Rep. Dianne Hamilton was featured speaker

By Mary Alice Murphy

Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce board member Bruce Ashburn presented cash awards totaling $500 to three winners of the photo contest the chamber held as part of its new website. The third place winner was Lori Bonomo; the second place went to Alaina Dunivan; and first place to Deanna Lopez.

Scott Terry, chamber president, welcomed a new member, who was in attendance. Yvette Pursley, the marketing director of Silver City Care Center at 315 Fowler Ave., said she looked forward to working with everyone and "being of help if I can."

Ashburn, in his introduction of state Rep. Dianne Hamilton, told a story about when he first moved to Silver City. "I opened a Domino's Pizza franchise and needed to get the information out to people. Dianne Hamilton had a radio show at that time, and I got on and talked about the business. That show was a kickstart to our business. You're my heroine, Dianne."

"How pleased I am to be returning to what I think will be a historic session," Hamilton said. "This is the second time in the state's history that Republicans have held a majority in the House.

"I don't know where my office will be, I don't know what committees I will be on, I don't even know where my parking place will be," Hamilton laughed. "I invite anyone to come see me. It's always a pleasure to see a constituent. Hang your coat in my office, so you don't have to carry it around with you."

She said major issues that would come up this session would be right-to-work and raising the minimum wage. "When you raise the minimum wage, you don't benefit those who receive it. As a result of the increase, prices go up everywhere. I want to raise it to maybe $8.50, but not to $11 or $13, as has been mentioned."

Hamilton said she has served on the Education Committee. "In it, we tend to want to do things the same old way. For K-12, we are working with Western New Mexico University to teach teachers what they need in the classroom. Whether we stay with Common Core, I don't know. We might step out of it. We can't dumb down our standards, because we have to have degrees that mean something."

She said the Permanent Fund might come into play this session, because "we will find that money is scarcer. (Senator) John Arthur (Smith of Luna County) is the guru of finance. He prepares for the worst."

"Western is the home of my PTSD bill," Hamilton said. "Shepard and Walker have encouraged me. The university will be the dispenser of the program. We have documentation to prove it's effective. Right now, we are pinpointing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, especially those who have been back several times.

"The program will be done online," she continued. "The program has been set up so master social workers can handle it. The program uses better-than-cartoons, but not-too-realistic images, to show where the veteran experienced the trauma. Blood pressure and heart rate are monitored. This bill is my main push this session."

She said because of the change in party majority, each committee would have new chairs. "We had a caucus soon after the election and chose Rep. Don Tripp as our speaker. He asked me what committee I wanted to be chair of, and I said: 'I don't want to be focused on only one thing. I want to be able to deal with all aspects for my constituents."

Hamilton said she is looking forward to going this year. "Tripp said we have to be careful and be fair, and we have to remember the opposite party is not our enemy. They are our colleagues, and we are all working for the best for the state."

She then answered questions. Lori Ford, Community Access Television of Silver City executive director, asked for an explanation of the right-to-work and minimum wage issues.

Hamilton replied that on the minimum wage, more money doesn't mean more work, and it may mean fewer jobs for people. "Minimum wage is not meant to be a living wage, but to raise workers up through training to a living wage job. Don't forget, if minimum wage is raised, the person who has worked up from minimum wage, has to be increased, too, and on up the ladder. You have to raise everyone. Businesses cannot afford that, so they lay off or go out of business."

She said she thought the governor would not sign anything that raised the minimum wage more than $1 or $2 dollars an hour. Hamilton also said people had suggested regular cost-of-living raises, but "that will cause inflation."

On the right-to-work issue, Hamilton said it is for those who own their own business, so they and their employees do not have to be part of a union. "It will hit contractors," she said. "A contractor told me that New Mexico is the hardest place to work because of its rules and laws. I asked him which states were better, and he said Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and I think the fourth was Utah, were better. I've always been pro-union, because where would we be without them when they were needed. We would still have child labor, extremely low wages and bad working conditions. But I don't think union membership should be obligatory."

She recounted when she got her first job as a teacher and was mandated to join the National Education Association. "It made me mad when the superintendent got an award for having 100 percent union participation, because he had made everyone join. I prefer to make joining a union up to the individual."

Hamilton said she didn't "ask for campaign money this year. I received primarily from individuals, and I have never received funding from the NEA. If we pass right-to-work, it needs to be for all workers, not just in private industry."

Linda McArthur of the Small Business Center said she had heard that banks are closing accounts of small businesses doing cross-border business. "I guess it's to prevent money laundering, but we promote the cross-border opportunities."

Hamilton said she had not heard about that issue.

Linda Pecotte, Republican Party of Grant County chairwoman, asked about how the voter ID law in Albuquerque was working.

"I have carried the bils for years and never got it out of committee, so I will not carry it this year," Hamilton said. "So far, it seems to be working well in Albuquerque. I hear about the poor old Indian woman or the poor old Hispanic woman; I'm old, and they are not any stupider than I am. They could go to the Motor Vehicle Division and get a free ID. I still believe firmly in the necessity for it. One committee chairman lost her primary because of fraud."

Hamilton also gave her opinion of not passing students, who can't read by the end of third grade.

"Start working with them in kindergarten," Hamilton suggested. "There will be a bill to have the school year be longer for K-3, which might be helpful to parents, too, who have to find childcare. I think it's true that you learn to read through third grade and then you read to learn after that."

Dunivan said her older son has trouble reading, and he is in a special group to get help.

Hamilton said she was glad to hear that programs are in place. "We can't lower standards. My alma mater is Western, and I love that we have made education available to those who might not have had the option."

During announcements, Cynthia Bettison of the WNMU museum said the facility had been featured in the December issue of New Mexico Magazine and in True West, with Silver City listed as one of the top 10 true western towns. She also said, thanks to a Freeport McMoRan Community Investment Fund grant, the university museum and Silver City Museum are collaborating to offer Transport to the Past for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students to get the students from their schools to the museums.

"As a town councilor, I will hold Conversations with a Councilor, taking a page out of Councilor Lynda Aiman-Smith's book, on Jan. 22, from 6-8 p.m. in the third floor seminar room (of the Student Memorial Building on the WNMU campus.) And I'm also running for re-election in District 1."

WNMU President Joseph Shepard announced that Jan. 28 would be Grant County Day at the upcoming legislative session. "I think we have one of the best groups, the Prospectors. They support our endeavors. Thank you, as it makes my job easier."

Hamilton said the Grant County Day means a great deal to her. "We are fortunate to have people willing to come testify in favor of bills and issues. It also mean a lot to me when you stop to say 'Hi.'"

Cecilia Bell, Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society president, announced the group's annual membership dinner for Jan. 17. "Liz Mikols will talk about Chaplain Allen Allensworth." She said Fort Bayard was also mentioned in the New Mexico Magazine. "We will be bringing down Allensworth's great-great-great granddaughter."

Patrick Hoskins announced the new director of Silver City MainStreet Project would be Lucy Whitmarsh, who has stepped off the board of directors to take the position. "I look forward to continuing to work with everyone to keep MainStreet going."

Terry announced the chamber had moved its office to Watts Hall. "Thank you, Dr. Shepard. The Green Chamber and maybe the Gila Economic Development Alliance will also move into Watts. Our office is right by the northeast door on the backside of the building."

The next luncheon meeting of the Chamber will take place Thursday, Feb. 5, at 11:45 a.m. in the Sunset Room on the second floor of the WNMU Thomas McDonald Student Memorial Building.