Q&A: Ward C appointee talks plans, issues

Editor’s note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Preston Elkins is the recently appointed Portales city council member for Ward C.

Q: What motivated you to apply for city council? Have you run in previous years? Were you planning on running in the next election?

A: My motivation to apply for city council was my children; I did not grow up here but I married into a family that did and I want to be able to make a difference in Portales for their future. In the past year or two, there have been tons of discussion and complaints about the direction and future of the city but hardly any productive solutions were actually being offered.

So, I thought, why just make comments when I could actually try to make a difference. I have never run for public office before, nor did I have any intentions of running. I was approached by members of the community, current council, and leadership as an individual that specializes in financial matters that wants to put in the work to help create a better community.

Q: What do you think is the City of Portales’ greatest weakness? What can the council do to strengthen that weakness?

A: In my opinion, the greatest weakness in the City of Portales is longevity and flexibility. We, as a city, have to be able to adapt and adjust to the modern demands that we are faced with. To strengthen this weakness, the Council should be able to communicate freely with the public and get the necessary help to produce solutions to these issues. We, as a council, should be open minded to new ideas in order for our city to move forward in the right direction.

Q: What do you think is the City of Portales’ greatest strength? What can the council do to bolster that strength?

A: Portales has a strong core of individuals that want what is best for our area; these consistently Pro-Portales individuals are working hard to ensure that we continue to improve and grow but as this group ages, we need to recognize that we must continue to add to this community.

Thankfully, Portales has a phenomenal university just blocks from the city square, ENMU brings a multitude of young, smart individuals to our town each semester. We, as a community, need to do everything we can to boost attendance and retain those students in our community. We must begin to transition them from seasonal students to full time members of our community.

As a council, we need to create a community that these young individuals want to settle down in, a community worth raising their families in. We, as a council, need to ensure that we are supporting ENMU and those students every chance that we get.

Q: What are your plans as Ward C council member? What are some strengths and weaknesses within your district? How can they improve?

A: As the Ward C council member, I want to get out into the community and discuss with my neighbors: I want to open the lines of communication and listen to everyone’s concerns and their solutions.

We need to face the challenges we have head on as a community. We may not have all the answers, but we need to be willing to do whatever it takes in order to improve the quality of life we have here in Portales.

Q: Do you feel like the future of Portales is secure? Has the water issue – infrastructure issues in general – discouraged businesses looking to locate in Portales? Have businesses left due to water concerns? What do you say to the business community about projections 10 or 20 years from now?

A: Portales is currently faced with a very pressing long-term issue. Water seems to be the hot topic when it comes to longevity and sustainability of our community, not even considering the growth of the city. It will be very hard for us to grow as a community if we are unable to sustain the current necessities of the public.

Everybody seems to think they know the right solution; the fact of the matter is, we don’t. We have to start hitting this issue immediately but with productive and sustainable solutions. We have already seen a number of businesses leave in the past twelve months; while water might not have been their only cause for vacation, it was definitely a citable factor.

In addition, the longer that this conundrum plagues our town, the further the hearsay will reach; impeding our ability to draw new businesses and families that would add to our community.

Q: What expertise will you bring to solve some of the city’s issues such as infrastructure and water? What changes or plans do you plan on advocating for?

A: As the Accounting and Finance Manager of Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative, I feel that my expertise is centralized around finances and appreciation/depreciation of assets. I also have immense experience in Financial Auditing and finding possible financial oversights in regards to city budgeting and spending.

In addition, I am responsible for the electric rate tariffs that are filed with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. In the building our rate, we conduct cost of service studies. During those studies, we determine what upgrades, if necessary, will be needed in order to provide our members with service and what those upgrades will cost our membership. As a Co-op, we are member owned, meaning everyone on our lines has a stake in our operations. As an employee of RCEC it is our job to provide safe, reliable and affordable electrical service to our members.

As for future plans that I am advocating for, I definitely believe that we as a city need to do similar studies on our current infrastructure in order to determine whether we can provide the necessary amenities to our community, but, know and recognize, that whatever we do comes at a cost. And that cost needs to be something we as a community can appreciate.

— Compiled by Madison Willis, the Staff of the News