The voters of Albuquerque’s District 7 have spoken.
My intention was to issue this statement as soon as Bernalillo County published the final vote count for Tuesday’s race. That has not happened. Though their report quantifies Councilor Fiebelkorn’s unequivocally solid victory with a reported 85.12% of the vote, it appears on the BernCo.gov site that I had zero write-ins (not actually the case). It is perhaps a final parting signal to me by the election eco-system (City clerk, County clerk, Party organizations, much major and minor media, social media commentariat) that “yes, we will permit you to run as a Write-in, but do not presume to be worthy of the credibility or respect given candidates on the ballot”.
I have no regrets for having made the effort; in fact, it was a privilege to become acquainted with more of the extraordinary citizens who make up our community, across a wide spectrum of political persuasions and professional endeavors. Their support and encouragement was a constant source of inspiration and motivation which I will forever treasure. Any shortcomings of the campaign were the result of my personal naivety and limitations; certainly not the talents, energy, commitment and generosity of those who were behind me.
While we appear to be headed in the direction of maintaining “status quo”, Albuquerque still faces the challenges that motivated me to “jump in” to the Council race:
- an un-remedied crisis of street homelessness with pervasive negative consequences for all aspects of urban civic life
- decaying and commercially collapsing major corridors screaming for a future vision
- splendid neighborhoods (with few exceptions), under threat from an unaccountable bureaucracy of redefinition and plundering by private equity investors with NO reference nor deference to residents and stated principles of the city’s Comprehensive Plan
- a funded project to redefine the vast NM State Fairgrounds site standing at the crossroads of our major issues, with potential to be the consequential catalyst for transformation of an entire quadrant of Albuquerque, or simply another inadequately conceived and executed boondoggle (think ART).
I will continue to be as engaged as I can be with as many aspects of our community and its remarkable citizens. Through every channel available I will advocate for and seek community consensus around common sense and practical solutions to problems and fostering of opportunity in Albuquerque.
When called for, I will be a resistance fighter against the misleading and the misguided. Anyone who has known Albuquerque for 40 years or more knows we are at a precarious tipping point. The magnificence and uniqueness so eloquently described by V.B. Price in Albuquerque – A City At The End Of The World was its deserved potential, not its guaranteed destiny.
If I have learned anything during this past year of “civic education” it is that the “real stuff” of consequence for Albuquerque is not done by government; it is done by the countless representative organizations, non-profits, skilled professionals, hard workers, builders and businesses. Government, through its active agencies, should be dedicated to and focused on enabling them to deliver their best while protecting the community.
This is not a time to “go gentle into that good night”. I’ll see you in the trenches.
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