Michelle Lujan Grisham is the thirty-second governor of the state of New Mexico, the first Democratic Latina to be elected governor in U.S. history. A longtime state Cabinet secretary at both the New Mexico Department of Aging and Long-term Services and Department of Health, Gov. Lujan Grisham has been a leading advocate for senior citizens, veterans, and the disabled as well as investments in health care infrastructure and innovative programming that has improved access and quality of care for New Mexicans across the state.
As I said in my inaugural address, nothing is more indispensable to our future well-being or will receive more attention from my administration than guaranteeing a quality education for our children.
We must measure our success in education on whether our children are learning, not on how much money we spend in a system that fails to demand results.
According to a recent Quality Counts report, New Mexico’s education system received a grade of “F” on K-12 achievement. History has every right to judge us harshly if we fail to improve our schools and present our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.
When we put our kids first, New Mexico will win. That’s why my budget requires cuts to be made in the bureaucracy – not in the classroom. We will also push for schools to be graded on the same scale as our students – A, B, C, D or F – so that parents and communities have a transparent understanding of where we are succeeding and where we are failing.
Prior to 3rdgrade, our kids are learning to read. Afterward, they are reading to learn. If we allow students to enter 4th grade who haven’t acquired basic skills, we are short-changing their education and setting them up for hardship.
I firmly believe that every New Mexico child can learn, and I’m committed to ending the acceptance of mediocrity in our education system.
For far too long, government officials have abused their office for personal or political gain. Politicians have regarded taxpayer money as their own and rewarded cronies, while workers, students and taxpayers are stuck with the bill. Decisions have been made to benefit the powerful and the connected, while New Mexico families pay the price.
It is time to restore the spirit of public service to government positions. I have proposed harsher penalties for public officials who break the law because restoring confidence and faith in elected and appointed office begins with ensuring that our public servants are the best possible stewards of taxpayer money.
My administration will lead by example. On my first day in office, I signed an executive order prohibiting all state agencies, departments and boards over which the Governor retains authority, from hiring or retaining lobbyists. I am also calling on the legislature to enact a law prohibiting anyone appointed to my administration, as well as elected officials, from working as lobbyists for two years after leaving government service. There should be no question that public officials are acting in the interest of the people they serve instead of positioning themselves for a big payday with a special interest group.
We must operate state government in an open and transparent manner. That is why I have opened up the books of state government by making it easier to access public information. My administration will not use executive privilege to unjustifiably block public access to the activities of state government, as has been done in the past. As public servants, we are accountable to New Mexicans and they should know exactly what their government is doing on their behalf.
As a career prosecutor, I have dedicated my life to serving as a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. I specialized in prosecuting child abuse and child homicide cases, and I saw first-hand how criminals who got off lightly ended up later committing unspeakable acts of violence.
That’s why my balanced budget proposal maintains adequate funding to New Mexico’s correctional facilities. We must get our fiscal house in order, but we cannot do it by opening the prison gates and setting criminals free.
I have also seen how the collection of DNA evidence from certain felons has led to the arrest of rapists and murderers in New Mexico.
That’s why I support the expansion of Katie’s Law to require the collection of DNA samples from those arrested for all felony offenses. I know this will help us capture violent criminals before they have a chance to hurt our children and loved ones.
And, as New Mexicans, we have become all too familiar with repeat DWI offenders and corrupt public officials failing to receive the punishment they deserve.
That’s why I support stiffer penalties for repeat DWI offenders and for the crime of public corruption.
Ensuring public safety is a key role of government. If New Mexico is a safe place to live, business owners will want to locate here and visitors will want to take advantage of all that our state has to offer. Keeping our families safe requires vigilance and a commitment to bringing justice to those who break the law.