Michael Harris, running for City Council, District 3

Q: Can you provide us with a quick bio which includes your age and current job/ job prior to taking office?

A: I’m 37 and have lived in Las Cruces my whole life. I am a proud graduate of the Las Cruces Public School system. I stayed at NMSU and got my Masters Degree in Computer Science, under a fellowship program where we worked with local middle schools to integrate CS into science classes. After college, I co-founded a small technology business, where we’ve been doing software development, computer network engineering, and small-scale electronics manufacturing for over 13 years. In the community, I’m a board member at Cruces Creatives, a non-profit makerspace where we give people access to tools, training, and space to build projects, and host after-school STEAM programs. I’ve also served as a community member on several city boards - most recently the Transit Advisory Board.

Q: Why are you running?

A: Las Cruces is starting to grow very quickly, and with Realize Las Cruces being passed earlier this year, we have some amazing tools to ensure that the town grows in a strong, healthy way. I am running to keep this momentum up, continue the good work the city is doing in areas like affordable housing, and push for change in areas where the city is struggling, like economic development and community safety. I’ve gotten to work in a uniquely large number of industries - education, electric utilities, telecom, medicine, farming, and more - and I want to bring that perspective and systematic thinking to the City Council.

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Las Cruces?

A: The biggest long-term challenges to Las Cruces are climate, water, and energy costs. Las Cruces sits in a relative oasis, blessed with a river and a freshwater aquifer. Both of which are being drawn down ever faster. Summers are staying hotter for longer, making it more and more expensive for people to stay cool and safe.

Q: What do you hope to do to address these issues?

A: I will push for infill development that uses less resources, decreases the heat island, and makes it less expensive to get around the city. There are studies underway to see how much water we really have left, and I want to see the results discussed publicly and frankly, so we know what we’re dealing with. We need to help each other through the ongoing energy transition - the city’s goal is to be more energy efficient, and we should help people out with projects like installing heat pumps and replacing old windows, and make sure that renters are not left behind with inadequate air conditioning.

Q: What policies would you champion or support to help address concerns around high crime rates in the city?

A: According to LCPD, overall crime rates are down but the percentage of juvenile crimes compared with others is up quite a bit. So I will to focus on policies that give kids positive things to do. Encouraging businesses and 3rd places that cater to teens, working with the schools to provide resources for after-school programs, and providing transportation options so that kids can participate even if parents aren’t able to take time off work to drive them around. I will also push for cooperation between the city, courts, and school district on early intervention programs. The police seem to have people on their radar, but cannot (and should not) do anything unless crimes are actually committed. By standing up more non-police response options focused on intervention and assistance, we can correct problems and break the cycle of crime.

Q: Discussions around how to address homelessness have been common in the city. How would you go about solving this issue?

A: Homelessness is fundamentally a housing problem, so I will continue the city’s efforts to provide transitional apartments and match people with permanent homes. We’ve been standing up some tenant assistance and landlord assurance programs, so I would push for expansion there, including legal resources for tenants, to keep people from losing their homes in the first place. The city has been investing in many affordable housing projects in recent years.

Q: What do you hope the future of affordable housing looks like in the city?

A: I like developments like Arcadia - where the city just broke ground last week. It will integrate with the neighborhood and give families the opportunity to buy their first home. Apartments have their place, but I prefer to intersperse affordable housing options throughout the community, so that we less concentration of poverty. My own neighborhood is highly mixed-income and everyone gets along well. Thinking a bit more outside-the-box, the city owns a lot of land. Instead of selling it off, maybe we could develop it ourselves and offer residential, commercial, and pad leases at fair rates. Many European countries are quite successful at this, so there are good examples to follow.

Q; As the city continues to grow, what infrastructure improvements do you see as necessary in the future?

A: First, we need to really think about how we build streets and roads, with a focus on safety and maintenance, rather than short-term throughput and speed. Lohman and Mesa Grande will soon connect, and there’s talk about adding extra lanes, which could add $8 million - $12 million to construction cost, even though we know by now that wide roads actually increase congestion and subconsciously encourage speeding. District 3 is home to a lot of older streets and sidewalks in need of maintenance, and I’ll push the city to do more quick-build solutions to address problems. I don’t want to see shoddy work, but we probably don’t need multiple lengthy studies for a streetlight, or to wait a month to rebuild a sidewalk that just needs patching. If we can be sensible about roads, we’ll save money and save lives. Public transit is my other big infrastructure push. I wish I could take the bus to work, but it would take almost two hours each way! Roadrunner Transit does a lot with a small budget, and if we could find funding for just a few more full-time drivers and buses, the service could expand massively and get a lot faster. For the price, it would be a huge value to Las Cruces. I’d also like to see better connections between Las Cruces and other communities. Even if there’s no interest from Texas, it would still be amazing to get a train from here to Albuquerque and down to Santa Teresa. The state was once so connected, and could be again. The sense of freedom you get from being able to just get on a bus or train and chill out or get a little work done on your commute is amazing!

Q: How would you attract new businesses and investments in some of the metropolitan redevelopment areas like El Paseo Rd. and Solano Dr.?

A: The first thing to do is clean up the area - abandoned buildings, vacant lots, vandalism - the MRA designation unlocks some resources to actually help out. I want to make sure that we’re taking care of the businesses and residents who are already there - if they have problems with vandalism, help them fix it; if there’s trash or other messes, help clean it up. Once it’s clear that the city is serious about taking care of the area, I think it’ll fill in. There is a good vision for a safe, walkable area with lots of shade and thriving homes and business. That development style is not the strip malls or big box stores that we’re used to building, so planning and permitting needs to be worked on to ensure that new things don’t get caught in red tape.