When it comes to politics in New Mexico, Santa Fe is considered a Democratic stronghold. With 71% of the county voting overwhelmingly Democratic and only 22.3% voting Republican in the last election, one would find it hard to believe that a conservative would even have a chance at winning the capital city’s top job as mayor. However, the actions of the incumbent mayor Alan Webber can change that.
Webber has been widely criticized by Santa Fe’s majority Hispanic population and some of his former supporters for his refusal to protect the Soldiers Monument which was destroyed by violent thugs in 2020. To make matters worse, his Santa Fe Police Department was told to stand down. He also partnered with out-of-town organizations to rip down culturally
significant Hispanic and Catholic artifacts through a Marxist “Culture, History, Art, Reconciliation” commission or the CHART committee.
Webber argues that the monument’s destruction prevented wider unrest in Santa Fe despite multiple Hispanic cultural artifacts and monuments having been vandalized by domestic terrorists targeting Catholics and Hispanics such as the Cross of the Martyrs and the Kit Carson monument.
Not only that, crime has skyrocketed and homelessness is getting worse.
It’s safe to say, in my opinion, that the mayor is not very popular in his own city and will more than likely lose reelection on November 2nd. Although the mayor has opposition from sitting councilwoman JoAnne Vigil Cobbler, she seems to be no different from the sitting mayor as she voted for the Marxist CHART committee.
So who is the one that can make Santa Fe a beautiful place again? Who is the one who preserves Santa Fe’s unique and beautiful culture? Who is the one who can save Santa Fe from becoming the next Portland or San Francisco?
That person is Alexis Martinez Johnson.
Alexis is a mom, wife, and environmental engineer who understands Santa Fe is in desperate need of change. When she ran for Congress in 2020, despite only receiving 11% of the pre-primary delegate vote for the Republican nomination, she received 36.7% of the 44,795 votes cast in the primary election as the winner.
Although Alexis lost in the general election, she gained 41% of the 317,448 votes cast — a record number for a Republican in District 3’s history — as she crossed party lines. She is the only centrist candidate in the mayoral race.
Her career experience includes working as an environmental engineer & consultant in areas such as hydrogeological investigations, wastewater management, water conservation, and environmental site assessments.
She is someone who is steadfast in getting results and representing all voices no matter what political affiliation.
As mayor, she will never shut down small businesses and she will never let violent extremists destroy monuments that are important to the community. She will focus on stopping Santa Fe’s rising crime rate, preserve Santa Fe’s culture, and focus on homelessness without Santa Fe becoming a safe haven like liberal cities.
City Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler and Webber, both running for the mayorship, claim they will focus on all these issues despite doing nothing while they were in office. They’re two sides of the same coin.
While Webber would let Santa Fe quickly become his hometown of Portland, Vigil Coppler would let Santa Fe go in the same direction, but slower.
Alexis is the only candidate who will make Santa Fe that sparkling place again. She will represent all voices in Santa Fe and not just play politics for personal gain.
On November 2nd, rank her as 1st or 2nd choice when you go to the polling place. Even if you hate Alexis’ guts, rank her as 2nd choice anyway. Elect Alexis and save Santa Fe!
Freddie Lopez is an American independent journalist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is the founder & editor-in-chief of Shining Light Press. You can visit his website at shininglightpress.blogspot.com.
Opinions expressed by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.