Photo: Dr. Joseph Shepard
By Dr. Joseph Shepard, WNMU President
This fall, voters in our region will go to the polls to cast their ballots for everything from who will be our governor to who will represent our community in the state Legislature. One of the most important questions facing our community this year will be the statewide higher education bond referendum -- General Obligation Bond C.
This year's General Obligation Bond C (also referred to as GO Bond C) will ask voters to set aside more than $139 million for nearly every public college and university in the state. If passed, this year's GO Bond will allocate $6 million to Western New Mexico University which will be used to finish the renovation of Light Hall, add needed fire suppression and HVAC systems to the WNMU Museum, and provide planning money to begin the renovation of our science building, positively impacting our students and our region.
Should the GO Bond C pass, it will NOT increase your property taxes. What it will do is create jobs and boost our local economy. The improvement projects funded by Bond C will employ architects, builders and contractors, as well as provide support to their supply chains and small and large businesses up and down Mainstreet, including hotels, restaurants and grocery stores.
Working to ensure that Western New Mexico University has the tools it needs to modernize and be competitive will not only help recruit the best and brightest students from around the state, but also make it possible to keep our high school graduates right here locally where they can graduate and build careers, contributing to a strong local economy.
For many of our state's colleges and universities, this year's bond will be their only source of funding and their only opportunity to make badly needed additions and renovations to aging structures. Our institutions should be expected to educate students using modern facilities and classrooms.
In addition to modernizing classrooms and infrastructure, GO Bond C is about maintaining what we've already invested in: our students, our communities and our schools. No matter what your political affiliation is, GO Bond C is something every New Mexican can support. Modernizing our colleges and universities will give our students a competitive edge and prepare them for competition within the global economy, making New Mexico vibrant and competitive - - all without increasing our property taxes.
Absentee voting began October 7 and ends on Election Day, when absentee voters have the ability to hand-deliver their completed ballot to any polling location in Grant County.
Early voting began October 18 and runs through November 3, and Election Day will be Tuesday, November 4, when polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
During this election, it's important to pay attention to everything on the ballot, including the General Obligation bonds at the bottom. Please vote on Bond C – it is your opportunity to support higher education in New Mexico, create jobs and ensure a brighter future for students without ANY increase in your property taxes.
A list of projects to be funded by GO Bond C in our community can be found by visiting wnmu.edu/bond-c .
Western New Mexico University has served the people of the state of New Mexico and its surrounding areas as a comprehensive, regional, rural, public coeducational university since 1893 and serves a student body diverse in age, culture, language and ethnic background.