Editor,

I urge the voters of New Mexico House District 43 to vote for my friend and colleague, Chris Chandler. I have known and worked with Chris for over 20 years. We served together on the County Council, the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors and the Los Alamos Charter Review Committee. I know Chris to be a hard worker, an excellent study of the issues, an eloquent speaker and an ethical person. Chris is not a party ideologue; she works across the aisle for all. We don’t always agree, but I always respect her opinion knowing that it is well thought-out.

Chris and I do agree on the importance of education. We have both benefitted from quality education. Chris believes that education is the foundation of economic success and of a vibrant democracy, so she wants to see New Mexico’s education system provide the same opportunities for our children. While a member of the LAPS Foundation Board of Directors, Chris used her attorney skills to help the foundation get incorporated. When it comes to education, Chris “Walks the talk”.

I also share Chris’s concern about having the NNSA contractors pay their fair share of Gross Receipts Taxes (GRT). The NNSA contractor employes the majority of the county’s workforce. It is flagrantly unfair to expect businesses employing less than 25 percent of the workforce to pay the GRT for all of us.

I commend Chris because of her knowledge of New Mexico and especially the legislative system. After working for four sessions at the New Mexico Legislature as a legislative analyst, she has developed an extensive network of legislators and staff that will allow her to collaborate effectively with lawmakers and hit the ground running on her first day in office.

Sincerely,

Morris B. Pongratz

Member, Los Alamos County Council