The ongoing redistricting process remains extremely important for Carlsbad residents. Some proposed redistricting maps are being released. You can view these maps here: https://www.nmredistricting.org/mapconcepts/
Redistricting is a very long, heavily debated process. There will likely be a large number of changes and many new maps introduced over the next few months. The proposed districts need to all be roughly equal in population, and there are certainly a large number of theories on how to best achieve that.
One issue of high importance is the 2nd Congressional District. Rep. Yvette Herrell holds this position, which includes Las Cruces and Southeastern New Mexico. What we want to avoid in this instance is any redistricting plan that puts portions of Albuquerque’s suburbs into this district. Doing so would water down the rural nature of this district and reduce the voice of Carlsbad and other similar communities.
The other issue of concern to Carlsbad residents is the division of the state senate districts. We are very fortunate to have excellent representation in Southeastern New Mexico, but we currently do not have any state senator who lives in Eddy County. A portion of southern Eddy County (in terms of Senate District) ties in to Otero County to the west. Two other portions tie in two Senate districts in Lea County. Eddy County has the lesser percentage of the population in all three instances, based on the nature of the division.
There are some advantages to this division in that multiple senators have Carlsbad on their list, but there are also a significant number of disadvantages caused by the fact that we aren’t the focal point. We are currently pushing for a redistricting effort where the primary demographic alignment for at least one state senator is on Carlsbad and Eddy County. We have some assistance with this effort from the fact that Eddy and Lea Counties experienced a high population growth over the past decade. If everything is done fairly, this should certainly mean more representation for our part of the state. This means our current representatives and senators will have another ally in Santa Fe – which is something we greatly need.
Our upcoming November election (City Council, school board and the college’s new board) will not be impacted by the redistricting process, but elections after that will be.
In sports: The Carlsbad Cavemen varsity football team lost to Roswell High, 21-14. The Cavemen will play Rio Rancho at 6 p.m. Friday at ENMU Stadium in Portales. The Carlsbad Cavegirl varsity soccer team is now 25-0 since 2019. According to MaxPreps, they will play Clovis on Sept. 28, as do the boys. Carlsbad’s Volleyball team lost to Mayfield, 3-0, on Sept. 18. Carlsbad’s cross country team hosted a great meet this weekend – we certainly have one of the most scenic cross country courses in the state.
Trevor Rogers pitched four innings last Wednesday and earned three strikeouts on seven hits. The Marlins won the game, 8-6, over Washington. As of Monday morning, no new date has been set for his next trip to the mound.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway