Think tank calls for New Mexico school budget reform
Algernon D'Ammassa, The Deming Headlight
Published 3:55 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2017 | Updated 4:24 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2017
Deming officials respond to recommendations
DEMING – Should school districts spend more budget dollars in the classroom instead of administration? Would spending more on instruction and less on administrative costs improve student success?
An independent think tank based in Santa Fe says the answer is yes, as presented in a report issued last month along with a recommendation that the legislature step in.
Think New Mexico, which has advocated for full-day Kindergarten and legislative reforms in other areas of state government issued its report, “Improving Our Schools by Reallocating Dollars from Administration to the Classroom,” in October.
It argues that while the correlation between total spending per pupil and student outcomes is weak, the percentage of spending dedicated to classroom instruction makes a distinct difference. “Increasing the dollars available for education can improve student outcomes if they are targeted to the classroom,” the report finds.
TNM is calling for the state, which provides 90 percent of public school funding in New Mexico, to “set enforceable minimum percentages for classroom spending” as a condition for district budget approval by the Public Education Department.
Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) said she supports the goals of the proposed reforms but wondered about the means. "Do we really want Santa Fe dictating to that level what every school district has to do?”
Local response to the report from administration, educators, and one legislator indicate support for the report’s goals but questions about implementation. As Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) put it, “Do we really want Santa Fe dictating to that level what every school district has to do?”
A top-down solution?
“There are many aspects of the report that I very much support,” said Deming Public Schools Superintendent Arsenio Romero, who added that the district “is currently completing audits now on how, where, and why we spend monies. We are continually evolving our internal controls so that we can better support students in the classroom.”
According to district data provided by Think New Mexico, Deming Public Schools devotes 72 percent of its budget to instruction and 28 percent to administration. This puts it just short of a goal of 75 percent set by the Public Education Department, which would increase to 76 percent by 2020 according to its strategic plan.
The district employs over 800 people in Luna County to serve approximately 5,200 students.
One local educator pointed to some wooden blocks in her classroom as an example: 50 of them, sanded to a smooth surface. She does not know what they are for.
DPS Superintendent Arsenio Romero, pictured at a school board meeting in July, said the district voluntarily audits its internal protocols "so that we can better support students in the classroom.”
“I was told that the past principal had bought them for the Special Education classroom,” said Charity Cheung, a math special education teacher at Deming Intermediate School, and also Co-President of the Deming chapter of the National Education Association. “No one had a clue why, and they'd never been used.”
For Cheung, the blocks represent “something admin thought was great, but the people in the classroom didn't.” She added, “Districts need to gain the input of their staff in directing how the funding will be utilized. If districts utilize the typical top down approach for deciding what to spend the funds on, it will not have as big an impact as TNM is hoping for.”
Charles Goodmacher, a spokesman for NEA-New Mexico who contributed to Think New Mexico’s report (and disclosed himself as a donor to the organization), indicated concern that the recommended approach “would lead to educators having a smaller voice within the school communities. The proposal shifts too much power away from local school boards, placing it in a state-imposed formula.”
Unintended Consequences?
“Think New Mexico is correct that more money needs to flow into New Mexico classrooms,” said Goodmacher, who additionally welcomed “any effort that results in a reduction of paperwork districts are required to spend time and money on.”
Deming School Board President Matt Robinson said, "I think any board member in any district would like more dollars going into the classroom," but is still studying the report's findings and recommendations.
While reducing reporting burdens for districts is part of PED’s plan for implementing the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Sweetser, reached by phone in Santa Fe, said, “Federal and state requirements are not going away.”
While there is no proposal on the table yet, she was wary of unintended consequences from a legislative approach.
“Across our entire state the districts are very wide ranging,” she said. “Are the issues that Lordsburg faces the same that Deming faces?” Sweetser worried that if districts must seek creative ways to meet requirements with reduced administration, some of that work could be transferred to teachers.
“All I want to do is help our teachers teach,” said Sweetser. “Maybe we are helping them teach by taking some of that administrative paperwork off of them.”
Two budgets for school districts
“The issue of local control is very much something that we are considering as we develop our legislation,” said Fred Nathan, TNM’s Executive Director and co-author of the report.
Think New Mexico Executive Director Fred Nathan, who co-authored the report with Kristina Fisher, hopes to have draft legislation ready for the 2018 regular session.
Noting that teachers currently have “zero control” over central administrative spending, he said, “Our reform proposal would divide each school district’s operating budget into two: a budget for classroom expenses and a budget for administrative expenses. Within each of those categories, districts would maintain complete local control over their spending.”
It would be up to communities and their representatives, however, to watchdog districts. “There will definitely need to be close monitoring of the implementation to make sure that the resources are actually being shifted to areas that impact students,” said Nathan.
He said Think New Mexico plans to have draft legislation completed in time for the 2018 session.
Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext. 2608) or adammassa@demingheadlight.com.
Algernon D'Ammassa, The Deming Headlight
Published 3:55 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2017 | Updated 4:24 p.m. MT Nov. 9, 2017
Deming officials respond to recommendations
DEMING – Should school districts spend more budget dollars in the classroom instead of administration? Would spending more on instruction and less on administrative costs improve student success?
An independent think tank based in Santa Fe says the answer is yes, as presented in a report issued last month along with a recommendation that the legislature step in.
Think New Mexico, which has advocated for full-day Kindergarten and legislative reforms in other areas of state government issued its report, “Improving Our Schools by Reallocating Dollars from Administration to the Classroom,” in October.
It argues that while the correlation between total spending per pupil and student outcomes is weak, the percentage of spending dedicated to classroom instruction makes a distinct difference. “Increasing the dollars available for education can improve student outcomes if they are targeted to the classroom,” the report finds.
TNM is calling for the state, which provides 90 percent of public school funding in New Mexico, to “set enforceable minimum percentages for classroom spending” as a condition for district budget approval by the Public Education Department.
Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) said she supports the goals of the proposed reforms but wondered about the means. "Do we really want Santa Fe dictating to that level what every school district has to do?”
Local response to the report from administration, educators, and one legislator indicate support for the report’s goals but questions about implementation. As Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) put it, “Do we really want Santa Fe dictating to that level what every school district has to do?”
A top-down solution?
“There are many aspects of the report that I very much support,” said Deming Public Schools Superintendent Arsenio Romero, who added that the district “is currently completing audits now on how, where, and why we spend monies. We are continually evolving our internal controls so that we can better support students in the classroom.”
According to district data provided by Think New Mexico, Deming Public Schools devotes 72 percent of its budget to instruction and 28 percent to administration. This puts it just short of a goal of 75 percent set by the Public Education Department, which would increase to 76 percent by 2020 according to its strategic plan.
The district employs over 800 people in Luna County to serve approximately 5,200 students.
One local educator pointed to some wooden blocks in her classroom as an example: 50 of them, sanded to a smooth surface. She does not know what they are for.
DPS Superintendent Arsenio Romero, pictured at a school board meeting in July, said the district voluntarily audits its internal protocols "so that we can better support students in the classroom.”
“I was told that the past principal had bought them for the Special Education classroom,” said Charity Cheung, a math special education teacher at Deming Intermediate School, and also Co-President of the Deming chapter of the National Education Association. “No one had a clue why, and they'd never been used.”
For Cheung, the blocks represent “something admin thought was great, but the people in the classroom didn't.” She added, “Districts need to gain the input of their staff in directing how the funding will be utilized. If districts utilize the typical top down approach for deciding what to spend the funds on, it will not have as big an impact as TNM is hoping for.”
Charles Goodmacher, a spokesman for NEA-New Mexico who contributed to Think New Mexico’s report (and disclosed himself as a donor to the organization), indicated concern that the recommended approach “would lead to educators having a smaller voice within the school communities. The proposal shifts too much power away from local school boards, placing it in a state-imposed formula.”
Unintended Consequences?
“Think New Mexico is correct that more money needs to flow into New Mexico classrooms,” said Goodmacher, who additionally welcomed “any effort that results in a reduction of paperwork districts are required to spend time and money on.”
Deming School Board President Matt Robinson said, "I think any board member in any district would like more dollars going into the classroom," but is still studying the report's findings and recommendations.
While reducing reporting burdens for districts is part of PED’s plan for implementing the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Sweetser, reached by phone in Santa Fe, said, “Federal and state requirements are not going away.”
While there is no proposal on the table yet, she was wary of unintended consequences from a legislative approach.
“Across our entire state the districts are very wide ranging,” she said. “Are the issues that Lordsburg faces the same that Deming faces?” Sweetser worried that if districts must seek creative ways to meet requirements with reduced administration, some of that work could be transferred to teachers.
