Three seeking District 27 state senate seat

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of Q&As featuring candidates in contested races for the June 4 primary. Early voting has begun at the county courthouse. With the resignation of long-time State Sen. Stuart Ingle from the District 27 seat, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Roswell attorney Greg Nibert to the position. Now Nibert is seeking the seat along with Elida area rancher Patrick Boone and Roswell businessman Larry Marker.

Patrick Boone

Q: Tell us about yourself. Who is Pat Boone and why are you running?

A: My name is Patrick Henry Boone IV. I am a rancher near Elida, in western Roosevelt County.

I have lived and ranched here for 51 years. My wife Cindy and I have been married for 49 years, all of which have been here on the ranch. We raised our two children here and they both are graduates of Eastern New Mexico University.

I have served my community, my county and my state for 45 years by serving on a variety of boards and committees. I believe that our next state Senator should be elected by a vote of the people, not appointed by the governor.

Q: Are there any issues in which you side with Gov. Lujan Grisham? If so, what are they?

A: I can think of nothing Gov. Lujan Grisham has done that I

have agreed with or supported.

Q: As long as Democrats are the majority in the House and

Senate, and sit in the governor’s seat, how can Republicans best have an impact on public policy?

A: It has been a very difficult six years with the current administration in place. But Republicans have worked hard and managed to get some good legislation passed and also defeat some bad legislation.

We just have to persevere, be patient and bide our time until we can get a better balance in the two houses of our Legislatures.

It may be a while, but we just need to work hard and be patient.

Q: You identify yourself as pro-life on your website. But do you believe government should decide whether a woman has an abortion?

A: I believe abortion as an elective means of birth control is wrong.

Men and women both need to be responsible for their actions. Killing a baby simply because it is an inconvenience, in my heart, is murder.

Q: You’ve stated you are a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Do you believe an individual should ever lose the right to own a gun? If so, under what circumstances? And at what age should a child be allowed to purchase a gun without permission of a parent or guardian?

A: I am a strong supporter of our Second Amendment rights. If an individual commits a crime involving the use of a firearm, I certainly believe their right to own and use a firearm should be removed.

I believe if a person is old enough to vote, at age 18, they are old enough to purchase a gun without permission of their parents.

But I also think first-time gun owners should be required to take a firearm safety course.

Q: It seems local school districts are forever feuding with the state over regulations, from public health orders to the amount of time spent in school. Should each district be allowed to govern itself all the time? What standards should the state set, if any?

A: I believe we need to return to the days of having a state school board instead of a cabinet education department.

I also believe local school boards should be given back the authority they used to have in those days.

I truly believe that the parents of the children of the school will do a better job of running the affairs of a local school than a group in Santa Fe will.

Larry Marker

Q: Tell us about yourself. Who is Larry Marker and why are you running for this Senate seat?

A: There’s a lot to who Larry Marker is: Southeastern New Mexican, born, bred, love it.

New Mexico’s my home.

I love the culture here. I’ve learned to appreciate the diversity we have.

I’ve learned how fortunate we are for our diversity.

I’m getting out of the oil and gas business and going into the wood pellet manufacturing business.

The regulatory climate in New Mexico is not good for the small, independent oil and gas producers.

I know I’m the best candidate for the job, at this time.

If I didn’t believe that I wouldn’t be running.

Q: Are there any issues in which you side with Gov. Lujan Grisham? If so, what are they?

A: I thought long and hard about this.

Her administration does seem to want to combat human sex trafficking, child pornography, stuff like that. That’s one of the most egregious violations I can think of.

Being a grandfather, I see it as completely unacceptable.

We simply can’t have that.

So if there is anywhere we could agree on, that would be it.

Q: As long as Democrats are the majority in the House and Senate, and sit in the governor’s seat, how can Republicans best have an impact on public policy?

A: It’s my position that we need to have more involvement of the public, of the voters in New Mexico government.

The citizens of New Mexico are going to have to get more involved in the legislative and election process.

Our form of government is a Constitutional Republic with democratically elected representation, which means just because the Republicans are in the minority doesn’t mean they don’t have a voice.

Our form of government allows everyone to participate.

Q: You’ve made a name for yourself with efforts to overturn a number of laws recently passed by the Legislature. Talk about that mission.

