Candidate Q&As: Commission District 1

There is no shortage of applicants for the open seat in District 1 of the Clovis city commission.

Seven candidates are on the ballot for the March 3 election, with early voting starting Tuesday. The candidate pool includes business owners, a branch president, law enforcement, military employees and educational administrators.

Presented, in order of ballot listing, are George Jones, Kenneth Lindsey, Leo Lovett, Marcus Smith, Matthew Whittington, Rhonda Bargman and Eric Collings.

Ladona Clayton was elected to the seat in 2016, and resigned last June when she moved to Dallas. The remainder of the term is being served by David Robinson, who said upon appointment he would not run for re-election.

George Jones

Occupation: Retired Air Force, Director of Complaints and Investigations for the Inspector General at Cannon Air Force Base.

Why did you decide to run? I just want to make a difference.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? My 26 years of active service in the Air Force. I’ve served on multiple committees within the community. I’m on the Public Works Committee as well.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? None.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? I believe it’s the school system. We need to just improve the educational level we’re providing our young kids throughout the community.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? I would say overall road work. It seems to be a consistent issue throughout the city.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? I think you know when people are being taxed to the brink; purchasing and other things seem to decrease and they might start taking their business out of town. We’re about to go digging into exactly where the taxes go. I hope we’re done raising taxes for a while, but we need to see what’s going to be done in the community and how we’re going to fund that.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? I think the city should probably make its own regulations.

Kenneth Lindsey

Occupation: Founder, Essentials Chiropractic

Why did you decide to run? I’ve been attending the board meetings for about five months, and I’ve observed a lot of me-toos, but I haven’t observed a lot of discussions about the issues we’re facing. And they’re big issues.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? I started work 68 years ago as a cotton picker. That didn’t give me the qualifications, but it let me know I needed to do more than be a cotton picker. I turned into a newspaper boy, worked for the department of agriculture. I worked in Arizona for power companies. I was in the U.S. Air Force as a ground-radio operator and went into a combat communication squadron with the California Air National Guard. I worked extensively in chemical sales for sanitation and hospitals. I’ve got a bachelor of science and a chiropractic degree. I’ve used it to work with people who have addictions. That’s an ancillary portion of what I do in my office.

I was president for three years of the Morongo Chamber of Commerce. Very similar things to what this community’s got. Currently, I’m working here in Clovis and I intend to die in Clovis in the next 15 to 18 years. I’ve made lots of decisions, and many of those decisions were how I could be of service. I’ve been a member of the American Legion for 40 years. I’m the vice director of the Clovis Senior Olympics. I’m a member of the Curry County Health Council, the DWI Task Force.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? I’ve been arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. The outcome is I did some community service time. That was adjudicated and I paid my fine. Since then, I’ve been helping people not get into that position. That’s why I’m on the DWI Task Force today. I’ve been sober for over 30 years.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? We don’t have enough employers for an economic basis to sustain growth, and we suffer from a chronic shortage of water, which is going to get worse unless we make it better. The city commission has been working on that for the last several years, and I want to be part of that.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? This is a pretty sound, structured district. It’s a district that has a higher socioeconomic base. In terms of representation, I think the thing is to feature water allocation and conservation. It’s a primarily residential district.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? Based on the taxes I’ve paid over the last 60 years of work, I think we’re fortunate with the tax bases we have right now. We have a pending resolution, and it hasn’t been solidified yet, to help bring in water from Ute Lake. I’m all for bringing in water from Ute Lake. There’s the issue of what we can buy from farmers. I’m not exactly sure how to rectify that problem, but I’d like to be part of the solution.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? I think the city should ban the usage of recreational marijuana. I base that on experience and long-term knowledge of the growth of marijuana and the recreational use. I saw the disaster in Colorado. Yes, a lot of people made a lot of money, but the state didn’t make a lot of money. It’s a bear cub that’s turned into a grizzly, and it’s eating our children up. It’s much more damaging to the brain, with a much higher level of cannabis oil. I’m in favor of cannabis oil for its heating properties. THC, it’s a gateway drug to anything you can think of.

Leo Lovett

Occupation: Clovis branch president for US Bank.

