Column by Dist. 5 Senate Candidate Alfredo Montoya

Column by Alfredo Montoya

I have been honored, in recent weeks, to appear before voters in Los Alamos and Rio Arriba counties to debate the issues with my opponent for the District 5 State Senate seat.

I am anxious to appear in public with him so that you can learn about the differences between us.

I am confident that I can win your trust in fair debate.

Yesterday evening, my opponent and I were asked to continue the discussion we began at the Los Alamos League of Women Voters forum, albeit in Espanola.

I was extremely disappointed because, even though theRio Grande Sun called this election, “the most important Rio Arriba political event in recent years,” my opponent declined to participate.

The incumbent’s campaign expressed concerns to debate organizers about everything from format to security, and he declined due to illness.

While his campaign requested the debate be discontinued, it went forward without him. I debated myself with great alacrity!

Seriously however, we discussed a wide variety of issues.

Topics included my qualifications, education, environment, substance abuse and health care, improvements to the jail, economic development, and the closure of the courthouse in Tierra Amarilla.

I strongly believe that education is the cornerstone of our civilization, and that if we don’t educate our next generation, we will cease to exist as a society.

I favor a funding formula that judges schools by their ability to successfully graduate students. Volunteers from my campaign are working to summarize my responses for Los Alamos residents.

I hope to have this information available to you after the holiday early next week.

If you have questions, you may call me at (505) 929-2104, or Lauren at (505) 929-2589.

You may also learn more about me by viewing my website at http://alfredo4senate.com/.

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