BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

As voters head toward the 2026 Los Alamos County Council election, the Los Alamos Reporter is publishing a comprehensive series of issue-by-issue snapshots. Twenty “Issue Snapshots” will be published in the coming days leading up to the election and the first three are presented today.

Some of the issues were addressed by candidates during the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum on October 1, however time constraints and the number of candidates restricted the number of questions that could be asked.

All candidates were invited to complete a questionnaire and four submited responses and the other three declined.  Responses were received from Democrats Theresa Cull, Melanee Hand and Steven Lynne, as well as Republican Jason Chappel.

The questions were developed based upon stories, letters, op-eds, comments, and reactions published in the Los Alamos Reporter. The snapshots pull directly from candidate questionnaire responses, giving voters a direct, side-by-side look at where each contender stands on issues shaping our community’s future—from housing and growth strategy to local business support and transparency.