If we want to change something, we must first understand it.

Poverty by Age in Otero

33.7%

More than 1 in 3 of our children and youth are living below the poverty line. This isn’t just a statistic— it’s a reflection of failed leadership, inadequate vision, and poor policy. Imagine if Otero had the lowest poverty rate in New Mexico, the highest homeownership, and schools that are truly well-funded. We can demand that kind of future. It starts with holding power accountable and building together what we deserve.

  • I support better wages, lower cost of living, childcare workers, and housing initiatives that will ensure a thriving future for our community.

Median Income by Worker in Otero County

Otero County is made of working people and the retirees who raised them, and its time for their Government to work for them.

A living wage for one adult with zero children is $19.93 an hour, or $41,454 annually. That is: with zero sick days, zero vacation, and zero holidays.

Currently, 63.03% of our working people do not meet that threshold.

35% of our opportunities are part-time, and our largest industry here isn’t work, it is being a landlord. Wages are so low that workers must rely on public programs like SNAP, EBT, or HUD just to get by. That living wage still gets paid, but not by the businesses who depend on our workers.
Our taxpayer dollars are subsidizing their labor costs instead of fixing our roads and water infrastructure or funding our public schools.

  • I will raise the minimum wage to a living wage and offset that cost for small and local businesses so long as their prices aren’t raised beyond a reasonable percentage of inflation. Over half of our workers will be lifted out of poverty, be able to meaningfully participate in our local economy. Local business will boom and so will our Gross Receipts Tax. Children will be fed and funded by their families. Because of this, our market will be able to afford new businesses and recreation to enjoy for all working people, and we won’t hemorrhage our youth to other communities when they seek meaningful wages and dignified housing. Their opportunities will be home grown.

Housing Occupation

Otero County Residents pay $98,000,000 in rent every year.

We have more Abandoned/Vacant Homes in Otero County than we have being rented out. Our rental market is dominated by individuals and Corporations from out of state- and so is the value of our housing, sidewalks, and neighborhoods due to their neglect. Somehow they can both drive rents up (setting them at Holloman’s BAH values unaffordable to our workers) and drive property value down by leaving our homes abandoned and ill-maintained. This must be addressed and is the responsibility of the Otero County Commission.

  • I will bring a county-wide public trade school to Otero County that acquires abandoned homes as live training sites, rehabilitating them into affordable housing while providing quality education and jobs to our community.
    I will also direct our Administration to implement a new approach to Code Enforcement- one that helps our local home owners while ensuring that Landlords run their businesses within the law.

rent: percent of household income

The biggest expense for most every working person is rent, and this defines most every obstacle they face.

Housing, cost of living, poverty- these aren’t abstract issues; they show up in every paycheck, every month. Over 44% of renters in Otero County spend 30% or more of their entire household income on rent. Every year, just over $98 million in rent money flows out of local wallets into private pockets, and over half of those pockets are out of state(who are paying only $4 million in property taxes).

This leaves us with nothing.

  • Our elected officials have administered the conditions I’ve talked about above, and it is no surprise why: They’re not workers. They’re owners. Contracting Companies, Landlords, people with inherited wealth and businesses, some living in a $500,000 home up in the mountains while more than one in three kids go without. It isn’t evil or criminal to run a business or inherit wealth or have a nice house- in fact that is the exact kind of stability that we must fight for our working people to have. Our hard working neighbors spend every day making this beautiful County the special community that we love and call home, and they deserve everything it has to offer, including a stable and fruitful life.


Otero County belongs to everyone.
Let’s make it work for all of us.

What do we do?

When we avoid certain roads due to potholes, see our kids and friends move away for job opportunities, see our rents raise and nothing changing for the better- its no wonder why we have such a low voter turnout in Otero County every year. Asking working folks to vote for the same old thing is insulting to the very people who make our County work. That’s why we’re doing something different.

We can’t do this alone. Vote this November however you feel best looks out for yourself and your neighbors. Either way, I will see you at your doorstep in the coming months and will continue to serve you in whatever capacity I am able.