By Mary Alice Murphy

Merrie Lee SoulesMerrie Lee Soules is running as a Democrat for the position of Congresswoman for the U.S. Congressional District 2 in New Mexico.

When asked why she was running for the seat, she said it was not part of her plan. "But about three years ago, I started paying attention. I was working part time at the White Sands Missile Range, after I had retired from a 30-year career in the automotive industry."

At the time, Congress decided to shut down the government. "Congressman (Steve) Pearce voted to shut down the government. And so just like that, myself and the people I was working for are out on the street. Not exactly without a job, but certainly without a paycheck."

She said hard-working people had no paycheck, which meant they could not pay their bills or fulfill their obligations or put food on the table. They didn't know when they would again have a paycheck. "I thought that crossed a line." She said Congressman Pearce went further, she said, by sending out a memo to people not receiving a check and suggested they go down to the local bank and take a loan. "That struck me as hugely disrespectful."

Soules said a few weeks later Congress forged a compromise, and Pearce voted against it again. "I decided then that the people of southern New Mexico deserved responsible representation, and not what we have."

She said she is a political outsider, who has not held elected office before. "He's not exactly my role model. I retired in 2007 and have found ways of serving the community." Soules chaired two redistricting committees for the Las Cruces School Board, when new schools were built.

For an elementary and middle school, the recommendations of the committee were accepted without change. For a new high school, she said it was expected to be an even larger chore. "I chaired the committee again. The community held forums. It was highly contentious and emotional, but again the board accepted the recommendations without change." She said things that people most expected to be problems have not turned out to be the negatives they feared. "I'm very proud of that work. Of course, I didn't do it by myself, but with other committed individuals."

Most recently, she began involvement with El Paso Electric. "I ran for Public Regulation Commission," but she was not elected. She said it started her down a path with her local electric utility.

"Last year, I intervened in seven of their filings, as a citizen, on my time, on my dime and with a learning curve," Soules said. "El Paso Electric was asking for a rate increase of $8.6 million a year from us, the ratepayers. Again, I didn't do it alone, but I was instrumental in getting the county involved and having the city of Las Cruces expand its involvement. And recently the commission made its decision that El Paso Electric would receive only $1.1 million. So an increase of almost $75 million over 10 years doesn't get taken out of the community. So I'm very proud of that."

"That's not political." She said it was service for the people of southern New Mexico. "What I'm proposing to do is put that same work ethic and dedication to work on their behalf in Congressional District 2."

The district includes all of southern New Mexico and up the western side of the state, not including Bernalillo or Torrance counties. "It's from Zuni in one corner to Hobbs and from Portales to Rodeo. It's the sixth largest congressional district in the country."

When asked how she would address the urban of Las Cruces and the rural of most of the rest of the district, she replied that urban versus rural was only one of the ways the district is diverse. "We are also diverse in language, in cultures, we're hugely diverse in so many ways. I see it as a strength in the district. I've been corner-to-corner, not once, but several times. It's a fabulous place we get to call home. So that diversity means it's always a matter of trying to integrate different interests, different concerns in a way that moves us forward and works. I mean works for the many, not the few, for the entire district."

She said her background is business, spending 30 years with General Motors and Delphi Corporation. Soules has a degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

"I was an executive for more than 20 years. I would describe myself as a pragmatic business person, with progressive values," Soules said.

She said, when she traveled through the district, she saw lots of issues on people's minds, which she saw as coming down to needing economic prosperity "right here at home. I look forward to putting that business background to work for the people of southern New Mexico. I see a future of tremendous opportunity."

She noted the area is at the crossroads of a continent, with I-10 from east to west and I-25 from north to south into Mexico. "It's such an economic opportunity."

Soules said: "Walls get in the way. Historically, I don't believe walls have ever worked. I build bridges instead of walls. We can turn the border proximity into a boon."

She suggested finding and developing more places like Santa Teresa.

"Energy is a huge opportunity. As it gets hotter and drier, we face more challenges," Soules said.

The candidate believes New Mexico should be leading the way in energy in its broadest sense, with the present energy companies embracing energy of the 21st Century. She noted technology could capture methane or CO2. "We have potentials for hydrogen manufacture, from brackish water using solar to create hydrogen and use it as energy storage, then when "we use the energy, we get clean water. What a virtuous cycle."

She said opportunities are available obviously with solar and wind, but she also sees opportunities with nuclear energy. Not just using and developing energy in the traditional way, but "energy that will work in this century."

In addressing the wolf issue, she said she sees problems that need to be addressed. "Congressman Pearce is going down the path of delisting the Mexican gray wolf as an endangered species. It would have no special designation. I don't think that solves a problem. I believe it makes him committing to extinction of a species. I'm convinced that we can find balance, and that's the work we expect of our federal government. I believe it can be solved and that government has a job to do. I want government to be accountable. I think that's what citizens expect of their elected representatives."

On the water issue, Soules said: "We live in a desert. Our environment is getting hotter and drier. We are facing more and more issues around water as a result. Our basic structures around water, which may have worked for us 100 or 200 years ago, are not going to work for us in our hotter, drier future. I see us surrounded by thirsty neighbors. That means it's going to be more complex rather than simpler. I can't picture any entity, other than the federal government, that can find a way forward that serves the interests of our communities, and of the many, not the few. So this is one of the jobs I think our federal government has facing it."

"I truly believe the people of southern New Mexico expect betterG