Why did you decide to run? I want to see growth in our city. I want to keep our next generation local with good opportunities. I’m running on a pro-business platform, wanting to bring new jobs to Clovis. With a new mayor, it will be good to have a financial basis as we work for solutions that better Clovis.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? I have my accounting and MBA degrees from Eastern New Mexico University. I’m also a local community bank president and believe my financial background will serve well on the council. I’ve also previously served as a city councilor and understand how funding comes from the state and how those resources can be used in our budgets. I’ve also served on many local boards, including the United Way, the Chamber, the ENMU Foundation, Rotary and believe these have all informed me ... to lead the next generation in government.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? None.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? Water remains our primary issues. We definitely need to study to find the end result. Another issue is economic growth and finding a way to keep our current businesses while encouraging others to help growth in our community.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? We’ll always be working on roads and infrastructure. We also need to look at our support for police and fire, making sure we’re competitive with salary and benefits so they’ll respond to our needs.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? I think we need to be careful with further taxation. We’re already one of the top five gross-receipts taxes in the state, and I want our retail stores to remain competitive. I think we need to confirm before further taxes there’s no waste in the city’s $62 million budget before we add further taxes.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? With the current majorities in Santa Fe, it’s going to become state law at some point. I want our businesses to retain the rights to set alcohol and drug policies to retain workplace safety. Although I’m opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana, I think the city would need to look at state laws before setting further guidelines.

Marcus Smith

Occupation: Director of counseling and advising at Clovis Community College

Why did you decide to run? I’ve been wanting to run for a long time. I’ve wanted to get involved in the city more. P&Z gave me a good glimpse of how things work, and I wanted to keep moving up. There’s a lack of young leaders in the community. I really want to run to bring the next generation up. I want to be the voice of younger Clovis and see we can get into leadership roles and bring new ideas. It’s not about moving the old guard out, it’s about bringing in new ideas and getting everybody involved.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? I did Leadership Clovis. I was president of my class in 2012-13. I’ve been in Planning and Zoning for four years, the chair for the last two. I’ve been involved in the Hartley House, helping with their events through my wife. I’ve also been involved with ARISE Sexual Support Services. I’ve been involved in starting a counseling agency. I’m involved in a small business.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? I have not.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? We all know water is an issue. Obviously, that’s something that needs to be addressed. We need to build on the work that has already been done by the leaders before us. Another issue is economic development, bringing in new industry and business so we don’t stay stagnant and we don’t fall back. That’s a big issue.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? I think we need to be aware, in our district, of how we’re growing and expanding with new developments and houses. The golf course, making sure that’s getting taken care of. That’s in my district. My district lays on the outside of the community, so we need to make sure we’re safe with enough emergency personnel to respond to all areas but ours as well. We’re the farthest from the hospital, the farthest from the police station.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? I think we’re OK at the moment. As we start to plan and grow, we will address how we tax anybody in our community. You have to have a good vision of how this tax benefits us in the future. Not right now, but five years from now.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? I think we need to pay attention to what’s going on at the state level. We need to look line by line at what it looks like, what our representatives fought for. We as a community need to decide that, but we really need to look at the legislation first.

James Whittington

Occupation: Lieutenant at Curry County Sheriff’s Office.

Why did you decide to run? I started thinking about it when Ladona Clayton announced she was moving to Dallas. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some issues that were important to me and important to others out in the forefront.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? I’ve been in law enforcement eight years. I think serving my community, and the desire to keep serving, helps me. I have two (school) terms left as I’m pursuing a master’s in public administration.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? I have not.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? I think the biggest issue is staffing at the police department. The last publicly available numbers were June. The city had 45 certified officers. A city of Clovis’ size should have 93. That’s a big reason there’s a surge in crime lately. The city police pays about $10,000 less than state police to start, which is why I think they’re shorthanded. If you could do the same work for $10,000 more, why wouldn’t you?

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? I think the issues are pretty uniform through the districts. Crime is a big issue. We’ve also got issues with the roads in need of repair, and water is coming up in the future.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? I think the people in Clovis pay enough taxes, and the issue is how the city chooses to spend the money. I think the city should focus on the core issues — public works, sewer, garbage and roads; and public safety, which is police, fire and EMS. We’re going to need more water and that project might need money, but if it does that’s something that should go to voters.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? I’m not sure of the exact number, but I want to say there are four or five medical marijuana dispensaries already in Clovis. I feel like the issues of marijuana has already passed and we didn’t get a vote. The one that matches closest for me is to take no position and let the state decide. Medical marijuana is already here.

