A new US tax law was introduced this year requiring third party payment systems to report payments received by citizens. The Biden administration says this will extract $8.4B from the users of systems like Venmo and eBay, who are typically low and middle class citizens.
It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to receive the support of 3,548 voters and those without voting rights who contribute equally, and sometimes more, to our community. I’m sorry I didn’t knock on enough doors, shake enough hands, and kiss enough babies to win it, but this community has too much potential for good to give up on it. Please keep voting for people over parties and we’ll get the community we deserve.
Until next time, I hope to see you at our local businesses, Council and board meetings, open houses and town halls, and development update meetings. I hope you will organize and support local charity and volunteer events, co-ops and community service organizations, and maybe try that quirky business endeavor you think would do alright in this community. I hope you will send your public comments and calls for action and accountability to countycouncil@lacnm.us and local news outlets on things like nuisance codes, golf course remodels, road diets, and every other questionable thing done with our public resources. I hope to see you out enjoying our trails, parks, and community events with your families. I hope to see new faces moving in and old faces staying. When we’re actively engaged in its stewardship, we’ll get the community we deserve.
Back in September, I participated in the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum where we discussed local and national issues. You can also find transcripts here.
It’s been encouraging to hear people say they’re voting for me, and not just Libertarians. It also makes the responsibility much more real for me. I put together a video (https://youtu.be/XIj9qg1u5MM) tying what I love about Los Alamos, what many of us want it to be, and a list of things you can hold me accountable to do to get there. I didn’t want to share it because it felt silly, but at least it’s genuine. For the people that already used their vote on me, I feel like I have to try everything I can to at least get in the #4 spot.
By now, I hope I’ve convinced you that accountability is important to me because I’ve stuck to my principles, apologized for my mistakes, and worked to be better informed and open-minded. If I have convinced you, would you please share this video with somebody that hasn’t made up their mind yet, or even better, tell them that I’ll be at the tub on Thursday 5-6p and Boese on Friday 5-6p to chat? Just look for the person in the yellow Libertarian shirt. I was harmed several times while making the video, so even if you don’t like me as a candidate, I hope you enjoy the bloopers. The following is the video transcript.
Hey Los Alamos, my name is James Wernicke and I’m running for County Council. If you want someone who listens to the people and isn’t afraid to act on behalf of the people, vote for James Wernicke on or before November 8. As an active worker, parent, entrepreneur, volunteer, and public board member, I’ll represent the diverse needs of today’s Los Alamos community.
Los Alamos is a great place to live if you’ve been working at the lab for a while, but while we have our ups, we also have our downs. Our current leadership doesn’t seem to care what we think if it doesn’t agree with their agendas. It’s time for a new way of thinking in government that allows taking risks to try new ideas that will help the people.
It’s rough riding if you work here and want to find a home or want to start a business. To that end, I’ll support policies that will allow us to build more housing, open more businesses, and thrive as a community. While I support growth, we have to balance it with the environment and culture that makes Los Alamos special.
I’ll support investments that fairly allocate resources to the members of the community they support. I’ll listen carefully to what the citizens have to say and won’t use the public comment for my own agenda.
As a libertarian, I believe in limited government that stays out of your business. I don’t serve the status quo and I’ll let you live your life in peace like having a trampoline in your backyard, building materials, using tarps to cover whatever you want, or using your trails responsibly.
People like my point of view, but they have a hard time voting for a third party. That’s why I need you to tell your friends and neighbors that if you want somebody who’s open to change, will hold the government accountable to the people, and is passionate about making Los Alamos a more awesome place to live, work, and play, vote for James Wernicke for Los Alamos County Council on or before November 8.
Visit nmvote.org for information on where to vote and how to register.
I am in great need of your support in these final days of the election. I chose to affiliate myself with a party that doesn’t serve entrenched interests, so I don’t have a huge political organization backing my campaign to get the word out. I am instead relying on you to make up your own mind, show up and vote, and tell your friends that there is someone who still believes accountability is a priority. If you want to know more about my positions, see wernicke.com.
