Democratic Party of Los Alamos County Chair Mike Wheeler introduces panelists from left, Democratic Council candidates Michael Redondo, Pete Sheehey and Kristin Henderson who participated in a roundtable event this evening at Democratic Party Headquarters, 140 Central Park Square, in which the sole topic of discussion was the economy. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

“We need to be a town that works for all of us,” Council candidate Kristin Henderson said. “If we have a vision for Los Alamos … that helps us prioritize.”

“In my 26 years living in Los Alamos, I have seen small businesses become increasingly weaker,” Council candidate Pete Sheehey said. “What can council do? We can create a consistant business friendly environment where businesses can thrive.”

 “By encouraging cooperative work between the Lab and private businesses … that is going to strengthen the position that the Lab has…,” Council candidate Michael Redondo said. 

By Carol A. Clark

Democratic candidates running for the Los Alamos County Council participated in a roundable discussion this evening in which the sole topic was the economy.

Zoning and the development code, retail, housing, development, blighted areas on Trinity Drive, Los Alamos National Laboratory among other issues were discussed as they relate to the local economy.

Kristin Henderson spoke of the importance of creating a vision in Los Alamos that serves all sectors of the population.

“I really think we need a vision for the town that can support all of our needs … including families … we need a vision for what the town will be like in the future … five years and 10 years from now … and we need to make a plan that supports that vision,” Henderson said.

Pete Sheehey addressed the importance of the County maintaining an efficient budget. 

“I’ve spoken with people about this and I think we need to go through the entire County budget with the community and look at what we’re doing right and where we are not so efficient so we can make improvements,” Sheehey said. 

Michael Redondo spoke of his desire to increase community participation in County decisions.

“I’d like to increase the dialog of the community in decision making, particularly in how we spend our money,” Redondo said. “We need to have a community-wide discussion about what are our priorities.”