May 8, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
Republican candidates for the District 10 state Senate seat say improving the quality of life in the area they seek to represent is a priority.

Incumbent John Ryan will face political newcomer Robert Kevin Sikes in the June 3 primary.

The winner of that contest will square off against the winner of the Democratic primary race between Victor Paul Raigoza and Joel A. Davis, candidates who have listed state budgetary reform and supporting initiatives that give state businesses priority, respectively, as among their priorities.

District 10 straddles Sandoval and Bernalillo counties, covering parts of Rio Rancho, Corrales, Albuquerque's West Side, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and part of Albuquerque's far Northeast Heights.

Ryan is a business consultant and resident of Los Rancho. He was elected to the seat in 2004. His political experience includes a stint as the executive director of the Republican Party of New Mexico and work for the late Rep. Joe Skeen, R-N.M., and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Sikes, a Rio Rancho resident, is a field engineer for Triad Builders of New Mexico, a company that handles large construction projects including waste-water treatment plants.

For Sikes, a priority is to continue developing major road thoroughfares in the district. He would like to see another bridge across the Rio Grande.

He believes the state should consult with the business community for ideas on how to expand health care.

Ryan's priorities include reforming education, reducing taxes and addressing quality of life issues.

On the Democratic side, financial adviser and Albuquerque resident Raigoza said reforming the current budgeting theory used in state government is one priority. So too, is creating a mandatory personal finance class starting in middle school.

Davis, a Rio Rancho attorney, listed "local economic stability," environmental protection, health-care access, crime prevention and "ensuring New Mexicans are treated fairly by employers" as among his priorities.

Questions to New Mexico State Senate candidates

1. What issues would you want to work on most as a member of the Legislature? 2. Would you support or oppose a state law creating domestic partnerships that would give heterosexual and homosexual couples the same rights and benefits as married couples? 3. Would you support or oppose giving the state engineer authority over the drilling of deep wells for brackish water? 4. Would you support or oppose opening legislative conference committee meetings to the public?

5. Would you support or oppose civil penalties for government officials who violate the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act?

6. How can state government expand health care coverage to uninsured New Mexicans and still adequately fund Medicaid? 7. Would you support or oppose creation of an independent state ethics commission to oversee the conduct of elected officials, including legislators? 8. What does New Mexico need to do to see significant improvement in student test scores and graduation rates? 9. What should New Mexico do to deal with the problem of repeat DWI offenders? 10. Have you or your business, If you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?

11. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?

12. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony in New Mexico or any other state? State Senate District 10

Joel A. Davis POLITICAL PARTY : Democratic PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Rio Rancho AGE: 34

EDUCATION: Highland High School, graduate, 1991; Southwestern Oklahoma University, B.B.A. Business Administration, 2000; University of New Mexico School of Law, juris doctorate, 2004

OCCUPATION: Attorney in my general practice firm, Davis & Kelley LLC. Additionally, we serve as contract conflict attorneys for the state Public Defender Department.

FAMILY: Wife, Lisa; Labrador, Zoe; cats, Punky and Tuff Cat

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: I campaigned and grass-roots lobbied with Colorado and New Mexico Public Interest Research Groups, Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and HRC in the summers of 1997 through 1999; served in the Sandoval County Young Democrats; worked as president of the Association of Public Interest Law at UNM to increase legal access for the poor and provide higher quality public defenders and prosecutors through our new student loan reimbursement program for public interest attorneys; served as head analyst for the Senate Democratic Caucus under Sen. Michael Sanchez during the 2008 legislative session. I have worked as an analyst of some sort with the House or Senate Democratic offices since 2001.

MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: (Did not answer)

MAJOR PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT:

(Did not answer) 1. Local economic sustainability: placing New Mexican businesses first and supporting initiatives that give New Mexican businesses priority; environment: working to protect our environment from pollution and overdevelopment; health care: promoting programs to ensure every New Mexican has access to quality health care; crime: creating programs to prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and stop violence against children and the elderly; labor: ensuring New Mexicans are treated fairly by employers and have the ability to organize in order to ensure equal bargaining position with employers.

2. Support.

3. Support.

4. General committee meetings should be open to the public, but party caucuses are essential to the legislative process. Therefore, I would support it for all meetings except for party caucuses.

5. Support.

6. Pass the Health Security Act.

7. Support.

8. We need to increase funding to hire more teachers and reduce class sizes, while working to ensure parents are involved and participating in the educational process.

9. We have a serious lack of preventive alcohol and drug treatment programs. We need both inpatient and outpatient programs available at low cost or no cost to prevent the cycle of alcoholism and to give New Mexicans an option to voluntarily address the disease of alcoholism.

10. No.

11. No.

12. I pleaded guilty to driving while abilityimpaired in Colorado in 1996 when I was 23 years old. I complied with the court's orders and paid fines.

Robert "Kevin" Sikes POLITICAL PARTY: Republican PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Rio Rancho AGE: 33

EDUCATION: B.U.S., economics/history, UNM 2000

OCCUPATION: Field engineer, Triad Builders of New Mexico, 2006-present; construction observer, Bohannon Huston, 2005-2006; superintendent, Sikes Family Homes, 2002-2005; technical specialist, Sprint (NYSE:S) (NYSE:FON) PCS (2000-2002)

FAMILY: Wife Viana, two boys and two girls, with another on the way

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE:

None whatsoever

MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Getting to build and start up a $162 million water treatment plant is a real feat.