Wasting public resources on projects such as the municipal building, Reel Deal & CB Fox purchase, nuisance code, golf course remodel, and 8-court tennis complex
In this light, I suggest we take the following steps to improve transparency and accountability, which I will make a priority if elected:
Hold public “office hours” to listen to anyone who walks in.
Publish all public information online, on-demand, accessible to all, without any layer of bureaucracy standing in the way.
End all closed sessions that do not involve personal privacy or legal strategy.
Be resolute in holding government officials accountable to fulfill their duty or resign.
Require licenses, inspections, and permits only when absolutely necessary, and retroactively where possible, allowing citizens to address urgent and benign construction without delay. Require permits to be provided within a reasonable timeframe, and require independent public appeals and audit processes.
Conduct an independent assessment of the County’s transparency and report a Transparency Score so that citizens can understand how transparent their government is.
I am offering to do this job, not for ego or personal advantage, but because I believe I have the time, knowledge, and confidence to be able to stand up for social, environmental, and economic responsibility.
I’m the only candidate not beholden to a party agenda, will let you live your life in peace, and oppose threats like the nuisance code.
I volunteer as a trail worker, a youth rugby coach, a youth STEAM mentor, and a bike patroller. I’ll be accountable to work hard to benefit others more than myself.
I have an elementary and middle schooler. I’ll be accountable to help our schools and youth services succeed.
I’m an insanely active outdoor enthusiast. I’ll be accountable to steward our outdoor spaces.
I’m an entrepreneur who believes business can be used for good, not just profits. I’ll be accountable to businesses that positively impact our community.
I’m a full-time wage earner who works alongside early career professionals. I’ll be accountable to make it easier for our workforce to live here.
I have a family member who needs specialized medical care. I volunteer as a first responder and see first-hand the lack of basic medical care we have. I’ll be accountable to attract more healthcare professionals.
My home is my only real estate asset and I am comfortable working for my income. I’ll be accountable to ensure other local citizens and businesses have fair opportunities to own property.
I’ll be accountable to support progressive ideas and finding ways to make them work for everyone.
Again, I implore you not only to vote on or before November 8 but also to encourage your friends to do the same. We have had many recent candidates who were ready to stand up for the people, but the people did not stand up for them. We get the government we deserve.
The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce invited County Council candidates to participate in a forum directed at local businesses. This was my favorite forum because business — especially local and small business — is one of my favorite political subjects. In my opinion, one of the biggest, most fixable problems for small business in Los Alamos is how the local government favors big out-of-town business over small, local ones. That is one of the main reasons I’m running for County Council.
Columbus Capital owns or intends to own all of the properties between the Hilltop and the Fire Department.
Los Alamos has a $5B industry, a local government budget of $15k per person, and a median household income of $120k. You would think it could sustain a local pizza parlor. Being the healthiest county in the US, you would think it could support a medical facility that can treat a dislocated pinky on a Saturday. (Ask me how I know.) Yet, we struggle with these essential services as well as our fire, transit, recreation, and virtually all other services for the same reason: people don’t want to work here because there’s nowhere to live and nothing to do. Local property ownership creates the ideal conditions to empower equity in housing and inclusivity of local businesses in economic development, but in the real world, we often have to make it work in less-than-ideal conditions.
The Brown Huts on Trinity where Columbus Capital wanted to build an office complex.
In 2020, the Santa Fe-based real estate investment firm Columbus Capital bought the Brown Huts on Trinity. They had planned to build a modern office building, but they backed out when work-from-home happened. They’re pending purchase of 17 acres on North Mesa to build single-family homes. They also intend to buy the old Smith’s and surrounding properties. Their idea is to use it for warehousing LANL equipment until they can build retail and housing. That plan sounds great, but after Smith’s, Hilltop, Marriott, La Mesa Community, and other big developers, we have trust issues.
The 17-acre Sam Donaldson estate on North Mesa where Columbus Capital plans to be 85 single-family homes.
