Gallegos will focus on flood control if elected

February 16, 2010

Wayne Gallegos, a Belen city councilor, said yesterday he’s running for mayor to continue to address Belen’s flooding problems.

“That’s the number one thing,” he said.

He said the “buzzword is the economy” and he thinks the other candidates are unnecessarily latching onto it as an issue.

“My heart’s still on the emergency response and flooding,” he said.

He said plans addressing flood control can’t be dropped or left behind by a new administration, and it needs to remain as a priority.

For the economy, Gallegos wants businesspeople to meet, discuss the economy, and try different ideas for fixing Belen’s economy.

“If it works or it doesn’t work, at least they were a part of it,” he said.

He said the city shouldn’t be fully responsible for the success or failure of the local economy. He said he doesn’t have “any big answers” and boosting Belen’s economy will be a “team effort.”

He said solar industry is very important in Belen, and there’s still federal and state funding for solar projects.

“Everybody’s just casting their rod out there and offering whatever they can to get these guys into their area,” Gallegos said. “I don’t think we should put all of our eggs in one basket, so to speak, just on solar or whatever.”

Other than flood control, Gallegos said the city’s water system needs improvement. He said the system has too many leaks and too much consumption.

“It’s important for good quality water to get to our people,” he said.

Gallegos said he has a different leadership style, and he wants to ensure stability in transitioning from the Torres administration to his own.

“In these small cities, we have no smooth transitions. That’s where we lose a lot,” he said.

When questioned if he’ll ask City Manager Sally Garley to remain as city manager, Gallegos said “no.”

He will ask Garley to stay around for a period of time to help transition to a new city manager.

“There will be a little bit of overlap and transition, and then we’ll get a new city manager and take off,” he said.

Posted in: Infrastructure Politics