Rey Garduño

Occupation: Retired from University of New Mexico Hospital; currently a volunteer community organizer.

Birthplace: Nambé

Family: Ilsa, my wife; Tomás, my son.

Education: B.A., Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif., and Santa Barbara College

Political career highlights: Worked through Common Cause and like-minded people to pass the Clean and Ethical Elections Initiative, supported by the electorate in Albuquerque by 72 percent; worked with community-based organizations to pass minimum wage legislation in Albuquerque and New Mexico.

Have you ever been arrested on a misdemeanor charge?Regrettably, I was cited for a petty misdemeanor for shoplifting almost 20 years ago. I immediately fulfilled all the required remedies for this mistake and took full responsibility for my actions.

Have you ever been arrested on a felony charge? No.

Name three of your district's most important issues. What will you do to address them?

1. Open and honest city government: Big-money interests have an undue influence on our City Hall - from the elections to elected leaders and their policies. Corruption is not an option. I support taking big-money special interests out of politics completely.

2. Public safety: Everyone in our city deserves to feel safe. The best public safety strategy is to stop crime before it happens. We need to protect people from violent offenders with effective, fully funded and properly trained public safety. At the same time, if we don't include a healthy dose of preventative medicine in the areas of treatment and substance abuse, the root cause of crime will never diminish.

3. Transit: As a part of raising the quality of life in our city, we need to tackle traffic congestion, carbon emissions, single-occupant vehicle miles, and street and infrastructure improvement needs. Mass transit is a smart option; it will relieve congestion - only if it's done right.

What are your criticisms of the current City Council and what would you do to improve the body? Are the council's frequent standoffs with Mayor Martin Chavez's administration a proper use of the checks and balances system?

I applaud the efforts of the current City Council. Theirs is not an easy job. I would urge stronger leadership by the City Council and the mayor. When there are differences of policy opinions, I would urge both sides to work toward a solution that would move the city forward. The residents of all the districts deserve fair, balanced and, most importantly, independent representatives both on the council and in the administration.

Tell us a detail about you that might surprise people.

I have exhibited my photographic art in museums and galleries, locally, nationally and internationally.

Do you believe Albuquerque should have a light rail system? Why? And what is your vision for improving the city's transit network?

Albuquerque needs a mass transit system that is functional, efficient and user-friendly so that the seats are filled and buses are full. I will advocate for a visionary, multiphase mass transit plan for Albuquerque focused on east-west and north-south transit corridors, along with commuter-friendly, small fuel-efficient buses that connect the transit corridors to our homes and workplaces. Light rail should be a part of the city's long-range vision for public transportation that will fit seamlessly into the transit corridors in the future.

The Albuquerque metro area's population is projected to reach a million by early 2021 at the latest. Are the city's policies regulating growth sufficient? Do we need a limit on growth? Should more growth be encouraged?

The Planned Growth Strategy is a good first step, but we can't continually undermine it by introducing exceptions, i.e., Tax Increment Funding (TIFs) for outlying, unsustainable "greenfield" development. There is planned growth, and there is unfettered growth. Planned growth utilizes infill and redevelopment as sustainable strategies; unplanned and unsustainable growth cannot be encouraged. Unsupported promises made today will come back to haunt us in the future.

Should the city be contributing more money and resources toward running the jail? What should the city's role be in managing the jail's population?

The city of Albuquerque entered into an understanding with the county of Bernalillo to pay a share of the costs of the jail operation. The city should honor that promise. The city should not expect the county to absorb the entire cost of operations when the city is processing some of those inmates, no more than the federal government should expect the county to foot the bill for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. If it is proven that the county has had a pattern of mismanagement, then the city should look toward a more aggressive way of dealing with this joint venture, up to and including a separation of duties.

Is the Albuquerque Police Department using its resources properly? Where do you see room for improvement in the city's public safety efforts?

Public safety must be fully funded. Throwing more taxpayer money at the problem and doing nothing else to support our neighborhoods is unfair to our officers, and it is a setup for failure. That's not what I want. Resources the city must provide our public safety officers are the latest technology, training and critical law enforcement equipment; these are major ways in which we can support our plainclothes and uniformed officers.

Policies I would advocate: a citywide, comprehensive drug treatment plan - treatment of substance abuse, including alcohol addiction and mental health services.

Build positive relationships between police officers and the community through increased bike patrols and support for the Take Home Car Program.