It’s hard to be assuaged by phrases like “ensuring the maximum return to shareholders“. I could appeal to your emotion and tell you how their leadership has connections to New Mexico and their vision is “that properties will expedite success and convenience for the people that work and reside in these communities”, but objectively, they’re batting zero so far on Los Alamos development. To their credit, they manage a number of properties in Santa Fe including Target, Whole Foods, office buildings, and apartments, but we’re not Santa Fe. We have a tough choice: oppose them and hope a better plan comes along, or support them and hope they won’t be just another land baron keeping rents at “government rate” and doing the bare minimum for small business and residential tenants.
One way you can get informed and involved is to attend the Sep 28 meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission when they will review the application for a Special Use Permit to use the Smith’s as a storage facility. Columbus Capital will have to show their plan “substantially conforms to the Comprehensive Plan“. The Comprehensive Plan is our County’s guiding document for things like encouraging economic development, providing more choices in housing, and improving the appearance of the community. If the permit is approved, Columbus Capital will probably buy the old Smith’s, the Mari Mac Shopping Center, and the remaining shop owners at 800 Trinity. You can also share your concerns and ideas with the Planning & Zoning Commission, Economic Development Administrator Dan Ungerleider, Senior Planner Sobia Sayeda, and County Council before then.
The Special Use Permit proposes to use the highlighted areas for storage with 3 1200 sq. ft. retail spaces in front.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not about a Special Use Permit, but the quality of life for our community. We don’t want a warehouse there forever, but this might be the best opportunity to develop housing and retail there. A warehouse doesn’t meet the requirements for a Special Use Permit, but we can concede to give them a Special Use Permit if they give us some assurances in return. For example, we could impose penalty fines if they don’t meet milestone deadlines to develop housing and retail according to clearly-defined community requirements. We need to find ways to help Columbus Capital develop things to do and mixed-income housing so we can have cashiers, pizza cooks, X-ray techs, doctors, firemen, bus drivers, and lifeguards, and we don’t have to wait 7-10 years for it. I hope you’ll attend the P&Z meeting on Wed Sep 28 @ 5:30p and engage in the conversation.
I enrolled in a class this semester to learn about benefit corporations because I want to learn how to build businesses that help address needs over profits. To my surprise, it was $1700. It was labeled a clinic, and it’s a class on using business for good, so I thought it was going to cost a couple hundred, or maybe even be free. That was out of my budget so I tried to get financial aid, but was ineligible for everything. To be fair, it was a bit last-minute to be looking. I also have a Master’s degree and a modest income so that eliminates a lot of funding, too. That left me with only one logical choice…
Take on debt and hope I can pay it back later. 😩
Just kidding! I was going to drop the class and maybe take it next year after budgeting it in. No big deal. And this is the crux of the student debt problem…
We don’t teach kids how to be fiscally responsible or that there’s any option other than college.
Lenders and colleges love to exploit that. They just keep raising tuition because these ill-prepared kids don’t know any better. Instead, colleges should take on their share of fiscal responsibility using the Income Share Agreement model where the college provides free education and takes a percentage of income after graduation. If their programs really provide as much value as they charge for them, then this is a win-win, right?
In case you’re wondering, I was able to drop 3 credits and only pay $200 for the class. What does this have to do with Los Alamos? Nothing, really. Unless you’re a non-traditional student on a budget.
While we celebrate Labor Day by camping, visiting family, or some other ritual farewell to summer, it’s a day to remember those who fought for fair working conditions and reflect how fortunate we are to have safe environments to earn fair compensation with health insurance, retirement accounts, tuition assistance, and all those other benefits our working class ancestors never dreamed of. Did you know that Los Alamos generates $1.4B in payroll? Another way to think about it is that it raises New Mexico’s average annual income by $1400. That’s quite a boon to the local economy, but we’ve got more to do for our workforce.
In addition to building more housing, we can support our workers by diversifying property ownership. The market rate for a room in Los Alamos is $800-1200/mo. That’s 30% of a post-bac salary, but it’s 60% for somebody working at Smith’s. Many people live in dilapidated conditions, concerned their landlord will raise the rent if they ask them to fix the plumbing. By selling land to local workers and entrepreneurs who care about this community, passive income investors will have to compete by lowering rent, improving property, or both.
