By MORRIS PONGRATZ
Los Alamos County Council
I urge the voters of New Mexico House District 43 to vote for my friend and colleague, Christine Chandler.
I have known and worked with Christine for more than 20 years. We served together on the county council, the LAPS Foundation Board of Directors and the Los Alamos Charter Review Committee. I know Christine to be a hard-worker, an excellent study of the issues, an eloquent speaker and an ethical person. She is not a party ideologue; she works across the aisle for all. We don’t always agree, but I always respect her opinion knowing that it is well thought-out.
Christine and I do agree on the importance of education. We have both benefited from quality education. Christine believes that education is the foundation of economic success and of a vibrant democracy, so she wants to see New Mexico’s education system provide the same opportunities for our children. While a member of the LAPS Foundation Board of Directors, she used her attorney skills to help the foundation get incorporated. When it comes to education, Christine “walks the talk.”
I also share Christine’s concern about having the NNSA contractors pay their fair share of Gross Receipts Taxes (GRT). The NNSA contractor employs the majority of the county’s workforce. It is flagrantly unfair to expect businesses employing less than 25 percent of the workforce to pay the GRT for all of us.
I also commend Christine because of her knowledge of New Mexico and especially the legislative system. After working for four sessions at the New Mexico Legislature as a legislative analyst, she has developed an extensive network of legislators and staff that will allow her to collaborate effectively with lawmakers and hit the ground running on her first day in office.