Expand our emergency preparedness and fully fund public safety.

• • •

Joanie Griffin

Occupation:Business owner (Griffin & Associates Inc. & It's Just Lunch N.M., LLC)

Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Family: Son Sean, 16; parents, sister, brother

Education: B.S. in journalism, University of Colorado

Political career highlights:I've been an active community volunteer for 24 years in Albuquerque having served a number of nonprofit organizations. Politically, I was the press secretary for Mayor Martin Chavez's re-election campaign in 2005, and for James Lewis for New Mexico state treasurer in 2006. In 2006, I also volunteered on the Patricia Madrid for Congress campaign and the Gov. Bill Richardson re-election campaign. I have successfully promoted the 2002, 2004 and 2006 AMAFCA bond issues, as well.

Have you ever been arrested on a misdemeanor charge? No.

Have you ever been arrested on a felony charge? No.

Name three of your district's most important issues. What will you do to address them?

1. Reduce crime in the district and the city overall. I'll work with peers and the Albuquerque Police Department to put more officers in the neighborhoods, increase community policing and Neighborhood Watch programs.

2. Slowing down traffic in the district. I will work with the constituents and the city's Traffic Engineering Department to promote traffic calming techniques on the busy streets (e.g. Carlisle, Lead, Coal), and allocate enough resources for speed bumps and roundabouts on other streets that are in need of slowing down traffic.

3. Infill development that preserves our natural resources and utilizes design standards in alignment with existing neighborhoods. Using my background as a professional communicator, I will accomplish these goals by focusing the council and administration on upfront facilitation and negotiation as opposed to debate and litigation.

What are your criticisms of the current City Council and what would you do to improve the body? Are the council's frequent standoffs with Mayor Martin Chavez's administration a proper use of the checks and balances system?

I think the current infighting among the councilors and between the council and the administration is unnecessary and counterproductive. I am a firm believer in communication and compromise, and working together for the betterment of the citizens as a whole. The constant grandstanding and using the media for personal gain must stop. No, I do not think the frequent standoffs are a proper use of the checks and balance system. I am not saying that the mayor should conform to the will of the council or vice-versa; however, the long-term benefit of the city and its constituents should be the primary concern in every discussion. When there are disagreements, the mayor and the council should work together to resolve them in respectful ways that are worthy of the offices they hold.

Tell us a detail about you that might surprise people.

I have run three marathons and am an avid mountain biker.

Do you believe Albuquerque should have a light rail system? Why? And what is your vision for improving the city's transit network?

Yes. I've been in Albuquerque for 24 years, but I grew up in New York where public transportation was the preferred method of travel. Having a good transit system is important on many fronts. From an environmental standpoint, it will assist in helping the city to reduce its carbon footprint; from the tourism prospective it helps to attract visitors, and finally from a practical standpoint, it is a necessary service for those individuals who are transit dependent. However, we must do a thorough cost-benefit analysis to see if it makes sense to implement light rail at this time. And ultimately, it is for the voters to decide.

That being said, here are some additional thoughts on mass transit:

Convenience is the key to improvements in the transportation system. Studies show that people will use transit when there are disincentives for car travel - high costs of fuel, pain at the pump, too much traffic congestion and high costs for parking. Albuquerque and other parts of the nation are beginning to experience these disincentives; however, they have not been coupled with enough increases in convenience. Transit that operates early in the morning to late at night, that is available every three to five minutes on major arterials and every 10 to 15 minutes from feeder streets; better bus shelters and workplace incentives to use transit; more guaranteed ride home programs and 24/7 trip planning information; focused public education campaigns are the keys to increasing transit ridership and improving the system. I believe that if we adequately meet the needs of the transit dependent population by providing a system whereby individuals can use the system day or night to live comfortably that we will exceed the needs of those individuals who have alternative transportation options. It is costly, but I think it will pay off in the long run.

In general, I support rail transit - east/west at first, to tie into existing elements of a true multimodal transit system and which will begin to generate transit symbiosis (the more mass transit you have, the more people will use each segment of it). I want to introduce a public education effort that thoroughly explores the option of rail transit in Albuquerque and allow the voters an opportunity to make an informed decision about whether or not it is viable and cost-effective. My primary concerns about the introduction of including rail in the public mobility mix is the effect that it will have on improving existing transit infrastructure. We must first fairly educate the constituencies we serve and then allow them to make an informed decision about the way to move forward. I will work on initiatives to bring these questions to voters in my district and in the city.

