If you ask residents what their biggest local concern is, they would likely reply with the issue of growth management. More people are moving here as word of our great weather, wonderful food, friendly people, and low cost of living spread across the country. But as growth happens, how can we ensure that it affects our community positively?

A moratorium on growth is not a compelling option from either an economic standpoint or a philosophical one. A moratorium would hurt many working people who rely on construction, real-estate, or other related businesses for their livelihood. This would in turn hurt the economy as a whole. Second, it makes no logical sense for people to move in and then advocate that the highway be rolled up for future immigrants. If that were the case, people whose families have lived here for a long time could logically advocate that everyone who moved in after, say, 1970 should be forced to leave so that the County could go back to the way it was then.

So if we have to grow, how do we go about doing it right? The first part of the answer must be to define where we should and should not grow. There are many important pieces of land that almost everyone can agree should be protected. Mountain areas and environmentally critical regions by the river need to remain undeveloped to retain their beauty. Once these districts are defined, we need to figure out how to grow on the areas we think are appropriate for it. The process for figuring this out must have several characteristics. It must be open and fair; it must be civil; and all parties must come in willing to make some compromises.

The words “smart growth” have been used by everyone from developers to advocates for a moratorium. What should it mean? First, smarter growth means denser growth. Smaller tracts of land allow for more people to live more affordably in a smaller space, reducing sprawl. It also means developing up. Right now, Las Cruces has a limit on how high a building can go (the bank tower was built before this limit was imposed). This needs to change. Yes, it will impede some people’s view of the mountains. But the view will also be spoiled if the mountains are crawling with houses. If the choice is between spreading up and spreading out, the effects of the former are not nearly as large as the effects of the latter.

These two policies, growing denser and higher, increase the need for public infrastructure like wider roads, sewer systems, flood control levees, and bigger schools because more people would be operating in a smaller environment. At least part of the costs to build these necessities should be passed on to developers in the form of “impact fees,” which can help to build them in the areas surrounding new subdivisions. Additionally, some costs can be alleviated if infill development is encouraged in areas that already have infrastructure. Look at downtown Las Cruces and you will see many lots that stand empty. The same can be said for Doña Ana, San Miguel, Las Mesa, and other valley communities. Building in or near these areas, rather than on farmland or remote desert, keeps costs down and decreases sprawl.

Growing denser also helps maintain the historic nature of our community. When the Spanish first settled here, they built plazas where churches and shops were found. Located around the plazas were dense clusters of houses. Outside of this residential ring was open farm space. Mesilla remains an excellent example of these policies.

Furthermore, smart growth means cooperation amongst all entities involved in the future of our community. The City, County, and University are all currently working on a comprehensive growth plan because growth in the County directly affects city residents and vice-versa. School districts, farmers, developers, and neighborhood associations will also be directly involved in the process of developing it, for multiple points of view and buy-in from involved citizens are necessary for such a plan’s success. Our goal is to have a plan in place by the spring of 2008 at the latest, with community discussions to tart later this year.

Finally, once a plan is put into place, policymakers must have the courage to follow it consistently. Frequently allowing variances will not only lead to continued disorganized development, it will mean that the time and effort spent developing the plan was wasted.

Time should be taken to produce a quality plan. However, we policymakers should push to get it done as soon as possible, because pressure to develop is not going to stop. Getting this done will have the benefit of assisting the community to advance both in the near future and far down the road.

The recent passing of President Gerald Ford reminds many of a time when partisanship was not the all-encompassing force that it is today. He described an era when, as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, he could have intense discussions with his counterpart from across the aisle while maintaining a relationship when those discussions were over. This allowed them to work on the things that they did agree on to make progress for the American people.

Why is partisanship so damaging? As George Washington put it, it is harmful because of “the alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge.” Today, it is political strategy rather than pure revenge that drives most partisanship. The extremes of both parties gain from pushing issues that appeal to their bases, because that turns out those most likely to vote for them. Because partisan bickering disgusts many people in the middle, they are then less likely to vote which increases the power of the extremes even more.

Whether caused by revenge or strategy, partisanship is extremely damaging to the nation. It makes compromise and progress harder in the short run, and it weakens our democracy in the long run.

As we enter a new year, every one of us in government at all levels should redouble our efforts to work with those on the other side of the aisle and focus on things that can be solved rather than only targeting issues that accentuate the red-blue split in our nation. Examples can be found at the local, state, and national level.