A: That’s the referendum project on those six bills.

Those six bills encompass multiple issues affecting every citizen in the state of New Mexico.

Most of those issues need to be decided by the citizens on the ballot. Not by lobbyists in Santa Fe.

That goes back to my point that the citizens of New Mexico need to be more involved in their government.

Q: On your website you make the case for supporting the oil and gas industry. Is there also a place for alternative energy in our future?

A: Definitely.

We’ve made advances in alternative energy.

When you start talking about nuclear energy, those small nuclear plants, we’ve made major technological advances in the past 10 to 20 years.

That form of energy would also facilitate purification of brackish and oilfield produced water.

Q: It seems local school districts are forever feuding with the state over regulations, from public health orders to the amount of time spent in school. Should each district be allowed to govern itself all the time? What standards should the state set, if any?

A: My solution for that is to return control of the local school districts to the local school boards.

If we keep the Public Education Department intact, the function should be to distribute local money to the local districts.

That would solve the problems.

Greg Nibert

Q: Tell us about yourself. Who is Greg Nibert and why are you running for this Senate seat?

A: I am Sen. Greg Nibert. I seek to retain my Senate seat to continue serving constituents with the same thoughtful conservative values of this district.

I am recognized as an effective conservative leader who can get things accomplished in Santa Fe.

I value the confidence that our former Sen. Ingle has in endorsing me.

I am the only candidate in this race who has the proven track record, experience, and legal expertise to continue to promote beneficial legislation or block harmful legislation impacting our region. I will serve in the Senate in the same manner as I have served in the House.

Q: Are there issues in which you side with Gov. Lujan Grisham? If so, what are they?

A: Very few, but one is the governor is calling for tougher sentences for violations of our criminal laws.

I remain skeptical that we will see meaningful legislation on this from the progressive wing of the Democrat Party.

I support a more aggressive stance on crime, stricter guidelines on release, and protection of children at risk. I will promote legislation to take back our streets from the criminals, secure our borders and protect abused and neglected children.

I want to go further than what the governor is proposing, but her proposals are a first step.

Q: As long as Democrats are the majority in the House and Senate, and sit in the governor’s seat, how can Republicans best have an impact on public policy?

A: Politics at its root is based on relationships.

The Republican legislators who best have an impact are those who are able to work with the sponsors of legislation before it gets introduced and before it goes through the committee process.

To do this you have to be respected, recognized as knowledgeable on a topic or topics, and able to work with them to find common ground and solutions to problems.

I have distinguished myself as one who has been able to do this and who is called upon to contribute to legislation on a variety of issues.

Q: Your law firm, as I understand it, represented the state when the Floyd school district refused to follow the governor’s public health orders during COVID. What exactly was your role – or that of your law firm – in that issue, which resulted in the state taking over the Floyd schools for a time?

A: I have no role in such lawsuits or any lawsuit involving a state agency or a political subdivision.

I am an oil and gas attorney.

My only role in the Floyd school matter is that I contributed money with my Republican colleagues to defend the members of the Floyd School Board and pay their lawyers.

Hinkle Shanor is a large firm that has contracts to represent risk management and may represent other state agencies, including the Public Education Department. Generally, such representation is defending municipalities and counties when sued, including defense of law enforcement.

Again, I’m not involved in any such cases.

Q: Did you have personal conflicts in regard to that case? Do you feel like you were on the right side of history?

A: No to the first question and yes to the second question. I was involved in supporting and defending members of the Floyd School Board by contributing to the legal defense fund of the school board members.

I protested the unjust actions of the governor publicly. I

am the legislator who on every occasion since June of 2020 has introduced legislation to restrict the governor’s emergency powers. I would do it again, because the removal of the local board over her dictatorial health order and mask mandate was wrong.

Q: Republicans nationwide generally support efforts to ban or limit abortion, but Republicans also tend to champion smaller government. What is your position on abortion and why or why isn’t it a government issue?

A: I am very pro-life.

The founders of this nation intended to and did create a nation that believed we are created by God who vested in us certain inalienable rights.

One of those rights is life itself.

Pre-born babies deserve the right to live.

— Compiled by Staff Writer Grant McGee