ELECTION 2024 candidate column: Madigan Ray, Sandoval County Commission District 4

The most important marker of a politician isn’t all the things they say to get your vote. It’s how they vote. As a candidate for Sandoval County Commission District 4 who believes in transparency, I’m sharing how I voted on the county issues you’ll see on your ballot. I voted yes on all four of the general obligation bonds. For an increase of about $11 in your taxes, we can improve our libraries, build a new animal shelter, fund county fire department projects and upgrade our county roads and facilities.

After speaking with hundreds of voters over the last year, I know the top two issues folks care most about are public safety and roads. They’re important to you, they’re important to me. I expect those two bonds to pass handily without any convincing. But I am concerned about the other two.

When all of the county libraries initially submitted their requests, the total came in at $12.5 million, which was subsequently slashed down to $3.1 million. Efforts were made to secure alternative funding for some of the requests, but many of the libraries, including ours here in Rio Rancho, were forced to forgo some of their most essential items. Our librarians are an incredible, dedicated group of people who have chosen this career, not because it’s wildly lucrative, but because they genuinely care about providing a safe, comfortable space for everyone in our county to gather and learn. It was genuinely heartbreaking to sit in on the meetings where they had to watch their funding requests get cut. You can support them by voting yes on the GO Bond and by making sure your elected officials know to make library funding a priority in the future.

The last GO Bond is regarding the construction of a new animal shelter. My family includes two rescue dogs, Harley and Loki, and I am an avid believer in the idea of “adopt, don’t shop.” Our current county animal shelter is entirely insufficient for the amount of animals the amazing staff and volunteers care for on a daily basis. The new shelter will have a far greater capacity and much better facilities to keep the animals safe and healthy. If you have space in your home for a permanent addition to your family or even to temporarily foster some animals, get in touch with Sandoval County Animal Services. And if that’s not possible, please join me in voting yes on the GO Bond so these animals have a quality place to wait for their forever homes.

Local elections matter. It’s up to you to decide how your tax dollars are spent and who you trust to spend them. If you vote for me, I will make sure the commission continues to fund the things that benefit everyone who calls Sandoval County home. But even if you don’t, please vote yes on all four general obligation bonds.