Here in Doña Ana County, one of the topics that officials from all backgrounds and philosophies should be concerned with is the establishment of a growth plan that will allow development in a smart, organized manner. Every day there are stories about the constant housing construction and new retail centers moving in. This growth is good, and contributes to the economic health of our region. But it also strains our resources, threatens our beautiful environment, and is forcing us to re-examine our agricultural heritage. Local representatives will be dealing with this issue in detail during the upcoming year, but it is one where people from all walks of life must come together to form a solution.

At the state level, the establishment of a comprehensive health insurance program should be a priority. Without insurance many New Mexicans are terrified of visiting a doctor for their own problems or those of their family and business owners are having problems paying to insure their employees. The result is an ailing public and a health industry that must take care of problems in emergency rooms, after health problems that could have been prevented at an earlier stage have grown into critical (and critically expensive) problems. Last year, the Republican governor of Massachusetts worked with a state legislature that is 85% Democrats to create a program that insures all state residents. Their model may not work for New Mexico, but the lesson is clear: Partisanship was put aside to develop a plan that will work to solve the problem.

For the nation, the most pressing issue is one that both Democrats and Republicans have emphasized: the controlling of our national debt. In the Republicans’ 1994 “Contract with America” they promised to pass a balanced budget amendment. In his second term, President Clinton actually delivered a balanced budget several times. Now that the Democrats have recaptured control of the House and Senate, current party leaders are saying very similar things. However, the question remains: Can members of both parties follow up on their rhetoric and pass a responsible, fair tax policy while reigning in government spending? The results will help to determine the future of our nation’s economy for generations.

There are many other examples of projects that can be worked on if government members work to solve problems that affect us all. It has happened before, and it can happen again. The responsibility for success in the New Year will depend on officials who can compromise to move issues forward and a public that will support those officials who reject blind partisanship.

The holiday season is a period to reflect and to enjoy some time with our families and friends. So it’s good time to talk a little bit about family values. What do you think of when you hear that term? All too often, it has been defined by a very narrow set of issues and by one political party.

Whatever your political leanings, when you’re sitting down with your family members for a holiday meal after church, or synagogue, or mosque, take a look at them and ask yourself whether you’ve ever worried about what would happen if someone you love got really sick. Would they get the health care they need? Would you able to pay for it? What would you have to sacrifice to afford it? How much stress would it cause for your family?

Although people don’t often think about it this way, taking care of a loved one’s wellbeing is a family value, because when someone has a serious physical problem, it affects the whole family. When that problem destroys a family’s finances, it affects the whole family. When someone doesn’t get the mental health care he or she needs, it affects the whole family. If these things don’t make health care a family value, I don’t know what would. So when politicians talk about family values, don’t you think they should be doing something to make sure people can get the health care they need?

You know what else is a family value? Education. Without a good education, it is difficult to get a job with a high enough salary to pay the bills and support a family. Education is the ability to take care of our future. In our nation, we are falling behind other industrialized countries in the areas of math and science. Furthermore, in our zeal for providing basic skills, we also sometimes leave out important lessons in the arts, history and civics.

The best holiday gift we can give to our children is the ability to learn what they need to compete for a good job, as well as the ability to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. So when people in government talk about family values, don’t you think they should be doing something to make sure our children can compete in the world around them?

Here is another family value that often gets left out of the discussion: fiscal responsibility. Surprised? Don’t believe that government debt and deficits are a family value? Think about it this way: You overdo it on your credit card year after year. Eventually, there is no way you can pay it back. When you die, your children have the responsibility to pay off that debt, or else they can’t get the services they need to live a meaningful, comfortable life. You would never do that your children, right?

That is what the U.S. government is doing. Our current debt is over $9 trillion, or approximately $29,000 for each U.S. citizen. Eventually, taxpayers are going to bear the responsibility of paying that off, and those taxpayers will be your children and grandchildren. As individual Americans, we aren’t deadbeats. We are proud to pay our debts. We should remember that we, as a country, share that same responsibility to our children. So when people in government talk about family values, shouldn’t they include a commitment to not spend away the future well-being of our own families?

Politicians try, sometimes, to use the term “family values” simply to get your vote. After all, who could possibly be against “family values?” Well, I ask that you think about some of the values about which they refer, and consider whether they actually affect you and your family members in your everyday lives. I ask you to think about the values I’ve just mentioned and how they affect your family. Let’s all take a little time this holiday season to reflect on what’s really important for our families, and how we can work together to make our lives better in the new year.