Opinion: It’s time to forget party lines and focus on helping New Mexicans

Submitted by Jay Block, Sandoval County Commission and candidate for NM Senate District 12

The people of New Mexico have suffered too long, due to failed policies that have delivered the worst education system, worst child well-being, and highest violent crime rate in the country. 

That should be enough. But we are also one of the country’s worst hotspots for the fentanyl addiction crisis that has already destroyed too many families and ended too many lives.

There’s a lot to fix. It’s long past time Republicans and Democrats put partisanship aside and put the people first. That is what we have done in Sandoval County. That is why I am running for NM Senate District 12.

I grew up poor in Manchester, NH, with a mother that had drug and alcohol issues. I also had to overcome severe dyslexia. It was a tough childhood and I love my parents dearly to this day. Thankfully they turned their lives around. My Greatest Generation grandparents were the rock in my life. They might have been poor in material possessions, but they were not poor in wisdom or generosity of spirit. They taught me the importance of education, hard work, and never giving up. These experiences shaped me through my pursuit of higher education, as a career officer in the Air Force, volunteering to serve in Afghanistan, helping grow a business, and in my time as an elected official fighting for those with no voice.

My priorities are service, compassion, and solving problems. We did this together in Sandoval County these past eight year; reducing unemployment by one-third and making our county the safest in the state. Sandoval is now the fastest growing county in New Mexico. I am very proud that we attracted manufacturing to the county’s rural areas keeping families together. We helped make SRMC a Level III trauma center to ensure our citizens access care right here in our county. We should be deeply proud that our county is the safest in the state which allows our families to live in a safe environment. This is why I am proudly endorsed by the Rio Rancho Dispatch and Police Unions & ABQ Police Union.

I want to bring that successful Sandoval County model to Santa Fe. We have done it here. We can do it all over New Mexico. 

As your next State Senator, I will propose bills and solutions to eliminate all state taxes on social security and veteran pensions, eliminate the gross receipts tax, and develop a program for every New Mexican to receive oil and gas rebate checks annually, similar to Alaska. Big government is out of line by telling you what car to drive, where you can send your child to school, how to operate your business, etc. We need a government that serves the people, not a government that thinks the people should serve it. 

I have spoken to many of you, and here’s what I am hearing: New Mexicans are having a hard time making ends meet, while the government gets richer and its people get poorer. If we want to see New Mexico prosper, then we need big changes in our state legislature. My promise is to fight hard for policies that benefit you and your families, as we have successfully accomplished in Sandoval County.

Jay C. Block

County Commissioner, District 2

Lt Col, USAF (ret)

Blockforsenate.com