Smart Growth involves the community in workshops and forums that prioritize the needs of the community.

I earned a double degree from Washington State University.  One was in the Liberal Arts, the other was in Microbiology, because the only culture in Southeastern Washington is bacterial culture. 

Then I returned to my family and business in Truth or Consequences.   

Community development suits me and is needed in T or C.  Community Development requires certification.  As the Coordinator for the grant program that provides IDAs to the county, I earn certification in Individual and Family development, and Financial Literacy.  I also earn certification from the IRS as the Coordinator for Sierra County's VITA program.

By comparison, the only requirement for a land developer is to be a minimum of age 21.

My heart is in Truth or Consequences.  Change can be good, but we don't change just because someone pushes buttons, we're not vending machines.

Community Assets are to be managed, not given away.  City assets such as our educational institutions, library, museums, hospital, airport and our natural resources are too valuable to pass to land developers.  The Federal Aviation Administration rejected the airport contract as there are laws that prohibit exclusive contracts.

In my position as board member of the Bountiful Alliance, I am liason for the Water Harvesters.  I worked with people to keep our precious rainwater from creating potholes.  Instead we use it constructively to grow food and shade.

The balance of T or C is our identity.  We lead the rest of the US in many ways.  Other small towns look to us for solutions. 

What do you want to see happen for T or C?

Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plans set the priorities.   The Comprehensive Plan is our vision.

The people of Truth or Consequences have plenty of great ideas for our town.  I believe that you do too.

For example:

• Smart Growth is the cost effective way to develop a community.  Sprawl is too expensive. 
• The Smart Grid ties the alternative energy system together, which lowers our electric bills.
• The Solar Bus ties Smart Growth and Smart Grid together,  using clean transportation to bring the people who need jobs to the jobs.  
•  $6,000,000 for 32 miles of road has been found for us by Teague.  We could pave our low-traffic streets with permeable paving.  The cost is the same as regular paving, and it includes the drainage.   Rain water soaks through permeable paving into the drain and goes into the aquifer instead of flooding the streets and creating potholes.  Whatever we decide, we'd better do it in the legally described manner, or we will lose the funding.
• Noisy dogs can be controlled by contacting Hush Puppies, a new non-profit that provides training to dogs to reduce the nuisance factor of neighboring pets.
• Circles of Support are forming for all kinds of solutions to problems.  The idea is to spread the cost.  The benefits are gained by those who work hard.