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Gov’t experience an issue in Coss-Trujillo race
David Coss, left, and Carl Trujillo (Courtesy photos)
David Coss views the dual roles of mayor and representative as complementary. Carl Trujillo says people have complained to him about Coss trying to do two jobs, and one political science professor says it would be ‘fundamentally problematic.’
To learn more about the candidates’ positions on jobs and education and view a list of endorsements, click here.
David Coss points to his government experience as one reason why he could best represent House District 46; it is such experience that his opponent, Carl Trujillo, considers unnecessary.
Both Democratic primary candidates Coss and Trujillo grew up in Northern New Mexico, graduated from public high schools and raised their children here. Trujillo, 45, has four sons; Coss, 57, has three grown children.
That’s where the similarities between the two candidates diverge.
Trujillo, who lives in a house he built in Nambé Valley, has coached sports teams, led cub scouts, and serves on the board of the Santa Fe Humane Society. As a homebuilder and technologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Trujillo said he has worked in material science for 27 years and has analytical experience. As a small, local business owner at one time, he has business sense.
He came close to beating House Speaker Ben Luján in the 2010 election for this district and believes he will be motivated to work harder as an outsider to government.
“I am a citizen,” Trujillo said. “The state Constitution states that the Legislature should be a citizen legislature, a person who is part of a community, who works within the community and cares. I feel I fit that.”
Coss attends school graduations and local basketball games, rides his bike throughout the city, and was a 15-year-old page for the New Mexico Legislature. He became a Santa Fe city councilor in 2002 and has served as mayor since 2006. Prior to holding elected office, Coss worked as a surface water scientist for the state, a union leader and the city’s director of public works.
Coss shrugs off any suggestion that the two full-time jobs as state legislator and Santa Fe’s mayor could be challenging for one person. Instead, he points to his experience collaborating with a regional focus and creating respectful relationships.
He’s developed strong ties to area pueblos, partly due to his outreach to Tesuque Pueblo government over the construction of Santa Fe’s convention center on land that included artifacts from pueblo ancestors. As an example of his ability to collaborate, Coss cites his work creating the Buckman Direct Diversion Board, a city-county board that oversees a water-diversion project for the Santa Fe region.
“I’ve been a leader in making the city more integrated with the region,” he said.
This will be the first time someone new has held the House seat since Luján was elected in 1975. The speaker announced this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election because he has advanced-stage lung cancer.
Would dual roles be complementary or problematic?
Coss said he views the dual roles of mayor and representative as complementary. If the Legislature considers the issue of gross receipts taxes and the amount local governments have to contribute, Coss knows the issue well since he is intimate with Santa Fe’s city budget and understands the effects of state decisions.
The jobs might complement each other, but if there’s a conflict, there is an issue of ethical representation, said UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson. Atkeson is the director of Center for the Study of Voting, Elections and Democracy.
“How do you balance the needs of the state over the needs of your city and your residents?” Atkeson questioned. “I don’t see how you can balance that. I think it overwhelms any complementary perspective.”
Atkeson isn’t sure how voters will perceive Coss’ interest in being a legislator and mayor, and it may be a bigger issue for people outside of House District 46.
“What if I use my mayoral office to benefit my district, leveraging one branch of government to benefit my self-interest in another political arena?” Atkeson asked. “You might look at it as a plus, but it’s not fair to other constituents that don’t have that power. It’s fundamentally problematic because your institutional powers are crossing different branches of government.”
Trujillo said people have complained to him about Coss trying to do two jobs, and about the way politics is conducted in New Mexico. Trujillo calls himself a lifelong Democrat who stands for Democratic values – supporting education, working families, the environment, veterans and health-insurance benefits. Yet he also seems to want to distance himself from those in power, referring to “a Democratic machine” and “an outdated, unresponsive political system.”
The issues
To make politics more accessible in New Mexico, Trujillo is making ethics reform and transparency a part of his campaign. His one specific proposal is to create and maintain a website that provides information and a chance to give feedback about issues that concern people.
In his campaign, Coss’ focuses include education, jobs and supporting veterans and Los Alamos National Laboratory. He said if Santa Fe can put programs in place to help workers, provide more affordable housing and encourage green jobs, so can the state.
