Letters to the editor

Great steps forward

It has been my pleasure and great honor to have served as House District 37 Representative for the past 10 years. There have been many privileges that also come with responsibilities to make best case decisions for constituents of our communities and state.

I’ve been able to travel to other states and territories for conferences to learn about different issues and how they’ve dealt with them. I advocated for legislation and policy changes important to solving those problems.

The biggest challenge we face as legislators is guarding against the pressure of lobbyist influence, especially those that have corporate interests with money and can make large campaign donations or wine and dine to influence your vote. Lobbyists have more time and experience at the Roundhouse than many legislators. They have time to strategize and target certain committee members, make public comment to make or break an issue and influence the votes for or against a policy they are paid big money to see get through.

It’s difficult to stay strong to your convictions and do what’s right to help your constituents. You must have a deep understanding of how integral everything is in our society, our families, our school and businesses. Our students rely on supportive parents who need good wages, healthcare and mental health access to provide a stable home life. These wrap around family services reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences that can change their success and improve their educational outcomes.

We’ve taken great steps to provide free childcare, free college, improve access to healthcare and mental health, but there is much more work to be done to refine these systems for the betterment of children, working families and our retirees. We must protect the environment in which we depend for clean air, water and land.

Rep. Joanne Ferrary

Las Cruces