City Councilor Isaac Benton was re-elected Tuesday, and he attributes much of his success to his stance on the UNM Master Plan of Development.
“I think that a lot of the folks in those neighborhoods (around UNM) recognized that I’ve been fighting for them, and they probably voted for me,” he said.
Benton wrote a letter to the Board of Regents on Sept. 22 asking them to postpone the vote for the plan’s approval at their Sept. 29 meeting, allowing for more neighborhood input.
“If you are willing to table adoption of the Master Plan at this time, I would be happy to offer my office and other resources that can be provided by the city to assist the University in its outreach to the community,” the letter stated.
The vote was postponed, and the plan will be presented to the Regents some time this fall.
Two architects from Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the architecture firm hired to develop the Master Plan, donated a total of $1,250 to Alan Armijo, Benton’s opponent in the city council race.
During the campaign, Armijo said he primarily spoke with University representatives and city officials when addressing the Master Plan controversy, because he was unaware of meeting times of neighborhood associations.
Dale Dekker said his $500 donation to Armijo had nothing to do with Benton’s support of the neighborhood associations.
“Alan and I go way, way back. I’ve known him for years and years and helped him with his first city council campaign, and that’s New Mexico politics,” he said.
“Unfortunately, you know everybody, and (Benton) never called me and never asked for a donation. If he would have, I probably would have given him something.”
Steven Perich also said he would have donated to Benton if he had sought his support.
“I would probably have helped him out as well. I’ve known both those guys for years,” he said. “I’ve supported Alan in pretty much all of his past elections as well. We play golf together and stuff like that.”
Benton’s campaign received public financing, so he did not seek private donations.
However, Benton said the two architects’ donations were not about convenience.
“For whatever reason, those folks felt like they’d get an easier time with my opponent, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said. “What we’re hoping for is just a more open collaborative process with all the people who are impacted with these plans — that we don’t just get plans presented to us and that’s called ‘interaction.’”
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Fran Ahern-Smith, a member of the Summit Park Neighborhood Association, said she voted for Benton because of his stance on campus expansion.
“I think he’s a very positive influence. He’s done remarkable things for us in our neighborhood,” Smith said. “I think that at this point the Master Plan needs a lot more input, that the neighborhoods have been briefly consulted, but it’s a very complex issue. Hence, we need to talk more.”
Dekker said DPS and UNM have been receptive to the concerns of the neighborhood associations. He said the University has hosted open houses and welcomed neighborhood representatives to sit on University planning committees.
“I think there’s any number of things in the Master Plan that directly are a response to neighborhood concerns,” he said.
For example, the lack of proposed development on the golf course on north campus is a result of neighborhood input, Dekker said.
Dekker also said that while the Master Plan is being approved, UNM’s neighbors will have ample opportunity to have their voices heard throughout the plan’s implementation.
“The Master Plan is a framework for future development,” he said. “It does not have every detail and implementation strategy identified, but it sets the direction for the development of the campus for the next 20 to 25 years.”
Much of the conflict between the University and neighboring communities is because of the lack of a system for communication between them, Dekker said.
“Part of the issue is there is no really formal process like there is in a city land use matter,” he said. “We’re really learning on the fly on how best to engage the neighborhoods and the University planning efforts, and, as a result, we’re hearing a lot of things in the neighborhood that have kind of been built up over years about their desire to be involved and engaged in what goes on and might impact them.”
As city councilor, Dekker said Benton’s role will be to mediate between the University and the community.
“Clearly there are issues that are going to have to be dealt with over time, and (Benton’s) involvement is going to be critical in getting those resolved, because the University is in a position where it needs to have good neighbors,” he said.
Benton said he does not want to be seen as an obstruction to the University accomplishing its goals.
“I’ve just stood up for residents who have been impacted by the University’s plan,” he said. “And I will continue to do so. I’m optimistic that UNM is going to change.”