MAJOR PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Coming to know Jesus Christ.

1. Developing and maintaining adequate infrastructure (i.e., roads, bridges, power, and water) which will increase quality of life and standards of living by making New Mexico a friendly and attractive place for business and families.

2. Oppose. Families are the foundation of our society, they deserve beneficial treatment from the Legislature. Monogamous heterosexual married couples are good citizens. They engage less in risky behaviors and are net contributors to society. 3. Support. As water is our region's greatest deficiency, it ought to be managed by a responsible and accountable agent. However, the state engineer needs to be removed as much as is possible from political entanglements.

4. Support. I believe that the light of public inquiry dispels many shadows. However, those politicians involved must be courageous enough to stand by their principles and not chase polls or approval.

5. Support. We are a nation of laws and if the law is arbitrarily enforced, then we are on the slippery slope to capricious governance.

6. I'm not sure how this can be done without putting undue burden on the taxpayers of New Mexico. Perhaps the state ought to tap the business community for ideas, since it will be the business community footing the bill.

7. Oppose. If you've looked in the government pages in the phone book, you will agree that our abundance of commissions is excessive at best. Perhaps we ought to create a commission to minimize commissions.

8. Minimize bureaucracy in the education system. Encourage teachers to teach rather than politicize. Hold students accountable for their efforts or lack thereof. Give schools the ability to adequately discipline disruptive students.

9. These multiple offenders need to be put in prison.

10. No.

11. No.

12. Yes, I have been arrested for misdemeanor assault.

Victor P. Raigoza POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Albuquerque

AGE: 43

EDUCATION: B.S. Biology, University of Southern Colorado

OCCUPATION: Financial adviser, Edward Jones

FAMILY: Single

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: State Senate candidate 2004; past precinct chairman; member, state Central Committee; member, city of Albuquerque Government Oversight Committee; former chairman, Archdiocese of Santa Fe Legislative Review Board 1992-1993; state chairman, Edward Jones Grassroots Task Force; field director for U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth 1986

MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Being named a limited partner with Edward Jones.

MAJOR PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Being part of the team that defeated the Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) Supercenter on Osuna.

1. Reforming the current budgeting theory of "use it or lose it" in state government, changing it to a rewards system for savings within agencies. Creating a mandatory personal finance class starting in middle school.

2. Yes, every tax paying New Mexican should be entitled to equal rights and privileges under the law.

3. I would support this due to the sensitive nature of this precious resource.

4. Support; the people should be entitled to see their government at work at all levels.

5. Support.

6. By encouraging a new paradigm of savings within each agency as opposed to the current "use it or lose it" paradigm practiced currently within state agencies.

7. Support.

8. First we need to defer to the teachers and listen to their needs and recommendations. Great education reform starts with the teachers. We need to use our resources to implement their requests.

9. Education and strong enforcement of our current laws is what is needed. We need to make sure that we have an efficient system starting from the arrest until the sentencing of the individual, making sure that not a single offender does not pay the consequences of their action.

10. No.

11. No.

12. I was arrested but never convicted of a DUI in 1993 in Denver. It was a life-changing moment and a very important life lesson for me. I was young and learned a lesson that changed my life.

John Ryan (incumbent)

POLITICAL PARTY: Republican

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

AGE: 46

EDUCATION: B.A., political science, University of New Mexico 1988; completed M.A. course work in international management, University of Maryland, 1995

OCCUPATION: Business consultant

FAMILY: Wife, Veronica Gonzales; one daughter

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE:

New Mexico Senate, 2004-08; executive director, Republican Party of New Mexico, 2002-03; legislative representative, city of Los Angeles, 1996-01; legislative assistant, U.S. Congressman Joe Skeen, 1991-96; research analyst, National Republican Senatorial Committee, 1990-91; staff assistant, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, 1988-90

MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Working for and learning firsthand from Sen. Pete Domenici, which launched my public service career.

MAJOR PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Marrying my beautiful wife, Veronica, 14 years ago and together adopting our precious baby girl.

1. I will continue focusing on reforming education and strengthening the economy by cutting taxes to create jobs. Our failing schools and high tax rates are driving businesses, families, and our brightest kids away. 2. Oppose.

3. I support giving the state engineer a narrow authority over drilling for brackish water to protect the quality of our water supply.

4. On the Senate floor, I have voted several times for opening up conference committee deliberations. I believe that giving the public and the media access to government deliberations will produce better legislation.

5. Support. I strongly believe that government should be conducted openly and honestly where the public is welcome and has access to all decisions in a timely manner.

6. I support increasing tax credits to employers who provide health insurance for workers and/or offering tax credits to families to buy insurance to encourage competition and choice, driving down costs of health insurance.

7. Support. As a member of the Governor's Ethics Task Force, I endorsed legislation to create a non-partisan Ethics Commission to police the conduct of elected officials, including legislators and judges.

8. I support directing more money to the classroom, raising standards, providing parents more school choice, and giving teachers merit pay bonuses. We must address our high dropout rate and reduce class sizes.

9. I support increasing mandatory jail time and vehicle seizure programs for repeat offenders. We must reduce the unacceptably high DWI dismissal rates in Metro Court.

10. No.

11. No.

12. Twenty-eight years ago when I was a teenager, I was convicted of burglary. I make no excuses. I have spoken honestly about my mistake, accepted responsibility, and turned my life around.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0010-25127347