Freddie Lopez, Author at Piñon Post

Audrey Trujillo is a true hero for New Mexico

After the 2020 Presidential Election, many Americans across the country felt that their vote didn’t count. Many voters believe that the election was stolen and the confidence in our electoral process was no longer there. Why is that? We have seen election rules meant to secure the electoral process loosened prior to an election, expanded usage of unsecured ballot drop boxes that have the potential to be ripe with fraud, unsolicited mail-in absentee ballots sent across the state in mass, weaponization of the voter laws and rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, voter rolls that haven’t been updated, and voting machines used to count ballots being compromised.

With all these irregularities, it’s no wonder why people believe we have predetermined selections, not fair elections. In New Mexico, the incumbent Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is the one who administers and oversees the electoral process. Under her tenure, election integrity has been eroding away in the state of New Mexico. Maggie Toulouse Oliver claims that she has been upholding election integrity, but her actions show otherwise. For example, this year the state legislature failed to pass SB 144, an omnibus election bill. SB 144 started off as a page and a half. Once she finished adding to it, SB 144 was now over 160 pages long. This bill undermined our current election laws, and would open the door to potential fraud. She repeatedly referred to this legislation as “My bill”.

Fortunately, when it went to the Senate, the Republicans were able to successfully kill the bill using the filibuster. On July 22nd, 2021, she held a hearing and implemented rules stripping mail-in ballot verification protections. This opened the door to potential fraud without consideration from the state legislature. These rules have had the same effect as if they were law, passed by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor. You have the inalienable right to vote, but you also have the right to know if your vote is being counted and the results will be fair.

Election integrity and voting rights are not supposed to be apolitical, but Maggie Toulouse Oliver has taken advantage of these very important issues for political gain. But there is hope for the future as Maggie Toulouse Oliver has opposition in November from a 15generational Hispanic woman who has been fighting for your constitutional rights for a very long time. That woman is Audrey Trujillo. Born and raised in New Mexico, Audrey Trujillo is a woman of integrity and honesty.

She has always been a mover and a shaker; from a young age, she was always at the forefront of any decisions that needed to be made. When politicians tried to take away your constitutional rights in Santa Fe, Audrey was there fighting for you. As your next Secretary of State, Audrey will bring back election integrity and transparency to New Mexico’s elections. She will clean up the voter rolls, implement measures to secure our elections, give each county clerk the tools necessary to protect their voter precincts from fraud, advocate for voter ID, and push for changes in the rules to limit absentee voting to only disabled, elderly, military and voters who are temporarily out of the state on business.

Our votes are sacred and need to be held to the highest standards. Under the administration of Audrey Trujillo, Every legal vote will be counted and every secure measure will be put in place to protect voter rights and integrity of the process. She is the right person for the job as Maggie Toulouse Oliver has tried to discredit her with false allegations. Recently, a slanderous hit piece from the Albuquerque Journal insinuated that Audrey Trujillo is a racist and anti-Semitic. Maggie Toulouse Oliver cited the article in a fundraising email.

Audrey is a 15 generational Hispanic woman born and raised in New Mexico with Jewish ancestry. Calling her a racist is abhorrent and ignorant. I’m a Black Puerto Rican American born and raised in New Mexico. I know Audrey and she’s not racist or anti-Semitic whatsoever. For Maggie Toulouse Oliver to use these lies defaming her character for campaign contributions is disgusting and despicable. Maggie Toulouse Oliver knows she’s not going to win and is playing dirty politics to derail Audrey’s grassroots campaign. Audrey is a True Hero for New Mexico and she will bring back honesty and integrity back to the office of the Secretary of State.

A vote for her is not only a vote for election integrity but for New Mexico’s future. The position of Secretary of State is the most important government position because it concerns our elections which are paramount to a free republic. Without the right to vote in free and fair elections, we have no country. In Audrey’s own words, “The citizens of New Mexico deserve free, fair, honest elections and that starts with a Secretary of State who believes in one vote per registered eligible voter.” If you believe in New Mexico, vote for a True Hero, and Audrey is that True Hero.

Freddie Lopez is a patriotic American living in Santa Fe, New Mexico He is also the campaign manager for Audrey Trujillo. You can follow him on Twitter @freddiearlopez.

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.

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Even if you hate Alexis’ guts, rank her as 2nd choice anyway on Election Day

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.