KCHS Forum:

I believe in the people of Truth or Consequences. 

I believe that government does not rule, it governs.

I've proven by my actions that I stand up for the people of Truth or Consequences.  As Commissioner, I'll continue to stand up for the Citizens of Truth or Consequences.

I've heard what our Citizens want for our City.  As Commissioner, I'll integrate that with Smart Growth and Smart Grid.

1)  Smart Growth because growth is expensive

• Our Citizens will decide when and how we change.
• As Commissioner I will work for Quality of LIfe through Quality Jobs.

2)  Smart Grid provides alternative energy to everyone, lowering our utility bills.

As Commissioner, I'll administer our City's Assets, including Natural Resources, according to our Citizens' decisions.

Small business is the backbone of our community.  As Commissioner, I will work hard to provide the infrastructure so that our Citizens can work together to re-synergize our City.

Let's be T or C, we're good at that: 

Balanced, Ethical and Economical.

KIM C AUDETTE is your best bet.

(Click on Sample Ballot to enlarge)

10 Questions selected from those submitted by emcee Earl Greer:

 1)  Utility Rates

We need real solutions for the issue of utility bills.  The City cannot interfere with the right to survive. Shutting off the electricity and water and demanding a large deposit to turn them back on is an economic injustice that unfairly harms the low incomes and disabled.

In the short tem, people who are unable to pay immediately should have access to a payment plan.  These are serious economic times and there is no good reason to cause suffering on top of deprivation.  In some cases, the sudden high bill can be shunted to the property taxes as a lien and paid back slowly.  In other cases, the community banks should have a low interest, no fee program for the repayment of a surprize expense.  The federal stimulus program includes money for community banks.  So if the LIHEAP program can't help, and the General Assistance program can't help, and the person doesn't own property to bear a property tax lien, then there should be a bank loan available.

In the longer term, the City must cut expenses.   The City of T or C spends four times more per person that the typical New Mexico City.  We need to cut expenses to a level that is more like the rest of New Mexico.  Since most of the operating expenses are paid from utility bills, when we cut the expenses, we will lower the bills.

Why do we have 50% low incomes, why are our streets in such bad shape and why are our businesses downtown empty if the City is spending 4 times more than normal?  Our Cost of Living is half of the rest of New Mexico, due to the average wage in T or C being half that of New Mexico.  Our utility rates must, as a Consitutional matter, stay within range of our Cost of Living.  The other Cities are able to pave streets, control flooding, and support small businesses on the equivalent of 1/8th what our City spends.  Therefore, our City is misspending significant amounts of money.

Our City gets it's operating expenses from the profit that it makes from the utilities. The law of diminishing returns applies, in that when the City raises rates, people, in general, conserve.  a signficant portion of the population is on fixed income or poverty wage income.  They simply cannot afford to pay a higher bill.  Therefore, the City cannot get the higher profit that it wants. 

In the very long term, the City has to find other ways to generate revenue.  The Smart Grid uses alternative energy, and the City must develop the renewable energy resources in order to provide electricity at an affordable rate.

Water harvesting on a grand scale is common in many communities, now.  However, our City has dithered about needing water rights in order to harvest stormwater.  That would be the water rights that the City keeps trying to sell off, cheap, for a quick buck, and we keep taking back because that's a violation of State Law.

 If you think the water tastes bad, then help recharge the aquifer by harvesting rainwater.  I believe in the people of T or C, and I know that we can be T or C:  Balanced, Ethical and Economical.

2)  Open door policy:

The open door policy needs to include office hours so that Citizens know when they can reach their Commissioners.  Communication also occurs through Outreach, such as workshops, forums and e-government.  Commissioners who work jobs cannot always be available, but they can set hours.

3)  Sierra County Economic Development Organization/SCEDO

One of my planks is Quality Jobs for Quality of Life.  So far, the jobs that we have seen are poverty wage jobs. I want to see quality jobs.  I walk my talk, too.  Since 2006, I wrote grants so that 40 manufacturing businesses could start, and 60 total businesses.  I've got another 20 waiting to start.

These businesses are ready to move into the downtown stores, but one simple thing is holding them up:  The stores are not up to code.  Code Enforcement is not following the law.