Coss plans to continue his support of working people by linking the state’s minimum wage to the federal cost-of-living index. Santa Fe’s living wage law has received mostly favorable reviews, but companies have complained that the $10.29-an-hour requirement hurts their business. Coss knows it will take time and the support of others to pass a state law.
“I didn’t convince anyone,” he said of Santa Fe’s living wage law. “The workers convinced their city councilors.”
Trujillo said he consciously avoids listing specific initiatives he wants to work on in the Legislature because his campaign is about listening, not his own political agenda. This is the reason, he said, he won’t debate Coss.
“It shouldn’t matter what I think,” Trujillo said. “It should matter what they think. I need to listen to my constituents, and I need to know what the majority believe is the right idea.”
Atkeson: Name recognition will decide race
In the end, the primary election on June 5 will be about whose name is recognized the most, Atkeson said.
“If he gets elected in the primary, he’ll be elected in the general because of the Democratic history in that district,” Atkeson said.
There’s no Republican in the race, but an independent or minor-party candidate could file in late June to appear on the November ballot.
Deborah Busemeyer is a freelance writer living in Santa Fe. Previously she was the communications director at the New Mexico Department of Health. She can be reached at dbusemeyer@gmail.com.
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A vote for Valerie Espinoza is a vote for integrity accountability and dedication.
Any word on the whistleblower case against former buffoon Secretary of State Mary Herrera and her goons?
Hear, hear…junity….well said.
Besides, the quality of that Youtube video of Ben Ray making the endorsement looked like they were all in a Carnival House of Mirrors. The funny thing was, many democratic blogs and even Coss’ campaign were trotting out that video like they were truly proud of how everyone appeared short and wide.
Looks like it’s been pulled off the net now. Hmmm…I wonder why?
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS391US391&q=David+Coss%3b+Ben+Ray+Lujan%3b+District+46
Why in the world would Congressman Ben Ray Lujan say in his you tube video that “the blood running through his veins is the same blood running through Mayor Coss’s veins.” Who is he trying sell Coss as? It is a shame that he believes we are that stupid. Now Ben Ray is calling voters personally to support Coss, all while we pay him a $175,000 salary for Congress, what a wonderful use of taxpayer money.
“…to accomodate himself and the Pueblo of Pojoaque with the assistance of Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza.”
Valerie, please, I know you’re reading this because you are a true political junkie. Listen closely, you do not have the quals for PRC. It’s OK to join the rest of us common folk who don’t have a fancy title before our name…really. Life is pretty good with out needing the validation from the voters that “you like me, you really like me.” You can have a great life as a non-elected official…just try it.
It’s very sad that Speaker Lujan is being classless even to the end. He is closer to death than life and has not made peace with the fact that it is time for someone new and fresh like Carl Trujillo to take over and move the constituents of District 46 forward. I admit at one point that Ben did a lot of good for his community, however, in the last few years he got self serving and concerned himself with making his unqualified son a U.S. Representative at the cost of doing whatever former corrupt Governor Richardson asked of him, burning the poor people of La Puebla/Arroyo Seco out of a badly needed interchange to accomidate himself and the Pueblo of Pojoaque with the assistance of Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza. It is a fact that he and his family are intent on trying to make sure that David Coss wins just to spite Mr. Trujillo. Heck, one of his brothers displaying Coss signs by the road in Nambe has always been a staunch Republican supporter, right Ernesto. Come election time though, the Voters of District 46 will make the right choice and vote for one of their own, Mr. Trujillo. Ben Ray, who are you to say Mr. Trujillo lacks experience when after all the voters of Congressional District 3 sent a former Blackjack dealer to represent them. Maybe in a couple of years we can encourage Carl to run for U.S. Representative, now wouldn’t that be something.
You can’t trust “Career Politicians.” David Coss is greedy and should of NEVER committed to Ben Lujan in running for his position. Shame on Ben Ray to endorse this man. Ben Ray should of stayed out of this race. Now he comes across as greedy as his father! Don’t you guys ever get enough? The people want a new generation of people and ideas. GREED is so disgusting! It’s not about their salaries but what they get under the table for favors.
Common Sense (yeah I know, what a foolish idea) says you can’t do both and probably shouldn’t be able to. At the very least Coss should commit toresign the mayoral job if elected. Sure its New Mexico,and Santa Fe to boot but its a conflict to do both, plain and simple.
