Javier Perea Run for Mayor Again
- Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea was start appointed to the seat in 2012 at historic period 24
- Arlean Murillo is a community advocate and onetime student regent for Western New Mexico University
- Both candidates hold that booming development will need addressing moving forward
LAS CRUCES – Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea, who's held the role for seven years, is facing a challenge in his reelection bid from community advocate Arlean Murillo, a former student regent for Western New Mexico University.
The mayor'south race is i of several seats on the ballot in this 17,600-person city. Ballot Day is Nov. five, merely early voting is already underway.
Perea grabbed headlines in 2012 when he was first appointed every bit mayor. At the time, Sunland Park was in the centre of high-profile turmoil that led to the arrests of several urban center officials and staff. Perea, then 24, was a New Mexico State University business organisation graduate working as a diamond salesman when he made an audacious proposal to the city council: Appoint him — a hometown kid, but also a political newcomer — to the seat. He pledged increased transparency and stability for a city regime that bounced from ane controversy to the next.
His pitch struck the right chord with the city councilors. And, after an Open Meetings Act misstep past the city council that led to Perea having to be appointed to the seat twice, he was sworn into office Aug. i, 2012.
Perea won election to the seat in March 2016, chirapsia one other contender. He'southward said he'south seeking reelection because he's helped the city make strides during his tenure, including turning effectually the city'southward finances, and has a number of projects — such as pursuing an international port of entry existence built in the urban center — he'd like to continue working on.
"There are nevertheless a few projects I want to see come to fruition, and one of those is the port of entry," said Perea, speaking by phone recently from Mexico, where he was promoting that very projection.
An El Paso native, Murillo, 34, has called Sunland Park home for about five years. Her family lived in Silvery City virtually 11 years before moving to Sunland Park because of her husband's task in the Border Patrol. She is a school volleyball and soccer jitney and, in December, volition earn a bachelor's degree from WNMU in early childhood education. She already holds an associate'southward degree from the same university.
Why did she decide to run?
"I see a need in the community," she said. "I see a disconnect between the urban center and the people. I'grand looking to unite the community and the city and the urban center and the state."
Murillo served a two-yr stint equally student regent at WNMU, her term ending early this yr. She's also involved in customs advocacy efforts; for example, early this twelvemonth during a lengthy federal regime shutdown, she helped host a food drive for families affected by information technology. A female parent of three — ranging in age from 7 to 17 — Murillo said she often looks for means to help students and kids. She said she sees a growing city in need of stronger relationships with residents and public services to keep upwardly with new need.
Coalitions formed
Both Perea and Murillo are running aslope other candidates seeking election to Districts iv, 5, and 6 urban center quango seats — breezy coalitions that accept get customary in Sunland Park elections. Perea is supported by Alberto Jaramillo-Gonzalez in the District 4 City Council race, incumbent City Councilor Olga Nuñez in the District 5 race, and incumbent Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Donald McBride in the Commune 6 race.
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Backing Murillo are Stephanie Robles, a nurse, in the Commune iv City Council race; Maria Burciaga, a fellow member of the Empowerment Congress of Doña Ana County, in the Commune 5 Metropolis Council race; and Joseph I. Muñoz, an teacher at Doña Ana Community Higher, in the District six City Council race.
A financial turnaround
Looking back, Perea said, while he did await to enter politics at some indicate, he didn't expect it to happen in his early 20s. Only it's a job he's fully embraced.
"I call up it'southward important to realize that certain opportunities do present themselves," he said. "I know it was during a difficult time for the metropolis, and my but interest was to help fix the city, put information technology in a much better place. I never pictured myself in this part, at this fourth dimension, at this stage of my life."
The metropolis's finances were in disarray at the fourth dimension of Perea's 2012 appointment. Problems included that past officials hadn't filed required financial audits. The state had seized command of the city's finances, placing a state official over them.
More:Julia Chocolate-brown appointed Sunland Park urban center manager
Perea said 1 of his biggest accomplishments was helping the city go back on runway financially. The missing audits were filed, and clean audits have been reported since. Sunland Park in 2017 gained recognition from the state for its drastic improvement.
"Had we not made some major changes in how we operate our finances, I think nosotros would take gone down a road of potential bankruptcy for the city," he said.
Perea likewise touted an improved fleet — information technology was able to replace loftier-mileage public safety and public works vehicles the past few years — a new vehicle maintenance facility and much speedier customer service in the city-run Motor Vehicle Sectionalization office equally other significant achievements under his tenure. The city besides has adopted its first comprehensive, long-term primary plan.
Murillo pledges transparency
Murillo has some feel with property a public role from serving equally WNMU student regent. She said she believes relationship-building with other regents was a forcefulness.
"We had a very united board," she said. "We voted for whatever we thought was best for the students."
Indeed, Murillo said she believes maintaining potent relationships with other entities, such equally the school commune and state government and local business organisation, is something she'd focus on if elected mayor. As well, she'd promote more than transparency with city operations. She said she'd also want to hold periodic listening sessions with residents.
