10-10-2023 8:55am

Early Voting Begins Local Elections Have the Greatest Impact on Citizens

Chris Edwards Editor

Tuesday October 10th, 2023 early voting for municipal races in the city of Alamogordo and the area towns and villages begins to include school board members and the mil funding for Alamogordo Public Schools.

It is a common myth that important elections only take place every 2 or 4 years. Local elections often take place every year, and because turnout is lower, your vote can actually make even more of a difference..

America has 19,000 cities, towns, and villages with different governmental structures. But they all elect officials to carry out 3 government functions: Executive, Legislative and Legal. The Mayor sets the tone for the Executive functions; the City Council or Commissioners implement Legislative; and the Judiciary implement Legal functions. School boards in New Mexico do NOT dictate curriculum however they manage a large budget and the buildings, they establish personnel and safety policies, they hire the superintendent.

Understanding these roles and their impact as well as the limitations to their authority is critical if you want to influence choices that affect you and others in your community. Civility is important for effective governance.

Registered voters, in New Mexico may cast a ballot. In advance or to verify your voter information check your registration or update your voting information visit the New Mexico Secretary of State's website.

To begin voting for your choice of candidates early visit the Otero County Administration building located at 1101 New York Avenue in Alamogordo. Early voting is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Oct. 10 through Nov. 3, Monday through Friday and Saturday voting Nov 4 or the Otero County Fair Grounds located at 401 Fairgrounds Road. Early voting is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning Oct. 21 through Nov. 4, Tuesday through Saturday. Sadly for early voters for Cloudcroft or Tularosa you have to dive over to the two locations in Alamogordo.

Otero County doesn’t seem to support the idea of making it easy for outlying residents but they may still vote early as well with a little effort.

The elections for this 2023 cycle includeAlamogordo City Commission for Districts One, Three, Five and Six

Nicholas Allan Paul, District One Unopposed
Warren Robinson, District Three
Karl Paul Melton, District Three
James Talbert, District Three
Alfonso Al Hernandez, District Five
Sharon McDonald, District Five
Mark Wayne Tapley, District Six

Alamogordo School Board Member for seats one, three and four

Judy Rabon, Board Member One
Craig Danekas, Board Member One
Marieann Marie Jackson, Board Member Three
Amanda Gwynn Jewell, Board Member Three
Shannon Troy Wright, Board Member Three
Josiah Stephen Vesey, Board Member Four
Brandy Murphy, Board Member Four
Carol Louise Teweleit, Board Member Four

Tularosa City Mayoral race

John Gregory Greene
Deborah Lynn Cooksey
Margaret Trujillo

Tularosa Board of Trustee position (select 2)

Antonia Monica Voorbach Moheit
Ali Husain Karim Kassam
Mark Garwood
Manuel Brusuelas
Stephanie DuBois

Cloudcroft City Mayoral race

James Maynard
Gail McCoy
Vincent Turner
Pavla Trubac
Gerald Dustin Wiley
Richard Ivan Welch

Cloudcroft Board of Trustee position

Matthew Brian Lockner
Timothy Edward King
Tabitha Renee Foster

Cloudcroft School Board Member at Large

Daniel Hughes
Jeffrey Grant Eigenmann
Cassandra Gail Saffle
Meredith Ann Shepherd
Danny Ward

And reapproval of 2 existing Alamogordo Public School mil levy funds.

SB8 & HB 33 Mill Levy Funds are utilized for construction, facility maintenance, technology, and capital improvement projects.
APS will continue to invest in existing schools, lifting up older campuses to be more comparable to our new schools.
Approving the continuation of these mill levies will NOT increase the current tax rate or impose a new tax.

For more information on the Alamogordo Public School levy’s visit https://allin4ourkids.my.canva.site/

Voter turnout for municipal elections is typically minimal. However, the local government has more influence, the impact and importance in your community and lif than any other form of government. Exercise your power, democracy is dependent upon participation. Go vote early!