Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of interviews with candidates in the March 5 city of Clovis elections. Incumbent Chris Bryant will be opposed by Josefita Griego and Dean Hardage. Early voting began Tuesday and runs through March 2.
Chris Bryant
Q: Describe yourself in two or three sentences.
A: I’m a businessman. I’m also a person that loves our community that we choose to live in, and I’m a person that lives to serve our community of citizens.
Q: The city spent part of 2023 on efforts to ban abortion clinics in Clovis’ city limits. Are you interested in continuing that fight? Why or why not?
A: I will just say I am pro-life. I’ve always believed in pro-life and I will stand on that platform.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest asset? And what can city government do to enhance that asset?
A: Without a doubt, the greatest asset of Clovis is the people. I mean, that’s what makes Clovis. I believe that’s what makes Clovis so special is the people of the city.
We have 12 boards available to sit on. I believe it’s important to have community input from our citizens.
We’re always looking for citizens who are interested in sitting on our boards in our committees to give us input on different things.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest weakness? And what can city government do to strengthen that weakness?
A: I think we need to work on a couple of things.
We are in the process of doing two things: the quality of life as far as working with the county and also with the Clovis Municipal Schools, recreational center, and I think that’s going to be important to the whole community.
I think the other thing, of course, it’s important to the community, is making sure that we continue to have a sustainable water supply.
Q: Any big initiatives on your agenda if you’re elected?
A: No, I don’t think so. I’ve been on the commission; this will be my fifth term - 16 years. I really don’t have an agenda. I think we need to continue to work on our quota like projects, our economic development, our public safety, our water issues.
I think we just need to continue to work on what we already have in place. I think it’s important that we continue to move forward with these things and try to find the funding to make all of it happen.
Q: What do you think is the purpose of government?
A: I think the purpose of government is to represent and involve citizens and determine local public needs and how those local needs can be met.
Josefita Griego
Q: Describe yourself in two or three sentences.
A: Describing myself is difficult; I believe I’m a work in progress. I strive every day to do better as a person and to serve my God and community. I am a proud mother, grandmother and lifelong member of our community.
Q: The city spent part of 2023 on efforts to ban abortion clinics in Clovis’ city limits. Are you interested in continuing that fight? Why or why not?
A: I’m not interested in engaging on the abortion issue now, as I believe it will be litigated and resolved outside of my duties as a city commissioner.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest asset? And what can city government do to enhance that asset?
A: I believe Clovis’ greatest asset is its people. We have a great community that has come together several times and reminded me why I love our city.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest weakness? And what can city government do to strengthen that weakness?
A: I don’t like to categorize the challenges we face as a city as weaknesses. The biggest issue I believe we must overcome is our crime issue, which leads me to what we can do once I’m elected.
Q: Any big initiatives on your agenda if you’re elected?
A: I will work with our community members to help promote existing and new neighborhood watch groups. I will work with other commissioners and local law enforcement to implement a criminal theft bait program to help get our rampant theft problem under control.
Q: What do you think is the purpose of government?
A: To fix roads and provide basic services and infrastructure needs like law enforcement, fire, and emergency services.
Dean Hardage
Q: Describe yourself in two or three sentences.
A: I am a working family man who has to punch a time clock, day in and day out. I was born in Clovis and raised around this area for my first 18 years, then joined the Army; came back 20 years later, and I’ve been back here for about 23 years now. I’ve been a soldier, worker, father, husband, and all that plays into what I am and who I am.
Q: The city spent part of 2023 on efforts to ban abortion clinics in Clovis’ city limits. Are you interested in continuing that fight? Why or why not?
A: Absolutely not. It’s invasive, it’s intrusive, it takes away the rights of the women. It basically makes them second-class citizens.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest asset? And what can city government do to enhance that asset?
A: Our biggest asset is our people. What the government should be doing is encouraging people who are serving other people. Whether it be in an official or unofficial capacity to encourage that and to reward that … you want to get to know what they’re seeing, and let them know you appreciate them.
Q: What do you consider Clovis’ greatest weakness? And what can city government do to strengthen that weakness?
A: Our greatest weakness right now, in my opinion, is not serving the people well.
Part of the way we can do that is, first of all, find the people that need it.
Second off, get people into jobs that want to do them, and that are not just there to collect a paycheck.
And third, follow through and supervise those people and make sure they are doing their jobs. And if they’re not doing them, then do something about it.
Q: Any big initiatives on your agenda if you’re elected?
A: Big initiatives? I wouldn’t say that. There is an agenda. It basically involves building safety. It’s failing badly.
I’m talking about things that could be potentially life threatening. And this is in consultation with other professionals in the building trades, and some personal experience.
Q: What do you think is the purpose of government?
A: The purpose of government, as someone once said, is to do for the people what people can’t do for themselves.
As an individual, you can’t form a police force, and you can’t make sure that everybody’s housing is up to code.
That’s all necessary. That’s what the government is supposed to do is serve the people. Because that’s what our contract says, by the people and for the people.
It’s not for special interests. It’s not for contractors. It’s not for businesses, although we want to keep our businesses healthy, too. But it’s for the people.
— Compiled by Landry Sena, The Staff of The News
