Henry Young is new county GOP chair

New Doña Ana County Republican Party Chair Henry Young said he was pleased with the results of the Nov. 7 Las Cruces nonpartisan municipal election and thinks it could bode well for the party going into the 2024 general election.

“I do believe that we will have more open lines of communication,” Young said about the election of Eric Enriquez as Las Cruces’ new mayor.

Enriquez is a registered Democrat, Young said, but he believes Enriquez to be more conservative in his political views than Mayor Pro Tempore Kasandra Gandara, whom Enriquez defeated in the sixth round of ranked choice voting in the mayoral election.

Young said he was also pleased that former Las Cruces mayor Bill Mattiace won a seat on the Las Cruces City Council. Mattiace is a registered independent who was a Republican when he served as mayor (2002-07), Young said, but he finds him more politically conservative than Tessa Abeyta, the current District 2 council member whom Mattiace defeated Nov. 7.

The Las Cruces City Council has become “too progressive,” which is hurting small business and nonprofits, Young said.

Young said he is also hopeful that as mayor, Enriquez “may even be willing to ask me some questions on the homeless issues.”

Progressives on the Las Cruces City Council “don’t want to do anything with the homeless,” said Young, who has been executive director of the Gospel Rescue Mission (GRM) since January 2017 and has been a pastor for more than 30 years.

Local issues of vandalism and break-ins have increased in areas where the homeless congregate, Young argued, because of the actions of a small number of lawbreakers.

“No one can take care of the homeless issue by themselves,” Young said. It calls for a “unified approach,” including “safe places to stay” like GRM and Mesilla Valley Community of Hope.

“There’s a place for everyone to come in” at GRM, Young said, as long as they follow the rules.

Las Cruces also needs a long-term mental health facility to help deal with addiction issues that afflict many homeless people, he said. It typically takes six to nine months of treatment, and that is not currently available in Las Cruces, Young said.

“We need to change the entire thinking of the city council,” he said, including a crackdown on crime, an ordinance prohibiting panhandling and moving homeless people off the streets.

For lawbreakers among the homeless, the message needs to be “move on or become law-abiding citizens,” Young said.

A change in state law is also needed to stop the “catch and release” practice in municipal courts across the state, including Las Cruces, he said.

“It’s everything,” Young said. “It will take a coordinated effort to clean it all up.”