Screenshot of LWV Candidate Forum on Zoom Wednesday, from top left, League Member Lynn Jones, Kyle Tisdel, Theresa Leger Fernandez, John Blair, League Moderator Barbara Calef, Laura Montoya, Joseph Sanchez, Valerie Plame and Marco Serna. Screenshot/LADP
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
Bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Democratic candidates vying for U.S. Representative, District 3 touted their credentials and experience in opening statements Wednesday night during an online Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos.
Barbara Calef chaired the forum, with assistance from Lynn Jones. Republican candidates will be hosted by the League tonight.
The candidates spoke in ballot order. Teresa Leger Fernandez spoke first. She detailed her work in the Clinton and Obama administrations, as well as 30 years working in New Mexico on health care, voters rights, the environment and acquisition of broadband for rural areas. Originally from Las Vegas, N.M., Leger Fernandez is a graduate of Yale and Stanford Law School.
Laura Montoya grew up in Las Vegas, N.M. and Mora. She worked for Sen. Jeff Bingaman as State Finance Office. Montoya is county treasurer for Sandoval County. She comes from a “family of service”, she said.
Marco Serna grew up in Española, where he witnessed the devastation of the opium epidemic. As an attorney his passion became substituting counseling and treatment for the philosophy of “trying to jail away the problem”, Serna said. He serves as N.M. District Attorney. Serna said he was the first candidate in the race to call for the impeachment of President Trump. He also said only he has developed position papers on the major issues facing Congress.
Joseph L. Sanchez is the state representative for Dist. 40 and vice chair of the House Finance Committee. He served as CEO of the Jemez Electric Co-op and worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 20 years. Sanchez promised there would be no stronger advocate for LANL than he. Addiction and infrastructure are two issues close to his heart and in which he has expertise, Sanchez said.
Valerie Plame comes from a “family of public service” and is a former agent of the CIA. She was exposed as an agent by members of the Bush Administration.
“The CIA taught me that when we all work together, we can solve big problems,” Plame said. She noted she is the only candidate in the race to fight a corrupt administration.
Plame said the current pandemic sheds light on the inequities in the U.S. economic system. Access to good paying jobs, education and access to affordable health care are her top issues, Plame said.
John Blair, a former member of the Obama Administration in the Interior Department, also has worked for Sen. Bingaman as well as Sen. Martin Heinrich. Before leaving office to pursue this seat, he was N.M. Deputy Secretary of State. Blair grew up in Santa Fe. Families are left out by the administration in Washington, Blair said, adding that lobbyists are allowed to control the dialogue on issues like climate change and health care.
Kyle Tisdel is a public interest environmental lawyer. He lives in Taos. Calling himself “one of the top climate litigators in the country, he said the climate change and the environment top his agenda.
“New Mexico should lead the clean energy economy,” Tisdel said. “This will create opportunities in rural communities.”
The first question was on the role of money in politics. Sanchez acknowledged that lack of funds has been a disadvantage to his campaign. Ninety percent of his funds come from within the district, he said. All the candidates acknowledged the need for campaign finance reform and public financing of elections, citing the continuing expansion of the influence of wealthy donors and corporations on democracy. Tisdel called the current system “more akin to a plutocracy”.
Leger Fernandez vowed to fight to end Citizens United. Montoya pointed to out of state funds raised for this race and said her funds come from the district and 95 percent from working class families. As part of the fight against Citizens United, Serna said he would love to be on the Judiciary Committee to help select good judges.
All the candidates oppose a proposal by Holtec International, a private U.S.-based company, to build a massive consolidated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel on that patch of desert. It could eventually hold up to 100,000 metric tons of the material, storing it until a permanent repository is found.
Sanchez remarked that if the facility can’t be stopped, “we need to make sure safety standards are met.”
“People who live in the area need a loud voice,” he said.
Sanchez, who characterizes himself as “pro-life” is the only candidate to oppose full reproductive rights for women. The other candidates expressed strong support for abortion rights and for Planned Parenthood. Plame noted that the federal government is using the current pandemic to end access to abortion.
All of the candidates support more oversite on the collection of personal data by corporations and the government.
“Breaches seem to occur on a daily basis,” Blair said. “We can’t let this be the new normal.”
Montoya said we should look to Europe where, “public good is used as a standard” and companies that also operate in the U.S. face more stringent restrictions.
All the candidates are strong supporters of the U.S. Postal Service. All stressed the importance of rural post offices to their communities.
“Trump is using personal grievance to tear down another piece of government,” Plame said.
All the candidates stressed the importance of the Post Office to mail-in voting security.
Leger Fernandez, Tisdel and Plame support a single payer plan for health insurance. Serna, Sanchez, Montoya and Blair prefer a public option and shoring up Obama Care.
“This current crisis has shown that relying on an employer-based system does not work,” Leger Fernandez said. “A single payer system will not only save money, but lives.”
Those wishing to see the entire Forum can find it on the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos YouTube channel.
