With early voting underway, voters are heading to the polls and casting their ballots, and New Mexicans will have their say on $40.5 million in bonds.
General obligation bonds are a significant source of funding for many projects in the area. The bonds are sold by investors, then presented to voters during election season. This year, Bernalillo County has six questions on the ballot to approve new bond packages. The bonds would divide funds into six separate categories: $2.5 million would go to libraries, $8.8 million to public safety facilities, $11.7 million to parks and recreation, $10.6 million to transportation, $5.1 million to storm drainage and utilities and $1.7 million to public housing.
These bonds will affect many Bernalillo residents, but some say they haven’t heard about them before.
“No, I didn’t know about the bonds,” Vicky Kirkham said. “But money for the city is always good.”
Kirkham, who has lived in New Mexico for 15 years, said more funding for public housing would go to good use.
“I’ve been homeless before. I’ve seen the state of the shelters around here and it — it’s awful how many people are on the streets here,” Kirkham said.
Kirkham said she thinks there needs to be more attention focused on the housing crisis and that more funding for public housing would help people like her who have struggled to make ends meet.
“It can happen to anyone; it happened to me. I lived on the streets, and I got lucky to find someone willing to help me out,” she said. “It’s impossible to survive on a minimum wage salary today.”
The proposed bonds would be a part of the county’s six-year plan for capital improvements, intended to bring new facilities to the county along with major reconstructions by 2030. However, not everyone is in support of the bonds.
“We never actually see that money being spent or it takes forever for the state to do something,” Juan Martinez said.
Martinez has lived in New Mexico for 45 years, but said he’s done voting on bonds.
“I voted against it. I don’t think it actually goes anywhere,” he said. “I’ve never seen any improvements that we actually need.”
Martinez said he believes the state’s problems come from the top down.
“You know New Mexico always gets the scraps, we always come last and it starts at the top, you know,” he said. “Whoever makes decisions in the White House affects the whole country, but it never comes to us. It never benefits us. So the money never gets here until someone remembers that we’re here and then we just get a little bit.”
General obligation bonds are typically on the ballot during every election. In 2020, voters decided on $40.35 million worth of bonds, with funding split between the same six categories.
Proponents of this year’s bonds assert that approval would create more jobs in the area and bring new facilities to locals including an early learning Pre-K facility, new community centers and affordable housing complexes for senior citizens.
At least one voter is very optimistic about these prospects.
“New Mexico needs more jobs. We need more resources,” Mariah Gutierrez said. “Why wouldn’t we want that?”
Gutierrez is a sophomore at the University of New Mexico and voting for the first time.
“I don’t know anything about the bond package, but if there’s money going back to the community and helping the community, then I’m going to vote yes for it,” Gutierrez said.
She has lived in New Mexico her whole life and says she’s seen the changes.
“I feel like over the years, there’s been a lot done here, like fixing stuff and bringing opportunities to the state, like we have Netflix here now and I don’t know if that was because of this, but it’s a step,” she said. “Having money like that come in and then the state can give back and make things better is awesome.”
Although the bonds received mixed reviews among voters, all those interviewed for this story had the same answer when asked why they hadn’t heard much about it.
“It’s just the politics of everything. There’s just too much going on,” Kirkham said.
She contends that most people are more focused on the national election.
“The media doesn’t really talk about local issues,” she said. “There’s … a lot to factor in.”
Martinez said that politics will determine the information that is spread.
“The politics behind it is something that a lot of people don’t know about, and people don’t see it,” Martinez said.
Gutierrez said that “people don’t pay attention to local politics,” but said she still believes it’s important.
“This is the stuff that affects us, and the big election is important too, but the stuff on the ballot that affects us is what we need to know too so we can vote and make the right choice,” she said.
Early voting ends Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 5.