The Albuquerque metro area's population is projected to reach a million by early 2021 at the latest. Are the city's policies regulating growth sufficient? Do we need a limit on growth? Should more growth be encouraged?

Growth is inevitable, so it's not that we need to stop growth - but we do need to analyze all new projects not only from a cost-benefit analysis but from the impact the growth will have on our natural resources. Not all brownfield development projects are done correctly, and not all greenfield development projects are sprawl. We have to look at new development projects and determine whether or not they are contributing to or detracting from the tax base, and whether or not they meet the criteria for smart growth and planned communities (e.g., do they add new jobs; are there commercial uses; are they livable and sustainable; do they include affordable housing components; etc.). In reality, with the soaring costs of real estate and increases in population, 70 percent of the new development in the region will probably be greenfield development.

Should the city be contributing more money and resources toward running the jail? What should the city's role be in managing the jail's population?

No. Jails across the country are owned and run by counties, and ours is no exception. Management of the jail has been returned to the county. Residents of Albuquerque are also residents of Bernalillo County and are paying taxes to pay for the jail.

Is the Albuquerque Police Department using its resources properly? Where do you see room for improvement in the city's public safety efforts?

No. From what I'm hearing in the district, we are in dire need of more police officers on the street. I would like to see more resources be put toward manpower in the neighborhoods and less toward desk jobs and management. Also, the special units that have worked to deal with individuals with mental health issues and individuals experiencing homelessness are working well. I believe that the creation of these special units gives APD the opportunity to work more effectively with certain populations, and we should expand the role of these units within the department. I would like to look at the overall APD budget and see where resources can be reallocated to meet the growing needs of the population.

• • •

Blair Kaufman

Occupation: School principal, Albuquerque Public Schools

Birthplace: Colusa, Calif.

Family: Wife, Ann Piper; stepchildren Elizabeth, Michael and Laura Piper.

Education: Bachelor's degrees in political science and industrial education; master's degree in educational administration

Political career highlights: I am currently vice chairman and serving my 12th year as a publicly elected member of the governing board at Central New Mexico Community College. I am chairman of the Capital Outlay and am a member of the Executive and Finance committees of the CNM board of governors.

Have you ever been arrested on a misdemeanor charge? No

Have you ever been arrested on a felony charge? No

Name three of your district's most important issues. What will you do to address them?

1. Sufficient water and clean air for our future.

2. Balancing growth with increased safety, city services and revitalization of our city's core neighborhoods.

3. We must implement a comprehensive multimodal transportation plan to reduce energy dependence and improve air quality. I will be an interactive voice for constituents, together creating innovative solutions and championing initiatives that support District 6, as well as the entire city and region.

What are your criticisms of the current City Council and what would you do to improve the body? Are the council's frequent standoffs with Mayor Martin Chavez's administration a proper use of the checks and balances system?

To improve the council's effectiveness, I will promote a collaborative "win-win" working atmosphere. The mayor and the council should share the same vision: to create a vibrant, safe, sustainable Albuquerque. Politics represents people and their varied ideas, and conflict within our democratic process can be healthy and necessary especially if fueled by conscience or local need. However, personal agendas should be put aside.

Tell us a detail about you that might surprise people.

In my 20s, I served as a VISTA volunteer, the domestic Peace Corps, helping elderly and low-income folks in rural Indiana with construction and housing issues. Also, I am a hot-air balloon pilot with 20 years of experience.

Do you believe Albuquerque should have a light rail system? Why? And what is your vision for improving the city's transit network?

Yes. Albuquerque continues to fall behind other similar-size cities in the Southwest that are improving their transit systems in terms of convenience, frequency and accessibility. Light rail is part of a comprehensive network that must include bus, bicycle and automobile planning. The City Council must set clear achievable goals and follow through. We cannot continue to plan without acting.

The Albuquerque metro area's population is projected to reach a million by early 2021 at the latest. Are the city's policies regulating growth sufficient? Do we need a limit on growth? Should more growth be encouraged?

Albuquerque's growth must be tied to quality of life and our sustainable future. I will strengthen incentives for responsible infill projects, increase impact fees for new developments and base new development on a comprehensive water use plan. Those who are most likely to use new schools, parks, libraries and other infrastructure should contribute toward them. As a region, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and other governing bodies must collaborate concerning growth issues.

