I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
As the Albuquerque City Council wound up its late-night hearing last night about the proposed Downtown event center complex, Councilor Don Harris questioned how the public would be educated about the project.
The $700,000 viability assessment commissioned by the council has now been completed and, despite stated concerns about the economic downturn we’re in, the council doesn’t seem opposed to the project. At least that’s the impression I got from councilors who spoke up at the council meeting. It would be a big investment of public dollars that would spur new jobs and a revitalized Downtown. That’s the hope of proponents anyway.
Councilors heard presentations from independent analysts who had examined the various viability reports about the event center proposal. Noting that the council was hearing the presentations after 10 p.m. on a Monday night, with few people in the audience, Harris said the project might not get off the ground without a public education campaign.
“Someone is going to have to do an education campaign,” he said. “I’d like an idea if that is going to happen. If someone doesn’t do that, it’s going to be difficult to make it happen.”
This New Mexico Independent reporter was watching from home, and was glad to hear him say it. I’d been wondering throughout the presentation whether any of the councilors would address how the public was going to be educated about the details and given an opportunity to weigh-in before the almost $468 million dollar project was put to a vote.
Back in July, City Councilor Debbie O’Malley, a primary booster of the project, told the Independent there would be more public outreach planned (beyond the New Mexico First town hall that happened that month:
“We’re already asking ourselves how to create a meaningful discussion with the public,” she said. “The New Mexico First town hall will provide some insight, but obviously can’t be the only avenue given that it’s an all-day event during the work week.”
A big question now is how the council and Mayor Martin Chavez intend to synthesize all those big reports — which you can see on this “Duke City Boost(er)” Web site — and present them to the public in a meaningful way, such that the public can give some input about the details of the project, and so that when the idea is put to a vote the electorate has a real understanding of what they’re committing to.
