By GARY STRADLING
Republican Candidate
Los Alamos County Council
Dr. Lisa Shin was mocked as a distraction during this election for publishing a letter about our egregious nuisance code (link).
But she is right.
I listen to the residents as I knock on every door of nearly every neighborhood in my own White Rock and in Los Alamos. (I hope to reach them all by Election Day!)
The second most frequent question I get is about the county Nuisance Code: Section 18 of the County Code. Across the community, many people: residents in beautiful homes, with landscaped well-manicured yards, residents with busy families and bicycles and scattered toys, old or ill residents whose yards show inattention, residents calling out to me while working under their cars with their legs sticking out, residents with a love of the natural flora of this area, want to know where I stand on the County nuisance code.
When I say, “The County is not your nanny and LAC is not an HOA” they all nod their heads and say, “You have got that right! I wish our current county councilors knew it too!”
Where do our other County Council candidates stand on this local, relevant issue?
Some politicians are domineering. They are wanna-be aristocrats, serial candidates with a “right to rule” attitude.
They are the politicians who, when you say “NO!” on a referendum, say “Well, I will still use your money to fund my pet project another way,” and go around you. They criticize your property. They want to regulate your appearance. They pay county employees to drive around your neighborhoods, with a camera pointed into your yard, to find you at fault. They issue criminal citations for code violations.
We are home owners. We have intrinsic rights and we have not given them up. The County nuisance code should only address issues of public safety or health. Our community has authority to pass laws, but we must vote for representatives who represent us, not those who want to rule over us. A revision to the nuisance code is in process. It will be voted on by the incumbent County Councilors in mid November. Let them know your opinion now, with your vote in this election.
Of course the most frequent question I get is, “How can we get the housing we need in sufficient quantity to revitalize our community!?” That is my main focus as a candidate for county council.
