Spence looks to business side of CCC

Realtor Carolyn Spence is looking to bring a unique business sense and the perspective of conservative values to the Clovis Community College Board of Trustees after winning a seat during Tuesday’s election.

Spence defeated incumbent Raymond Mondragon in the race for Clovis Community College Position 4 and will begin her tenure on the board of trustees starting next year.

The race was a highlight for the election that also saw voters approve alcohol in the unincorporated areas of Curry and Roosevelt counties.

Spence said she plans to approach the position with a focus on the business aspects of running the college; that’s because she is an experienced business owner in Clovis. She said she’ll need some time serving on the board to assess its needs before committing to any detailed plans.

“I’m hoping to live up to everyone’s expectations when I get sworn in next year and begin working with the college and its new president,” Spence said. “I’m sure he’ll bring new ideas and I can bring a slightly different business focus to the board and hopefully that will help increase the influence of the college and the interface it has with people, businesses and the town.”

Attempts to contact Mondragon after the election were unsuccessful.

Also Tuesday:

• Curry and Roosevelt counties ended their long holdout as the final two dry counties in New Mexico.

Both ballots asked three questions in regard to allowing alcohol in the unincorporated parts of their counties; all of which were approved.

Once the votes are canvassed, the counties will finalize the paperwork with the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing department. Once that’s done, businesses that qualify will be able to submit applications, which will take between 120 and 150 days to process.

Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said that since the questions passed, the county has received three phone calls inquiring about the process.

In Roosevelt County, Manager Amber Hamilton said it’s too soon to discuss how the county plans to proceed or what the effect will be.

• A 1.25 mil tax levy passed under House Bill 33 for Portales schools that will phase out the district’s two-year technology bonds being used to fund updates and fees for the district’s technology.

“This will pay for license fees, new computers, smart boards, anything that has to do with our technology,” Superintendent Johnnie Cain said.

Cain said tax rates will stay the same and the levy will be better for the district in the long run because it will no longer need to pay back bond interest or pay legal fees to prepare the bonds.

“There’s no interest and there’s no selling off bonds or paying attorneys,” Cain said. “This is a six-year tax that will eventually pay the same as what we’d been doing.”

Cain said the district would still need to pay off its tech bonds for the first two years, but after that the levy will pay the same amount at roughly $370,000 and not raise taxes.