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Living In Las Cruces- Spring/Summer 2008
FEATURE
By Jenna Frosch
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DONA ANA COUNTY COMMISSIONER WILLIAM “BILL” MCCAMLEY
“For me, it’s the principle of democracy. You have a responsibility to listen to the people you represent every single day…things as small as replacing a piece of sidewalk or as big as what to do about Iraq. It’s important for every political leader in this country to hear what their constituents are concerned about. That’s what makes us special, a lot of places around the world, listening to the people you represent is not what government is based on and it leads to many problems and though we have problems of our own, our democratic process allows us to deal with them in a way that will hopefully benefit the most people. It can’t be every once in a while—it has to be every day because every day we make decisions that affect people.”
LAS CRUCES MAYOR KEN MIYAGISHIMA
“The principal way political leaders hear the voice of the people is at the polls. The right to choose our own leaders is the hallmark of a democracy, and leaders who refuse to acknowledge the voice of the people will eventually be replaced. As a councilor and now as mayor, I also schedule regular District Meetings—we just finished a complete cycle of meetings in the first part of December. I maintain regular email contact with constituents throughout the city. Ultimately, though, the voice of the people must be built into the very fiber of our governing activities. One of the goals of my new administration is to develop a process for meaningful citizen and stakeholder involvement in all phases of our decision-making process.”
LAS CRUCES CITY COUNCILMAN MIGUEL SILVA, DISTRICT 1
“‘Hearing’ the voice of the people is more than just listening. To ensure that our constituents feel ‘heard,’ we must take these steps: make ourselves available in meetings, forums and individually; listen to their issues; set out a constructive plan of action to address their concerns; and then provide feedback to them. Most importantly, we as elected officials must be held accountable for following through. I am very aware that ‘hearing’ is much more than ‘listening.’ It means understanding, taking action and following through.”
LAS CRUCES CITY COUNCILMAN NATHAN SMALL, DISTRICT 4
“The best way is to go door-todoor; at your neighbor’s house, in their territory. For me, I like to give people as many opportunities as possible for contact. It’s going out to the people or holding neighborhood meetings or going out to the street you are trying to fix. It’s not just sitting in an office; as a leader, you need to go to where the people and the issues are. Making yourself available is important.”
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