The Independent reached out to all of the candidates running for Bernalillo County Commission District 5 with a questionnaire. Those who responded are presented here in full, as written by the candidates. District 5 includes parts of the East Mountains.
The Primary Election will be June 7, and early voting is ongoing now. New in this election, voters may change voter registration to vote in any party’s primary. Visit the Secretary of State’s website for details. For Bernalillo County polling locations, follow this link.
Charlene Pyskoty – D (incumbent)
1. Why are you running for County Commission?
Finishing my first term, I have learned a lot, built relationships, and begun infrastructure projects. I have a vision, resources, and support to accelerate the pace on creating good things for our community. I am seeking a second term to finish long-term projects in order to create a better, safer Bernalillo County. I am excited about the new Imagine Wellness community support center in Tijeras that I am creating with our behavioral health department. I look forward to providing a space for support and more community connection.
2. What strengths do you bring to the table if elected?
In addition to my knowledge and experience as the incumbent, I have decades of experience in research, public health, and mental health therapy. I have been a small business owner for most of my career. I work hard for all of my constituents on things that matter most to them in their daily life. Emerging from two years of a global pandemic, this is the time to stick with proven leadership and my track record of accomplishments.
3. What weaknesses do you bring to the table if elected?
The greatest obstacle is often government bureaucracy. As only one Commissioner, it can be difficult to make changes to some of our most pressing problems. While I enjoy good relationships with County staff and community leaders, it is can be difficult working with people who put politics before problem solving. I will always put people first.
4. What is your top priority if elected?
The top priority across the district is safety. In the East Mountains, that means clean, accessible drinking water, wastewater disposal, well-maintained roads, and fire safety. In Albuquerque, crime prevention, safe housing, and behavioral health resources are key. I am working with federal, state, and local agencies to fund all of these initiatives. I am proud to be endorsed by the IAFF Firefighters Union. All of our first responders have my support for the great job they do keeping us safe.
5. What is the biggest issue facing the county right now and what is your proposed solution?
Preserving and providing clean, plentiful water to high-need, underserved areas in the East Mountains is necessary. Wells are going dry and faulty septic systems release toxins into groundwater. I helped facilitate the To’hajiillee water pipeline, and I am now working with Bernalillo County staff, ABCWUA, and our federal elected officials on these issues in District 5. I will continue to monitor Campbell Ranch and use all available resources to prevent unsustainable development. We must preserve our beautiful environment, precious resources, and the lifestyle we enjoy.
6. Why are you the best person for the job?
I have always shown honesty, integrity, and respect for all of my constituents. As the incumbent, I have learned a lot and I have built strong relationships with our staff as well as with our external partners, including our federal delegation. I love this district and work hard for it every single day. I’ve hosted town halls and connected with constituents at every level. Listening to constituents, hearing their needs, and finding solutions to problems is my passion and my goal. I will continue to work even harder and more effectively in my next term to provide resources that the people of our County need.
7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, provide details.
No.
Eric Olivas – D
1. Why are you running for County Commission?
I am in this race to stand up for my hometown and the incredible community that is Bernalillo County. This community, in which I was raised, gave me my family, my business, and all of the opportunities I have in life. While I grew up and still live in Uptown Albuquerque, I can often be found camping or hiking on my family’s land in the Sedillo Hill area. I am running for County Commission because I believe we need leaders we can trust who are on the side of workers, small businesses and who are moving the needle on our most pressing challenges—namely crime and behavioral health. I own a small landscaping and plumbing business and know it’s time we treat crime as the number one impediment to attracting and retaining businesses. I have served on the NE Community Policing Council and the Albuquerque Police Oversight Board and want to use my experience bringing people together with the city and county to collaborate on reducing crime and homelessness.
2. What strengths do you bring to the table if elected?
I bring diverse experience and skill set to the position. I have the day-to-day experience of being a business owner and a job creator. I have been in business for fifteen years and still get my hands dirty almost every day. I know what it feels like to work all day for a living which is why I consider myself a pro-worker small business person. I have a Masters degree in Biology so I have a unique understanding of the importance of climate change, water scarcity, forest health, and the urban-wildlife interface. I have honed skills serving on city boards in bringing people together to collaborate and accomplish goals.
