State Auditor Hector Balderas is a young man who knows where he has come from in this state. Hector was born to a low income mother in Wagon Mound New Mexico. He put himself through law school and went home to work for the people of his hometown community as a state representative. Hector has strong family values and knows what it is like to grow up in a small town. He has strong Hispanic roots and has done a wonderful job representing his community both in local and state government.The recent buzz is that Diane Denish will be looking hard in his direction when she takes the Governor’s office most likely in January. Our Lt. Governor is from the southern part of the state and will need someone with deep roots in the northern part of this state. The center part of the state will be where both candidates have equal standing because it is a mixture of both extremes in this state.
Diane Denish will bring to the office a clear understand of the southern values from that part of this state. She is from a well to do family and tends to be a conservative democrat. Hector Balderas would do well to balance the ticket in many ways.
I spoke to Hector Balderas on the phone earlier today and this is what he had to say:
Question: Do you want the job?
Answer: I am truly honored and humbled to be placed in the position where I have to think about being given the opportunity to serve the people of my state as a possible Lt. Governor. I would be thrilled to be given the chance to prove that I can bring change for the better to our state even though I am very happy in my current position as State Auditor.
Question: Do you think that the office of state auditor will be sound if you were to leave that position in the near future?
Answer: Since taking office I and my staff have put into place policies and procedures that have placed clear standards into action. We firmly believe in having a transparent and honest process for all areas that we cover in the state auditor’s office. There is no higher important then protecting the assets of the public here in New Mexico for my office.
Question: The issue of educational pay has been making news lately. What are your view on education and equality for educational employees?
Answer: I am a product of public education in this state and want the very best for every child in this state. We should always maintain the highest standard of quality for our children. As a father with young children I understand how parents feel about wanting the best for their children. We need to provide opportunities for our children in the future that will give them high paying jobs. I feel that reform should be done to achieve the most effective usage of our public money in this field. We don’t always have to spend more money but we should be very aware of where the money is going and how it is benefiting the system. I strongly support equality in salaries for all public employees. My wife was a teacher in APS at one time so I want to live up to an open and honest relationship with the teachers and support staff in this state.
Question: What is your view of public transportation for this state in the future?
Answer: New Mexico is a growing southwestern state and will need public transportation in the future to protect the environment and provide sound support systems for residents and to ensure diverse growth of jobs in our state. We need to aggressively pursue federal funding so that our state residents do not have to endure the burden of building the infrastructure for our state alone.
Question: Where do you see the priority of green jobs in this state?
Answer: While I support the development of green jobs in this state as an auditor I feel that we should have a diverse job base so as to ensure stability in our statewide economy.
Question: You supported Senator Clinton for President and now you are supporting Senator Obama. What is the advantage to our state? What effect do you feel that you can have with our candidates and the voting public?
Answer: As a Hispanic native of the northern part of our state I feel that I and the people of Northern New Mexico supported Senator Clinton because we are people who have strong loyalties to individuals who support our state and its needs. I want to represent our values and views with Senator Obama and I want to unite our party for the betterment of our country. I will work hard to carry the message of change for Senator Obama in this state. As an elected official my job is to represent the public and bring positive change for our country. We need sound economic policies in the future to provide stability to the public and I feel Senator Obama can bring that change.
