Republican Women also hear from National History Day national qualifiers from Silver High School. From left are Serena Castillo, Kate Boyce, Ethan Lucero, Tristen Montenegro, Rhiann Jaramillo and Carly Heidenfeld.

By Mary Alice Murphy

At the monthly meeting of the Grant County Republican Women, the Republican commissioner and state representative candidates had a chance to give a short statement about themselves and their candidacy.

Candy Luhrsen, publicity chairwoman who is also serving as the local representative for retention of Judge Stephen French on the New Mexico Court of Appeals, spoke briefly about his commitment to the position, before introducing another candidate for office.

She said French is honest, conservative and uses common sense. He also reported having heard another judge say: "We liberals own the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court."

Judge French has 35 years of experience as a defense trial lawyer and has handled over 75 appeals in State and Federal Courts. He is a former prosecutor, Second Judicial District Attorney's Office. He is running unopposed in the primary.

Luhrsen introduced state representative District 38 candidate Daniel Galindo. She noted that in New Mexico, it has been acceptable for Santa Fe to pick local candidates for government positions. "Who is better qualified to know the district than someone from Silver City?"

"I've been working since March 1 to get over the fear of public speaking," Galindo began. "It's getting a little easier. I am funding my own campaign."

He said that he has been a registered Republican since 1979. He is originally from Carslbad. "Silver City is a lovely place to live. I've been rehabilitating houses here to help the disabled and poor get into homes. The real issues are not being dealt with in Santa Fe. That's what I'm going to focus on."

Henry Torres, candidate for District 3 commissioner, said he is running to push what he would like to see happen in Grant County. He served two terms as commissioner from 2001-2004 and 2005-2008. "When I came on the commission in 2001, the county was seriously broke. It had built a controversial administration center. The county had to borrow money. It leased part of (the building) to the hospital for five years. By the time my first term was over, the county was financially solvent and we had put almost everybody who wanted to work at the county back to work."

"To get this out of the way, I am highly in favor of Southwest New Mexico utilizing the allocated Arizona Water Settlements Act water," Torres said. "I want to improve the relationship with Silver City, the Mining District municipalities and Hachita. I want to maintain and improve the county facilities without adding on more. I'm a great believer in private property rights. I am a Born-Again Republican. I am in favor of economic development as long as it is complementing what we already have in the way of water, resources and culture."

Gerald "Billy" Billings is running for County Commissioner in District 4, one of the new districts to make up a five-person commission. "I was born and raised here. Eight generations, including my grandkids, have lived and live here. I don't like to hear about problems unless I am allowed to try to solve them. I want fair elections. I support mining and mining jobs. In 2014, mining provided $.5 billion to the New Mexico economy. Socialism doesn't work. You can see that in Venezuela in South America right now. It doesn't work in Cuba or Russia."

"I'm conservative financially," Billings continued. "I support our county manager. For the first time ever, after the county took back Corre Caminos, it is operating in the black. I think our county manager is good for Grant County."

Harry Pecotte is running for County Commission, District 5, the second new district for a five-person commission. "I've been here in Grant County since 1949, when I came here as a four-year-old. I was a non-traditional student and got my degree at Western New Mexico University. I was a miner. Mining is good for us."

"Why am I running?" Pecotte asked and answered. "I have the skills for the job. I have a degree in business with a minor in psychology and enough hours for a minor in Social Work. I can work with other commissioners. We have to work together to bolster the economy, build tourism. There is a resistance here to other businesses coming in. I will do what's right for Grant County and Grant County citizens. I have negotiated deals on large pieces of mining equipment, so I can do deals. It's up to you whether I get the opportunity to serve one term."

Two Republican candidates were unable to attend, but spoke over the phone.

Rebecca Dow, also running for state District 38 representative, thanked those at the event for their commitment to the Republican Party.

"I believe every issue is a woman's issue," Dow said. "Issues impact our lives and that of our families. I base my beliefs on the U.S. Constitution and our God-given rights. I believe in our state rights, with a smaller federal government. I have tenacity and perseverance to help people pursue life, liberty and happiness. We can all realize our own prosperity. We have freedom of religion, not from religion. I have met several wonderful state Republican women who are running for office, including Supreme Court Justice Judy Nakamura, who is running for retention, and Nora Espinosa, who is running for Secretary of State. I have spent 17 years advocating for children's rights and public safety."

Incumbent District 39 Representative John Zimmerman also spoke on the phone. "The past session was a successful one, and I look forward to more successful sessions. I couldn't do it without you." He said two major issues remainG