Democrat Rodney Roberson has announced his candidacy for Los Alamos County Council. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com
BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Rodney Roberson, a Democrat, has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Los Alamos County Council.
This will be the first time he has run for office but it is something he has always wanted to do.
“I’ve been moving around for the last several years and haven’t had a chance to get settled into the community. I’ve been here 2 ½ years now and I feel now is the time for me to follow my ambition,” he said. “I’m running because I am a public servant. I feel that I can be an additional asset as far as bringing a fresh perspective to old, current and future issues within the County.”
Roberson feels that his years of experience working with elected/senior officials, military officials, first responders, medical/health officials and the general public will help him with matters the Council faces. He said the pressing issues for him are the ones that everyone else sees – the shortage of affordable housing and some of the economic development concerns that are out there as well.
“I am committed to ensuring that all residents’ needs are heard and addressed. Although some issues will be more complex than others, I am confident that I can work with the other councilors to find common ground and work towards solutions that benefit everyone,” he said.
Roberson was raised by his grandparents in a small town in Georgia. He said they were caring and hardworking people who impressed on him the importance of leaving the world better for future generations. He is a senior emergency manager for the Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office with more than 30 years of emergency management experience including 20 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer. His career field was chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense. Roberson said he would recuse himself from any of the issues he might encounter on Council related to the LANL legacy waste cleanup and would not partake in any of those discussions.
Roberson has one daughter, Haley, who is a U.S. Army lieutenant. He says that while she did not follow his footsteps with her choice of branch, she chose to mirror his career field in the Chemical Corps. She is set to graduate from Advanced Individual Training in May.
In his spare time, Roberson said he is trying to be a drone pilot and has been investing a little time in that hobby to get FAA 107 certification. Something the Los Alamos Reporter learned during the interview was that Roberson climbed Mount Fuji twice when he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan with the Marine Corps. Twice a year, he said, they went over to mainland Japan, specifically to Camp Fuji where they had a basecamp.
“Every fall a group of us would climb Mount Fuji. I thought that was pretty special,” he said.
“I am dedicated to giving back to the community and want to make my home here one that my future grandkids and their kids can also call home. I am ready to partner with the community and work together for a dynamic future,” Roberson said.