Ya’ll know our CD1 special election is June 1st and PDA people have been active in this work. Well, the Albuquerque Mayor’s race is heating up too. Candidates are gathering signatures and $5.00 donations to qualify for public financing. General election is November 2, 2021. There’s lots of electoral work this spring-summer-and-fall.
Starting at the May 12th PDA evening gathering, we will invite candidates to speak at the end for public comment (just like we used to do in person).
Meet mayor-candidate Nicholas Bevins
Website: https://www.nicholasforabq.org/ (Sign up to volunteer in the “Get Involved” section)
Facebook Link: facebook.com/NicholasForABQ/
Bio: “My name is Nicholas Bevins, I am a 25-year-old lifelong progressive. I was an organizer in the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign, and have worked closely with PDA members in the past to create a society that works for all of us, not just the 1%. Along with this valuable experience I have also advocated for climate action with Extinction Rebellion, lobbied with Moms Demand Action at the Round House for red flag laws, and taught citizenship classes with OLÉ New Mexico. During the pandemic I hand-delivered hundreds of care packages through Albuquerque Mutual Aid, fed our unsheltered brothers and sisters with other local activists, and took direct action in the Black Lives Matter protests throughout the summer.
As a local activist, I understand the issues facing our community. We can start by creating a permanent city land trust to end homelessness and establishing a metro rail system. I will advocate for a municipal single payer health care system and the formation of a public city bank. We must fight climate change by turning PNM into a public utility and by transitioning to 100% renewable energy in 5 years. Worker’s rights must be protected by increasing union membership and establishing a municipal $15 minimum wage. We can do this by taxing legalized marijuana, instituting a vacancy tax for empty lots throughout the city, and imposing a franchise tax on major corporations. Along with these investments we have an obligation to cut the quarter-billion dollar APD budget and to use those funds to better our community.”
Solidarity Forever, Nicholas Bevins