Last but not least, we can also support our local small businesses by including them in economic development opportunities for commercial property ownership. If small businesses have their own property and employees that can live in Los Alamos, they can thrive here.
Grover Cleveland recognized the importance of the working class by honoring them with a holiday in 1894. It’s time Los Alamos honors its workers with equitable living conditions.
The Trinity Road Diet creates a merge failure at the intersection of Trinity & Diamond during evening rush hour.
Some of us have experienced the recent failure of the Trinity Road Diet to support traffic flow during the Canyon Road closure. Some have expressed a desire to restripe it to the way it was. Some objected to doing it in the first place. So why did we decide to do it?
In 2019, Santa Fe Engineering Consultants, LLC published a traffic impact analysis of the intersection of Trinity and 35th Street to support the development of The Hill Apartments. They determined that the 35th Street turnout would be a safety hazard and NMDOT would not approve a driveway permit. Without a permit, the apartment project would be non-feasible.
A possible configuration for a signalized intersection at Trinity & 35th
They determined that the intersection did not meet signal warrants for traffic volume. A likely warrant would be if traffic from 35th experiences “undue delay” when entering or crossing Trinity
This slope would need to be leveled to support a roundabout.
They considered a roundabout, but determined it would be too costly to level the grade on the south side of Trinity. They considered adding turn lanes, but determined there isn’t enough room. They considered not allowing left turns into Trinity, but determined there isn’t a viable U-turn location. They considered a two-stage left turn intersection, where drivers first turn left out into the median then wait to turn into traffic. Finally, the road diet was recommended by the Transportation Board in the May 2, 2019 meeting. The proposal was initially rejected by County Council on May 26, 2020 but then reconsidered and passed on June 9, 2020.
If the decision was about improving traffic flow, the recent traffic jams would suggest that the new configuration does not serve that purpose. If it was about accommodating increased traffic from the apartments, why did we do it years before they broke ground? When it was suggested in the August 23 Council Session to either restripe Trinity to the way it was or put barrels up to make the middle turn lane into a traffic lane until Canyon Road is finished, Public Works Director Juan Rael stated that it was a non-starter with NMDOT because of left-turn safety concerns. It would also require hiring somebody to design a Traffic Control Plan to get a permit from NMDOT. This contradicts what we were led to believe: that we could easily change the lanes back if the road diet didn’t work out. Instead of adopting one of these quick and low-cost solutions, Mr. Rael suggested renegotiating the contract with TLC Plumbing and Utility to only work one side of Canyon Road at a time so the other lane can be used for traffic.
This left me wondering why are we so stubborn about the road diet? Then, I came across the June 25, 2019 Council Session presenting a state grant for improving Trinity. It appears NMDOT wanted to take advantage of a USDOT grant program for the Complete Streets initiative. This program is supposed to help improve streets for all modes of transportation. So how’d we do?
Traffic on Diamond Drive at Canyon and Trinity intersections.
The Trinity Road Diet seems like it was an easy way to appease politicians more than to actually address a need of the community, and may have actually made things worse for the community. It may have slowed down drivers, but now those drivers are driving closer to each other and are more distracted by traffic. Canyon Road was fine for bicyclists, but now we’re a situation where we have to ride next to a bunch of pissed-off drivers. Guess we’ll just have to wait until somebody does an analysis of accident data to see if the road diet actually improved safety.
An improvement would be to build more paths like the sidewalk on the south side of Canyon next to the Ponderosa Pine Apartments where we are protected from vehicular traffic. Or make some of the connector trails more accessible. An even better use of funds like these would be to improve the shoulder on the truck route or build a protected bike path between Los Alamos and White Rock. Projects like that are incredibly difficult because of the challenge of coordinating multiple jurisdictions, but massive federal funding and visibility might be the kind of incentive to get them to cooperate. If you agree, tell County Council or Public Works.
The Hill Apartments will have 149 units with 273 parking spaces. The property for this development was received by LAC through DOE land transfer, and purchased from LAC by LAH Investors, LLC for $2.2M.
