Editor’s Note: Freedom New Mexico asked State Representative  candidates to answer the following questions in 200 words. The answers were edited for grammar and style. The general election is Nov. 4.

State Representative, District 67

Democrat

Craig L. Cosner

Age: 59

Occupation: Retired banker (35 years)

Previously held public office: None

• What is your stance on a proposed funding formula backed by education organizations?

Regardless of the mathematical calculations, the funding formula must be increased to provide adequate educational opportunities. The final outcome of the bill introduced in the 2009 legislative session must reflect an increase in funding for our public schools. My goals are simple: Support our schools and our teachers, raise standards for both teachers and students.  We need to put our money into improved classroom instruction, rather than more bureaucracy. We need to hold those responsible for educational decisions accountable for their actions. 

• What is your stance on a state-funded universal health care package proposed by Gov. Bill Richardson? What is your alternative?

I was not in the 2008 legislative session that did not pass the proposed state-funded universal health care package. I would have found it difficult to provide the funding. You will hear many different political spins on the number of New Mexicans without health care. It needs to be our goal to continue to reduce this number by providing affordable and accessible health care reforms. The state must work to contain costs while expanding access, particularly in rural areas. In New Mexico, we need to increase our efforts to recruit and maintain well-trained medical professionals in the northeastern part of New Mexico.

 
• How would you vote on legislation regarding domestic partnership addressing same-sex couples?

It is my personal belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. I have spent my career being fair and non-discriminatory. In order to stay within my belief system, it is necessary to reconcile these two factors. If the proposed legislation is only to skirt the issue of marriage, I would have to vote “no.”

• Should legislative conference committee meetings be open to the public?

I have not served as a legislator, but I recognize there are times that legislation is passed by both the House and the Senate that is not in agreement. It is necessary for a committee to be appointed to reconcile the differences. By closing these meetings, it allows for those involved in the process to discuss frankly and openly within the committee their concerns before reaching an agreement. The report from the conference committee is then brought back for vote. It is important for your legislator to understand the changed legislation before voting. 

If these meetings were open to the public, it could compromise the ability of legislators to come to a consensus. However, I believe the public and the other legislators should be made aware of the changes.

Republican

Dennis J. Roch

Age: 34

Occupation: Assistant superintendent of Tucumcari Public Schools

Previously held public office: Public Education Commission, District 9

• What is your stance on a proposed funding formula backed by state education organizations?

As a lifelong educator, I know firsthand the difficulty of meeting rising expectations on shrinking budgets. This is especially true in rural schools, where student enrollment frequently doesn’t generate sufficient funding to provide all the educational opportunities our children deserve.

Gov. Bill Richardson recognized my experience as a teacher and coach in rural New Mexico and appointed me to the Funding Formula Task Force. During three years of work on the new formula, I often spoke up for the needs of rural schools, as well as for the need for a formula that funds schools based on student needs such as poverty, special education and English fluency. In addition to developing strong working relationships with both Republican and Democratic legislators, my work on the task force has won me the support of parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members throughout New Mexico.

I understand that full implementation of the proposed formula will be costly, and may require that we phase it in. Nonetheless, this investment is long overdue, and I propose committing 50 percent of the state’s budget to education, remedying the chronic underfunding of our schools.

• What is your stance on a state-funded universal health care package proposed by Gov. Bill Richardson? What is your alternative?

Most residents of eastern New Mexico recognize that “state-funded universal health care” really represents just another taxpayer-funded entitlement program. Government programs rarely solve problems ... they simply create bureaucracies.

A far more cost-effective approach to meeting the need is to offer tax incentives to employers who choose to provide their employees with competitive health insurance while simultaneously directing additional funds to county indigent care accounts that already exist to pay for urgent medical care for uninsured families in our communities.

A more pressing health care issue in rural New Mexico is access. Some of that we are addressing by enticing medical providers to locate in rural communities with loan reductions or elimination. State Rep. Brian Moore has also shown consistent leadership on this issue, by making sure that our rural fire and EMS personnel have the latest equipment and training to provide first-class emergency services in even the most remote areas of eastern New Mexico. I pledge to provide them with the same strong support.

• How would you vote on legislation regarding domestic partnership addressing same-sex couples?

I stand firmly opposed to domestic partnerships. As we know, House Bill 9 was narrowly defeated in the state Legislature this past February, and a similar bill will most certainly come up again next year.

Some legislators claimed to be against same-sex marriage but voted in support of domestic partnerships. ... Eastern New Mexico voters should not be fooled into thinking that these are separate issues. I pledge to vote against any attack on traditional marriage, whether it be gay marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships.

• Should legislative conference committee meetings be open to the public?

For far too long in New Mexico, legislators have crafted our laws by making back-room deals without any public accountability. Only when we require that conference committees be open to the public (and to the press) will we be able to hold our legislators accountable and judge whether their “walk” in Santa Fe matches their “talk” at home.