Four District 1 candidates speak out

Tucumcari District 1 Commissioner Ralph Moya, who also is the city’s mayor, faces three opponents standing in his way for his re-election bid in the Nov. 7 election.

Moya, 72, a semi-retired mental health counselor, is seeking a third consecutive term. He also served on the city commission from 1980 to 1994.

Moya’s challengers are:

— Maria Carmen Gonzalez, 75, a city code enforcement officer;

— Jerry Lopez, 41, who works for a janitorial services firm and is a current member of the Tucumcari school board;

— Tommy Snapp, 52, who owns a bait and sporting goods store.

Early voting begins Oct. 10 at the Quay County Courthouse.

District 1 encompasses much of the north side of the city, with McGee, Laughlin or Heman avenues and Main Street making up the southern border.

The Quay County Sun contacted the District 1 candidates by phone and gave them same questions. Their answers, listed in alphabetical order by name, have been edited for clarity and space.

What prompted you to run?

Gonzalez: “The the thing that I am most concerned about is the state of our economy in our city. We are slowly fading away from the map. We are in dire need of good things to happen. I am very concerned about the fact we do not have enough jobs in our businesses, in our community. We do not have enough for our young, like in entertainment. We are forgetting older citizens. They have lots of concerns. So my worries are that we are ignoring a lot of the needs of the community and not paying much attention or taking action on things.”

Lopez: “What prompted me to run was that I see the need for change in the community. With the experience of me being on the school board these last four years, I feel I’m qualified to be a candidate to to help with the decision-making at the city level. We need a change. We need a younger and energetic generation.”

Moya: “What really prompted me to run again is to keep the city budget and the community going forward. Now I have gotten the city to the point where the budget is balanced. We have also seen a 13% increase in in in revenue, and we have started to address infrastructure. And that means the potholes and ambulance service. We should be accountable for every penny that comes in and goes out and make sure the city is run like a corporation or a business and provide the service that is mandated. I want to be able to see that when I leave in four years, the city is sound and stable like it is right now. The other thing, I also want to be able to do is work on on the animal shelter, to be able to house the amount of dogs that we have and be able to do a good adoption program.”

Snapp: “We need a change in leadership.”

What are the biggest challenges facing the city?

Gonzalez: “I believe the biggest challenge is, aside from streets right now, is the economy. We don’t have businesses coming in … not of the kind that that really support much of the economy. We need new infrastructure. We need to have, for instance, eye doctors. We don’t have another supermarket. We don’t have another store for competition purposes or for buying power. We don’t have shoe stores. We don’t have department stores. We need more medical services. I believe one of the other issues is the fact our town is slowly dying. It’s fading away. We need to bring back what used to be there before. We need a change in city leadership, I believe, and then we need to start to revitalize our economy as it should be.”

Lopez: “The biggest challenge that I see facing the city is the infrastructure. The infrastructure of the city is big, but not only that, it’s also the finances within the city. There’s a lot of needs throughout the community … upgraded water lines, street repairs, maintenance equipment. Those are the big concerns that I have I see that within the city that needs to really be addressed.”

Moya: “The biggest challenge is maintaining the balanced budget and making sure the money that comes in and goes out is accountable for. And then at the same time, you also have challenges that have been neglected. The infrastructure is No. 1. We still have to keep up with the EPA in reference to our wastewater treatment. We have to keep up with our streets. Our budget is in at a position that we’re able to now start planning good and carrying out what we need to do for our community to address some of the problems. The pothole problem did not develop overnight. It had developed over a long period of time where maintenance wasn’t kept by the governing body like they should. This is what the governing body is supposed to do: oversee the operation of the city and make sure to maintain the infrastructure of the city as well as the safety of the community. So we’re working on that.”

Snapp: “The biggest challenges facing the city right now are the roads and not bringing in businesses.”

What are your goals, if elected?

Gonzalez: “One of my goals is to start with the people, the ones that elect you, the ones that have the say. They are the ones that know the the the needs right now of our community. They are the ones that can guide me and show me what where we need to start. We need to start creating change, first of all, in city leadership. And then we need to plant the seeds of growth. I am very concerned for the fact we are not listening enough to the citizens of District 1. We are not answering their needs, their concerns. So those are my issues that I would stand on and work towards good communication skills, listening to the people getting together some kind of plan to revitalize our city.”

Lopez: “I would like to first to to see get an understanding of the city’s budget to making sure that the finances are there, make sure that we can actually be doing what the city is doing, making sure that the money’s there to be allocated to the right departments, the needs of repairs within the city. I don’t think the city has an understanding if the finances are actually accurate with our past finance director resigning. So I just think that we just need to get to making sure there’s an understanding in the city government in finances. And I think there’s a lot of concerns with infrastructure, our facilities.”

Moya: “My goal, if elected, is to continue keeping a good balanced budget in the city of Tucumcari, making sure we work hard in repairing, caring and providing for our infrastructure. That includes the roads, the treatment plants, everything that’s mandated for our community. And I also want to continue working to bring in another ambulance. The other thing is the police department. We just got a $300,000 capital outlay that helped us buy patrol cars. I want to continue working on improving that. The fire department is another thing that needs to be brought up and worked on so that we can work towards the equipment that is needed to provide for the safety of our community. One of the other ones that I like to be able to do is work with our code enforcement, our cleaning our streets so they can look like we did back in the 1980s.”

Snapp: “My goal is if I get elected are to straighten the city out in terms of trying to get our roads fixed, trying to get businesses interested in coming in here, trying to get small businesses interested in startups.”

Why should residents vote for you?

Gonzalez: “Residents should vote for me because I am a people person. My background is in social work. I love the people and I love my town. I love Tucumcari, although I’m not a native. I was born someplace else. But I’ve grown to love this place. One of the best areas, I think, in Tucumcari we should learn some of the history about is the north side. We need to learn from these people. They are the most wonderful people, and they are caring. They’re very, very concerned for the issues and the problems that are being ignored right now.”

Lopez: “I feel residents will get a good qualified candidate with my experience serving on the school board. I feel that you have to have an understanding of some kind of government. This is the opportunity for District 1 voters to have their chance to have change, a new direction, a new voice and somebody that they can hold accountable for.”

Moya: “Residents should vote for me because I have always proven to be very, very positive in providing what they need in their community. I’ve proven myself over and over again. In the ‘80s, my district was one of the most neglected districts. It had no paving, no no water, no adequate water, no sewer, no fire hydrants. And I did go in and we we brought in under the CDBG grant a huge amount of money and we paved the whole north part of the community. We we did a good water infrastructure to be able to have enough pressure, bringing the 2-inch lines to be able to provide fire hydrants. I have proven myself by doing a lot of that. Understanding the budget, understanding government can really provide a lot of good insight into running a good corporation like the city of Tucumcari.”

Snapp: “If they want someone that’s going to be honest and loyal and has integrity, then they need to vote for me. I want to bring balance and reason to this town.”