Rhonda Payne Bargman

Occupation: Owner, Digital Marketing Strategies

Why did you decide to run? I have a heart for the Clovis community and I know I can make a difference as a commissioner for District 1.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? When I moved to Clovis in 1993 with my business, I got involved in the Chamber and United Way and other things. Through that involvement, I had several leadership roles. I served as the Chamber president in 2006, I served as the military affairs chairman and I was also honorary wing commander. So I’ve always had leadership roles and an involvement in our community. That will give me the experience I need to serve on the city commission.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? No.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? I think that economic development and business retention are two of the most important things, and with those it would lead to additional funds to help with water and infrastructure.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? I think District 1, as well as all of Clovis, needs to have more water conservation education in our schools and in our neighborhoods. Water is an important issue, and we all need to do our best to conserve.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? I think we all feel we’re overtaxed, but we all need to support our community and our state. Taxes are a responsibility of adults. I think with those taxes, as long as they’re spent in a good manner by our city and our state, it’s our responsibility.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? We should follow the state’s guidelines, but it should be an additional means to an ends if we have a usage tax. That could fund some of our issues with the police department and water.

Eric Collings

Occupation: Owner, Zip Print and Design

Why did you decide to run? There are not enough people in my age group interested in politics. I’m 28 and there isn’t enough new blood. People have a lot of distrust in the political system as a whole, whether it be state, local or federal, and I think it’s time for people my age to take a stand. I’m a business owner, I’ve been here for a while and I’m going to be here for a while. It’s time for me to start having a say, or at least trying to help Clovis be where I want it to be.

What specific experiences and qualifications do you have that prepare you for the next four years? I am a small business owner, and I also taught at the high school and at Gattis. I taught math. So I’ve got experience in managing. Teaching is just managing, and it’s very hectic. You’ve got to take 30 different personalities and get them to gel and work toward one common goal. I’ve got a bachelor’s in management from Eastern New Mexico University and I’m two classes short of a master’s in secondary education there as well.

Have you been arrested or charged with any crime beyond traffic violations? If so, what were the circumstances and outcome? No.

What is the most important issue facing the city in the next few years, and what do you think needs to happen with it? We need to be fiscally responsible. We are a conservative pocket in a largely liberal state. Our budget concerns are not going to match those of the state and we’re going to have to make sure we are fiscally responsible with our money so we can keep doing the things in Clovis to provide for Clovis whether or not we have support at the state level.

What’s an issue specific to your district that needs city attention, and how does the issue need to be addressed? It’s specific to the district, but it’s also specific to the city. There needs to be more city focus on mental health. Roswell has a really great program, Las Cruces has a really great program, Albuquerque’s working on it. We are seeing more people with mental health disorders, and the only way they can get help is if they go to jail or they have really good insurance. I’m not talking about a welfare system or a handout thing, but there needs to be more options for people to get help.

Do you feel Clovis residents should pay more taxes, fewer taxes or about the same as they do now? And on what do you base your opinion? People get fed up with taxes, but a lot of people don’t have a general understanding of how a city is financed. Most of that money comes from tax revenue. We can’t expect it from the federal or state governments. I do feel like people in Clovis feel we’ve been taxed enough. It feels like we’re being taxed for things that aren’t a necessity. I realize the water project was a big part of David Lansford’s legacy, but how the new gross receipts taxes and all of that change felt like it was shoved down people’s throats. People are kind of unhappy with that; maybe it’s too much there.

Recreational marijuana could be a reality in New Mexico as soon as July 1. Should that happen, do you believe the city should create its own regulations within its incorporated areas, take no position and leave regulations in the state’s hands or keep recreational marijuana illegal in city limits? It’s going to happen. It’s time to stop fighting it. I really think in a couple of years, federally, it will be completely legal, so there’s no reason for us to fight it. I think the city has to be proactive and have some regulations in place before we see what the state does. When you roll out a new project, nobody has all of the answers. We may not like the state’s regulations, and we want to make sure we’re prepared for how we make sure we keep it out of kids’ hands, how we keep it off school grounds, how we make sure a legal business is not hassled about it. If it’s legal, make it legal. We need our own provisions in place in case the state government does not do a good job.

— Compiled by Editor Kevin Wilson