Election 2004

Your friends at the Alibi love to vote. We love it so much, in fact, we're encouraging all of you eligible voters to get on board and feel the rush. Early voting has already begun and between now and election day you can walk into the County Clerk's office on the sixth floor of Civic Plaza (call 768-4085 for hours) or you can log onto www.bernco.gov to locate an early voting location near you. Or, you can go vote on Nov. 2 when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No matter when you choose to do it, though, it is your civic responsibility as an American to vote—don't make us send a car!

Our endorsements were based on interviews between our staff and the candidates. Our editorial contributors included Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Gwyneth Doland, Steven Robert Allen, Rudy Carrillo and Tim McGivern.

On behalf of Albuquerque voters, we endorsed candidates that offered an intelligent, hopeful vision for the future. As always, we were especially uninterested in cynicism and negativity and looked instead for candidates who'll proudly and honestly serve the public's interest.

There are, as usual in Bernalillo County, a number of competitive races for the New Mexico Legislature. As in past years, we did not endorse for these races, because we recognize the candidates walk door-to-door in your district and attend your neighborhood association meetings. We expect you would know your neighbor running for state representative or state senate better than we do.

We strongly urge you to vote “yes” on the “City of Albuquerque Charter Question” that will increase the salary of a City Councilor from one-tenth of the mayor's salary (or $9,300) to one/third of the mayor's salary (or $31,000). Councilors—the majority anyway—work long hours each week to serve their constituents and the pay increase is more than fair for what is expected in return.

Lastly, we strongly recommend you pick up a copy of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters 2004 election guide, available at community centers, senior centers, public libraries and many local retail outlets for a comprehensive look at the issues and candidates. Or get it online at www.lwvabc.org.