Roosevelt candidates square off on guns, marijuana

PORTALES — Concealed carrying, marijuana legalization and economic development were just a few of the topics covered by Roosevelt County magistrate judge, sheriff and county commission candidates at a public forum Tuesday night.

Master of ceremonies Donald Elder officiated the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum at the Yam Theatre, starting with the four candidates for magistrate judge.

The first question Elder posed was about New Mexico’s high DUI rate: Does the state need still tougher laws or stricter sentencing to prevent people form driving under the influence?

Candidate James Southard said he would “lean toward education” to solve the issue.

“The kids need to know. We need to start there in the schools; let them know the problems they are facing, how to make those choices and keep them out of the system,” he said.

To solve the issue, candidate Christopher Mitchell said it would take the entire community to draw the line.

“It’s as a community, as one solid county, that we make the difference. It’s a combination thereof, with of course the penalty phase. We could talk about the magistrate court probation program and some of the issues there. That’s the direction I would like to see pushed,” he said.

Candidates were also asked about their thoughts on criminal cases involving the possession of limited amounts of marijuana.

Most people arrested for possession in Roosevelt County, according to candidate Jimmy Parrish, aren’t carrying a substantial amount, so he said the county should focus on the source of the drugs.

“When are we gonna get to the point where, as a community, we’re sick and tired of it and we’re gonna take our county back?” he asked.

Candidate Michelle Bargas said she had no issue with marijuana use for medicinal purposes, but added that some people have no reason to use it.

“Going to meetings and participating and getting on committees to see what your community needs is what it’s gonna take to be involved. This is where you get with your law enforcement and start reviewing what is happening,” she said.

To the two candidates for county sheriff, Elder directed a question about their thoughts on a national concealed carry reciprocity law.

Incumbent Malin Parker said that more concealed carriers would make for less victims in the long run.

“If somebody’s gonna shoot at me, it’s not because they went through these classes and they’ve obtained these licenses and they’ve done everything that the law requires them to do. It’s gonna be those people that are not following the law, that have stolen that gun, that have done something else,” he said.

Candidate Darrell Chenault said that the Second Amendment was designed for laws that allow for concealed carrying.

“When we become a nation, a state or a county that is unarmed, we’re in trouble. I’m a concealed carry person. I have been for many, many years and I believe in it strongly,” he said. “I understand that there can be a few bad apples, but let the police departments take care of those ... Overall, I am very proud to have concealed carry people in my community.”

Stepping back into the topic of substance use, Elder asked Parker and Chenault about the worst drug abuse problems the county was facing and their approach to dealing with them.

Chenault answered that methamphetamines and opiates are becoming a larger problem, adding that the fight against drugs is ongoing.

“We have to look at these issues. We have to battle them every day. Will we win the war? I believe we will. I believe it will take small battles to win the war, but I believe it can be on the decline,” he said.

Parker agreed that methamphetamines were at the forefront of Roosevelt County’s drug problem, and said that the situation is rapidly getting worse.

“As a sheriff, you have to deal with these problems getting worse and worse, again on a limited revenue, on a limited income with limited staff, and you have to do the best job you can,” he said. “Until we start getting help on a higher level, it’s just gonna be a losing battle. I don’t think it’s something that we can’t overcome, but I think we’re gonna have to address it above our heads.”

Elder asked the two candidates for district 4 county commissioner what could have been done to avoid the county’s previous budget crisis and how it could have been handled better.

Incumbent Gene Creighton blamed the crisis on bad bookkeeping, and said the county needs individuals who will look after the budget attentively.

“If you don’t have someone there every day ... The county manager has to step up and keep the books right and keep them working. We didn’t have the kind of audits we needed. We went and got a good auditor. We had 14 findings the first year. That’s tough to overcome, but this last year we had one finding and it was corrected,” he said.

While candidate Tina Dixon said she isn’t as well-versed in budget matters as her opponent, she suggested the county continue its upward trajectory.

“I think that (county manager) Amber Hamilton, she did a great job when she came in and cleaned it all up, and the county’s doing a great job to get it all into shape.”

When asked by Elder about economic developments that would have the greatest impact on the county, Dixon said she would like businesses to come in that could bring more jobs.

“I would like to see more things for our kids to do, rather than be on the streets. There are a lot of things that could happen, and I just think that we do need more businesses, because we need more jobs in Roosevelt County.”

Creighton said the county is suffering in the irrigation and cattle industries, but could potentially have a resurgence with oil.

“If they open that up, because they were talking about going in there and fracking those wells ... if they do that, we could get a lot of revenue from the oil patch,” he said.