In '07 our Codes changed.  They were re-written and passed without comment.  The laws have changed and no one knows the new laws.  Everyone is still operating according to the old laws.  The City is the first entity that needs to learn and comply with the new laws.  Next comes the big businesses that hold a lot of property.

It takes the same number of conservatives and liberals to change a light bulb:  One.  The rest sit around and blame each other for the lights going out.

We need to work together to achieve an understanding of the new laws and our responsibility to them.  Codes are an important part of our ability to do business.  Businesses collect the Gross Receipts Tax that the City needs. 

So, perhaps if we work together, we can restore SCEDOs reputation and effectiveness.

Main Street:

We all know that during recessions, the basic principles are to cut expenditures and diversify income sources.  Everyone’s interested in getting more money from alternative sources, and finding ways to cut expenses.   At the same time there is no question that we must be who we are.  So I’m going to talk about policy-making and funding that relates to Main Street issues.

The Comprehensive Plan lays the groundwork for visioning the next 5 years.   Our Citizens have told me their 5 year plan--to re-synergize the city.  Participation in the Comprehensive Plan involves making your own 5 year plan and then sharing the general parts.  As Commissioner I will work to integrate your plan with the community‘s.

The Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan is the same concept, for infrastructure.  If you want the infrastructure to help you meet your 5 year plan, then you need to participate in the ICIP process. 

Please call me, send letters, speak through your associations or come to public comments.  The ICIP responds to the priorities of the participants.  Where do you place these things in your 5 year plan?

• Utilities;
• Streets;
• Flood control;
• Resource Management;
• Clean Mass Transit;
• Quality jobs;
• Code Enforcement (City first);
• Solid Waste Management  

E-government helps citizens participate.  As Commissioner, I will increase online access to government for minutes of the meetings, forms, online zoning map and online demographics.  Accurate, current information will help you do better business.   If you can participate online, then your store can stay open.

The Hospital is a great example of how the Citizens manage the City assets--the right way gets money & the wrong way loses money. 

Another source of funding is grants.  Do “we” qualify?  Yes we qualify, if we take the appropriate steps.  Also if we take appropriate steps we will increase our appeal to shoppers.

Government grants to innovative businesses and to cooperatives may be of interest to you.   Matching money is required.

A number of private organizations give money to associations that make a positive impact on the community. 

Where do you want to make a positive impact?  What would benefit your community?

Recession grant-funding primarily supports diversity and the disadvantaged.

We’ve seen what the franchises do to get that funding and pass it around to promote themselves.

• Main Street can have an impact as a group, to obtain funding.
• Funding for community activities that appeal to the local market.

Circles of Support are a Nobel prize winning concept from ’07.  I held monthly meetings in the park to develop this concept in the next wave of civic-minded individuals for over a year, '06 through '07.  The concept has been taken up locally and woven into the fabric our community organizations.  It’s necessary in order to survive these difficult times.  No man is an island, especially in the desert.

I've asked a lot of questions and given you a lot to think about.  I'm here to listen, though.  I want to know what you'd like for me to do for you as Commissioner.

Questions and Comments:

1)  Someone had a comment, saying that he heard that someone had heard me say something that meant I was riding his coattails.  I had to smile at that, because I have similar complaints about tagalongs.  However, I make an effort to verify the copying before I complain, and this person did not.  Apparently I had said I agreed with him on something, and as is usual during campaigns it was taken out of context.

2)  Another person made the comment that she had heard from someone who had been to my website that I claimed to have started MainStreet.  That took a bit of thinking because I was pretty sure I had never started MainStreet (it's a national program).  I decided it must relate to the above speech about Circles of Support.  The people of T or C have historically found it difficult to work together because there never seems to be a higher principle behind it.  The Nobel Prize Winning concept of Circles of Support has provided the higher principle. 

Since those fun and informative barbeques and seminars in the park we have

• pulled the fractious Farmers Markets together into one
• Formed the Bountiful Alliance, an umbrella organization that provides 501c(3) services to local committees.
• Formed the Downtown Association
• Formed the Main Street Association

Working together works!