"Me personally, I do want an open-door policy," she said.
In early February, Murillo attended President Donald Trump'due south State of the Union accost as a guest of Rep. Xochitl Torres Small-scale, D-N.M. The congresswoman met Murillo during the food drive Murillo helped to host for federal employees.
Related:Santa Teresa volunteer is Torres Minor'due south guest for State of the Union address
On edge issues
Located in the southernmost role of Doña Ana County, Sunland Park's southern purlieus is a portion of the U.Due south.-United mexican states border. This year, an influx of aviary-seeking migrants crossing the border in Sunland Park generated national headlines at times, every bit debate roils surrounding the U.S. approach to immigration and border issues. A privately funded border wall was congenital on a segment of private land within the city's jurisdiction, sparking outrage and adulation from people on different sides of the border contend. The project gained initial permits from Sunland Park staff.
But Perea maintains the applicants "purposely misled urban center staff every bit to what they were doing in that location" and were lacking certain permits for the project. When the federal government first built its segment of border wall through the city a number of years ago, it "followed all protocols," which didn't happen with the privately built wall, he said.
"Our responsibility is to ensure adherence to local ordinances and local laws," he said.
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Murillo said she was concerned because she didn't think there was plenty communication from the city nearly the privately built segment of wall.
"Still to this day, I don't know what happened," she said.
In regard to the wall curbing clearing, Perea said it's "not going to exercise much." He said it's a short-term fix to a larger issue that will crave reform at the federal level.
Murillo said the city should be in communication with federal agencies about immigration and the border, merely information technology has a express function itself in the thing.
"There's nothing I tin do, other than being the vocalization of the urban center," she said.
On growth
Both candidates hold that booming development in the metropolis will be a topic in demand of addressing moving forrad.
Murillo said growth and development within the metropolis are something that demand to happen, simply it's important for the city to keep footstep with the level of services and infrastructure. At present, she said, the city is growing and so fast that information technology creates confusion over jurisdictions for city, canton and country law in some neighborhoods. The urban center also needs more than businesses, particularly a chemist's shop and urgent intendance.
"We have the capacity to develop infrastructure," she said. "I want to bring economic development and more than opportunities."
Related:Stampede Meat opens Sunland Park plant with 300 reporting to work on Monday
Perea said he thinks the metropolis has done a "pretty good job" keeping pace with new evolution during this booming growth, simply he said it does pose challenges. At issue is that older segments of boondocks were neglected for too long, and are in need of infrastructure upgrades. That goes for spending, too.
"It'south an intricate balance, and nosotros're working hard to catch upwardly on many years of neglect," he said.
For years, even earlier Perea's tenure, the city has been attempting to constitute a non-commercial port of entry on the international edge in Sunland Park. The complex process requires cooperation amidst various levels of authorities on both sides of the border. Perea said he's connected work on the project and, if all goes well, an awarding for the projection could be submitted past December to the federal government.
In addition, Perea wants to plant an economical development corridor to promote concern and improve infrastructure. A port of entry would play into that and generate new revenue for the metropolis.
Touting their strengths
The city has seen much more stable operations under Perea's leadership than in the years leading up to his date. Asked why he thinks that is, Perea said he thinks his at-home demeanor and methodical approach accept been assets.
"I don't necessarily react on impulse," he said.
Perea said it's taken work to rebuild the metropolis'south image subsequently the turmoil of 2012, merely he and other officials accept been taking the message across the city limits that municipal government has turned a new page.
"I've been very grateful to the people of Sunland Park for the opportunity to work in this position," he said.
More:Bob Gallagher, fired every bit Sunland Park urban center managing director, says settlement exonerates him
Murillo, a resident of the city'southward District vi, said that in improver to human relationship-edifice, she believes her determination and roll-upward-her-sleeves attitude will go a long way to helping the city make strides. She's often heard that "y'all're thinking also big," when she proposes different ideas. But she'southward non daunted past that.
"Don't they say: 'Where there's a volition, there's a fashion?'" she said.
Even if she doesn't win the mayor'south seat, Murillo said she's still going to be involved in advocacy for the city and schools. And her name will appear on a election again.
"I'm non stopping," she said. "Practise I see myself in public office? Yes, I do."
Residents registered to vote in the Sunland Park city limits are eligible to cast a ballot in the race. The city of Sunland Park is simply one of the local governments that volition have races on the election election solar day. Las Cruces residents as well will exist going to the polls to elect a mayor, three city council seats and a municipal judge.
Regardless of the metropolis in which they alive, residents may cast their ballot at any of 40 polling locations countywide on Election Day. Early voting is underway at several sites in the canton through the terminal Saturday earlier the ballot.
Diana Alba Soular is a former Sun-News reporter and freelance writer based in Las Cruces. She may exist reached at diana@dazzle.cyberspace.
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Source: https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/10/20/sunland-park-mayor-javier-perea-faces-challenger-arlean-murillo-nov-5-election/4042135002/