Mayor Boss faces Sanchez in reelection bid

ALAMOGORDO — Mayor Richard Boss is facing candidate Paul Sanchez in the city's March 6 election for mayor.

Sanchez is the only candidate running against incumbent Boss.

Boss, who has served as Alamogordo's mayor for the last two years, moved with his family to Alamogordo in 1955 from Klamath Falls, Oregon. Boss graduated from Alamogordo High School in 1965, earned an associate degree from New Mexico State University – Alamogordo (NMSU-A) in 1972 and a bachelor's degree in business administration in accounting from New Mexico State University in 1974.

After graduating Boss went to work for Arthur Anderson, a Big 8 public accounting firm in Phoenix. Two years later, Boss moved to El Paso to work for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co., which was another Big 8 public accounting firm.

Boss then became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Texas and New Mexico, and for 25 years performed work auditing, income tax preparations, financial planning and bookkeeping. Boss has audited the city of Alamogordo, Alamogordo Public Schools, Tularosa Municipal Schools, 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the 12th Judicial District Court and the Lincoln County District Court.

"I've built houses as a New Mexico residential contractor, been controller of a small manufacturing company, worked as a paper boy, service station attendant, sporting goods clerk, a janitor, a photo lab operator at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range and an instructor at NMSU-A," Boss said. "I've lived in Alamogordo most of my life and I have never lived or visited any other place on this planet I'd rather live. My love of Alamogordo is the exact reason I'm running for a second term as mayor." 

Boss spoke about progress in the community over the last two years, including the placement of the F-16s from Hill Air Force Base to Holloman Air Force Base and the community's continued mission to ensure Alamogordo becomes a permanent home for the squadron. 

"I believe Alamogordo currently has the strongest relationship ever with our military," Boss said. "Our community has reached out to strengthen this relationship through MainGate United and the reorganization of our Chamber of Commerce."

Boss also highlighted the city's accomplishments since he took office, including constructing and finalizing plans for Basin Lanes and the 1 Million Gallon Desalination Plant, the restoration of Bonito Lake, improving and upgrading the Sgt. Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center and Alamogordo Family Recreation Center, realigning First Street and Florida Avenue, repairing the Alameda Park Zoo and the Spring Cans and Infrastructure in the canyons to the north and northeast of town.

More:Mayor Richard Boss talks city projects

More:Mayor Boss gives State of the City address

"These are just a few of the accomplishments we have seen in a relatively short period of time," Boss said. "Much more is on the horizon. I believe Alamogordo is going to spring into a period of quality growth. This growth will be somewhat fast and will require city staff, your mayor and your commissioners to work together. I believe that I have the experience, the desire and qualifications needed to continue moving Alamogordo forward into the future."

Paul Sanchez, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years as a master sergeant before retiring, is also running for the mayor's seat. Sanchez is well-known in the community for running the Those Who Show Up Decide Facebook page, where Sanchez writes about a myriad of issues in local government. 

"The reason I'm running comes down to a very simple concept," Sanchez said. "In the years that I've sat in that room and watched the commission operate and obviously spoken to them many, many times, it is the attitude of some commissioners and some city staff that they know better and don't really want to hear from the public at all, and they certainly don't respond to the public." 

He said Basin Lanes stands out as an example of where the City Commission was warned directly from the public that if they went with a design-build contract, they'd have to negotiate for a lot more money when the building was finished.

"Exactly as predicted, that's what happened and now our $6 million Family Fun Center costs $7.5 million," Sanchez said. "Had they listened to virtually everyone who spoke to them at that point, we'd have a $6 million center. Particularly because Jay Chun, the (management) guy we hired, was working with Rick Wilson back when that was happening. We had the opportunity to have Jay Chun for $6 million under the way Rick Wilson planned to finance it." 

The first platform Sanchez hopes to tackle if elected is revising the public comment section of City Commission meetings.

"My primary plank is public comment and the fact that Mayor Boss permits only three minutes and prohibits any commissioner or any staff member from responding in any way to anything that's said," Sanchez said. "For me, it's the intentional muting of the public that's causing many of the problems. I think if we were more inclusive of the public, I think we'd get a lot more ideas and ways to come to solutions on issues." 

Sanchez's second platform is infrastructure in terms of city streets.

"You drive up First Street, 10th Street, White Sands Boulevard or most of Florida Avenue and they're all pretty well paved and maintained," he said. "But you turn into any neighborhood area, perfect example would be 10th and (Hawaii Avenue), it's like you're four-wheeling through the potholes, patches and everything else."

Sanchez said while he agrees with the city's five-year plan to go neighborhood by neighborhood, fixing streets, he doesn't agree with Boss's statement in his State of the City Address that the city plans to do three years of the five-year plan in one year.

"That statement blew me away," he said. "The poster child for that is the First and Florida intersection, which was supposed to be done in November but it's still got a month or two to go on it. I understand projects take longer but if you can't fix an intersection in a year, how are we supposed to believe you're going to in three years of a major overhaul of a five year plan in one year. I just don't see it as feasible and I think a lot of infrastructure work needs to be done in our city." 

Sanchez plans to address more of his platforms and opinions on issues on the Paul Sanchez for Mayor Facebook Page. 

The municipal election for the Mayor's seat, Districts 2, 4 and 6 is March 6. Early voting starts Feb. 14 and will close at 5 p.m. on March 2. For more information on the municipal election, call the City Clerk's office at 439-4252.