“All I want to do is help our teachers teach,” said Sweetser. “Maybe we are helping them teach by taking some of that administrative paperwork off of them.”
Two budgets for school districts
“The issue of local control is very much something that we are considering as we develop our legislation,” said Fred Nathan, TNM’s Executive Director and co-author of the report.
Think New Mexico Executive Director Fred Nathan, who co-authored the report with Kristina Fisher, hopes to have draft legislation ready for the 2018 regular session.
Noting that teachers currently have “zero control” over central administrative spending, he said, “Our reform proposal would divide each school district’s operating budget into two: a budget for classroom expenses and a budget for administrative expenses. Within each of those categories, districts would maintain complete local control over their spending.”
It would be up to communities and their representatives, however, to watchdog districts. “There will definitely need to be close monitoring of the implementation to make sure that the resources are actually being shifted to areas that impact students,” said Nathan.
He said Think New Mexico plans to have draft legislation completed in time for the 2018 session.
Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext. 2608) or adammassa@demingheadlight.com.
|
New Mexico Department of Agriculture Facebook page 07/20/2017
Tonight the New Mexico Department of Agriculture honored Candie Sweetser, Representative for NM House Dist 32, for passing her first piece of legislation which allows NMDA to conduct inspections required by the Food Safety Modernization Act. We're fortunate to have someone who is passionate about agriculture representing us in the Roundhouse! Congratulations Candie! |
The Mimbres Valley Medical Group Groundbreaking ceremony for June 29, 2017.
Left to right with shovels:
John Sweetser, Luna County Commissioner
Joseph Cervantes, New Mexico State Senator, District 31
Mayra Srader, Cardiac Cath Lab Director, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
John Sanchez, Lieutenant Governor, State of New Mexico
Candie Sweetser, State Representative, NM House of Representatives, District 32
Benny Jasso, Mayor, City of Deming, New Mexico
Joy Harrell, Chief Nursing Officer, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Robert Velez, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Claudia Jeffreys, Chair, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Randy Cooper, Senior Vice President of Finance, Quorum Health
Matt Hayes, Senior Vice President of Operations, Quorum Health
John Strand, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Kelly Duke, CEO, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Dr. David Lanoue, Orthopedic Surgeon, Chief of Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 14, 2017
Contact: Daniel Marzec
Email: Daniel.marzec@nmlegis.gov
Cell: 505-363-8372
In A New Mexico First, Female Rep. Chairs Science Committee
Committee to Oversee Legislation Involving Science, Technology and Telecommunications
Santa Fe, NM – As the ink dries on interim committee assignments, Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) has been tapped to Chair the Science, Technology, and Telecommunications Committee during the legislative interim. This marks the first time in New Mexico state history that a woman will serve as Chair of this Interim Committee, and the first interim Chair position for the freshman Representative.
“I am representing the people of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties on my committee assignments, and to the best of my ability, embracing the distinctiveness and remarkable character of my home district,” stated Rep. Sweetser. “As the Chair of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, I look forward to bringing my district’s needs forward and looking at the state as a whole.”
During the legislative interim, Representative Sweetser also will serve on the Legislative Ethics Committee, the Economic and Rural Development Committee, and the Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee. Representatives are assigned committees based on their level of knowledge and experience in various areas to hear from community members and review legislation. As a small business owner, reporter and former member of the Foundation for Open Government, together with her ties to farming and ranching in southwestern New Mexico, Rep. Sweetser brings one of the most diverse and experienced skillsets to the legislature.
###
Albuquerque Journal
Guest Columns
Tax reform needed, but not during special session
By Rep. Candie Sweetser / Deming Democrat
Sunday, May 21st, 2017 at 12:02am
After her veto of all higher education and legislative funding, Gov. Susana Martinez has suggested that any remedy for the budget crisis is conditional on a major overhaul of New Mexico’s gross receipts tax structure.
Rep. Candie Sweetser
As a state representative and longtime small business owner in Deming, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of tax reform. It’s desperately needed and long overdue.
However, I share the concerns of many of my colleagues – including Senate Finance Chair John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and House Appropriations & Finance Chair Patty Lundstrom, D-Gallup – that a special session is not the appropriate venue to attempt a major initiative like tax reform.
Moreover, as a former board member of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, I am passionately committed to ensuring that tax reforms are the result of an open, transparent, public process.
Gov. Martinez agrees with legislators that the special session should be as short as possible – preferably a single day – to resolve the immediate crisis without running up a tab on taxpayers of more than $50,000 per day.
There is no way to properly tackle tax reform in a short special session. Sufficient time is needed to analyze different proposals and amendments, hold public hearings and legislative debates, and provide New Mexicans with adequate opportunity to monitor the issue and express their opinions to their legislators. At the very least, that process would take weeks.
Presumably, Gov. Martinez and House Republicans are proposing that tax reform be negotiated in advance of the special session, behind closed doors and out of the public eye. Their goal is to get a deal done so it can be rubber-stamped in a short special session, without all the fuss and muss of public hearings and debate.
This is a terrible way to craft public policy and conduct government business.
As elected officials, we serve the public, and we can’t do the public’s business in darkness – not if we want to maintain the public’s trust. They have placed their faith in us, and the least we can do is tackle major policy issues in the public domain, where they can watch us, agree with us or argue with us.
Where most New Mexicans don’t have the opportunity or luxury of monitoring the minutiae of tax policy debates, the media serves an important role as their watchdog. If anyone should be up in arms about a backroom tax reform deal, it should be the media – and as the owner/operator of a media outlet in Deming, I’m concerned at the lack of outrage.
As I see it, the choices Gov. Martinez is giving New Mexicans are: 1) a long special session that could cost a million dollars or more, or 2) a back-room deal on taxes that hasn’t been subject to public or media scrutiny.
I, for one, choose door No. 3: a short special session to fix the immediate crisis by closing tax loopholes and modernizing fees in proposals that have already been subject to significant public vetting and have already earned relatively broad support.
Then, in the interim before the 2018 session, we can invest the time, energy and effort in carefully crafting tax reform in full view of the public and media.
That is how we get this right.
(Deming Headlight - Online April 19, 2017)
Freshman lawmaker Sweetser receives baptism by fire
Algernon D'Ammassa, For the Headlight 3:27 p.m. MT April 19, 2017
First time in Legislative Session in the books for local state representative
DEMING – As the freshman legislator for New Mexico’s 32nd district and a first-time office holder, Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) wrote down her core values on a piece of paper and brought it with her to Santa Fe. Back home after an historic and contentious session, Sweetser said that leaf of paper was more important than she realized.
Some of those reminders included:
• “Dignity for all people.”
• “Rights and responsibilities of individuals.”
• “An education system that fosters individuality and creative thinking.”
• “Government transparency.”
•“Service above self.”
In particular, one that Sweetser used to keep her district in mind while in Santa Fe was: “Stewardship — responsible management and use of resources.”
Last year, Sweetser, a managing partner of radio stations KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM, won the seat in the New Mexico house that had been held by Rep. Dona Irwin since 1999. Incoming legislators needed to learn the ropes amid a budget crisis.
“It was a baptism by fire,” Sweetser told the Headlight. “We were meeting well into the evening every single day from the beginning, to get a solvency bill by the end of the first week.”
A Democrat, Sweetser entered the House as part of the majority, but the work was not easy. The 2017 legislative session was marked by clashes with Governor Susana Martinez on taxation, budget cuts, and spending. The Governor’s line-item vetoes and rejection of the entire higher education budget led the Legislative Council to sue the Governor. Meanwhile, Governor Martinez has promised to call a special session to resume work on a budget for the next fiscal year.
Sweetser was the sole sponsor for two bills that made it to the Governor’s desk. One, HB 305, allows FDA inspections of New Mexico farms pertaining to food safety to be carried out by the state Department of Agriculture rather than federal inspectors. This bill was signed into law while the other was not. HB 512, which came to be known as the “Tiny House bill,” would have defined standards for the increasingly popular small dwellings, seen as an affordable and more sustainable housing option, and authorized assessors to review those properties.
This bill succumbed to the “pocket veto,” by which a bill expires without being signed into law or being expressly vetoed by the Governor. “This is a bill I worked hard on,” Sweetser recalls, “And it was pocket-vetoed with no message or complaint about it.”
Asked what lessons came as a surprise to her, Sweetser named three.
