Let’s face it: We are dealing with complicated times. There’s a lot to make sense of. COVID is better—but far from over. The economy is recovering—but is not yet healthy. In the world, we’re witnessing a brazen attack by Russia on a democratic neighbor—and there doesn’t seem to be any remedy to war.
Closer to home, where we do have more control, we continue to work hard for the people of Santa Fe—the folks we all report to. Our agenda continues to be housing, housing, housing. Combatting global warming and addressing climate change. And keeping the people of Santa Fe safe and healthy. All of those were on the agenda Wednesday night, and the Governing Body got a lot of good work done in each of those areas.
We approved four different allocations for affordable housing—directly addressing the need in our community for more housing in general and more affordable housing particular. We approved an expenditure of $750,000 to convert our City fleet to electric vehicles and to install charging stations. We voted to move forward to recover damages against those who afflicted our community with the opioid crisis. We hit the “go” button on the mid-town site, where we’ll be able to move ahead on rezoning, master planning and issuing RFPs for investment. Perhaps most important, we heard from our residents and employees about what they’d like to see in the upcoming budget.
With all of this going on, please remember: Take care of yourself and your family and friends. Be kind and generous when the world is in turmoil. Remember how blessed we all are to live in Santa Fe. We are all working together for better times for everyone.