City councilors Monday will decide what direction they want Albuquerque’s Washington advocates to push in for the next two fiscal years.
A resolution on the agenda would establish federal programming and policy priorities for the city for federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
At the Jan. 8 council meeting, the group discussed a priority list, but voted not to take action due to questions about the lack of unanimity on some items.
Councilor Dan Lewis expressed concern that voting for the list meant that the council is in agreement with all of the policy requests in the document. He asked to clarify statements in support of paid sick leave and student-debt relief.
“I do not agree with it being the policy of this council and the policy of this city,” he said of the provisions. “I don’t think it’s appropriate as a council for this to say … ‘this is our legislative priority.”
Building the list
Councilor Brook Bassan said that the list came about as a compromise after discussions within the Intergovernmental Legislative Relations Committee.
“We did try to contact all of the councilors for their review,” she said, adding that all nine councilors and Mayor Tim Keller “volleyed back and forth” before assembling the list.
She then suggested that Lewis could offer an amendment to remove items he found objectionable.
“It was my intention, and it seems like the intention of our colleagues on the committee to make sure that we did our best to compromise — to include everyone’s interests for the most part.”
Councilor Klarissa Peña said that she has in the past seen some items with which she didn’t agree, but voted to approve entire lists as a way of ensuring that her own priorities were included.
Bassan: ‘citywide’ means ‘unanimous’
Bassan said that in her opinion, if an item is to be called a citywide priority, it should have the support of all councilors and the mayor.
“Even if five or six of us are passionate about whatever topic that is — if three of us are not or even one of us is not, or if the mayor isn’t — to me, that doesn’t make it a citywide priority,” Bassan said. “That makes it an individual or group priority, but not collective representation of the city.”
Peña suggested that the matter be deferred. Lewis concurred.
The priority list will guide the city’s federal lobbyists and representatives in Washington.
City Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel, who chaired the committee, said that the process of developing the list included ample opportunities for the council to provide input and that there were “many versions and edits” before the final list was presented. She said that if a councilor felt the list wasn’t representative, it would be appropriate to propose an amendment.
The resolution states that the city entreats the federal government to create policies that advance just and equitable public safety, create a sustainable economy that benefits workers, entrepreneurs and existing businesses and invests in infrastructure, among other priorities.
How to participate
The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the Vincent E. Griego Chambers, on the basement level of the Albuquerque Government Center. The full council agenda is expected to be posted by 5 p.m. today here.
The full text of the proposed resolution can be found here.