First, “the divide between rural and urban representatives is as great as the divide between parties. People want to blame partisan politics for everything that happens, but I found that everybody I worked with genuinely asks, ‘What is the best way to propel New Mexico forward?’ and everybody has a good, solid argument; but not everybody has the whole story. That’s my journalism background – I want to know the whole story.” The constant activity of lobbyists added to the challenge. “They are all salesmen, and they are really good.”
The politics of the veto provided another rough lesson. “[Governor Martinez’s] people were with us at every step of the process telling us things like, ‘She will veto that but go ahead and put it in to ease the package along.’ It was used as a negotiating tool.” Sweetser learned the hard way, however, that individual lawmakers bear political costs for going along to get along: “I went forward saying ‘this is how the process is done,’ but some of that is hard to justify when you go home.” She described driving back from Santa Fe after the session closed in March, “listening to the radio and hearing her belittling us, vetoing bills that had bipartisan support, sometimes with no explanation.”
Sweetser was also caught off-guard by the swift reaction when HB 45, known as the “Baby Brianna bill,” was tabled in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee in February. Sweetser was reported as having left the room before the vote and reaction on social media was immediate and unforgiving. “I was prepared to defend votes I took,” she said, “but I wasn’t expecting to defend my reasons for being out of the room. This was the harshest criticism I have received.” On a single evening, Sweetser said she spent three hours logged into Facebook responding to angry messages, explaining that she had been called away to present at another committee and arguing that her ‘yes’ vote would not have altered the outcome. “There was a kind of mob mentality. No matter what I wrote, it didn’t help.”
Although not every moment was enjoyable, Sweetser frequently came back to saying she felt excited and honored by the opportunity to serve. “It’s never as easy inside as it is when you’re outside looking in. You have to maintain the clarity of the campaign in the muck of the process, and not get distracted by the politics. That’s why I actually wrote down my core values before I went up there.”
Rep. Sweetser Sets Tiny House Industry in Motion - (Deming Radio)3/7/2017
(Deming) - Representative Candie Sweetser of Deming, recognized the emergence of the tiny house industry, with her bill to define and allow assessors to review tiny homes. HB 512 passed unanimously by a vote of 66-0. Tiny homes arrived on the scene in recent years as a creative way for people to live sustainably and own a home without the burden of unmanageable mortgage payments.
Sweetser said, “I think this is the beginning of giving tiny homes an avenue to move forward in New Mexico, This bill facilitates options for New Mexicans who are looking to live in tiny homes. ”
Tiny homes have expanded housing opportunities for young people and low income individuals, and have also been proposed to help address homelessness across the country. This bill will begin to address concerns of tiny house contractors and New Mexicans seeking to create a market for alternative housing options.
This bill has the potential to support a new industry in the state, creating new jobs in the process.
Sweeter represents Luna County and parts of Hidalgo and Grant Counties in the NM House of Representative.
Bill to Increase Funding Opportunities for New Mexico Agriculture Moves Forward
HB 289 Supports Entrepreneurial Endeavors that Add Value to Agricultural Products
Santa Fe, N.M. – House Bill 289 the Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act passed unanimously through the House Business and Industry Committee by a unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), Debbie Rodella (D-Española) and Bill Gomez (D-Las Cruces) opens the statewide Economic Development Department funding to value-added agriculture. The bill originated from numerous meetings with constituents during the House Democrats’ Jobs Listening Tour before the legislative session.
“Value-added agriculture means more revenue for farmers and ranchers and new horizons for research and development. I’m proud to help lead this effort to increase economic opportunity,” said Rep. Small.
Rep. Sweetser said, “Agriculture plays a major role in my district’s economy, and this bill will allow our farmers and ranchers to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit and create new jobs in their industry.”
Value-added agricultural products are agricultural commodities transformed into products ready for sale, like salsas, jams, milled flour, cheese, etc. Value-added agriculture builds on New Mexico’s existing agricultural sector and seeks to expand the industry to create jobs and spur economic development.
“My district’s agricultural community already creates new products that highlight our unique culture,” said Rep. Rodella.“This bill will give our communities the resources to build on their industrious spirit and promote our heritage through business expansion.”
“The unanimous support for HB 289, shows that we have a bill that everyone can get behind,” said Rep. Gomez.“Making funds available for value-added agriculture will expand economic opportunity in rural areas, and support new businesses. I’m pleased that the agriculture industry will get credit for the $12 million it adds to our state’s economy and the ability to build on their success.”
The Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act explicitly includes language that permits value-added agricultural businesses to access federal monies and loans administered by NMEDD. The bill now moves to the House Floor.
Bill to Increase Funding for New Mexico Agribusiness Passes House Committee
Bill Supporting Rural Entrepreneurs Passes House Committee
Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, House Bill 289 the Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act passed the House Labor and Economic Development Committee in a 9-0 unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) and Bill Gomez (D-Las Cruces) amends the New Mexico Statewide Economic Development Department (NMEDD) to include value-added agricultural enterprises, providing small agricultural businesses in rural New Mexico with access to funding administered by NMEDD. The bill’s passage signals the prioritization of New Mexico’s agribusinesses as essential players in the state’s economic vitality.
“I am so pleased by the unanimous, bipartisan support that this bill received today in committee,” Representative Sweetser said. “Our state’s agricultural enterprises are a significant economic engine. It is vital that they receive the same economic opportunities for success as any other business in our state and we should facilitate rather than neglect that success.”
“Value-added agriculture creates jobs and expands opportunity for our communities,” stated Representative Small. “I am excited our legislation unanimously passed its first committee today. Our farmers, students and workers will benefit from this extra tool.”
The Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act explicitly includes language that permits value added agricultural businesses to access federal monies and loans administered by NMEDD. The bill will be heard next in the House Business and Industry committee.
Rep. Sweetser Fights for Local Inspectors on Our Local Farms
HB 305 Authorizes NM Department of Agriculture to Perform FDA Inspections
Santa Fe, NM – Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), a strong advocate for agriculture, is sponsoring legislation that would ensure that our local farms are inspected by local inspectors from the New Mexico department of agriculture (NMDA), rather than federal inspectors from the FDA.
“Our local inspectors know our farms, they know our families, and they are more familiar with what farmers in New Mexico deal with,” said Rep. Sweetser. “It just makes sense that on-site inspections would be performed by our local department rather than by inspectors who will have a steep learning curve on the issues that face our family farmers in rural New Mexico.”
Rep. Sweetser and her family farm and ranch in Luna, Hidalgo, and Grant counties, so she knows first-hand the demands being put on the agricultural industry.
HB 305 adds a subsection to the powers and authority of the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Board of Regents granting them the ability to authorize the NMDA to enter onto public or private property to collect samples and to review records to verify compliance with the federal FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FMSA was enacted in 2011 to ensure the food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. If federal food safety laws were to be deregulated, HB 305 established NMDA as an authority to protect the food safety interests of New Mexico.
This morning with a bipartisan unanimous HB 305 passed the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee this morning and heads next to the House Business and Industry Committee.
http://nmindepth.com/2017/01/18/new-lawmakers-express-optimism-about-session/
"The 2017 Legislature kicked off at the Roundhouse Tuesday, and the first order of business was Gov. Susana Martinez’s state of the state address to the legislature. That speech featured many proposals the Republican governor has advocated for years – reinstating the death penalty, avoiding tax increases, holding back third graders who can’t read and increased penalties for ..."
...Over in the House, Democratic Rep. Candie Sweetser won an open seat in Deming and will serve as vice chairwoman of the agriculture committee. Listen to Rep. Sweetser.
“It has been a little overwhelming, I will be completely honest, but also really exciting.
“I heard a lot of support for bipartisanship in the state of the state. I hope it holds through the session. I certainly feel like our Democratic caucus is looking forward to forgetting about partisan politics and getting things done for the state of New Mexico. I think a lot of that gets said on the first day and some of that falls apart as the session progresses, and this year I hope that is not the case.
“I decided to run because I felt we needed a strong ag (agriculture) voice in the majority, so that is my hope. I have a farm and ranch background and that’s who I’m here to represent. But honestly the overriding thing is the budget, and we have got to figure the budget out. And I don’t think we can cut ourselves into prosperity, but I do know that there’s not a strong appetite for new taxes.”
