Baca Campaign
Diane Goldfarb at podium, with Patrick Lyons and Jim Baca at table
(updated 10/4/2007)
Natural Resources includes transportation, land use, air quality, and energy. We host an annual Alternative Energy Workshop annually, and have been active in protecting the Petroglyphs National Monument.
All League members are welcome to attend any committee meeting, unit meeting, or board meeting.
... at 5:30 p.m. at 1521 Muriel NE (one block west of Juan Tabo and one block north of Princess Jeanne. The meeting usually lasts andhour and a half. All League members are welcome. Questions? Call 298-2716.
On Wednesday, September 20, LWV/ABC sponsored a forum between the current Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons and his opponent former Land Commissioner Jim Baca. The forum was arranged by the Natural Resources Committee. Approximately 150 people were in attendance. A wider audience heard the forum because KANW and KUNM rebroadcast it. There was also television and print coverage. We want to thank the First Unitarian Church and its Social Justice Council for hosting and all those other Leaguers who made this event a success.
JoAnne Ramponi, Natural Resources chair
at 5:30pm at 1521 Muriel St NE, (one block west of Juan Tabo and one block north of Princess Jeanne.) All League members are welcome!
The Natural Resources Committee hosted a forum between the candidates for Land Commissioner, incumbent Patrick Lyons (R) and Jim Baca (D) on September 20th. League President Diane Goldfarb presided as moderator. The forum was recorded for rebroadcast. Attendance at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Comanche and Carlisle was excellent - basically, standing room only. There will be more details in the upcoming issue of The Voter.
Submitted in haste by Cheryl Haaker
Baca Campaign
Diane Goldfarb at podium, with Patrick Lyons and Jim Baca at table
Karen Wentworth will be our guest speaker on August 8 at 5:30 p.m. Karen is a member of League and of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board, which sets the rules for outdoor air emissions for the county and is responsible for adopting regulations that govern specific pollutants and setting up a monitoring and enforcement system that keeps the quality of the air within the federal guidelines under the US Clean Air Act. Karen will talk about the pollutants that are monitored, their current status, and long term air quality concerns. She is a senior university communication representative at UNM. Previously she was with the NM Economic Development Department, and for 20 years apolitical and environmental reporter for KOAT-TV.
The meeting will be held at 1521 Muriel St NE (one block west of Juan Tabo and one block north of Princess Jeanne). All League members are welcome. Questions? Call 298-2716.
July 14 marked the opening of RAIL RUNNER. Join the Natural Resources Committee for a FREE round-trip to Bernalillo, Tuesday, August 22. We meet at the Alvarado Transportation Center, 1st and Central at 11 am. The train will leave at 11:25 a.m. and depart from Bernalillo at 12:05 p. m. To avoid parking downtown, you can take Rapid Ride or catch the bus. Tony Sylvester, the Special Projects Planner with the MRCOG, will be our tour guide and will be available for questions.
During the return trip we can decide where to lunch on our own in the downtown area. For more information and reservations, please call JoAnne Ramponi at 298-2716.
DeAnza Valencia will speak on the recently-enacted SAFETEA-LU law - how it can help build communities, serve people and expand travel options. She will address how to consider opportunities for partnering with others seeking the same outcomes in your own state and throughout the multi-state region.
DeAnza Valencia is a Program Manager for the Regional Development Corporation and Director of the New Mexico Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. She was responsible for the RDC's Regional Transportation initiative that worked to facilitate the creation of New Mexico's first regional transit district. Previously, she served as the National Communications Manager and new Mexico Director of the surface Transportation Policy Project. She was recently appointed to Governor Richardson's Our Community, Our Future Smart Growth Task Force. DeAnza, a native New Mexican, has more than eight years public policy experience.
The Natural Resources Committee will meet Tuesday, June 14. Our guest speakers will be Jack Lord and Mark Sprick of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. (They also spoke at the Evening and West Side units in April.) We will be giving input into the 2030 regional transportation plan being developed. The meeting will be held at 1521 Muriel St NE (one block west of Juan Tabo and one block north of Princess Jeanne). Call 298-2716 for further information.
The committee thanks all who attended the April units. Speakers Rob Dickson, Greg Payne, Jack Lord and Mark Sprick gave good information and invited questions that helped members better understand what is being done about infill development, mass transportation and how land use is affected by the development of roads.
Kizito Wijenje and Betty King of the APS planning department spoke at the May committee meeting about the true cost of building new schools, the size of the district for which APS is responsible, projected school population and the memorandum of understanding between APS and the Home Builders Association.
All members are invited to attend these committee meetings.
Kizito Wijenje, APS Capital Master Plan Director, will speak about the possibility of real estate developers paying impact fees to build new schools on Albuquerque's West Side. He expressed appreciation that the League learns about and advocates for good land use public policy. Natural Resources Committee members are open to all members.
The meeting is at 1521 Muriel NE, one block west of Juan Tabo and one block north of Princess Jeanne. Call 298-2716 for more information.