Luna County Commissioner District 2
County Commissions are policy-making body that may establish a budget, enact ordinances, approve tax levies, enforce planning and zoning rules, and coordinate with other government agencies to provide for the safety of the county and its inhabitants, to preserve community health, and promote prosperity within the county. Term: Four years, limited to two consecutive terms.
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COLETTE M CHANDLER
(Rep)
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THOMAS JOHN WAKELY
(Dem)
1. What qualifies you for this office?
2. What are the biggest challenges facing your county?
3. How would you address these challenges?
4. How would you inform citizens about matters coming before the County Commission before decisions are made?
5. How would you propose to balance growth with water scarcity in an increasingly arid state?
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Education
Undergraduate: Loretto Heights College, Denver. Graduate: Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago.
Campaign Phone
575-497-7228
Occupation
Retired Hospice Chaplain
I have previously served on a school board. I have also served on the boards of trustees of several non-profit organizations, including a food co-op. In addition, I have been a small business owner. Together these experiences have given me the required knowledge to serve as a Luna County Commissioner.
Water is the number one challenge facing Luna County. The Mimbres Aquifer, from which the county pulls its water, is a closed system. Meaning, whatever water is there now is all that there will ever be. It won’t recharge. Currently, the residents of the two communities in Luna County, Columbus and Deming, use about 10% of the water pulled from the aquifer in any given year. The county’s agricultural community along with the Luna Energy Facility, a 600-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, use 90% of the water pumped out of the Mimbres Aquifer. Unless drastic measures are taken today to limit the amount of water pumped by the 90% there will come a time in the not too distant future when there will be no water for anyone in the County.
My first step would be to review the contract that allows the Luna Energy Facility to operate. If, after that review, it is determined that the facility is not operating within the confines of the contract, I would recommend that the contract be terminated. Second, I would work the farmers and ranchers in the County to determine how we might be able to help them stay in business given the limited water resource we have.
By making better use of social media to inform and educate the public about issues the County Commissioner will be addressing.
A tough question that I have no answer to.
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