Left to right with shovels:
John Sweetser, Luna County Commissioner
Joseph Cervantes, New Mexico State Senator, District 31
Mayra Srader, Cardiac Cath Lab Director, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
John Sanchez, Lieutenant Governor, State of New Mexico
Candie Sweetser, State Representative, NM House of Representatives, District 32
Benny Jasso, Mayor, City of Deming, New Mexico
Joy Harrell, Chief Nursing Officer, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Robert Velez, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Claudia Jeffreys, Chair, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Randy Cooper, Senior Vice President of Finance, Quorum Health
Matt Hayes, Senior Vice President of Operations, Quorum Health
John Strand, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Kelly Duke, CEO, Mimbres Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
Dr. David Lanoue, Orthopedic Surgeon, Chief of Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 14, 2017
Contact: Daniel Marzec
Email: Daniel.marzec@nmlegis.gov
Cell: 505-363-8372
In A New Mexico First, Female Rep. Chairs Science Committee
Committee to Oversee Legislation Involving Science, Technology and Telecommunications
Santa Fe, NM – As the ink dries on interim committee assignments, Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) has been tapped to Chair the Science, Technology, and Telecommunications Committee during the legislative interim. This marks the first time in New Mexico state history that a woman will serve as Chair of this Interim Committee, and the first interim Chair position for the freshman Representative.
“I am representing the people of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties on my committee assignments, and to the best of my ability, embracing the distinctiveness and remarkable character of my home district,” stated Rep. Sweetser. “As the Chair of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, I look forward to bringing my district’s needs forward and looking at the state as a whole.”
During the legislative interim, Representative Sweetser also will serve on the Legislative Ethics Committee, the Economic and Rural Development Committee, and the Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee. Representatives are assigned committees based on their level of knowledge and experience in various areas to hear from community members and review legislation. As a small business owner, reporter and former member of the Foundation for Open Government, together with her ties to farming and ranching in southwestern New Mexico, Rep. Sweetser brings one of the most diverse and experienced skillsets to the legislature.
###
Albuquerque Journal
Guest Columns
Tax reform needed, but not during special session
By Rep. Candie Sweetser / Deming Democrat
Sunday, May 21st, 2017 at 12:02am
After her veto of all higher education and legislative funding, Gov. Susana Martinez has suggested that any remedy for the budget crisis is conditional on a major overhaul of New Mexico’s gross receipts tax structure.
Rep. Candie Sweetser
As a state representative and longtime small business owner in Deming, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of tax reform. It’s desperately needed and long overdue.
However, I share the concerns of many of my colleagues – including Senate Finance Chair John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and House Appropriations & Finance Chair Patty Lundstrom, D-Gallup – that a special session is not the appropriate venue to attempt a major initiative like tax reform.
Moreover, as a former board member of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, I am passionately committed to ensuring that tax reforms are the result of an open, transparent, public process.
Gov. Martinez agrees with legislators that the special session should be as short as possible – preferably a single day – to resolve the immediate crisis without running up a tab on taxpayers of more than $50,000 per day.
There is no way to properly tackle tax reform in a short special session. Sufficient time is needed to analyze different proposals and amendments, hold public hearings and legislative debates, and provide New Mexicans with adequate opportunity to monitor the issue and express their opinions to their legislators. At the very least, that process would take weeks.
Presumably, Gov. Martinez and House Republicans are proposing that tax reform be negotiated in advance of the special session, behind closed doors and out of the public eye. Their goal is to get a deal done so it can be rubber-stamped in a short special session, without all the fuss and muss of public hearings and debate.
This is a terrible way to craft public policy and conduct government business.
As elected officials, we serve the public, and we can’t do the public’s business in darkness – not if we want to maintain the public’s trust. They have placed their faith in us, and the least we can do is tackle major policy issues in the public domain, where they can watch us, agree with us or argue with us.
Where most New Mexicans don’t have the opportunity or luxury of monitoring the minutiae of tax policy debates, the media serves an important role as their watchdog. If anyone should be up in arms about a backroom tax reform deal, it should be the media – and as the owner/operator of a media outlet in Deming, I’m concerned at the lack of outrage.
As I see it, the choices Gov. Martinez is giving New Mexicans are: 1) a long special session that could cost a million dollars or more, or 2) a back-room deal on taxes that hasn’t been subject to public or media scrutiny.
I, for one, choose door No. 3: a short special session to fix the immediate crisis by closing tax loopholes and modernizing fees in proposals that have already been subject to significant public vetting and have already earned relatively broad support.
Then, in the interim before the 2018 session, we can invest the time, energy and effort in carefully crafting tax reform in full view of the public and media.
That is how we get this right.
(Deming Headlight - Online April 19, 2017)
Freshman lawmaker Sweetser receives baptism by fire
Algernon D'Ammassa, For the Headlight 3:27 p.m. MT April 19, 2017
First time in Legislative Session in the books for local state representative
DEMING – As the freshman legislator for New Mexico’s 32nd district and a first-time office holder, Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) wrote down her core values on a piece of paper and brought it with her to Santa Fe. Back home after an historic and contentious session, Sweetser said that leaf of paper was more important than she realized.
Some of those reminders included:
• “Dignity for all people.”
• “Rights and responsibilities of individuals.”
• “An education system that fosters individuality and creative thinking.”
• “Government transparency.”
•“Service above self.”
In particular, one that Sweetser used to keep her district in mind while in Santa Fe was: “Stewardship — responsible management and use of resources.”
Last year, Sweetser, a managing partner of radio stations KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM, won the seat in the New Mexico house that had been held by Rep. Dona Irwin since 1999. Incoming legislators needed to learn the ropes amid a budget crisis.
“It was a baptism by fire,” Sweetser told the Headlight. “We were meeting well into the evening every single day from the beginning, to get a solvency bill by the end of the first week.”
A Democrat, Sweetser entered the House as part of the majority, but the work was not easy. The 2017 legislative session was marked by clashes with Governor Susana Martinez on taxation, budget cuts, and spending. The Governor’s line-item vetoes and rejection of the entire higher education budget led the Legislative Council to sue the Governor. Meanwhile, Governor Martinez has promised to call a special session to resume work on a budget for the next fiscal year.
Sweetser was the sole sponsor for two bills that made it to the Governor’s desk. One, HB 305, allows FDA inspections of New Mexico farms pertaining to food safety to be carried out by the state Department of Agriculture rather than federal inspectors. This bill was signed into law while the other was not. HB 512, which came to be known as the “Tiny House bill,” would have defined standards for the increasingly popular small dwellings, seen as an affordable and more sustainable housing option, and authorized assessors to review those properties.
This bill succumbed to the “pocket veto,” by which a bill expires without being signed into law or being expressly vetoed by the Governor. “This is a bill I worked hard on,” Sweetser recalls, “And it was pocket-vetoed with no message or complaint about it.”
Asked what lessons came as a surprise to her, Sweetser named three.
First, “the divide between rural and urban representatives is as great as the divide between parties. People want to blame partisan politics for everything that happens, but I found that everybody I worked with genuinely asks, ‘What is the best way to propel New Mexico forward?’ and everybody has a good, solid argument; but not everybody has the whole story. That’s my journalism background – I want to know the whole story.” The constant activity of lobbyists added to the challenge. “They are all salesmen, and they are really good.”
The politics of the veto provided another rough lesson. “[Governor Martinez’s] people were with us at every step of the process telling us things like, ‘She will veto that but go ahead and put it in to ease the package along.’ It was used as a negotiating tool.” Sweetser learned the hard way, however, that individual lawmakers bear political costs for going along to get along: “I went forward saying ‘this is how the process is done,’ but some of that is hard to justify when you go home.” She described driving back from Santa Fe after the session closed in March, “listening to the radio and hearing her belittling us, vetoing bills that had bipartisan support, sometimes with no explanation.”
Sweetser was also caught off-guard by the swift reaction when HB 45, known as the “Baby Brianna bill,” was tabled in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee in February. Sweetser was reported as having left the room before the vote and reaction on social media was immediate and unforgiving. “I was prepared to defend votes I took,” she said, “but I wasn’t expecting to defend my reasons for being out of the room. This was the harshest criticism I have received.” On a single evening, Sweetser said she spent three hours logged into Facebook responding to angry messages, explaining that she had been called away to present at another committee and arguing that her ‘yes’ vote would not have altered the outcome. “There was a kind of mob mentality. No matter what I wrote, it didn’t help.”
Although not every moment was enjoyable, Sweetser frequently came back to saying she felt excited and honored by the opportunity to serve. “It’s never as easy inside as it is when you’re outside looking in. You have to maintain the clarity of the campaign in the muck of the process, and not get distracted by the politics. That’s why I actually wrote down my core values before I went up there.”
Rep. Sweetser Sets Tiny House Industry in Motion - (Deming Radio)3/7/2017
(Deming) - Representative Candie Sweetser of Deming, recognized the emergence of the tiny house industry, with her bill to define and allow assessors to review tiny homes. HB 512 passed unanimously by a vote of 66-0. Tiny homes arrived on the scene in recent years as a creative way for people to live sustainably and own a home without the burden of unmanageable mortgage payments.
