The newly elected Albuquerque City Council, which now skews to the right, with moderate Democrat Louie Sanchez holding the keys to the kingdom, has made sweeping reforms of the city to the ire of far-left Democrat Mayor Tim Keller.
On Monday night, the City Council voted to nix the City’s plastic bag ban, which has already increased costs for grocery stores and consumers. It now heads to Keller’s desk for a likely veto.
“With spring winds kicking up, no one wants to see plastic bags hanging from trees and blowing down our streets again. The plastic bag ban is one important step to reducing litter, and Council should have waited for the results of the impact study they commissioned instead of taking this premature vote tonight,” said Keller in a statement.
The City Council also voted 5-4 to restrict the mayor’s command during an infectious disease outbreak that “presents a threat (to residents’) health or safety.”
The change only allows Keller “advisories and recommendations” regarding another crisis.
But the Mayor’s chief operating officer Lawrence Rael claimed, “There were some specific … situations that occurred in different areas of the city where we had to move quickly,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Council also voted 8-1 to pass a measure that calls for renegotiating the DOJ settlement agreement. The proposal encourages a new agreement that sets an end date and caps spending.
After these reforms, Councilor Dan Lewis said, “This is clearly a major shift to a more common-sense, conservative approach to leading our city in the right direction.” He added, “Our conservative leadership and Republican strength on Council will mean great things for the future. Government must have checks and balances, accountability and be fiscally responsible. These are the values that conservatives on the Council are promoting, and, because of this, we are taking the right actions and making the right decisions that will mean better things for the great citizens of Albuquerque.”
So…a $.10 per bag charge on groceries so you don’t have them rolling around your trunk, in a poor land locked city, in one of the poorest land locked state, to “save” the sea turtles…lovely demonrat logic. My only question was “where did the money go?” There was no open, transparent government to any of this.
So well said. I couldn’t agree more. “No bags in trees” but violent crime out of control, education at 50th nationally, and the list goes on……
I don’t totally disagree with on this, but I do have to ask if you held our previous governor to the same standards on crime and education? We were at those same rankings for the last several governors . Maybe we should stop worrying about which side is in power and work together to actually do something to help these glaring issues
If the liberal mayor has the power to veto the conservative agenda, it’s all for naught, as is status quo for Albuquerque and NM.
Unless people like keller are somehow removed, nothing will change.
Happy the city council members have a brain. Thank you for thinking of ABQ and not yourselves. As for ABQ democrap voters where is your brain?. Great job being dumb enough to vote for moron Keller again. ABQ democrap voters you must love crime, permanently shut down businesses, broken windows, and homelessness people everywhere. You must be even prouder of one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Once again great job democraps!
Darn that council — making pretty boy Keller pout!! All he wants is to send out the patrols to wrangle all those unruly plastic bags whilst the riff-raff and thugs destroy the city..
Thank God for the new members of the City Council that have the citizens best interest at heart. Thank You!!!!!! Keller cares more for the Illegals, criminals, and drug dealers than he does the hard working citizens. He must be getting paid off.
Thank God for the new members of the City Council that have the citizens best interest at heart. Thank You!!!!!! Keller cares more for the Illegals, criminals, and drug dealers than he does the hard working citizens. He must be getting paid off.
Maybe the dog poop will be picked up now.