Joaquin Baca is picking up the torch.
Baca, a hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service was elected in November to fill the City Council seat of longtime Councilor Isaac Benton, who served for 18 years. Baca represents District 2, which includes downtown, Old Town, the West Mesa and Pat Hurley neighborhoods and part of the University of New Mexico campus.
One thing he learned from Benton is what a councilor can and cannot do.
“I think a lot of people think a councilor has the same duties and powers as the mayor,” Baca said. “We manage the budget and develop policies, but we’re not in charge of city departments.”
Benton also relayed to him the importance of communicating with residents, he added.
“If people are calling their councilor, it’s not typically when something great is happening,” Baca said. “You’re working with people who are having a hard time. You have to be empathetic.”
Homelessness tough, but progress being made
He said that homelessness is a major issue not just for District 2, but for the entire city, and that the whole community needs to be involved in tackling it..
“It’s obviously not an easy one,” Baca said. “If one person could fix it, it would’ve been done.”
There has been some progress made, listing the Gateway Center, a planned sobering center and the fact that the council has agreed to fund improvements at the Westside Emergency Housing Center, he said. Albuquerque Community Safety, the city’s public safety response team, which responds to 911 calls about mental health issues, substance abuse and homelessness, has helped lessen the load on police as well as providing access to caseworkers, social workers and mental health assistance, Baca said.
Crime and housing are also concerns. With the latter, he said, problems include a lack of available housing inventory and young people afraid that they’re “priced out of ever buying” homes. In addition, the housing shortage is creating more pressure on the market, with those at the bottom of the ladder faring the worst.
Baca said that Albuquerque consists of a number of different communities, but that they share many of the same concerns, such as being able to safely walk or bike down city streets.
Background
Baca graduated from Belén High School, then served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2005. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from UNM with a focus on hydrology and geology and master’s degrees in environmental education and natural resource management from Cal State San Bernardino before earning a Master of Studies in Law from UNM.
Before running for City Council, Baca represented Bernalillo County on the board of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which is charged with managing irrigation systems and flood control in four Central New Mexico counties. He also served on the Albuquerque Development Commission. He is the father of two boys attending Albuquerque Public Schools. He said that his career as a scientist has prepared him to make good decisions as a councilor.
“I can use science to try to figure out things that work, and pick up (relevant) skill sets along the way,” Baca said.
Albuquerque has features present in no other city, including Old Town, a stretch of historic Route 66 along Central Avenue and the Bosque, which Baca called “a living river.”
He’s hopeful of the city moving in a positive direction, and will reach its potential with the participation of the council, city administrators and the public.
“I know it’s gonna be hard — I’m not naive,” he said. “We’re gonna get there. It’s going to take all of us working together.”
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