Sweetser said, “I think this is the beginning of giving tiny homes an avenue to move forward in New Mexico, This bill facilitates options for New Mexicans who are looking to live in tiny homes. ”
Tiny homes have expanded housing opportunities for young people and low income individuals, and have also been proposed to help address homelessness across the country. This bill will begin to address concerns of tiny house contractors and New Mexicans seeking to create a market for alternative housing options.
This bill has the potential to support a new industry in the state, creating new jobs in the process.
Sweeter represents Luna County and parts of Hidalgo and Grant Counties in the NM House of Representative.
Bill to Increase Funding Opportunities for New Mexico Agriculture Moves Forward
HB 289 Supports Entrepreneurial Endeavors that Add Value to Agricultural Products
Santa Fe, N.M. – House Bill 289 the Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act passed unanimously through the House Business and Industry Committee by a unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), Debbie Rodella (D-Española) and Bill Gomez (D-Las Cruces) opens the statewide Economic Development Department funding to value-added agriculture. The bill originated from numerous meetings with constituents during the House Democrats’ Jobs Listening Tour before the legislative session.
“Value-added agriculture means more revenue for farmers and ranchers and new horizons for research and development. I’m proud to help lead this effort to increase economic opportunity,” said Rep. Small.
Rep. Sweetser said, “Agriculture plays a major role in my district’s economy, and this bill will allow our farmers and ranchers to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit and create new jobs in their industry.”
Value-added agricultural products are agricultural commodities transformed into products ready for sale, like salsas, jams, milled flour, cheese, etc. Value-added agriculture builds on New Mexico’s existing agricultural sector and seeks to expand the industry to create jobs and spur economic development.
“My district’s agricultural community already creates new products that highlight our unique culture,” said Rep. Rodella.“This bill will give our communities the resources to build on their industrious spirit and promote our heritage through business expansion.”
“The unanimous support for HB 289, shows that we have a bill that everyone can get behind,” said Rep. Gomez.“Making funds available for value-added agriculture will expand economic opportunity in rural areas, and support new businesses. I’m pleased that the agriculture industry will get credit for the $12 million it adds to our state’s economy and the ability to build on their success.”
The Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act explicitly includes language that permits value-added agricultural businesses to access federal monies and loans administered by NMEDD. The bill now moves to the House Floor.
Bill to Increase Funding for New Mexico Agribusiness Passes House Committee
Bill Supporting Rural Entrepreneurs Passes House Committee
Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, House Bill 289 the Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act passed the House Labor and Economic Development Committee in a 9-0 unanimous vote. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) and Bill Gomez (D-Las Cruces) amends the New Mexico Statewide Economic Development Department (NMEDD) to include value-added agricultural enterprises, providing small agricultural businesses in rural New Mexico with access to funding administered by NMEDD. The bill’s passage signals the prioritization of New Mexico’s agribusinesses as essential players in the state’s economic vitality.
“I am so pleased by the unanimous, bipartisan support that this bill received today in committee,” Representative Sweetser said. “Our state’s agricultural enterprises are a significant economic engine. It is vital that they receive the same economic opportunities for success as any other business in our state and we should facilitate rather than neglect that success.”
“Value-added agriculture creates jobs and expands opportunity for our communities,” stated Representative Small. “I am excited our legislation unanimously passed its first committee today. Our farmers, students and workers will benefit from this extra tool.”
The Agriculture in Economic Development Finance Act explicitly includes language that permits value added agricultural businesses to access federal monies and loans administered by NMEDD. The bill will be heard next in the House Business and Industry committee.
Rep. Sweetser Fights for Local Inspectors on Our Local Farms
HB 305 Authorizes NM Department of Agriculture to Perform FDA Inspections
Santa Fe, NM – Rep. Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), a strong advocate for agriculture, is sponsoring legislation that would ensure that our local farms are inspected by local inspectors from the New Mexico department of agriculture (NMDA), rather than federal inspectors from the FDA.
“Our local inspectors know our farms, they know our families, and they are more familiar with what farmers in New Mexico deal with,” said Rep. Sweetser. “It just makes sense that on-site inspections would be performed by our local department rather than by inspectors who will have a steep learning curve on the issues that face our family farmers in rural New Mexico.”
Rep. Sweetser and her family farm and ranch in Luna, Hidalgo, and Grant counties, so she knows first-hand the demands being put on the agricultural industry.
HB 305 adds a subsection to the powers and authority of the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Board of Regents granting them the ability to authorize the NMDA to enter onto public or private property to collect samples and to review records to verify compliance with the federal FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FMSA was enacted in 2011 to ensure the food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. If federal food safety laws were to be deregulated, HB 305 established NMDA as an authority to protect the food safety interests of New Mexico.
This morning with a bipartisan unanimous HB 305 passed the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee this morning and heads next to the House Business and Industry Committee.
http://nmindepth.com/2017/01/18/new-lawmakers-express-optimism-about-session/
"The 2017 Legislature kicked off at the Roundhouse Tuesday, and the first order of business was Gov. Susana Martinez’s state of the state address to the legislature. That speech featured many proposals the Republican governor has advocated for years – reinstating the death penalty, avoiding tax increases, holding back third graders who can’t read and increased penalties for ..."
...Over in the House, Democratic Rep. Candie Sweetser won an open seat in Deming and will serve as vice chairwoman of the agriculture committee. Listen to Rep. Sweetser.
“It has been a little overwhelming, I will be completely honest, but also really exciting.
“I heard a lot of support for bipartisanship in the state of the state. I hope it holds through the session. I certainly feel like our Democratic caucus is looking forward to forgetting about partisan politics and getting things done for the state of New Mexico. I think a lot of that gets said on the first day and some of that falls apart as the session progresses, and this year I hope that is not the case.
“I decided to run because I felt we needed a strong ag (agriculture) voice in the majority, so that is my hope. I have a farm and ranch background and that’s who I’m here to represent. But honestly the overriding thing is the budget, and we have got to figure the budget out. And I don’t think we can cut ourselves into prosperity, but I do know that there’s not a strong appetite for new taxes.”
New lawmakers express optimism (demingheadlight.com)
Sandra Fish, New Mexico In Depth Published 3:23 p.m. MT Jan. 19, 2017 | Updated 3:32 p.m. MT Jan. 19, 20172017 NM Legislature
SANTA FE, N.M. - The 2017 Legislature kicked off at the Roundhouse Tuesday, and the first order of business was Gov. Susana Martinez’s state of the state address to the legislature.
That speech featured many proposals the Republican governor has advocated for years – reinstating the death penalty, avoiding tax increases, holding back third graders who can’t read and increased penalties for DUIs. But she also advocated bipartisanship, probably a necessary step when Democrats control the Legislature.
Opening day is largely one of pomp and circumstance, especially for new lawmakers and their families. For New Mexico In Depth and KSFR Radio, we tracked down five new lawmakers in the boisterous capitol and asked about their day, the state of the state address and their goals for the 60-day session.
Sen. Jeff Steinborn
Sen. Jeff Steinborn is a Las Cruces Democrat who isn’t exactly new.
“For me what’s new is I’m now in the state Senate. I’ve been in the House for eight years, so it’s my first day as a state senator, a new group of colleagues over here. Obviously I know many of them. But a new body, just a different pace, rhythm and how they operate, so I’m enjoying it.
“The state of the state address, it was not what I’d call aspirant in terms of laying out much of a vision for the state. You know, our state is dealing with some pretty difficult challenges. And quite frankly we have not seen the level of bipartisanship in dealing with them. Moving forward, that would be a great goal that I share to deal with our state’s financial crisis and really build a brighter New Mexico future.
“I’m working on a variety of bills everything from ethics to renewable energy, trying to get control and a better handle on prescription drugs, to get a better deal for the state taxpayer and state government and some wildlife issues as well, wildlife management.”
Sen. Greg Baca
Sen. Greg Baca, a Belen Republican, defeated former Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez.
“It was terrific, I got to meet a lot of great people today. I got to hear the state of the state address. Basically getting shown around, introduced to some of the bills and what some of the priorities are going to be for the Senate.
“I thought the governor did a great job of articulating her position, what she felt was important. I agree with a lot of it, and, like anybody, you know, there’s some issues there I think need a little further thought. (He wouldn’t identify them.)
“My priorities first of all are to get to know my peers and to understand the positions within the Senate and get a better understanding with the budget and the status of the state. So that’s a priority. My other priority is also my district. There’s going to be a lot of cuts taking place. I think everybody understands that, so I have to look to my district as well as the state to determine what’s most important.”
