Dennis Fulfer For Mayor

More opinions wanted

2010-02-20T19:20:00.001-08:00

Here's another thread to post your opinions. They get disorganized after six or seven responses.

Your Opportunity

2010-02-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we've reached the final weeks of this campaign season. Phew, it's been an long, fascinating ride for me. I've learned a lot about our communities and our needs.

Now I think our fellow citizens would like to hear what you have been sharing with me. Please share your thoughts here. What do you believe the issues are? Do you have experiences that illustrate an issue? Please share them, anonymously if you wish. Let's use this space to share our thoughts with each other.

Return to the positive

2010-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

When I first began this campaign, I intended to keep it clean and positive. That is my nature to be optimistic. But as I spoke with the people, it became apparent that many people were angry. That emotion can be contagious and I caught that flu. Subsequently, my posts have reflected this anger within me.

But one important truth is that people are most afraid (and subsequently angered) by the unknown. "Who's going to come out of the bushes and attack me?" Now, we all know who the candidates are, and to me that concern and anger has subsided. I see that all the candidates, both for Mayor and for Council, are respectable and dignified.

Therefore, I will no longer makes critical remarks about the past. This is the dawning of a new day. As one citizen told me, "I feel like the sun is rising here in Mountainair." Let this new decade be the decade that Mountainair experiences prosperity and improved quality of life.

The Rumor Mill Begins

2009-12-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

Rumors are an interesting thing. People naturally tend to put two and two together and end up with seven. Such is the human nature of rumors.

There is a rumor, although not nasty (depending on your perspective), that needs to be addressed before it gets out of control. I've heard from quite a few people say that people are saying that I'm in cahoots with the current mayors agenda. They're saying that there's a covert plan for me to get elected and to further this administrations attitudes and trajectory.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will work with anyone to bring this community together and inspire pride in this community, and such, I have worked with our current mayor to this end. That is my intention and that is my goal.

But what I've witnessed is a division in our community, primarily down racial lines, but also down socioeconomic status lines as well. I'm beginning to uncover an effort intended to drive out the poor in our community. Being poor myself, I will not stand for it! I may not have financial resources, but I do have the intellectual resources, as well as partnerships with those who share my belief, to protect the poor of our community.

I WILL NOT continue this travesty of our democratic system at the hands of people who stand to profit from this behavior! I've talked with a few people and they are genuinely afraid for their life and safety...BY THE ADMINISTRATION! They're worried they're going to get run out of town. These are CITIZENS of Mountainair! They have a RIGHT to live in our town in peace.

With my administration, some things will certainly change. These changes will have the net effect of bringing true peace to our citizens, so that no one lives in fear of the system.

Let's set the record straight, right here and right now. I DO NOT endorse or condone the negative aspects of the current administration. When the people speak, the administration better listen! And more importantly, there better be responses and results.

The best way hear the truth is to hear it directly from me. I invite anyone that is concerned over any of my associations, or with general issues, to call me, 847-0260. (leave a message cause i usually don't hear my phone until the answering machine picks up...i did mention i'm poor, right? Only one phone.)

Better yet, come by my house! 408 N. Railroad....the corner of Railroad and Cedar. It's better to speak directly with me so you can read my body language. MAKE ME EARN YOUR TRUST!

Losing faith in government

2009-12-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

This is a VERY IMPORTANT issue that I've heard from the people I've talked with. The citizens of Mountainair are losing their faith in the town government. There are so many promises that have become unfulfilled.

* Why isn't the swimming pool open yet?
* What happened to the recycling project?
* Why is there a bunch of trash at the corner of the MAC?
* What happened to the fully funded skate park that was supposed to be built by December (it's December now!)?
* Why don't we have police protection at night?
* Where are the paved roads we've been promised at our last election?

I'm sure you have a few questions not mentioned here. Please email them to me. Dennis@DennisFulfer.com, or post them here.

Talk is cheap, and obviously promises are even cheaper when trying to win an election. Personally, I would be happy if there were some excuses. But I don't hear anything. It's one of those things that they hope we all just forgot about. Well, we DON'T forget about them. We remember each one of them and when the next promise is broken, we lose more and more faith in the Administration.

First off, limit the promises to something that's doable and DON'T promise something that simply won't happen. There's a salesman philosophy, "under-promise, over-deliver." That is very important thing to think about. I have solutions to many of our problems and issues. But I only make promises that are ethical and ones I can deliver upon.

Secondly, if we want to tackle as many of our problems as possible, we have to do it as a community. It's a partnership between all of us, the Citizens of Mountainair, the Chamber of Commerce, the School District and Board, the Rotary, and all of our churches. The Town Administration is only one of the many that is responsible for the solutions to the issues we all face. My number one promise is I will work diligently to get as many people and organizations involved.

One final note, as long as I've lived here, it's been the case that elections are based not on the merit of the candidate, but rather the amount of promises he makes. A few years ago, one mayoral candidate actually told me, "Do you know how to use a computer? I'm going to fire everyone at city hall and hire you and your wife! But you have to vote for me, first!" Em....For grins and giggles, I'm curious how many people would have shown up to work on the day after the election, if he got voted in.

But my humor points out a serious problem. Don't be influenced by these types of political promises. These are the most unethical kind and God help us if someone with this type of ethics gets voted in.

