Diversity on the Las Cruces City Council

We Need a Variety of Skills and Tools to Get the Job Done

We on the Council bring a range of life and educational experiences to our work. So, we each add to the mix that helps us see the issues before us from different perspectives and work on them with different skill sets. Sometimes it may look like we are all trying to be experts on all of the wide range of issues we opine and vote upon. Of course, that is neither reasonable nor possible, but as citizens elected to represent our fellow citizens, we have to do our best with what we've got.

Will we make mistakes? Of course, but sometimes what we learn from our mistakes helps us do even better for our community. That is why it is so important for us to be willing to stick our necks out once in a while and for our constituents to recognize that the issues are rarely clearly black and white, the answers are rarely all good or all bad, and the results are rarely 100% positive or negative.

In order to help our fellow citizens better understand what we each bring to the Council, let me offer a brief overview of how long each of us has been working in the political realm as an elected official and our main career experiences:

* Kasandra Gandara Councilor for District 1 since 2015

Social Work

* Greg Smith Councilor for District 2 since 2011, Mayor Pro Tem 2013-2017

Architecture and Education

* Gabe Vasquez Councilor for District 3 since 2017

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Congressional Field Work, and Environmental Activism

* Jack Eakman Councilor for District 4 since 2015

Hospital Administration

* Gill Sorg Councilor for District 5 since 2009, Mayor Pro Tem 2017- Present

Agriculture, Seed Sales, and Environmental Activism

* Yvonne Flores Councilor for District 6 since 2017

Law

* Ken Miyagishima

County Commissioner 1992-2000, District 6 Councilor 2001-2007, Mayor 2007- Present

Insurance and Rental Properties

Of course, each of us also brings other interests and distinctions to our efforts on the Council, and we are each engaged in some non-profit and political efforts as well. Ultimately, though, we have to be non-partisan and community oriented in our efforts to do the best for our home, Las Cruces.