I'm supporting Carl Trujillo because...

I remember as a child being told that here in America you can accomplish anything with hard-work and determination.  This inspired and motivated me -- everyday I would wake up and head off to school eager to work, learn and improve my life.  I spent the first ten years of my life in a ranch in Gallina then moved to Santa Fe in the  Alto Street area. 

As a child I always had confidence that our Government and our communities were working for me, providing me with an opportunity to be successful.  I eventually worked, went to school, raised a family and landed a job at the labs and spent my most rewarding professional years there. To this day I take great pride in my community, its culture, and values.

I wish I could say that I had the same pride in our local and state government.  Unfortunately, today our politicians seem to be more concerned about furthering their own careers than listening to and helping our communities. 

There is a reason for hope. During my time at the labs I had many bright and hard-working colleagues.  One of these colleagues, Carl Trujillo, is standing up for us and is running for State Representative in District 46. Carl is not only a hard-working, bright, and ethical colleague--he is also a close friend.

I’ve known and worked with Carl for twenty plus years and I know that he has the integrity, compassion, and work ethic that we need to represent our communities.

Carl is a breath of fresh air; he is the kind of man that can get things done, however daunting the task. Changing the corrupt, opaque culture of the Roundhouse will not be easy, but I have faith that Carl will help bring the change we have needed for too long.

Carl is a citizen-candidate and is not a career politician. He will listen to the concerns of our communities and always put the voices of the people first and has always advocated for a transparent, open government.

Its time for our politicians to begin to lead by example, Carl is the man for the task. He has my full, dedicated support.

Benito Jacquez

Supporting our Local Farmers and Earth

As most of you know, this past weekend was Earth Day, and there's no better way to care for our planet than to support our local farmers at the Farmer's Market. At the Farmer's Market, everyday is Earth Day!

This past Saturday Carl had the pleasure of getting down to the Railyard and checking out some of the delicious local produce. The aroma of fresh green chili bread and baked rhubarb and apple muffins saturated the air, and every purchase made helped not only the Earth, but our local economy as well.

So if you haven't been lately, we encourage you to spend a Saturday morning at the local Farmer's Market, especially now that the weather is warmer.

Now's our time to support local farmers and protect the Earth!

I'm supporting Carl Trujillo because...

In the time I’ve known Carl Trujillo, I have known him to be an exemplary leader and overall great human being. He has a strong work ethic and is passionate about his profession.

In his professional work in materials science, Carl has always expressed an interest in producing materials that could be used for renewable energy.  His commitment to our environment and our nation’s future in energy are admirable and the type of thinking needed in our government.

Forward thinking, a strong commitment to one’s duties and a great work ethic are the qualities needed in our State Legislature. Carl has all these qualities and that is why I am supporting him for State Representative District 46.

Like many of you, I care about our community and its future. I know for a fact Carl is committed to this as well.  This is why I encourage everyone that wants change in our state government to vote for Carl this June.

Warren Finch

Overflow crowd at Community Listening Party!

We would like to thank everyone that showed up tonight at our Community Listening Party - we had an overflow crowd!

Our listening parties, big and small, whether in people's homes or in public venues, are exactly what our campaign is about.  Instead of arguing with politicians, we have the opportunity to listen to our friends and neighbors about their needs and their ideas on improving our state government.   It's representative democracy in action -- the best of who we can be as a community.

A big thank you to Chef Lemon and his staff at the O' Eating House in Pojoaque for hosting our event at their amazing restaurant, and for their out-of-this-world pizza!  (A testament to the benefits of supporting local businesses, for sure)

Now's our time to put the people's voice back in the Roundhouse!

Regarding debates in general...

There’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the race between myself and Mayor David Coss.  Unfortunately, instead of focusing on what the people of our community need, recently there's been a lot of unnecessary rancor and political posturing regarding debates and forums.  Many of you know already that we declined the invitation to participate in a Santa Fe Democratic Party-sponsored forum tomorrow evening.  You can read our response in more detail here. (http://carltrujilloforrep.blogspot.com/2012/03/our-response-to-machines-invite-to.html).

Looking back on our letter to the Santa Fe Democratic Party, we realize that while we said we’d be happy to debate if a balanced, fair approach could be crafted, we’re now realizing that we have some concerns that the increasing focus on “gladiator style” debates that pit one candidate against another in an adversarial format may do more harm than good to our democracy.