With my background and education, I know it is important to always be learning and listening to others. I have earned the support of labor, community groups like Planned Parenthood Votes NM, and Democratic leaders like US Senator Martin Henrich, and other state, county and city elected leaders. The Albuquerque Journal has also endorsed my campaign.
3. What weaknesses do you bring to the table if elected?
I’m a hard worker and I tend to be a perfectionist. Sometimes this can lead to the “perfect being the enemy of the good” phenomenon. To counter this, I find that it is important to ground myself in people and places that bring you back to what is really important. Spending time with family, friends, and the beautiful places that surround us in Bernalillo County help me remember what matters most and why I want to serve this community. We need to do better as leaders and government, but no one expects perfection.
4. What is your top priority if elected?
With the huge infusion of federal infrastructure dollars into Bernalillo County in the coming years I believe it is critical that we make investments in our community that prioritize public safety. Certainly we must make investments in law enforcement and our Behavior Health System, but we also have the opportunity to help our community in other ways. Fire protection and forest clearing grants need to be expanded to protect lives and property. Well monitoring and watershed protection also need to be expanded to protect our water and better understand the effects of climate change. Lastly, we should make smart investments to electrify our county fleet and facilities while increasing county owned renewables this will save money and reduce emissions.
5. What is the biggest issue facing the county right now and what is your proposed solution?
Crime and Behavioral Health are the biggest issues facing the county. These issues are correlated. Right now the city and the county do not cooperate on these issues in a meaningful way. This wastes resources and hurts our community. I have relationships and endorsements from local leaders from the Albuquerque City Council to the State Senate because they trust my ability to collaborate.. We need to build a City-County Behavioral Health Authority, similar to what we have done with the water authority and the library system. We need to focus on one plan, one set of goals, and pool our resources to get this done. Right now egos and turf wars are preventing us from making real progress despite years of effort and millions of dollars spent.
6. Why are you the best person for the job?
I know Bernalillo County, this is my hometown. This place made me who I am and I want to serve my community to make this place even better. I represent the working people of our community because I am one. I understand our environmental challenges because I have a background as a Biologist. I know how to foster job creation and small business growth because I own a small business. I can make real progress on Behavioral Health because I have a real plan that challenges the status quo. The current commissioner has failed to prioritize crime and behavioral health and we are paying the price for this inaction. We need to move the needle on the serious problems our county faces, and need a transformational leader with deep commitments to democratic values.
7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, provide details.
No.
Nicholas Bevins – I
1. Why are you running for County Commission?
Because we need a young independent candidate to bring a sense of urgency to our complacent local government.
2. What strengths do you bring to the table if elected?
Years of firsthand experience from local organizing and volunteering to better our community.
3. What weaknesses do you bring to the table if elected?
An inability to turn a blind eye to injustice, regardless of personal or professional consequences. I will be fighting regularly with the powers that be.
4. What is your top priority if elected?
Help unionize the new Amazon warehouse, and as many other workplaces as possible. Address the local needs of climate change such as fire preparedness, water sustainability, and transition to renewables. Address the increase in housing and rent costs.
5. What is the biggest issue facing the county right now and what is your proposed solution?
1. Environmental threats such as increased fire danger, water shortages, and desertification. 2. Stratospheric increases in the cost of housing and rent. 3. Stagnant wages, lack of union representation in workplaces.
6. Why are you the best person for the job?
It would be presumptuous to assume I’m the best person for the job. There are likely a thousand individuals better qualified locally. Unfortunately, they won’t be running due to our inclusive election process. That being said, of the 3 choices available, I believe a young independent organizer is preferable to either candidate from the corrupt political parties.
7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, provide details.
No.
Wayne Yevoli – R
1. Why are you running for County Commission?
I am running for Bernalillo County Commission because I don’t recognize what is becoming of our home and our community. I have been a resident of Bernalillo County for more than 40 years, and what I see happening today troubles me. I am afraid to let my wife go to the grocery store alone at night. I am a small business owner who works diligently on my fiduciary responsibilities. My wife and I raised our children here, but both children have left the state for better jobs and quality of life for their kids. I am deeply troubled by the rise in crime, the lack of resources to mental health, and the increase of homelessness. I have built my career as an engineer bringing together many different stakeholders to understand and solve complex issues, which is what our county needs today. We need to work together to make our community safer, more prosperous, and once again thrive. And I believe that I am the man to do it, and I’m willing to put in the hard work to make it happen.
