

While I have only seen the draft of the survey that was presented at the June 28 County Council meeting, I believe that the survey will be the key to assessing the community’s need and desire for better broadband service in Los Alamos County.

I hope those who receive the survey complete it as honestly and as thoroughly Read More

Huang: Beijing 1990 Postcards Reserved For Team Chinese Taipei Of Hangzhou 2022 – Language, Legend, Culture, Science, Math & Philosophy Of ‘One China’

by

Courtesy/Zhen Huang

By ZHEN HUANG
Los Alamos 

The 11th Asian Olympic Games, Beijing 1990, was the first time that China hosted the Games.

It was also the first time that Taiwanese athletes attended the Games by the name of Team Chinese Taipei. Athletes from 36 countries got together to celebrate our diversified cultures and promote peace and prosperity of the Asian Pacific region. Mainland Chinese people warmly welcomed our great Olympic Families from Asian and Pacific neighbors, in particular, our fellow Chinese from Taiwan. 

During Beijing 1990, I served as a volunteer of the weather forecast Read More

Havemann: We Need More Houses For Sale — But Without Selling the Town

by

By SUZIE HAVEMANN
Democratic Candidate
Los Alamos County Council

We are in the midst of an acute housing shortage here in Los Alamos.

To be a vibrant community, we need to support LANL’s ability to recruit and retain employees. To diversify our economy and enable small business growth, we need more housing inventory for the non-LANL workforce. To foster more diversity in our community, we need more housing options in the entry and middle price segments. To enjoy the benefits of a good school system, local university, health care services, day care options, and cultural amenities, we need more Read More

Gessing: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Touts Abortion, But What About Economy, Education?

by

By PAUL J. GESSING
President
New Mexico Rio Grande Foundation

With just a few weeks left before early voting kicks off, what issues will motivate how New Mexicans vote? According to one recent poll the top issue this fall is inflation/ the economy (at 59 percent). Crime was right behind at 58 percent followed by immigration and health care. Abortion was down the list at just 29 percent.

Surprisingly, the poll (done by KOB-TV) fails to even ask about education. In a state that consistently ranks at the very bottom in the nation on numerous (and bipartisan) education reports, serious education reforms Read More