It’s understandable that many people associate debates with campaigns.  Our system of government is founded on the ideal of a free exchange of ideas, and debates seem like a reasonable way to do that. 

We’re not so sure that’s true.

As we talked about the debate idea with our supporters and volunteers, we hear the same thing over and over again:  that a big part of the reason we’re in the mess that we’re in right now as a nation and more specifically as a state, is that politicians spend way too much time arguing their entrenched issue positions amongst themselves like gladiators in an arena (with the people as mere spectators) and not nearly enough time listening to and representing the opinions and concerns of the people they’ve been elected to serve.

It’s probably safe to say that we’ve all seen the results of this “gladiator style” approach:  partisan gridlock, a national political dialogue that’s become so toxic that regular people don’t even want to engage in the process anymore.  And an inflexibility with regard to issues and policies on both sides of the aisle that results in a standoff in which nothing gets done.

Our campaign is about trying, in some small way, to start to change that.

By listening instead of arguing. 

By finding ways to work together instead of digging into our specific issue positions.

By encouraging people of our community to participate in a democratic process that’s healthy, respectful and inclusive.

If you’ve visited our website, you’ve probably noticed that our “Vision” page is a little different from most.  It doesn’t include very many “this is my position” statements like you’d expect to see on a candidate’s website.

That’s because Carl Trujillo is a citizen candidate and he’s running to be a citizen representative.  That means he wants to represent the voices, concerns and ideas of the people, not further his own political agenda by arguing about entrenched issue positions.

Our supporters have some serious disagreements with Mayor David Coss and the outdated political system that he represents, particularly when it comes to issues of integrity and transparency. These issues won’t be resolved in the context of a toxic, gladiator-style debate in which everybody focuses on scoring points rather than listening to the people.

Our campaign is not about fighting. It’s about fairness.

It’s not about partisanship. It’s about people.

It's not about issues. It's about inclusion. 

So we’re going to honor the instincts of our supporters, and have decided to make it official:  In this election, we aren’t going to participate in debates that pit one person against the other in a gladiator-style arena.

We’d love to participate in any event which focuses on providing an opportunity for the people to share their hopes, dreams, ideas and concerns with us, and to have a genuine dialogue about what they want and need from our state government.

Which is why we’ve been focusing a lot on attending listening parties in people’s homes, and spending a lot of time going door to door to hear what’s on the minds of the people of our community.

We realize that making this decision comes with a political cost and that not everyone will share our point of view.  That’s a price we’re willing to pay to start to change things, and we’re hoping that those of you who feel like we do about the toxic nature of our current political system might agree.

That’s why we’d like to invite all of you to come to our Community Listening Party this Monday starting at 6 p.m. and ending whenever, at the O House Restaurant in Pojoaque.  We’ll have (really good) pizza and refreshments, and lots of time to meet Carl and his volunteers and to have a real conversation about your ideas and thoughts.

We hope you’ll join us!

Monday, April 23

6:00 to whenever

O Eating House (Pojoaque)

78 Cities of Gold Rd  87506

ALERT!

It's come to our attention that there are at least a few names on Mayor Coss' endorsement list on his website that are listed without the permission of the people listed. 

You might want to visit and make sure you're not on there.  http://www.davidforstaterep.com/endorsements/

If you are, give them a call and ask them to remove your name (and let us know, too).  Their # is (505) 670-5392.  Ours is (505) 699-7717.

Listening to Job Seekers & Local Businesses

This weekend, I attended the Santa Fe Business Expo and Job Fair and had the opportunity to listen to the concerns of both job seekers and local companies looking to hire new workers.  

As a local small business owner, I know firsthand what workers and small, local businesses are up against in this recession.  And listening to the stories of other local businesses struggling to create good jobs, it's clear that we need to put much more priority on supporting local businesses, so they can, in turn, hire good people to work for good wages. 

One way we can all help do this is to shop local, and encourage our friends and neighbors to do the same.  Local businesses spend more money on local workers, keeping more money in our communities and not in the pockets of big out of state corporations.

So next time you have the choice, consider shopping at a local business instead of a big box store -- you'll get better service and you'll help our community to thrive.  (And speaking of local businesses, a Saturday afternoon at the Farmer's Market is one of the best things you can do to support our local economy - and it's fun, too!)

Now's our time to give our local businesses the support they deserve.

