By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Democratic Party of Los Alamos County Chair Cat Ozment and Megan Green moderated the second DPLA sponsored Virtual Forum.
The forum Tuesday evening featured Democratic candidates for County Council Denise Derkacs, Rodney Roberson and Sean Williams.
The first question of the night asked the candidates to outline the primary duties of the County Council. Roberson said County oversight and problem solving were the main duties.
“The Council should focus on the mitigation of concerns before they become major,” Roberson said, adding that the most overlooked part of the job is oversight of County bureaucracy.
Derkacs said the most important duty was “to understand and represent the public’s views and being open “to all possible solutions”.
The candidates were asked about the designation of a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) zone in White Rock to allow for the contribution of public resources to private redevelopment projects, thereby helping catalyze reinvestment in the area.
Williams said he feared money would go to businesses that let their property become dilapidated.
“When homeowners let their property go they get a criminal complaint. When businesses let a property go, you give them a bunch of money,” Williams said.
Derkacs pointed to the more than 30 underused sites in White Roc, saying MRA designation could help with renovations as well as attract new businesses.
Roberson said zoning in the White Rock “downtown” area should be multi-use. He cited the need to keep Los Alamos National Laboratory from outspending businesses for space. Streamlining the permitting process would also be helpful, he said.
Addressing the housing crisis, Derkacs said more than 1,600 units are needed in addition to those now under construction.
“Los Alamos should be more than a company town,” she said.
Derkacs favors exploring use of the parcel owned by Los Alamos Public Schools on North Mesa for housing.
Roberson said the County should explore acquiring suitable land from the Department of Energy (DOE).
“Abandoned housing should be fixed up,” he said. “Every house should be occupied.”
Williams raised a number of points. He said it was “ludicrous” that DOE had no land available in White Rock for the County to acquire for housing. Williams said he is concerned about the possibility of contamination on DP Road, which might cause litigation in the future. He also wondered how much tolerance there is for high density housing in the downtown area of Los Alamos.
The Carbon Free Power Project is a proposed 720 megawatt nuclear electric generation facility to be constructed at Idaho National Laboratory and utilize small modular reactor (SMR) technology developed by NuScale Power. Los Alamos County hopes adding the project to its energy portfolio will help meet its goal to be carbon neutral by 2040. The plant is expected to come online by 2029.
The County Council recently voted to remain part of the project, with a future opportunity to opt out.
All the candidates expressed support, tempered with concerns about technical viability, cost and DOE’s commitment to the project.
“I really want the project to happen,” Williams said. “The biggest thing is to be convinced it is going to work out.”
In opening and closing statements, candidates shared information about themselves and their approach to government.
Derkacs stressed her love of the community, where she has resided for 38 years. Her goals as a County Councilor include preserving amenities, housing, community services and revitalizing downtown, possibly with zoning changes.
Williams said he was pleased to present his views on topics other than business, which has been his main focus.
Roberson shared his 20-year service in the Marine Corps, which included serving in both Desert Storm and Desert Shield and his 35 years of public service with DOE and FEMA as an emergency response professional.
“This is National Preparedness Month,” he said. “Be sure to include voting in your planning. This is too important to ignore.”
