News

Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney to prevent Wider War in the Middle East and Bring U.S. Forces Home from Iraq with Professor Francis Boyle
a radio show transcript

Gary King: "We Are All Constituents"
by Stephen Fox

The Hunting Fallacy
by Cyril Christo

Impeachment Limerick
Richard Arthure

What is a Culture of Peace?
by Louise Diamond

“Powerbrokers” (Legislative Leadership and Lobbyists) in Control of Conference Committee
by Stephen Fox

NM Senate Joint Memorial to Begin Process of Prohibiting Production of New Nuclear Weapons in New Mexico
by Leland Lehrman

Newly Elected Las Cruces Representative Jeff Steinborn Introduces Irrigation Fund Bill
by Stephen Fox

Native American Education Act Vital to New Senator Lynda Lovejoy
by Stephen Fox

Legislature is a “Brain Trust” to Accomplish All We Need in New Mexico
by Stephen Fox

Legislature is a “Brain Trust” to Accomplish All We Need in New Mexico
by Stephen Fox - stephen@santafefineart.com

Rep. Tom Swisstack (D-Rio Rancho) is focused above all in his legislative efforts to combine the state’s educational system with the juvenile justice system in order to educate those behind bars, and thus prevent further transgressions and reduce recidivism.
One of his most effective achievements was his 2005 House Bill 61 which created a School Lunch Nutrition Task Force, a group of volunteers whose recommendations have directly resulted in getting rid of soft drinks in most schools, as well as leading toward phasing out junk food in New Mexico schools. In our opinion, this Task Force has in almost all cases worked extraordinarily well.
“More and more nutritional issues will come to the forefront in schools, like tying better nutrition to improving students’ physical education. We will be able soon to track these improvements with hard statistical data, and turn them into better practices which we may roll over to other programs in pre-K, K through three, or at other levels. These are all legislative “baby steps,” but ones solidly based on data. We don’t do a good job in our system to clarify to the public that we implement these measures to eventually result in medical costs and health care savings. We would then be able to reallocate those monies. Not in just a few years, but perhaps we can get junk food out of the schools in the next generation. Frequently, adults are part of the problem. Like computers, some parents are afraid of them, but the kids readily accept them.”
Legislators from New Jersey, Oregon, and Louisiana have expressed interest in implementing similar plans in their states.
New Mexico’s dropout rate improving may result from Swisstack’s efforts. He cites above all the work of Rep. Rick Miera in this realm, for example, trying to add a branch of Albuquerque’s CyberAcademy to the Juvenile Justice System. Swisstack is impressed also with the dropout rate efforts by Republican Representatives Paul Bandy, Richard Berry, and Jimmie Hall, as well as Jim Trujillo (Democrat-Santa Fe). “Children should never be a partisan issue.”
Overall legislative efficiency could be improved by categorizing priorities by putting in place an evaluation system, to analyze over a five or 10 year period how effectively monies are spent. Most of his bills are proposed by constituents, and many are destined to fall by the wayside, even if they are excellent bills.  ”At the end of 10 years, we would see some issues not recurring because they would have been accomplished. The Legislature is really a Brain Trust to accomplish all we need in New Mexico.”
Republicans in Rio Rancho like Swisstack and have consistently voted for him, because he tries to be fair and asks that he be judged on what he has accomplished in a nonpartisan sense. In his position as Director of the Juvenile Detention Center for Bernalillo County, he works with all kinds of children from all ethnic groups. He described his biggest success story as a 13-year-old Hispanic girl from Albuquerque who was pregnant who decided to keep the child. Swisstack went to great lengths to counsel her. She recently graduated from UNM in Business and Accounting at the age of 24, and her child is 11 years old.
He grew up in New Jersey and went to Seminary there for 18 months, then graduated from  the University of Albuquerque, and went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration from UNM. He served as Sandoval County Commissioner for eight years, seven as Chairman, and then Mayor of Rio Rancho from 1994 to 1998. He is proud of putting together an unprecedented $8 Billion Municipal Bond with Intel to build Rio Rancho’s High School. He has worked in Juvenile Justice for 28 years, and for eight years as Director in Bernalillo County. He has been a state representative since 2002.
“Two thirds of my bills pertain to youth. We ultimately must invest in youth. I love being considered an idealist, especially after 28 years in the juvenile justice profession! There was a point when I never considered a political career. I always do the best I can, and I don’t close the door to opportunities to serve my district and to serve the State. As Sandoval County Commissioner, I have worked with seven pueblos well, and as Mayor of Rio Rancho, I have worked very well with a very multi cultural community.”
In 2008, he will continue to carry Governor Richardson’s Crime-related bills, including those concerning enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. He believes that Richardson’s campaign for the Presidency is really good for New Mexico, and that it will ultimately enhance our status and visibility nationally and internationally.