Downtown needs more than a stadium to thrive

I love baseball, but something about Wednesday’s special election just didn’t sit well with me.

It wasn’t the question of using city money to support baseball. I have no problem endorsing a recreational activity that has long been part of the city’s culture.

It wasn’t the question of whether to renovate the stadium or build a new one. I believe that renovating the stadium is a viable option, but was more impressed by the opportunity to inject new flavor into a part of the city that has deteriorated by building a Downtown stadium.

What did bother me was the way this issue was thrust in front of voters. As much as I favored a new stadium Downtown, I couldn’t help but feel guilty expressing my views to others because the issue was tainted by Mayor Jim Baca’s eagerness to do an end-run around the City Council. His endorsement of the plan gave it a sleazy feeling that was hard to overlook.

It is a symptom of a much larger problem.

While many newspapers, including this one, have extensively covered the merits of baseball in Albuquerque and Wednesday’s election, I see a more important election coming — the mayoral race.

While we have been treated to the Downtown Revitalization Team’s development efforts spurred by business leaders eager to make money and Baca’s quest to solidify his legacy as a great mayor, the city still lacks a vision for the future that embodies the citizens’ need to retain their culture while developing a better, more economically viable place to raise their children.

Politicians, business leaders and community members have devoted a considerable amount of time fighting to bring back baseball, but few have taken the time to consider what Albuquerque truly needs to shed its economic problems — a leader willing to listen to the community.

Here’s hoping that the next ballot voters see includes a candidate who understands that baseball teams, bars, movie theaters and restaurants alone don’t build a better Downtown — people who take ownership and pride in their community do.

-Iliana Lim¢n

Editor in chief