Rep. Candie Sweetser
Over in the House, Democratic Rep. Candie Sweetser won an open seat in Deming and will serve as vice chairwoman of the agriculture committee.
“It has been a little overwhelming, I will be completely honest, but also really exciting.
“I heard a lot of support for bipartisanship in the state of the state. I hope it holds through the session. I certainly feel like our Democratic caucus is looking forward to forgetting about partisan politics and getting things done for the state of New Mexico. I think a lot of that gets said on the first day and some of that falls apart as the session progresses, and this year I hope that is not the case.
“I decided to run because I felt we needed a strong ag (agriculture) voice in the majority, so that is my hope. I have a farm and ranch background and that’s who I’m here to represent. But honestly the overriding thing is the budget, and we have got to figure the budget out. And I don’t think we can cut ourselves into prosperity, but I do know that there’s not a strong appetite for new taxes.”
Rep. Rebecca Dow
Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences won an open seat.
“It was a wonderful time to get together and celebrate with friends and family and meet my colleagues and just welcome everyone together.
“The state of the state, you know it’s a challenge coming in as a freshman with such a budget, with such a deficit.
“My priorities are to focus on making sure children are born healthy. I really like the quote, ‘It’s easier to grow a healthy child than to mend a broken man.’ So I’ll be focusing on issues that strengthen families.”
Rep. Linda Trujillo
Finally, we talked with Rep. Linda Trujillo, a Santa Fe Democrat.
“It was really kind of surreal, I mean it was exciting. I had my son here, my future daughter-in-law, my husband was here and it was just nice. It was really an introduction to what is going to happen.
“I am thrilled as a school board member that our graduation rates are up. Our teachers have worked really hard, our staff, our superintendent. But I was a little disappointed that the governor brought up the lack of notification for students who are not achieving level in third grade. But overall, graduation rates are up. I think we all want to support business. So there were some things that I agreed with and some things I disagreed with. That’s kind of how state of the state is, right?
“I’m really excited because I was appointed to the Education Committee and I was also appointed vice-chair of the Labor and Economic Development Committee, and those really are my priorities.”
Sandra Fish, New Mexico In Depth Published 3:23 p.m. MT Jan. 19, 2017 | Updated 3:32 p.m. MT Jan. 19, 20172017 NM Legislature
SANTA FE, N.M. - The 2017 Legislature kicked off at the Roundhouse Tuesday, and the first order of business was Gov. Susana Martinez’s state of the state address to the legislature.
That speech featured many proposals the Republican governor has advocated for years – reinstating the death penalty, avoiding tax increases, holding back third graders who can’t read and increased penalties for DUIs. But she also advocated bipartisanship, probably a necessary step when Democrats control the Legislature.
Opening day is largely one of pomp and circumstance, especially for new lawmakers and their families. For New Mexico In Depth and KSFR Radio, we tracked down five new lawmakers in the boisterous capitol and asked about their day, the state of the state address and their goals for the 60-day session.
Sen. Jeff Steinborn
Sen. Jeff Steinborn is a Las Cruces Democrat who isn’t exactly new.
“For me what’s new is I’m now in the state Senate. I’ve been in the House for eight years, so it’s my first day as a state senator, a new group of colleagues over here. Obviously I know many of them. But a new body, just a different pace, rhythm and how they operate, so I’m enjoying it.
“The state of the state address, it was not what I’d call aspirant in terms of laying out much of a vision for the state. You know, our state is dealing with some pretty difficult challenges. And quite frankly we have not seen the level of bipartisanship in dealing with them. Moving forward, that would be a great goal that I share to deal with our state’s financial crisis and really build a brighter New Mexico future.
“I’m working on a variety of bills everything from ethics to renewable energy, trying to get control and a better handle on prescription drugs, to get a better deal for the state taxpayer and state government and some wildlife issues as well, wildlife management.”
Sen. Greg Baca
Sen. Greg Baca, a Belen Republican, defeated former Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez.
“It was terrific, I got to meet a lot of great people today. I got to hear the state of the state address. Basically getting shown around, introduced to some of the bills and what some of the priorities are going to be for the Senate.
“I thought the governor did a great job of articulating her position, what she felt was important. I agree with a lot of it, and, like anybody, you know, there’s some issues there I think need a little further thought. (He wouldn’t identify them.)
“My priorities first of all are to get to know my peers and to understand the positions within the Senate and get a better understanding with the budget and the status of the state. So that’s a priority. My other priority is also my district. There’s going to be a lot of cuts taking place. I think everybody understands that, so I have to look to my district as well as the state to determine what’s most important.”
Rep. Candie Sweetser
Over in the House, Democratic Rep. Candie Sweetser won an open seat in Deming and will serve as vice chairwoman of the agriculture committee.
“It has been a little overwhelming, I will be completely honest, but also really exciting.
“I heard a lot of support for bipartisanship in the state of the state. I hope it holds through the session. I certainly feel like our Democratic caucus is looking forward to forgetting about partisan politics and getting things done for the state of New Mexico. I think a lot of that gets said on the first day and some of that falls apart as the session progresses, and this year I hope that is not the case.
“I decided to run because I felt we needed a strong ag (agriculture) voice in the majority, so that is my hope. I have a farm and ranch background and that’s who I’m here to represent. But honestly the overriding thing is the budget, and we have got to figure the budget out. And I don’t think we can cut ourselves into prosperity, but I do know that there’s not a strong appetite for new taxes.”
Rep. Rebecca Dow
Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences won an open seat.
“It was a wonderful time to get together and celebrate with friends and family and meet my colleagues and just welcome everyone together.
“The state of the state, you know it’s a challenge coming in as a freshman with such a budget, with such a deficit.
“My priorities are to focus on making sure children are born healthy. I really like the quote, ‘It’s easier to grow a healthy child than to mend a broken man.’ So I’ll be focusing on issues that strengthen families.”
Rep. Linda Trujillo
Finally, we talked with Rep. Linda Trujillo, a Santa Fe Democrat.
“It was really kind of surreal, I mean it was exciting. I had my son here, my future daughter-in-law, my husband was here and it was just nice. It was really an introduction to what is going to happen.
“I am thrilled as a school board member that our graduation rates are up. Our teachers have worked really hard, our staff, our superintendent. But I was a little disappointed that the governor brought up the lack of notification for students who are not achieving level in third grade. But overall, graduation rates are up. I think we all want to support business. So there were some things that I agreed with and some things I disagreed with. That’s kind of how state of the state is, right?
“I’m really excited because I was appointed to the Education Committee and I was also appointed vice-chair of the Labor and Economic Development Committee, and those really are my priorities.”
Representative Candie Sweetser Outlines Vision for Her First Legislative Session 1/19/2017 (demingradio.com)
Candie Sweetser Appointed Vice-Chair to the House Agriculture and Water Committee Bringing Economic Opportunity to Southwestern New Mexico Santa Fe, NM – Recently elected Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) was honored at the start of the 53rd legislative session with an appointment as Vice-Chair of the House Agriculture and Water Committee where she will focus on economic opportunity in her district and throughout the state. Representative Sweetser was also appointed to serve on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, assuming a pivotal role in the effort in shaping New Mexico’s budget and priorities.
“I am working to ensure state government serves our family farmers, ranchers and business community so they can grow and thrive” said Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming). “It is important that our business and agribusiness people have the tools they need to succeed without unnecessary red-tape to bring their ideas and products to market.”
The House Agriculture and Water Committee focuses specifically on legislation related to the regulation, safety and study of agricultural products and water throughout the state. The House Appropriations and Finance committee hears bills related to the solvency of the state’s budget and the appropriation of taxpayer dollars to state-provided services and programs.
Candie Sweetser Appointed Vice-Chair to the House Agriculture and Water Committee Bringing Economic Opportunity to Southwestern New Mexico Santa Fe, NM – Recently elected Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming) was honored at the start of the 53rd legislative session with an appointment as Vice-Chair of the House Agriculture and Water Committee where she will focus on economic opportunity in her district and throughout the state. Representative Sweetser was also appointed to serve on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, assuming a pivotal role in the effort in shaping New Mexico’s budget and priorities.
“I am working to ensure state government serves our family farmers, ranchers and business community so they can grow and thrive” said Representative Candie Sweetser (D-Deming). “It is important that our business and agribusiness people have the tools they need to succeed without unnecessary red-tape to bring their ideas and products to market.”
