By GENEVIEVE OSWALD
Town of Taos Councilor & Mayor Pro Tem
I am Genevieve Oswald, a Town of Taos Councilor. Now, not being from your community, I don’t really have much place to offer an opinion or endorsement in your local election — but after serving alongside Los Alamos County Councilor Melanee Hand on the North Central Regional Transit District Board (NCRTD Blue Bus) for the past two and a half years, I feel at least somewhat qualified to throw my voice out into the wind.
What’s important to know is that the Blue Bus doesn’t stop at county lines, and neither do the challenges our communities face: housing shortages, aging infrastructure, lack of abundant economic opportunity, public safety concerns, and the displacement of generational communities. While each of our counties has its own specific needs and priorities, the choices we make locally ripple across the entire region — economically, socially, and culturally.
What I value most about Councilor Hand is that she deeply understands and advocates for the needs of
Los Alamos County, while also recognizing that long-term solutions require regional thinking and
strong regional relationships. She never loses sight of who she represents, but she also understands that northern New Mexico works best when our communities work together.
Together over the last year, on the NCRTD Executive Committee, we navigated a major leadership transition — where I serve as Vice Chair and Councilor Hand serves as Treasurer-Secretary — helping guide the organization through the retirement of the longtime executive director who was trusted and beloved across the region to hiring a new director from outside New Mexico. Those kinds of transitions can fracture boards and destabilize organizations pretty quickly, especially in northern New Mexico, where trust is hard-earned and often withheld from newcomers for quite some time.
Councilor Hand brought steady judgment, asked the right questions, showed up for the weekly meetings, kept the Executive Committee and the rest of the board informed, and stayed focused on what was best for the district and the communities we serve. So far, the hire seems to be working out quite well — which likely means we chose well. On the NCRTD Board, Councilor Hand listens before she speaks. She asks questions grounded in operational reality rather than political theater. Her decades of technical experience at the Lab give her a practical, data-oriented approach to problem solving, but just as importantly, she is
collaborative and transparent. She is someone you can work with even when you disagree — though honestly, we have yet to disagree.
As an elected official myself — and frankly just as a person — I think it’s important to say clearly that nobody gets it right all the time. Not a single one of us. Being human, Councilor Hand has likely made mistakes and will probably make them again. That’s not a condemnation; it’s just reality. What matters is whether someone keeps showing up, keeps listening, and keeps trying to serve well. In my experience, Councilor Melanee Hand does exactly that. She shows up and she lends a Hand.
Los Alamos County is better served with her voice at the table, and I believe voters should re-elect Councilor Melanee Hand to County Council.