Transparency in Government

2009-10-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Transparency in Government

Transparency is a word we often hear in political news. But what does it mean? What does the lack of transparency look like? And subsequently, what does it look like?

Transparency literally means, “to see through.” Transparency in government means that we can see everything that’s going on. There is nothing hidden from the public’s eyes. Almost everything in at your town hall is public record. That means that you have a right to go in and view those documents given a reasonable amount of time to have them prepared for your viewing. This includes decisions, reasoning, budgets, meetings and meeting minutes.

Transparency builds trust of government in the people because they have full view of what is going on. There’s nothing being obscured and they have full knowledge of all the factors in government decision making. It’s the reverse of George Orwell’s Big Brother concept. It’s the people who are watching! This is an important concept because the lack of transparency makes a government open to corruption and undue influence.

What does a lack of transparency look like? Some examples include decisions that the public are not aware of, meetings that are held in private, and not allowing a citizen to look at some public record. This is just three, and there are countless more examples.

What does transparency look like? To me, it looks like PURE HONESTY. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly. It puts the mayor and councilpersons head on the chopping block, because THEY are held 100% accountable to the public. It’s a comfortable feeling that citizens have when they know they’re being told the absolute truth.

What are your thoughts on transparency in government? What does it look like to you? What does it feel like to you?

Post your questions and comments

2009-10-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I'm still playing with the delivery method of this bulletin board. I like using the Blog as a bulletin but just realized that it doesn't allow you to create a post. So please create your posts in the comments section of this message and I will address them here.

Thanks,
Dennis

Another question from a concerned citizen.

2009-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I like your attitude about our police department. I understand that there is money's that can be sought from both state and the feds. I hope if you are elected these oppertunities will be investigated.

Also, I would like to know what your attitude is on council members attending meetings? Is there or can there be a resolution put in place addressing this problem? They know when the meetings are held when they run and should be willing to arrange to be there so business can be done. I would like to see something in place stating that missed meeting will lead to a replacement.

Question from a concerned citizen

2009-10-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Posted by Anonymous

2009-09-26 22:54:45

Hello, I am a citizen of Mountainair, and I want to know your thoughts and where you stand on issues. For one I absolutely love our little town, but that doesn't mean I have my head in the sand and think we don't have our problems. From the past, I absolutely love where the Police Department has headed. While I think there were some good Officers that didn't make it far, the two we are left with have hearts of solid gold. Chief Ed, and Guy I believe are trying their damnest to help our community, but unfortunately they are only two people.. How can you or any of us get them the support and help they need?

Also as I understand it, if you were mayor, you can appoint whoever you want as Chief, with the backing of the City Counsel of course. Who would you choose to be the leader of the force. Whilest I know the other Officer's for one reason or another weren't certified or did they gain certification, they where exactly what we needed... How can we get good Officer's you may ask?

Well I have the answer, but unfortunately no solution.. We need to pay them. While we or any other community for that matter will never pay them enough for what they put up with or do, what we are paying Chief and Guy is actually embarrassing, I have no idea why they stay here, but I thank God everyday I see them out protecting all of us.

So in summary, what is you're stance on Police, and what are your plans for the future?Thanks for your thoughts, and for your unselfish quest to improve the town...

Sincerely ....

Hopeful Optimist....

Bringing the Community Together

2009-09-30T10:35:00.001-07:00

What does it take to accomplish a seemingly big task like bringing the community together? Our community is so diverse and our interests are so varied that it would seem natural for people to simply do their own thing without regard to others.

But in all our diversity and varied interests lies the assets of this town. We ALL have something to bring to the table. The synergy created by bringing our community together is an important component in improving the quality of life here in Mountainair. They say, "two heads are better than one." Just imagine what we can do when we have all of our 1116 heads working on a common goal!

I'd like to see the town administration work closely with the Mountainair School District, all the various churches, the Chamber of Commerce & Rotary Club, as well as citizen groups, such as a youth group made up, not by adults, but the youths themselves. Together we can identify solutions to our problems and create the best community in New Mexico.

Empowering the Youth

2009-09-23T12:35:00.001-07:00

Empowerment of our citizens is vital to the development of our community. I propose the creation of citizen action groups that will come together and brainstorm ideas about how to make Mountainair a better place for us all. For instance, the youth of our community often feel left out of any discussions. I hear many adults say, "we need to do something for the kids", but the what that "something" is remains elusive. We can presume all we want, but wouldn't it be logical to simply ask the youth what they want? Then we will act in accordance to their wants and needs!

Issues?

2009-09-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

Hi Fellow Citizens,

Most people have issues they want addressed by the next Mayor of Mountainair. I'm committed to listening to what all your concerns are. Whether you live within town limits our live beyond our town limits (and thus cannot vote in the upcoming election), you're all affected by what happens here in town.

So please tell me what you think are the important issues of the town, and if you have a solution, please voice them.

General rules:
1. Please do not make accusations or defame any of the other candidates, or the current administration of any kind.
2. If necessary, please substantiate any "fact" you have with links to your sources.

I will edit or delete those comments that are slanderous or "hate-inspiring".

Feel free to post as anonymous or use a pseudonym if you wish your identity to be veiled. I want to make a comfortable environment to express your honest opinions and ideas.