Stradling: Great Campaign Experience! Developers Influencing The Election?

By GARY STRADLING
Republican candidate
Los Alamos County Council

My campaign for county councilor has been a delight. Who could have known?! I have met so many enthusiastic and supportive people, knocking doors across the neighborhoods of Los Alamos and White Rock. Everyone “gets it”: Sufficient housing is the key to both business rejuvenation and the explosive hiring of LANL!

I believe that our county government should better plan, cultivate, encourage, and facilitate local business development. I want a local government that listens to and serves its citizens, not rules over them. LAC is not an HOA! I will support fair and respectful treatment of all citizens, regardless of differences in opinions and convictions.

I have a 40-year vision of Los Alamos for us and for our children, with the full spectrum of businesses, work opportunities, education, recreational opportunities, and all the rest; a community where you can live without having to travel to Santa Fe or Albuquerque. That can only happen when we have sufficient housing for a full spectrum of workers—LANL and commercial. That cannot happen if we continue declining into just a bedroom community, housing only highly paid LANL employees. It will not happen if Los Alamos workers continue to be “guest workers” who have to commute here at great cost of time and money. I want all of our workers to be invested, to be part of our community.

The critical element of my plan is acquisition of federal land to build on, from the ample land around us. This is what I am offering to accomplish, with my skills and past accomplishments. Others have failed, but I know enough about this task and about my skills to be confident.

Once we have the land, we know how to engineer and plan the rest of the development. Critics are demanding detailed project plans only to confuse the electorate. Such plans are not yet feasible until land is acquired. We know how to build infrastructure, roads, and schools. It will take time. Our county planning staff told me that planning such developments would be a “career dream” for them. We know how to fund the infrastructure from the revenues of sales. Currently ~$1billion/year worth of salaries commute off of the Hill, neither paying taxes nor buying our goods and services.

I will support varied housing, sufficient to the need, across all income levels, especially including our senior citizens. I do not oppose near-term infill options, though they alone cannot be adequate.

Critics attacking my proposals include local business developers, particularly Mr. Chandler and Mr. Gursky. I hope that voters ask: “Why do developers want to influence our public opinion on future housing developments? Why restrict our future to just infill options? Whose interests are they supporting? Ours?” Consider the stagnant housing of the last 40 years, the continuing deteriorating business environment, and the ‘business as usual approach’ of other candidates.

I have only your interests at heart. I am not a developer, I do not own real estate, nor have any business relationships that would enrich me in these areas. I am retired and can focus on your needs. I have the values and skills to do this job for you and to do it well. I am energetic, persistent, and effective.

Please come out to vote!

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