2. What strengths do you bring to the table if elected?
I am a small business owner and mechanical engineer and have successfully operated companies. As an engineer I know how to bring varying opinions and points of view together to reach a solution.
3. What weaknesses do you bring to the table if elected?
I have a need for data and analysis before making decision which can be a strength and a weakness.
4. What is your top priority if elected?
My top priority is to get a handle on the budget and ensure that spending is in accordance with the citizen’s interests.
5. What is the biggest issue facing the county right now and what is your proposed solution?
The two biggest issues in the East Mountains are water and development. We need smart, thoughtful development that adheres to the Bernalillo East Mountain Sector Plan which includes any infrastructure and development.
In addition, Albuquerque crime bleeds into the unincorporated Bernalillo County. I will work to create better cooperation between the City and County to address crime. By increasing the number of BCSO deputies, we can work with APD to respond to calls more efficiently and effectively. I will work to make BCSO the best equipped and trained law enforcement agency in the state.
6. Why are you the best person for the job?
As a job creator and small business owner for 25 years, I understand the intricacies of running a business. Designing mechanical/electrical systems, managing budgets, ensuring profitability, and making sure my clients are satisfied are the keys to my successful business of 25 years. These skills translate well to the main responsibilities of a County Commissioner including managing a $700 million budget, ensuring accountability, and meeting constituent needs.
7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, provide details.
I have never been convicted of any crime.
.
Judy Young – R
1. Why are you running for County Commission?
I was born in Gallup, NM where my grandfather owned the first Cadillac/Pontiac dealership. My dad was an administrator with the Bureau of Reclamation bringing life-saving water by building dams around the country. It was not an easy life because we moved every two years in order to prepare for the next dam to be built. My parent’s dream was to retire in their beloved homeland of New Mexico and they achieved their dream when they returned Albuquerque to retire in 2001.
I am running for County Commissioner because a group of highly involved and informed members of the community came to me and explained that I was the “ONLY” person in District 5 who could successfully make the necessary changes in Bernalillo County to both flip the Commission to conservative leadership and thereby flip the untenable lawless conditions of Bernalillo County. These individuals have first hand experience with my bulldog tenacity in coming against “the establishment” whose power (NOT leadership) is taking our beloved County into the depths of darkness from which we will be unable to recover if it continues. Since half the population of the state resides in Bernalillo County , as Bernalillo County goes, so goes the state. I am a fierce FIGHTER for the people and for what is RIGHT!
2. What strengths do you bring to the table if elected?
My greatest strength is my faith in God, not myself. My faith in God has enabled me to make great strides in our society:
- After graduating from Columbia University in NYC with a masters in community program development , I wrote the $92 million grant that started the UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center.
- Along with Assistant Chief of Police Phil Chacon, I initiated the first publicly funded Domestic Violence Program to ensure protection and provision for domestic violence victims. Subsequently, every state in the United States followed our example and adopted similar law.
Phil Chacon lost his life in the line of duty of protecting innocent women and children.
- I worked with New Mexico’s first and foremost promoter, Frank Crosby (the Unser’s promoter) to represent thousands of small businesses to ensure their success by establishing the first Sports Show and Home Shows at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
- I have successfully worked with the criminal population which encompasses a. life skills education b. basic adult education c. cognitive therapy training
- Developed and administered South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility, Houston, Texas (1992 -1994), the first privately operated prison facility in the state of Texas. This was a high security prison established as a rehabilitation center with a population of convicted felons including those incarcerated for major crimes such as murder, larceny, money laundering with the majority being drug related events. This highly successful privately run prison is still operating today and using the rehabilitation plan that I developed.
- I was a teacher and counselor at a co-ed alternative school, Houston, Texas (1994-2008). During this fourteen year period, I successfully brought many teenage gang members out of the gang lifestyle.
- Implemented my successfully established rehabilitation program as a transition coordinator at Bernalillo Metropolitan Detention Center from 2009-2012. The key to rehabilitating the criminal population is providing alternative lifestyle education that empower them with choices and tools while at the same time not enabling their unacceptable behavior.