The House Agriculture and Water Committee focuses specifically on legislation related to the regulation, safety and study of agricultural products and water throughout the state. The House Appropriations and Finance committee hears bills related to the solvency of the state’s budget and the appropriation of taxpayer dollars to state-provided services and programs.
Sweetser Begins Representation on Two State Committees - (demingradio.com)
(Deming) - On the first day of the 53rd Legislature in Santa Fe, Speaker Brian Egolf, Jr. announced committee chair appointments. Committee chairs reside over committee hearings and assist the Speaker in moving bills through the legislative process.
Candie Sweetser, State Representative from District 32 – representing Luna, and portions of Hidalgo and Grant Counties in the NM Legislature, was selected as vice-chair of the House Agriculture and Water Committee, and will serve as a member of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.
Sweetser said she was pleased with her committee assignments, especially since newly elected legislators are rarely put on the Appropriations Committee. She also said she was glad to be on the Agriculture committee since agriculture is such an important part of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties.
Sweetser said the Appropriations Committee passed the Feed Bill – or the bill that funds the legislative session – during its first meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The next few days will be focused on balancing the current year’s budget before moving on to the next fiscal year’s budget.
Sweetser’s office is in the Capital North Building, often referred to as the Annex room 203A and invites local residents to stop by if you are in Santa Fe.
(Deming) - On the first day of the 53rd Legislature in Santa Fe, Speaker Brian Egolf, Jr. announced committee chair appointments. Committee chairs reside over committee hearings and assist the Speaker in moving bills through the legislative process.
Candie Sweetser, State Representative from District 32 – representing Luna, and portions of Hidalgo and Grant Counties in the NM Legislature, was selected as vice-chair of the House Agriculture and Water Committee, and will serve as a member of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.
Sweetser said she was pleased with her committee assignments, especially since newly elected legislators are rarely put on the Appropriations Committee. She also said she was glad to be on the Agriculture committee since agriculture is such an important part of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties.
Sweetser said the Appropriations Committee passed the Feed Bill – or the bill that funds the legislative session – during its first meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The next few days will be focused on balancing the current year’s budget before moving on to the next fiscal year’s budget.
Sweetser’s office is in the Capital North Building, often referred to as the Annex room 203A and invites local residents to stop by if you are in Santa Fe.
NM Rep.-elect Sweetser joins listening tour
For the Headlight - Deming Headlight 2:46 p.m. MST December 15, 2016
New Mexico Legislature
DEMING — Newly-elected state lawmaker Candie Sweetser is slated to participate in a Job Creation Listening Tour on Friday, Dec. 16, focused on creating jobs and growing the economy.
New Mexico representative-elect Sweetser (D-District 32) will join lawmakers from across the state at Friday’s event in Las Cruces. The tour is designed to engage business owners, industry, employers and other New Mexicans in conversations with members of the New Mexico House of Representatives to discuss solutions for New Mexico’s economy.
Several Luna County business owners have been invited to attend as well.
Sweetser, a small-business owner/operator herself, agreed that creating jobs and expanding the area’s economy are the most pressing needs facing the state.
“ As I campaigned this year, the one consistent plea I heard was to work on getting good-paying jobs in Luna and Hidalgo counties so people can afford to stay here and raise their families,” Sweetser said.
House Speaker-designate Brian Egolf said they have prioritized growing the economy as the number one focus.
Egolf, Sweetser and other state representatives will host the first listening session on Friday on the campus of New Mexico State University.
Additional listening sessions will be held in Roswell and Carlsbad on January 5, Hobbs and Clovis on Jan. 6, and Albuquerque on Jan. 13, 2017.
For the Headlight - Deming Headlight 2:46 p.m. MST December 15, 2016
New Mexico Legislature
DEMING — Newly-elected state lawmaker Candie Sweetser is slated to participate in a Job Creation Listening Tour on Friday, Dec. 16, focused on creating jobs and growing the economy.
New Mexico representative-elect Sweetser (D-District 32) will join lawmakers from across the state at Friday’s event in Las Cruces. The tour is designed to engage business owners, industry, employers and other New Mexicans in conversations with members of the New Mexico House of Representatives to discuss solutions for New Mexico’s economy.
Several Luna County business owners have been invited to attend as well.
Sweetser, a small-business owner/operator herself, agreed that creating jobs and expanding the area’s economy are the most pressing needs facing the state.
“ As I campaigned this year, the one consistent plea I heard was to work on getting good-paying jobs in Luna and Hidalgo counties so people can afford to stay here and raise their families,” Sweetser said.
House Speaker-designate Brian Egolf said they have prioritized growing the economy as the number one focus.
Egolf, Sweetser and other state representatives will host the first listening session on Friday on the campus of New Mexico State University.
Additional listening sessions will be held in Roswell and Carlsbad on January 5, Hobbs and Clovis on Jan. 6, and Albuquerque on Jan. 13, 2017.
Democrat Sweetser now has clear-cut opponent
Bill Armendariz, Deming Headlight 3:31 p.m. MDT July 6, 2016
NM State Rep. race
DEMING - Democratic candidate for New Mexico representative in House District 32, Candie Sweetser, now has a clear-cut opponent for the November general election. Republican Vicki Chávez was affirmed her party's winner following a state-mandated recount of ballots that was held on Friday in front of the NM Secretary of State Brad Winters at the Luna County Courthouse. A difference of 16 voted favored Chávez over rancher Scott Chandler, and the vote count stayed the same.
"I have always considered that I am running for the office – not against any one person – so from that standpoint, my strategy for campaigning doesn't change," Sweeter said on Tuesday, following a weekend campaign trip to the boot heel region of the state.
District 32 incorporates Luna and Hidalgo counties, and a portion of Grant County. Dona Irwin (D) retired from her seat in the House after 18 years, leaving the seat vacant for the general election.
Sweeter says she will carry a strong voice for the agricultural community and small business. “I think the important thing for District 32 is to have solid agriculture and business representation. I will take that to Santa Fe.”
A managing partner for KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM radio stations in Deming, Sweetser, 53, has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years and has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming. She is married and has two children.
"I will admit it is intimidating to be looking at all the money and influence that has already been flowing to Vicki to defeat her political opponents – first Scott, and now me," Sweetser said. "It is like a steamroller heading my way. But I have confidence in the voters of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties and I trust they stand with me in my belief that this office is not for sale."
The general election is November 2.
Bill Armendariz can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext. 2606) orbiarmendariz@demingheadlight.com.
NM State Rep. race
DEMING - Democratic candidate for New Mexico representative in House District 32, Candie Sweetser, now has a clear-cut opponent for the November general election. Republican Vicki Chávez was affirmed her party's winner following a state-mandated recount of ballots that was held on Friday in front of the NM Secretary of State Brad Winters at the Luna County Courthouse. A difference of 16 voted favored Chávez over rancher Scott Chandler, and the vote count stayed the same.
"I have always considered that I am running for the office – not against any one person – so from that standpoint, my strategy for campaigning doesn't change," Sweeter said on Tuesday, following a weekend campaign trip to the boot heel region of the state.
District 32 incorporates Luna and Hidalgo counties, and a portion of Grant County. Dona Irwin (D) retired from her seat in the House after 18 years, leaving the seat vacant for the general election.
Sweeter says she will carry a strong voice for the agricultural community and small business. “I think the important thing for District 32 is to have solid agriculture and business representation. I will take that to Santa Fe.”
A managing partner for KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM radio stations in Deming, Sweetser, 53, has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years and has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming. She is married and has two children.
"I will admit it is intimidating to be looking at all the money and influence that has already been flowing to Vicki to defeat her political opponents – first Scott, and now me," Sweetser said. "It is like a steamroller heading my way. But I have confidence in the voters of Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties and I trust they stand with me in my belief that this office is not for sale."
The general election is November 2.
Bill Armendariz can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext. 2606) orbiarmendariz@demingheadlight.com.
County signs off on District 32 race canvass
Sweetser, Chavez point to November
Headlight Staff 4:39 p.m. MDT June 9, 2016
DEMING - In one of the tightest races in recent Luna County history, Vicki Chávez defeated Scott Chandler to claim the Republican nod for State Representative in District 32.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that a recount will be in order for this Republican race. Following Tuesday's New Mexico Primary, Chávez held a 12-vote lead heading into the canvassing. The recounts still must be authorized by the New Mexico State Canvassing Board.
While the numbers did change slightly, Chávez is still declared a 16-vote winner over Chandler by an 892-876 margin in the tri-county area. District 32 encompasses Luna, Hidalgo and a portion of Grant County. Chávez is executive director of the Southwest Regional Education Cooperative in Deming.
