Silver City Mayoral Candidate: Levi "Zoey" Timmons
By Frost McGahey
(Editor's Note: The Grant County Beat asked Candidates questions so voters can determine who they want to vote for. Early voting started October 7, and Election Day is Tuesday November 4. The replies are posted in the order received.)
1A. How long have you lived in Silver?
I was born in Tucson, but I have lived in Silver City since I was 3 years old. Almost 27 years. I spent two years in Tucson (during covid).
2. What do you like best about Silver City?
The Silver City that I know and love exists mostly in my memories. A Silver City with vibrant community and tightly knit neighborhoods. A Silver City with at least one street festival every season. A Silver City where the locals aren't priced out by uncontrolled rent hikes. Where 300 housing units are not boarded up sitting vacant waiting for their values to appreciate. I can't choose any one thing that I like the most about this city. But I can say with certainty that the thing that I love is this city's potential. I love Silver City because I know what it was, and I know what it can be.
3. Least?
What I like least about this city is its leadership. Specifically the inability of its leadership to stand up to authority. The inability of its leadership to question the status quo. I love the people and the culture and the history and I hate to see us being robbed by Freeport and Walmart.
4. Why did you decide to run?
I decided to run because I believe in my platform. Because I believe in Silver City. Because I believe that change is possible. While other candidates may be running on procedure or out of spite, my campaign is born from common sense and clarity.
5. What is your top priority if elected?
Fight this administration. Fight for my people. Keep ICE out of Silver City. Keep Silver City fed.
6. With the recent controversy about funding the Stonegarden grant, are you for or against continuing it?
I CONDEMN IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS THE ACTIONS OF OUR TOWN MANAGER AND AS MAYOR I WILL CALL ON HIM TO RESIGN. OUR POLICE CHIEF HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR AS WELL.
7. How is your working relationship with local law enforcement?
I do not believe that politicians should have a cozy relationship with the occupying internal army. Crime is down across the entire country. If our police want to help they should start going after billionaires and corrupt corporations and CEOs who steal more in wage theft than we make in our entire lives.
8. What is your approach to attracting new businesses and supporting local small businesses?
Keep corporations out of Silver City. The true cure for an ailing economy is local agriculture and local production. If you want to know why our small businesses are struggling, look no further than the loss leaders who can outcompete them. Also food basket is price gouging and it's unacceptable.
9. What are your priorities for maintaining roads, utilities, and other infrastructure?
Too many people focus on potholes. Their priority is putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. Our erosion mitigation is practically non-existent, and the Town Council selling off our garbage facility as well as failing to pursue a municipal solar grid, are exactly why we exist in a debt powered economy. If you want better infrastructure, first the town needs a stream of revenue. My projection for a municipal solar utility will draw in 1.5 million annually which can be upcycled into our grid's capacity.
10. What makes you the best candidate to represent the entire community?
I do not represent the entire community. I do not represent the powerful or the wealthy. I do not represent the managers. I do not represent the police department. I represent the workers. I represent the weak and the poor. The people who do not have a voice. The people who are brutalized regularly by our own public servants. I do not represent corporations, and I do not represent bigots. I do not represent the people coal rolling our senior citizens every Friday. And the idea that an elected representative needs to compromise with, and work on the behalf of, people who are actively trying to undermine their agenda and their policies, is the source of our representative democracy's constant gridlock. I do not compromise. I fight.
11. How would you ensure the town's budget is managed responsibly?
Transparency. I want to live stream every single thing that I do as mayor. I want to open the books and show everyone exactly where every single dollar is going. I want to use the bully pulpit to show favoritism in terms of who gets contracts, obvious wasted spending, and what in my mind very clearly resembles small town corruption.
12. Are you a member of any organizations?
I am the founder of the New Mexico Care Collective, chapter organizer for General Strike US New Mexico, and a proud Member of the Industrial Workers of the World (The Wobblies).
If people want to contribute to your campaign, how can they do so?
This is a people powered campaign. I have not accepted one dime. Because I want money out of politics. Entirely. I believe in word of mouth, paper media, and good old-fashioned eye contact.
