Albuquerque Mayoral candidate Alex Uballez conversed with passing students who approached him with questions and campaigning on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building.
Uballez told the Daily Lobo he was spending time talking to people on campus because he feels elections are losing voters to cynicism.
“When people don’t believe that their vote counts, when people don’t get engaged in their local politics or their national politics, when people don’t believe their government serves them,” Uballez said.
According to a September 2023 PEW Research Center poll, 65% of sampled Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics, citing a lack of candidate choices as underwhelming, disliking both political parties and lack of trust of the federal government.
When it comes to campus safety and the July UNM dormitory shooting, Uballez said his biggest takeaway from working on the Albuquerque Violence Intervention Program was that connection prevents violence.
Uballez said he wants to increase the amount of public spaces where people can interact and “exist with the day-to-day inconveniences of each other,” as well as give “at-risk” people the “dual promise” of help and consequences, he said.
“A lot of times people just don’t feel cared for … diapers, a bus pass, filling out a job application at the library, we will help you, because those small investments in people can stop people from spiraling into violence and despair," Uballez said
Homelessness is a top issue that people care about in the city, Uballez said.
“We've tried locking everyone up. We've tried arresting people. We've tried sweeping and throwing away all their stuff. We've tried flooding their encampments. These are all policies we know don't work,” Uballez said.
Uballez suggested treating homelessness and mental health in ways similar to physical health problems, he said.
“We need to think about mental health and addiction this way because they are medical conditions,” Uballez said. “If we provide the long-term medical support for people suffering from these conditions they can get off the streets and back into our community, because we have many functioning people in our community who are in houses, with jobs, families, and are full members of this city who also struggle with PTSD, mental health and addiction.”
Uballez said some solutions include offering people stability through transitional housing and long-term medical care.
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Everyone Uballez talked to — including the students at the SUB — have something they care about for Albuquerque, he said.
“I think every older generation always criticizes every younger generation for being disconnected and not caring and being self-centered, and I think that’s always untrue. I think there is a disconnect between generations and we may not always know how to communicate with one another, but everyone I've spoken with here has asked me awesome and amazing questions,” Uballez said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
