To the editor

Love letter

This is a love letter to "The City of the Crosses"

Laurabeth Yvonne Holsome, a native of Las Cruces, and Danny Taylor, who spent his formative years there, were married in the North Mesquite Street Church of Christ on Saturday, May 15, 1976 - and seek to inform family and friends throughout the community that, half a century later, we keep you in our hearts, hoping that you will rejoice with us and celebrate the miracle of our golden anniversary.

Bendiciones,

dannyvonne

Danny & Yvonne Taylor

Temple, Texas

I’m disappointed

Last year our county commissioners took actions to bring a data/AI center (Project Jupiter) to the Santa Theresa/Sunland Park area of Dona Ana County. Once the public became aware of their actions people spoke up against the project and against the actions of the commissioners. Many of those raising objections have also been educating the public as to the harms such centers might cause to humans, animals, the climate and environment.

In doing so they are also educating our county commissioners who failed to educate themselves before ever presenting the project to their constituents. A primary election is coming up June 2. There are county commissioner positions on the ballot. In November, there will be a general election and those same positions will be voted on again. I say, “Voter Beware!”

If you can vote for a candidate running for one of the positions I recommend getting your candidate of choice to state his/her view not only on Project Jupiter but also on the actions of the current county commissioners.

Let’s try to prevent being disappointed again by the leaders of the county. We deserve leaders who educate themselves before making decisions that will impact the lives of all Dona Ana County residents.

Janet Nordmann

Las Cruces

Angela Garcia should be our next commissioner

For the commission 1 race, I believe Angela Garcia is the most qualified candidate for Dona Ana County and has the best vision. I’m a 20+ year resident who has been very much engaged in the government affairs with the county for many years and my support her is simply based on Angela's years-long experiences working with the state legislature and advocating for early childhood intervention and universal childcare.

In hearing her narrative you can easily tell she has a strong commitment to the most vulnerable in our county. Angela also can connect the roles that positive and responsible economic development have in ensuring our youth have a future here in Dona Ana County. When the economy is strong, families can thrive. When more opportunities for good paying jobs and strong advocacy for childhood education - this is a winning result for children and families.

Angela's endorsements by our lieutenant governor and House Speaker show she has shared a vision for our District 1 and its ability to be a leading example for not only Dona Ana County but the entirety of Southern New Mexico. Angela has a shared commitment to fostering the kind of growth and development our county deserves and I also see her working very well with the rest of the commission as many of them have a good centered view on how to govern at the county level.

She's a strong Democrat; she is not a leftist. Her balanced views on the issues show she will be able to speak to all constituents in her district and not just the voice of special interest groups. I hope with your vote she becomes the Democratic nominee. I wish her the best.

Steve Montanez

Las Cruces

Vote411.org

In his May 1, 2026, column, Walt Rubel mentioned that New Mexico voters are asked to select judges and election officials when most of us know nothing

about the people running for those offices. That is, indeed, a problem, not just for candidates for judicial and election positions, but for all candidates, especially in the primaries when so many people are running for office. 

For example, there are 11 candidates in the primary for Doña Ana County sheriff. To help voters learn about the candidates, the League of Women Voters Education Fund created Vote411.org. This online site provides personalized voter information based on your address. You can indicate your preferred language (English, Navajo, Spanish) and choose “All Parties” to see all candidates or select the Democratic or Republican party.

Information is provided by candidates in response to a request from the League. Candidate responses are incorporated directly in VOTE411 and are not edited. If a candidate has not yet responded, they will still be listed with a note indicating that they have not yet responded.

For the 3rd Judicial District Division 4 mentioned by Walt Rubel, both candidates have responded to four questions: 1) What qualifies you for this office?  2) What in your background would serve you best as a District Court judge? 3) What changes, if any, should be made to improve the operations of the district courts? 4) Are changes needed to current statutes, codes, or rules to keep the judiciary independent from political influence? 

For more information, many candidates provide contact information (e.g., a campaign website or Facebook page) so voters can click on those links to do more research.

After the semi-open primary, Vote 411.org will remain available and the League will also prepare a printed voting guide for the general election.

Rebecca Courtney, Rose Jacobs, Edwina Jaramillo, Dale Yeo

Voter Services Committee, LWVSNM