Should the city be contributing more money and resources toward running the jail? What should the city's role be in managing the jail's population?

Yes. The city is part of the county and must share in the fair cost of operating the Metropolitan Detention Center. We all benefit from the smooth operation of this process and our judicial system. We have a responsibility to provide the resources necessary to promote public safety. The issue deserves careful study.

Is the Albuquerque Police Department using its resources properly? Where do you see room for improvement in the city's public safety efforts?

Overall, yes. However, Albuquerque needs to find ways to pay APD officers competitive salaries and to put more officers on the streets. Recruiting and retention are nationwide problems in public safety agencies that I firmly believe education and engagement of youth can solve. Gang violence is destroying too many of our youth, and drug use is connected to property crimes. Community and neighborhood policing provide our best chances for improving police protection.

• • •

Kevin Wilson

Occupation: I have owned and operated a local specialty store called Addicted to Comics and Hobbies for 20 years. . . . My wife and I also owned an art gallery in Nob Hill, American Tribal Trading Co., for seven years.

Birthplace: Belen

Family: I am married, with three beautiful daughters: Jacqueline, 18, Collette, 5, and Clarice, 3.

Education: I started school in Belen and attended through junior high. My family then moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., where I graduated from high school. I spent my first year of college at the University of Miami (majored in marine biology), then transferred to the University of Kansas for three more years studying industrial psychology (double major in business and psychology).

Political career highlights: Although I've been involved in extensive neighborhood work since the late 1980s (primarily as a merchant in Nob Hill), my "political career" started when I was chosen by my neighbors to speak to the Liquor Control Board in protest of a local convenience store's sale of mini-bottles and single-beer items. Soon after that, I became involved in committee work on the Nob Hill-Highland Sector Development Plan. This was a three-plus-year project, which initiated my work with the Zoning Department Board, the Land Use Board and efforts with the City Council in amendment work and, ultimately, final passage of the plan. During that time, I was asked to run for a seat on the board of the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association, where I was elected and still hold a seat on the board.

Have you ever been arrested on a misdemeanor charge? No.

Have you ever been arrested on a felony charge? No.

Name three of your district's most important issues. What will you do to address them?

1. First and foremost, people need to feel safe in their homes and on their streets, and right now many people in District 6 do not. The heart of my plan to address this issue revolves around an APD neighborhood bicycle patrol. This on-the-street approach will address a multitude of residential issues, including break-ins, car thefts, vandalism, speeding, providing Neighborhood Watch support, creating a strong working relationship between officers and residents, and monitoring crime and dumping problems in the alleys. I worked in the early '90s with the Nob Hill Merchant's Association to raise funds to get bikes and gear for this neighborhood's first bike patrol. It was overwhelmingly popular, and I'd like to expand it. Additionally, the removal of the probation office from its current location will prevent hundreds of offenders on parole and probation, including those in pre-sentencing, from reporting to a location in Nob Hill that is near businesses, residences and across the street from an elementary school.

2. Development and infill issues are the second greatest concern for my district. With guaranteed citywide growth on the horizon, District 6 must be prepared to deal with this growth. Updated and effective development plans and zoning regulations must be in place districtwide to encourage an intelligent use of the areas being developed. The years I spent on the Nob Hill-Highland Sector Development Plan have given me the experience needed to help with this task. The plan took into account the preservation of historic neighborhoods, large-scale development construction within existing areas of single family homes, streetscapes, issues over solar rights, parking concerns, and pedestrian and transportation issues, just to name a few.

3. The third issue deals with the lack of follow-through or completion of projects initiated by our neighborhoods. Many residents mistakenly believe that lack of funding is responsible for incomplete projects, when in fact, money has already been appropriated for items. Projects are changed or decided against at the level of the City Council or Mayor's Office. As a city councilor, I will not let differences between city bodies and personal agendas override clear mandates of the citizens.

One example out of several concerns a series of public meetings as part of the Pedestrian and Circulation Committee in Nob Hill and Highland. This committee, myself included, formed a consensus that two more traffic lights were needed along Central Avenue in order to slow down traffic and increase safety. Our group was told that the city could not fund these items and that the money needed to come from the state level. The state did appropriate the money for the traffic lights, but we were informed by the city that a "study" had been done, and it was determined that the traffic signals "would not be sufficiently used" and were not warranted. In place of the lights, we were given "bulb-outs" of the sidewalks at street corners.

