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In a mailer sent out last week, City Councilor Don Harris attacks challenger David Barbour for being an atheist and political radical, recently moved here from San Francisco, who attends protests “even in foreign countries.”
According to his Web site, Barbour is a retired software engineer and Vietnam vet born in Pueblo, Colo. And the picture on his site? It’s not of a bearded guy wearing a beret.
The photo David Barbour uses on his Web site
Harris, one of the conservative members on the Council, sent the mailer saying “[Barbour] is a donor to Atheist organizations and speaker at Atheist events…” in what appears to be an attempt to rally conservatives in District 9.
But lefties don’t seem to be falling all over themselves to support Barbour anyway. After interviewing both candidates, Albuquerque’s alternative weekly paper, the Alibi, endorsed Harris, writing:
In his interview, challenger David Barbour offered a dearth of specifics when it came to his plans to improve this district. He says public transportation should be improved and buses should run later. But he opposes the quarter-cent tax that would provide at least some funding to make that a reality. (Harris supports the tax.) …Barbour’s goals are admirable. He wants a city that uses less water, relies more on quality public transit and builds greener buildings. He just doesn’t provide an adequate road map for how to get there.
That’s not to say it was an all-out love-fest. Alibi has some significant disagreements with Harris:
He says he doesn’t believe in penalizing people who use far more water during the summer than in the winter (as it stands, people are charged extra when their water usage exceeds their winter average). He also doesn’t think it’s a good idea to try to change the culture of huge lawns in Albuquerque. He’s against green building codes, which would require more eco-friendly structures. He wants to lower impact fees for new construction, which could make it harder for the city to build infrastructure since it’s partly paid for by those fees.
You can read the endorsement, as well as Barbour’s answers to the paper’s candidate questionnaire, at Alibi.com.
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