EW-aif, the Mayor’s salary is $29,450. And in 2010, Coss raised over $170,000 for his campaign, outspending his opponent by over $100,000. Does that sound like a nothing job to you? The problem is that being mayor is a political job, it is not a business or anything like that. Thus holding two political jobs with widely different constituent priorities and conflict is a conflict of interest. Do you think anyone could serve as a mayor and county commissioner, or as a mayor and city councilor at the same time and not have conflicts of interest and thus loyalty? Especially when one paid so much more than the other and where much more money is raised for campaigns, thus different special interests buying the politician?
Yes, Heath, thank you for highlighting this race (despite the fact that it’s outside of the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County metopolitan area).
I completely agree with Ramirez’ observations on the Ben Lujan/David Coss connection. Ben’s district was totally gerrymandered in order to allow Coss toTRY to succeed him. Why? All because Ben doesn’t want the “upstart” Trujillo to succeed him. Let it go, Mr. Speaker.
Carl’s gonna win.
How much does the mayor get paid? Down here in Otero county, the Alamogordo city council members get paid some insignificant amount, like $100 a month. Legislators do slightly better, as they get a per diem during the session and also for attending interim committee meetings, and reimbursement for traveling on legislative business. Being a mayor is not much different from owning a business in terms of time commitment. Does a legislator have to be retired to serve?
Every representative is expected to put his district first, and to try to get funds for projects that are of local benefit. That’s not conflict of interest.
I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but I think the objections to Coss as a representative on the grounds stated are a bit frivolous.
Heath -
Kudos on bringing up this particular race. I have seriously found it problematic on several levels.
1. David Coss is a Career Politician
Nothing more than an opportunist. He has found a way to clamp down on more power than one person needs. At the rate we have dealt with corruption in this state, the idea of a sitting Mayor serving in the legislature stinks. I am concerned for the people of the Pojoaque Valley who will loose representation from their only state representative. Santa Fe already has several – they don’t need more.
2. A vendetta between Lujan and Trujillo Exists
Ben Lujans (I say this because Sr. and Jr. both apply to the argument) have a vendetta against Trujillo. This is evident to anyone who lives in “The Valley” because Lujan’s family is up-in-arms with signs in their properties. Congressman Ben has also endorsed Coss. As I mentioned in #1, Coss as State Representative will do nothing for Pojoaque but leave the valley without representation. The Lujans are foolish to do this to a constituency that has been loyal and faithful.
3. Coss is an Anchor of the Liberal Democratic Party
Ben Lujan Sr. could have been considered a liberal Democrat – but not nearly as liberal as Coss. There is a particular type of democrat that thrives in Northern New Mexico – one of the likes of Ben Lujan, Carlos Cisneros or Phil Griego. I use these examples because these guys have a track record of having a conservative site that serves the people of Northern New Mexico well… This is an important aspect of candidates to Democrats (and the few Republicans that live there). David Coss’ hardcore liberal background will not serve the people well.
As a resident of Santa Fe, I want a full time, dedicated mayor with both feet firmly planted at City Hall…not one foot planted at City Hall and the other at the Roundhouse. With all the problems our city is facing, we don’t need a distracted mayor and a Mayor pro-tem calling all the shots cuz our duly elected mayor is too busy at the Roundhouse.
Coss wanting his cake and eating it too is a clear conflict of interest and double-dipping on the taxpayers money. He is a typical professional party machine politician who has presided over one of the most dysfunctional, wasteful, anti-growth, and extreme left wing cities in America. He encourages left wing diversions of taxpayer time and money by the city, such as a recent long-winded session to pass a resolution that the US never attack Iran and other such frivolity and political extremism, while the city needs real work on actual problems there. He also allowed the Occupy group to waste city funds and services for months, and take control of city property to the exclusion of actual taxpayers. We need a person like Mr. Trujillo, he is young, honest, objective, focused on one job for his constituents, and not tainted by party machine politics of the old guard or beholden to special interests and split loyalty from a big city mayor’s job. It is beyond reason and comprehension that Coss would actually have the nerve to try and serve two masters of such diverse and conflicting priorities, but we know he will serve the master with the most money and special interests, the city very different.