BY BILL MCKERLEY
Chair
Republican Party of Los Alamos
We are blessed to live in a great community with many opportunities and resources. We also have a number of challenges that require steady, focused and conservative leadership. We are fortunate to have three outstanding, conservative candidates running for County Council. Sharon Dry, Reggie Page and Gary Stradling will provide strong leadership and practical solutions to issues facing Los Alamos County. They are longtime residents who have reared families here. They love the community and know its strengths and problems.
The next County Council will face daunting challenges including the need for additional housing, the loss of small businesses, energy planning and supply, as well as traffic management.
The unprecedented, planned growth at LANL will require the County to be creative and forward thinking. There is an effort to provide more housing for the burgeoning number of people coming to the Lab. These efforts are applauded. However, projections indicate that, although the new “rooftops” will help, the housing problem will continue. Gary Stradling stresses the need for well-planned and well-handled developments that offer relief from long commutes to employees of the Lab and local businesses and that provide additional age-appropriate housing. Gary, Sharon and Reggie will address the housing issue with viable, long-range strategies.
The shrinking number of small businesses in Los Alamos County is another area of serious concern. We have heard tales of woe from small business owners who say our County government and Council are not only unfriendly and unsupportive to small businesses, but that these entities often seem anti-small business. The concerning number of empty shops and business establishments give testimony to this. With the anticipated growth in population and the decreasing numbers of businesses to service the increased populace, the trends are truly worrisome. Reggie Page wants to work to ensure that the County clears the path for any and all entrepreneurs. All three candidates are pro-small business and see it as a seriously neglected issue in the County.
Our energy needs will also grow. The current emphasis on an “all-electric” model seems to be at odds with our ability to supply the energy needed to make this model a reality without serious disruptions to service. Currently there seems to be more of an ideology-driven energy policy as opposed to a fact/data based policy founded on the current modes of supply. Sharon Dry sees a necessity for providing efficient delivery of a mix of low cost, reliable power/utilities to all residents. Sharon, Reggie and Gary will address our energy issues with practical, reality-based approaches.
Drivers on our streets Monday through Friday from 4:00-6:00 PM must factor in an extra 30-40 minutes to go from White Rock to the Hill or to get off the Hill. This is another issue that will only get worse as the Lab population grows. The solution to this problem is not immediately obvious. What is obvious is that current traffic management is inadequate. Reggie, Sharon and Gary will address such issues with a logical, constructive approach.
Other County initiatives such as code enforcement seem to create more problems than they solve. We are presented with a “golden opportunity” to elect new leadership that will offer a workable paradigm for the future. Gary, Reggie and Sharon will bring a new vigor and a fresh focus on multiple issues. Their vitality and practical approaches will serve us well.
Please check out their websites (see below) to learn more about the vision and concerns of each candidate and how they would address topics of critical importance to the County.
We encourage you to vote for Sharon Dry, Reggie Page and Gary Stradling for County Council. It is time for a change and a new direction. These good folks will provide the needed leadership, focus and solutions as Los Alamos County moves into our exciting and challenging future.
It is critical that each of us exercises our freedom, right and obligation to VOTE.
For Los Alamos County Council:
Sharon Dry: http://www.electsharondry.org
Reggie Page: http://www.pageforlacountycouncil.com
Gary Stradling: http://www.stradling4council.org