The Democratic side of the race was not as close, as Candie Sweetser ran away from Frederick Sherman, claiming 61 percent of the vote to punch her party's ticket for State Representative, District 32. Chávez will face Sweetser for the seat being vacated by Rep. Dona Irwin, D-Deming.
"I have the utmost respect for Vicki as a Christian and an educator, and look forward to what I hope will be a clean race based on our experiences, our shared love for southwest New Mexico and the issues affecting District 32," Sweetser said on Thursday.
Sweetser is a managing partner of KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM in Deming and has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years. She has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. She describes herself as someone running without a pre-set agenda who would simply like the opportunity to give back to the community.
“Southwestern New Mexico has been so good to my family and me, and I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” Sweetser said.
Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
“I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our democratic system of government,” she said. “I believe in good, open, honest government.”
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming.
She is married and has two children.
Sweetser, Chavez point to November
Headlight Staff 4:39 p.m. MDT June 9, 2016
DEMING - In one of the tightest races in recent Luna County history, Vicki Chávez defeated Scott Chandler to claim the Republican nod for State Representative in District 32.
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that a recount will be in order for this Republican race. Following Tuesday's New Mexico Primary, Chávez held a 12-vote lead heading into the canvassing. The recounts still must be authorized by the New Mexico State Canvassing Board.
While the numbers did change slightly, Chávez is still declared a 16-vote winner over Chandler by an 892-876 margin in the tri-county area. District 32 encompasses Luna, Hidalgo and a portion of Grant County. Chávez is executive director of the Southwest Regional Education Cooperative in Deming.
The Democratic side of the race was not as close, as Candie Sweetser ran away from Frederick Sherman, claiming 61 percent of the vote to punch her party's ticket for State Representative, District 32. Chávez will face Sweetser for the seat being vacated by Rep. Dona Irwin, D-Deming.
"I have the utmost respect for Vicki as a Christian and an educator, and look forward to what I hope will be a clean race based on our experiences, our shared love for southwest New Mexico and the issues affecting District 32," Sweetser said on Thursday.
Sweetser is a managing partner of KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM in Deming and has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years. She has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. She describes herself as someone running without a pre-set agenda who would simply like the opportunity to give back to the community.
“Southwestern New Mexico has been so good to my family and me, and I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” Sweetser said.
Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
“I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our democratic system of government,” she said. “I believe in good, open, honest government.”
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming.
She is married and has two children.
Sweetser, Sherman vie for Democratic state rep. post
Jesse Moya, Deming Headlight 5:08 p.m. MDT May 26, 2016
Democratic ticket
DEMING — Frederick H. Sherman and Candie Sweetser are in the race for the vacated state representative seat in District 32 on the Democratic ticket. The candidates will be seeking the party nod for the New Mexico primary election on Tuesday, June 7.
House District 32 includes all of Luna and Hidalgo counties, as well as a portion of Grant County.
Both candidates are longtime residents of Deming and are both actively involved in their community happenings. Sherman is a practicing attorney and an avid follower of the political interests of the area. He has been practicing law for 44 years and believes he can pull in Santa Fe in support of District 32.
Sweetser owns and operates Luna County Broadcasting and stays on top of local, state and national news over the airwaves. She has little experience in politics, but has felt the seat was well represented by Dona Irwin and G.X. McSherry during their tenure. “I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our Democratic system of government,” Sweetser said in a previous interview. "I believe in good, open, honest government."
Sherman is on the platform of political reform for keeping allocated money for education in the state. He has mentioned that he will fight to keep this money around to build better educational systems in the area and to create and maintain more jobs. “I feel like I have the tools to get something done,” he said in a previous interview. “If I don’t do it, I would have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror.”
Although Sweetser has never run for office before, she is no stranger to public forum, having served as the president of the Rotary Club, been active in the Silver Spikes and has served on both boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters' Association and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. She has described herself as a candidate without a pre-set agenda and would like to give back to her community. “I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” she said.
Sherman's family roots in law date back more than 100 years and he sees a potential for economic growth in southwest New Mexico. “Our children graduate and can't find jobs. Too many empty homes are causing our homes to depreciate in value. Our downtown has too many empty buildings,” Sherman said.
Sweeter says she will carry a strong voice for the agricultural community and small business. “I think the important thing for District 32 is to have solid agriculture and business representation. I will take that to Santa Fe.”
Jesse Moya can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext 2608) or atjmoya@demingheadlight.com.
Jesse Moya, Deming Headlight 5:08 p.m. MDT May 26, 2016
Democratic ticket
DEMING — Frederick H. Sherman and Candie Sweetser are in the race for the vacated state representative seat in District 32 on the Democratic ticket. The candidates will be seeking the party nod for the New Mexico primary election on Tuesday, June 7.
House District 32 includes all of Luna and Hidalgo counties, as well as a portion of Grant County.
Both candidates are longtime residents of Deming and are both actively involved in their community happenings. Sherman is a practicing attorney and an avid follower of the political interests of the area. He has been practicing law for 44 years and believes he can pull in Santa Fe in support of District 32.
Sweetser owns and operates Luna County Broadcasting and stays on top of local, state and national news over the airwaves. She has little experience in politics, but has felt the seat was well represented by Dona Irwin and G.X. McSherry during their tenure. “I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our Democratic system of government,” Sweetser said in a previous interview. "I believe in good, open, honest government."
Sherman is on the platform of political reform for keeping allocated money for education in the state. He has mentioned that he will fight to keep this money around to build better educational systems in the area and to create and maintain more jobs. “I feel like I have the tools to get something done,” he said in a previous interview. “If I don’t do it, I would have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror.”
Although Sweetser has never run for office before, she is no stranger to public forum, having served as the president of the Rotary Club, been active in the Silver Spikes and has served on both boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters' Association and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. She has described herself as a candidate without a pre-set agenda and would like to give back to her community. “I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” she said.
Sherman's family roots in law date back more than 100 years and he sees a potential for economic growth in southwest New Mexico. “Our children graduate and can't find jobs. Too many empty homes are causing our homes to depreciate in value. Our downtown has too many empty buildings,” Sherman said.
Sweeter says she will carry a strong voice for the agricultural community and small business. “I think the important thing for District 32 is to have solid agriculture and business representation. I will take that to Santa Fe.”
Jesse Moya can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext 2608) or atjmoya@demingheadlight.com.
Sweetser to run for Irwin’s NM House seat
For the Headlight 4:16 p.m. MST December 16, 2015
DEMING — Candie Sweetser, managing partner of KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM in Deming, has announced she is running for state representative in House District 32, to succeed Dona Irwin (D) who is not seeking re-election.
District 32 includes Luna and Hidalgo counties, and a portion of Grant County.
Sweetser, 53, a Democrat, has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years and has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. She describes herself as someone running without a pre-set agenda who would simply like the opportunity to give back to the community.
“Southwestern New Mexico has been so good to my family and me, and I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” Sweetser said.
Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
This is Sweetser’s first time to run for public office.
“I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our democratic system of government,” she said. “I believe in good, open, honest government.”
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming.
She is married and has two children.
For the Headlight 4:16 p.m. MST December 16, 2015
DEMING — Candie Sweetser, managing partner of KDEM-FM and KOTS-AM in Deming, has announced she is running for state representative in House District 32, to succeed Dona Irwin (D) who is not seeking re-election.
District 32 includes Luna and Hidalgo counties, and a portion of Grant County.
Sweetser, 53, a Democrat, has lived in Luna County for more than 25 years and has strong ties to broadcasting, agriculture, education and small business. She describes herself as someone running without a pre-set agenda who would simply like the opportunity to give back to the community.
“Southwestern New Mexico has been so good to my family and me, and I am eager for a chance to represent my friends and neighbors, and carry our local issues to the state level,” Sweetser said.
Sweetser said she has been interested in serving in the New Mexico Legislature for many years, but felt the area was well-represented by Irwin and her predecessor, the late G.X. McSherry, so never felt compelled to run until now.
This is Sweetser’s first time to run for public office.
“I am not a politician, but I have great respect for our democratic system of government,” she said. “I believe in good, open, honest government.”
Sweetser has a master’s degree in communication studies from New Mexico State University, and a bachelor’s degree in radio/television broadcasting from Eastern New Mexico University. In addition to her broadcasting work, Sweetser teaches public speaking for Western New Mexico University in Deming and Lordsburg.
Sweetser has served as president of the Deming Rotary Club, has been active in Silver Spikes, and served on the boards of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government. She is active in First United Methodist Church of Deming.
She is married and has two children.