May, 2016

This month we want to share a few reader submissions. Our first piece is an op/ed submission from Ed Moreno, who is a candidate for Santa Fe County Commission, District 5.

Ed Moreno
“What does civic engagement mean to you?”
The first time I thought about it, I was 18 years old and a newly-minted citizen of the United States. I had been living in America since I was five years old, but not until I raised my hand and took the oath of citizenship did I really feel connected to all the rights and privileges of our great democracy.
As a kid growing up in a racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood, I was lucky to be exposed to a wide variety of lifestyles, cultural values, religious beliefs and socio-economic conditions – it was the perfect American melting pot. We felt connected — to our community, church and each other. We belonged.

Something good happens when you feel connected to a community. You care about the quality of life and the events that take place. You want to have a say in the decisions that are made by your local officials, and you take care to vote for those who share your concerns.
Here along the Eldorado – 285 Corridor, our population has doubled in the past 25 years. So have the issues and concerns: traffic, development, water, the need for social services. Our participation in the decisions made by local, regional and state government entities, as well as homeowner associations, has never been more important.

As a former journalist who has covered thousands of public meetings, and a public policy facilitator and policy analyst, I can attest to the power we all have to affect decisions made by our representatives. By listening to divergent views and opinions, learning from them and sharing ideas, we become more connected with our community. I believe dialogue is at the heart of public involvement.
As Eldorado and the 285 Corridor continue to grow, I hope more and more citizens will get involved in local affairs, and find it as fulfilling as I do. A shared commitment in our community will let us keep enjoying our night skies, improve access to services, protect our water and land and strengthen our community. Do you have an opinion about what matters most in and around Eldorado? Call me at 466-1183 or e-mail me at edmoreno@newmexico.com.

Ed Moreno is a candidate for Santa Fe County Commission, District 5

On March 12 we received this letter from Rene’ in Wagon Mound.
“Editor and staff of the Corridor – congratulations!! awesome paper! absolutely grand, well done, well written articles, beautifully laid out, informative, wonderful, … for many of us to see such a paper it is a dream come true.

Writing to you from “A Veteran Affair Centro de Educación para Artes y Culturas” ~ Wagon Mound ~ I was pleasantly surprised to see the little article posted online for May about the upcoming art fest in the village. Thank you! Thank you very, very, very much. The news must have been submitted to you from Susie of the LV Arts Council.

Yes, the 2nd art fest shall happen on historic Railroad Avenue – May 28, 29 and 30. If you were to post the fest in your May calendar of events I would be most appreciative. Thank you. Thank you for the Corridor.

This is our attempt to make a positive difference in this little corner of the planet. most sincerely, Rene” www.awagonmoundveteranaffair.org

And this letter was posted to our Facebook page on March 24, 2016
“Very excited to find this page. As part of a collaborative in a corridor (El Valle Women’s Collaborative) in a rural area, we love that you are making spaces for the hidden gems of NM.”
Jeanette

April, 2015

FEEDBACK

Letters to the editor:

Hi!
I commend you on your paper, its idea. It looks quite good.
But, I do not see a section dedicated to community participation/letters to the editor.

So, I wonder, is this going to be another paper ONLY dedicated to serve the business industry of the region, giving no opportunity to the thousands of people linked by ‘the corridor’ to express their ideas, concerns and their visions for our future, in a word, to be able to dialogue about living here?

If you do not create such a section then how is this paper going benefit/serve (other than tourists and newcomers) us, the inhabitants of ‘the corridor’?

eduardo

Thank you for your letter and for reading The Corridor.

The April issue will include our “Feedback” section with letters, comments and suggestions for The Corridor paper, letters from and to the community, etc. We will always welcome letters to the editor. At our discretion we may reprint these letters for all to read, to consider, and to respond.

We are also setting up a “Feedback Forum” online. Instructions for using the “Feedback Forum” will be printed in the April issue as well as being available online. To use this forum you will need to register on thecorridornm.com. Then any site member will be able to post comments and participate in forums online. Our editorial staff will monitor these forums and we will bring the highlights from the forums, as well as letters such as yours, to the paper each month for our readers to see and consider.

Best regards,

Marc-Paul LaRouche
Editor and Publisher
The Corridor – Community News, Views & More