Additionally, I have been deeply involved in the community since my mother’s passing in 2015 when her dying wish was, “Judy, promise me that you will do EVERYTHING in your power to restore Albuquerque.”
Unfortunately, the severe decay they witnessed broke their hearts and contributed significantly to their passing. These are the promises made, promises kept accomplishments since my mother’s passing:
- I have assisted State Representative Jason Harper as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee
- I have been on the Singing Arrow Neighborhood Association Board, The East Gateway Coalition Board. I was a member of 2017 Homeless Task Force making well researched recommendations such as for the Campus Model that would serve the local homeless population. (https://www.petedinelli.com/2018/09/12/campus-model-suggested-as-solution-to-homeless/ ) that were summarily dismissed in favor of the abject failure of The Tiny Home Village.
- I wrote the initial draft that became 12 recommendations for community crime reduction while serving on the Foothills Community Policing Council and witnessed tremendous improvement in criminal activity while those recommendations were being implemented (city ordinance required).
- Graduated from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Citizens Academy. As a member of Women Taking Back Our Neighborhood, I worked with the Bernalillo County Sheriff as well as multi-agency law enforcement officers to conduct sweeps to arrest criminals that included those residing in homeless encampments along the Central Corridor.
The Bernalillo County website shows a flow chart. The flow chart shows at the VERY TOP of the authority in charge as: CITIZENS OF BERNALILLO COUNTY. Next under Citizens of Bernalillo County is Commissioners. The proper use of this hierarchy of power is to understand one’s fiduciary which means to first protect the physical and fiscal safety of the citizenry. This is the oath taken by elected representatives in a representative democracy. I understand this oath and the responsibility it gives to me as your elected representative to honor this fiduciary. If elected to the Bernalillo County Commission, I will make every decision to honor this fiduciary to protect the physical and fiscal safety of all citizens.
3. What weaknesses do you bring to the table if elected?
What others would consider a weakness that I am NOT a member of ‘The Club’ (the establishment, the politically correct political agenda), I consider a strength. Obviously, ‘The Club’ has not been working effectively for the good of THE PEOPLE.
4. What is your top priority if elected?
My top priority if elected is to bring order, lawfulness, accountability, integrity to Bernalillo County, which will bring forth Constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to the citizenry. It is impossible for citizens to have these Constitutional rights fulfilled if they are living in fear for their lives and property. I will focus on the unacceptable crime that affects all of our lives and the economy.
5. What is the biggest issue facing the county right now and what is your proposed solution?
The biggest issue facing the county right now is economy, crime, homelessness. In actuality, these are inextricably linked and inseparable. For example, the current proposal of City Council of legalizing homeless encampments in every district of Albuquerque, has been a proven an abject failure in Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Honolulu where sanctioned encampment programs have shut down because of horrendous felony crimes including murder, rape, robberies and arson. And the crimes impact not just residential neighborhoods: innocent local homeless are thrown together in encampments with a criminal population with no disclosure that they are unprotected from this element. The recently approved sanctioned encampment model in Denver, Colorado has already resulted in formal appeals from citizens to abolish the program because they have experienced these same kinds of horrific crimes. Every one of these cities have acknowledged this plan as an abject failure that increased crime and decreased economy. Each one of these cities has halted this course of destruction; however, it will takes years (if ever) to recover. These cities had more money, more oversight and more dedication to success and yet this plan was absolutely destined to fail and harm both the citizenry and the homeless. In addition to the above four cities with sanctioned encampments, some 65 additional cities across the United States are abolishing encampments as they come into compliance with a 2018 Federal Court Case (Boise, Idaho, 2018) that requires cities to have sufficient beds for homeless before outlawing encampments within municipalities. The latest update to the Campus Model to address homelessness and thus increase beds for a local homeless population can be found at www.petedinelli.com
6. Why are you the best person for the job?
I have one motive and one motive only: to serve God, the community, and the citizenry herein to the best of by ability. I have a proven track record of both integrity of motive and action in the community. I have both the academic as well as the experiential education to successfully turn the Titanic from the iceberg ahead (current ill fated policies). I will hold policy makers responsible for their fiduciary to first protect the physical and fiscal safety of their citizenry. I have skin in the game from honoring previous generations, needing to protect the current generation and providing for the legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren.
7. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, provide details.
No.
