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Cathey Alberson
Read a candidate biography on William Soules
Read a candidate biography on Cathey Jo Alberson

LAS CRUCES - Democrat William P. Soules and Republican Cathey Jo Alberson are vying for the Senate District 37 seat that is being vacated by Steve Fischmann this year after he completed his first term in office.

The seat had been held for several years by Republican Lee Rawson before Fischmann's victory in 2008.

This will be Alberson's first run for public office. Soules had served on the Las Cruces School Board from 1993 to 2001. He and other school board members were convicted for violating the state Open Meetings Law. Soules said he has learned from that experience, and has a deep respect for open-government laws.

"Well-meaning people can still run afoul of the details of the law because of the nuances of it and the complexity of it," he said. "There are six or seven things that you're allowed to go into closed session for and things that you're not allowed to, and trying to maintain that can be very difficult."

"I understand people make mistakes," Alberson said. "I have made some mistakes in my life as well. But I think if you know the law, you need to obey the law. And if you don't know, then you need to find out, especially when you're in leadership."

Both candidates listed education as among their tip priorities. Soules said his 25 years in public education give him insights that would be helpful in the Legislature, noting that more than 50 percent of the budget is spent on education.

"We should have some people who understand education up in Santa Fe," he said.

Soules said he did not support a bill that would have allowed for the retention of third-graders not reading at grade level.

"My problem with that bill is it essentially was, 'stop here and if you don't make it here we're going to retain you,'" he said. "Yes, there is data that indicates your probability of graduating goes way down if you're not reading, but there's nothing magical about third grade."

Alberson said the bill was designed so the teacher, school administration and parents would work together as a team to get students up to proficiency and decide if a student would be retained.

"I am in favor of a lot of the things Susana Martinez has put forward to try to keep New Mexico off the bottom of the rankings," she said. "Literacy is the key to success for the next generation."

Soules said he was also concerned about teacher evaluations, if they are tied too closely to standardized tests scores.

"I teach (advanced placement) students. They love learning. They come to school every day wanting to learn," he said. "That doesn't mean that I'm a better teacher. But, my scores are going to look better."

Alberson said that along with education, it is also critical that we have jobs waiting for our young people when they graduate. She said the state needs to do two things to improve its business environment.

"The first is a tax structure that is business friendly. If you overtax businesses they are not able to hire as many people and they are not able to do well," she said. "The second aspect is regulation. I think we need common-sense regulations. However, over-regulation hurts businesses. When you're over-regulated, as a business you have to lay pep off and that trickles down and effects all people."

Soules said we need to produce "jobs of the future, and not jobs of the past." Those could include areas such as renewable energy and health care, he said. Alberson said existing state law that allows immigrants in the nation illegally to obtain a driver's license represents a security threat, and warned that it make render our licenses useless as a form of identification. Soules said those driving without a licenses are more likely to run from police.

Soules is an enthusiastic supporter of the federal health care bill, and encouraged the state's participation.

"Absolutely, we should participate. For New Mexico, it's a huge economic boon," he said, adding that the average resident now pays $2,300 a year in additional insurance costs to help cover the medical bills of the uninsured.

Alberson said she needed more information on the proposal before offering an opinion.

Soules said he was a big supporter of the spaceport, but was leery of legislation to provide limited liability immunity to suppliers. Alberson said there needed to be a balance, but worried that without the legislation the state would be running off businesses.

Walter Rubel can be reached at 541-5441