When residents and/or businesses have worked together, gone through the neighborhood associations and other proper channels to speak to the City Council or mayor as one voice and successfully obtained funding for the project, action must be taken on their behalf. In dealing with such groups, the city should be more accommodating with its response.

What are your criticisms of the current City Council and what would you do to improve the body? Are the council's frequent standoffs with Mayor Martin Chavez's administration a proper use of the checks and balances system?

At a recent City Council meeting, everyone in attendance, including myself, was forced to sit through a 45-minute argument concerning a two-week extension for the council's green building plan, because the Mayor's Office might release its own plan within that time period. Additionally, we all learned who was or was not invited to attend lunches between the City Council and mayoral staff. The council must redefine the role of the council president to be a liaison between the City Council and the people of Albuquerque, including the media, and between the City Council and the Mayor's Office. The president's role should function above the conflicts that develop among parties. Whether it's the current mayor and council president or future elected officials, it should be the responsibility of the president to act in a nonpartisan manner and keep the differences from overflowing and spilling into the media spotlight. If not, the public perception becomes the belief that nobody is in charge and no work is being done.

Tell us a detail about you that might surprise people.

In 2001, I made a bet with Lobos tennis head coach Alan Dils that I could finish the MS Bike Tour - a two-day event from Cedar Crest to Taos through the back roads, uphill through the mountains. We made the bet two weeks before the event, and at that time I had not cycled in years. I got my college road bike out of storage and had it tuned up. I couldn't walk for four days after the event, but I did win the bet. And Alan raised a lot of money for a good cause.

Do you believe Albuquerque should have a light rail system? Why? And what is your vision for improving the city's transit network?

At a recent community meeting, our group was shown the difference between light rail and a trolley system. Besides costing more, we learned that light rail is designed for longer distances and a higher capacity of riders than a trolley system. Under that distinction I would be opposed to a light rail system. As for a trolley system, I am still undecided. The last several rumored versions are not acceptable to me, as they have included very short runs from Downtown to Carlisle. What I would possibly be in favor of, depending on cost, is a complete system serving a large area and purpose. The system would have to connect the Downtown Rail Runner and bus stations to the airport, Old Town, UNM and some or all of the following: the BioPark, Kirtland Air Force Base, Nob Hill and Uptown. For me to be in favor of such a project, I would have to believe that Albuquerque residents 20 years from now would be truly grateful that we put such a system in place for them.

The Albuquerque metro area's population is projected to reach a million by early 2021 at the latest. Are the city's policies regulating growth sufficient? Do we need a limit on growth? Should more growth be encouraged?

Our city is growing, and we need to embrace it with a well-thought-out and accepted plan that makes the most efficient use of our land and resources. We should anticipate the needs of a larger population and start providing the infrastructure to support it. When people talk about stopping the development on the west and south greenfields, do they consider the effect of the skyrocketing housing prices this would cause inside the city, and how the lower income families would be forced out?

A far as encouraging growth, I would continue looking for people and business that can provide well-paying jobs and beneficial services, and encourage them to locate here.

Should the city be contributing more money and resources toward running the jail? What should the city's role be in managing the jail's population?

I was present at the council meeting when they passed additional funding for the county jail, and there were good arguments for both sides. The best argument for the additional funds was that the city of Albuquerque already owed the county money. Whether or not the funds the city gave paid off that particular debt or not, I do not know, but this illustrates the point that Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are slowly becoming one government. I would like to see a committee report about combining the jail system into one entity. It could solve our current problems with the way it's run now.

Is the Albuquerque Police Department using its resources properly? Where do you see room for improvement in the city's public safety efforts?

I have spoken to the chief of police, officers and residents. From those sources it seems apparent that APD is using its resources past the breaking point and truly needs more. They seem truly thankful for every officer added to the force and ecstatic when a couple of field unit computers make it to the officers. To improve matters, I am told that APD could use an increase in civilian staff to handle lab and computer work, and a computer system to alert residents of emergency situations in their neighborhoods. This seems to be a reasonable request the city should work toward providing.

My own suggestions for District 6 come from resident input and my own personal experiences from living and working here. These would include expansion of the APD bike patrol into a neighborhood patrol, and relocation of the parole office located across from Monte Vista Elementary School. I would also like to create a speeding abatement program that collects calls from residents and provides residential speeding blitzes as necessary. The program would pay for itself and would keep residents from requesting speed humps on practically every street in the city.