My vision for Albuquerque is a place where our children can realize their dreams. If their dreams take them elsewhere, so be it. But they should never have to leave their hometown because we have failed to make decisions that enable them to be safe, have good educations, great jobs, a pristine natural environment and a built environment that lifts the spirit and engenders creativity.

Setting a course for our future in these challenging times is easy, but the ability to make those goals a reality requires a proven record of leadership and results. From leading the fight for San Juan-Chama to assure our water future, to the establishment of community oriented policing, the greening of our economy, business friendly policies, after school programs for our youth, acquisition of Open Space, Rapid Ride Transit, and critical road infrastructure, I have a record of proven accomplishment.

To fully realize our future, Albuquerque’s next mayor must always make public safety the number one priority. I’ve grown our police department to 1,100 and pledge to increase it to 1,200 within the next 18 months. I will continue to push for tougher penalties here and in the New Mexico State Legislature for those who prey on our children and the vulnerable among us. The Family Advisory Center, which I established two years ago as a one stop shop for those victimized by violent crime, will be expanded so that we can do an even better job of helping the healing process and securing criminal convictions. I am proud that violent crime is coming down but I won’t stop working to eliminate it completely. A call to 911 isn’t answered in the White House or the Round House - it’s answered at City Hall and I’ll never forget that. Our Albuquerque police and firefighters are the first responders.

Small business is the backbone of our economy and I will continue to emphasize programs like our one stop permitting shop, small business procurement preferences and favorable regulatory and tax policies that allow businesses to prosper. I will never denigrate those who carry in their hearts the hope and dream of starting and growing a business in Albuquerque.

I think that we are all proud of the national and international rankings Albuquerque has received, including most recently, Kiplingers number 2 ranking in the nation and U.S. News and World Report in the top 10 in the nation. Those rankings are great, particularly for those with good jobs and full lives. The rankings mean little, however, for those who have lost their jobs in this economy, for parents or grandparents struggling to raise children and grandchildren during a recession or those suffering from serious untreated mental illness or the tragedy of addiction. I will continue to work hard to minimize the impact of this national recession and to build an Albuquerque that includes and cares about everyone.

A strong educational system is central to a thriving economy. While the mayor does not directly control the schools, I will continue to emphasize and build upon the positive initiatives between the City, APS and our private and charter schools as well as CNM and UNM. There were many doubters when I founded the Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science at UNM (AIMS), New Mexico’s first charter high school with an emphasis on math and science. I am proud to announce that AIMS graduated its first senior class in May and that, for the first time in the history of New Mexico, every single graduate will attend college this fall. I am proud that many of them joined me on stage in announcing my candidacy for election this coming October. I will work with all of our school systems to make sure that every graduate is equipped to go to a university if their aspirations direct them there.

I will continue the greening of our economy. Under my leadership, Albuquerque has begun to emerge as a center for alternative energy. There is no reason why we cannot lead the world in alternative energy research and production. My vision for Albuquerque includes doing the right thing by our natural environment, assuring energy independence and sustainability, and building a world class green economy in the process. We have attracted Emcore, Schott Solar and Advent Solar and there is much more to come. Albuquerque is the economic engine that drives the State of New Mexico. It is part of our destiny as a great city and I gladly accept the responsibility we have to all our fellow New Mexicans.

How we look as a community contributes directly to our collective well being. A community full of graffiti, litter and weeds and without a thought to our landscape and the aesthetics of our built environment is less investment worthy and less livable. I will continue a policy of zero tolerance for graffiti and litter, we’ll keep Albuquerque free of weeds and work to make our City as wonderful as we are as a people. I am proud that under my watch, we have landscaped over half of our medians and the beautiful Big I as well as Coors I-40, Louisiana I-40 and Sunport Boulevard. With your support, I will complete the job.

Government must always live within its means. I have balanced every budget, avoided layoffs and service cutbacks in this recession and made the tough decisions that are essential at City Hall. I have kept my pledge that there will be no tax increases without a public vote.

Government must also be transparent. I am proud that Albuquerque now leads the nation in making all public records easily and affordably accessible and commit to do so in the future. I will remain the most accessible mayor in the history of our great City. The mayor’s office is no place for anyone who doesn’t truly like people. I will continue my practice of open office hours when any citizen can come meet me to share or air their concerns without an appointment. Our people to people events, which have brought city government to every part of the city, will continue.

Every major city needs first class amenities and I am proud to have constructed our Botanical Gardens, Explora Science Museum, The Balloon Fiesta Park and Museum, Isotopes Stadium, expanded our great Rio Grande Zoo and world class Art Museum and rebuilt historic Tingley Beach. These projects didn’t occur in a vacuum and I thank all who have worked together to make them a reality. But there is much more for us to do. A community that celebrates diversity needs great public places where we can come together to share our common and not so common experiences. I will continue to fight for our amenities that allow our children to experience the globe, indeed the universe, right here in their hometown.

Albuquerque has developed one of the finest networks of senior service networks in the nation. I have lowered the age for eligibility with a renewed emphasis on independence and good health for our seniors. I made Senior Affairs a Department reporting directly to the Mayor and I will continue that practice. Our seniors have made and continue to make so many wonderful contributions to our community. We need to do everything possible to assure that our elders live their golden years with dignity and enjoyment of the bounty that their hard work has made possible.

Finally, we are a collection of neighborhoods, each with a distinct character and now reflecting virtually every culture and religion in the world. I will work to celebrate that diversity and uniqueness but also to underscore what joins us together – our Americanism, our commitment to this nation and its core values of independence, free enterprise, respect for difference of opinion and the willingness to do together what we cannot do alone. We will never think small under my watch.

I love Albuquerque and am not ashamed to say it or show it. I am a proud native son and have been humbled by the confidence you have shown in me. The passion that brought me to public service and the desire to serve as an agent for change and do good burns ever brightly in my heart. I have and will make mistakes but they will be mistakes of the mind, never of the heart. I ask for your support and your vote.