As a citizen candidate, not a career politician, my priority is to listen to the needs and ideas of our community and take those ideas to the legislature - and if we all work together, we can create a vibrant, sustainable local economy here in Santa Fe that benefits all of us, not just career politicians and their cronies.

Now's the time for sustainable energy

Earlier this week, Carl visited Santa Fe Community College’s Sustainable Technologies Center (STC), where they are working hard to promote a greener campus and work towards building a more energy efficient community.

Carl got a tour of some of the work being done in the hands-on teaching facilities. The STC houses bio-fuel experiments to help local farmers grow their crops using greener and more sustainable methods, and model homes that can teach students how to build more energy efficient homes.

I think most of us know that Santa Fe and northern New Mexico are special. We've always been ahead of the curve when it comes to green, sustainable energy and ideas. We have many, many people in our community who are leaders in this area, and whose ideas deserve the chance to be heard and considered in Santa Fe. As a citizen legislator, Carl will do just that -- bring your ideas to the legislature.

Now’s our time to elect real, citizen legislators who will work with the community to bring our best ideas to the legislature!

I'm supporting Carl Trujillo because...

I think about our political system in our democracy constantly and I know that honest and sound thinkers are often difficult to find, much less have them run for office.

I have been involved in community services as a public school board member, youth recreation programs, church oriented adult and youth programs and have seen the value and results from those individuals who truly dedicate their life to helping others.

As a Dean at the University of New Mexico, I have experienced and seen the need for candidates that prioritize education at all levels for job development and economic development.

We have this individual in Carl Trujillo.

His value system is one of serving and doing the best job he can in whatever he undertakes. Carl’s value system was built from childhood as he observed and took advice from his elders and those with knowledge in the areas of community relationships, education, and one very important subject; the building and development of character, so that by example, Carl always brings improved results within organizations and helps people create a new and positive outlook on life.

Most importantly, Carl stands for US, the people, and listens to what we need and what we want for our community. I believe he will put the people first, over his own ambitions, which is the way it should be in a democracy.

This is why I support Carl Trujillo for the New Mexico House of Representatives for District 46.

Eddie Rodriguez

New Mexico State Government: D-minus for Ethics & Integrity

Another unfortunate story regarding the lack of ethics in our state government:  Recently, the State Integrity Investigation, a national independent organization of journalists graded each state government's likelihood of corruption. Not surprisingly, New Mexico's state government received a D-minus -- only half a step above complete failure.

The grades are given by evaluating multiple factors, including legislative accountability, lobbying disclosure, and ethics enforcement. You can see the full rankings here http://www.stateintegrity.org/new_mexico .

  

With the corruption and lack of ethics we've been reading about in the papers for far too long, it's sad, but not surprising that our state received such a low grade. Career politicians like Santa Fe Mayor Coss, with their unethical track records and lack of transparency, hurt our community and the future of our children. We deserve better. We deserve a state government that will earn an A, not a D-minus.

If we keep voting for the same career politicians over and over again, we will keep getting the same results. We can do better. Now’s our time to elect real people who will represent the best interests of our community over their personal agendas and greed.

I'm supporting Carl Trujillo because...

I am a parent and an educator in the Santa Fe community. I have two
young boys who currently attend one of Santa Fe Public Schools

Over the years, I have actively advocated for raising the standards of
education in New Mexico. I have listened to a lot of politicians talk
about education and how much they care about improving it. I think
most of them mean well, but somehow when it comes to their votes and actions, politics seem to get in the way. The politicians begin worrying about their interests and that of their contributors instead of the kids in our community. This situation has made me lose hope in seeing any improvement in public education in my lifetime, but let me tell you some good news.

There is a candidate who’s different, someone who actually listens to what we in the community have to say, someone who cares about the future of our kids in New Mexico.

That candidate is Carl Trujillo, and he's running to be our state representative here in the northern part of Santa Fe. I have talked to Carl about what we can do to help solve some of the problems that our education system faces. Let me tell you he “gets” it. But even more importantly, he took the time to ask for my opinion and to listen and respect my experience and ideas.


Carl understands that he needs to include everyone in order to improve our community. He continues to meet with teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community leaders and continues to listen.

I have complete confidence in his ability to work with everyone in order to improve the education system here in New Mexico. That is why Carl has my vote and that is why I encourage anyone who reads this to support Carl as well.


Lina Germann
PhD, MBA