If you’ve seen me lately, you’ll notice I’m letting my hair grow out. Quite frankly, it’s looking a little scraggly. But that’s OK to me because I feel like it’s part of a bigger plan.
The interesting thing is that as I look at myself in the mirror, I see things I hadn’t noticed before. Is my nose really that big? Where did that mark come from? Yet there comes a time in every man’s life when he realizes he has nothing to apologize for. No one to act for, and certainly no one to impress. The longer hair on my head seems only to accentuate what has always been there: a face with scars, some beauty, and the acceptance that I’m enough. Mirrors don’t lie. And neither should we. Just accept who you are and make the best of it.
The same holds true for our city. Sometimes we try and hide the truth or cover up the ugly. But we need to accept it if we want to find a way out of our social and economic downturn. This week’s budget hearing to adopt or reject next year’s fiscal footprint looms large. There’s a $3 million shortfall that no one seems to have caught, seen coming, expected or planned for. That’s 20% of the city budget. All the while citizens see the drug and addiction problem spill over into our streets with shopping carts, homelessness and hopelessness. Our basic quality of life has diminished. Meanwhile, the current mayor and council are busy playing king of the hill to determine who is on top. The mayor has missed the last eight council meetings. The bickering continues.
How did we get here and how did we let it get so bad? It is clear that our decline stems from internal fighting and constant power struggles. But I think the biggest contributing factor is the endemic fear of change that has plagued generations of politicians including and especially the current mayor and mayor pro tem. They say they are pro growth and development, but their actions tell a different story. I remember hearing from constituents when I was running for reelection that those who opposed me were fearmongering to would-be voters that I was bringing in housing. And that the housing would bring more traffic, more outsiders, and a general increase in population. “And we don’t want that” is what then and current councilors advised. Change is uncomfortable but a necessary requisite to growth.
City councilors have also tried to force homebuilders to build housing of specific types or at a lower price band. You can’t do that to prospective builders because it makes them nervous and drives their costs higher. No wonder we haven’t had any takers. Plus, the city just increased development fees and councilors get constituents to protest any new developments.
Part of growing up means looking at yourself in the mirror and accepting what you see. We are not Santa Fe, Taos or Los Alamos. We don’t have the resources or attractions to make us a destination city. But we do have a beautiful valley in which to house the support staff, employees and scientists who work around us. Española could be a bustling bedroom community that offers an attractive alternative to our neighbors at a more affordable cost of living.
That will only happen if we clean up our city streets and make shopping safer and more attractive. We have a good foundation already. Northern New Mexicans come to Española for good shopping, a great hospital and authentic food. But the blight and eyesores abound. A glance at the newspaper tells you why. Judge after judge has released criminals on their own recognizance. Española doesn’t currently have a prosecuting attorney because the contract lapsed. That means all the work that Española PD does to catch and prosecute criminals is for nothing. Every one of them gets released. Even if we did have a prosecutor, where are they going to send them? The jail is inadequate and no other facility near us will take prisoners from Española. It’s pathetic.
What will it take to drive growth and improve tax revenue? A growth plan that includes real goals and a strong commitment from everyone to get us there. It demands that we expect crimes to have consequences and we clean up the mess that drug addiction has created in our midst. We must rethink everything.
Española may not be Taos, Santa Fe or Los Alamos, but we don’t want it to be. Española sure as heck is a great place to call home. We have nothing to apologize for, big nose, blemishes and all. We have only ourselves to blame if we don’t do something to improve the face of this city.
Javier Sanchez is an El Rito Media investor and former Española mayor.