Groseclose and Romero face off in House 46 forum

Oct. 18—The two candidates for the House District 46 seat engaged in a civil debate Monday, touching on issues ranging from rising crime rates to low public education outcomes.

Republican Jay Groseclose, 71, is a retired engineer trying for the second time to defeat incumbent Andrea Romero, 35, a Democrat who since 2018 has represented the district that encompasses much of Santa Fe and some of the surrounding region.

The debate, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Santa Fe County and held at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Barcelona Road, gave each candidate two minutes to make opening and closing statements and answer questions supplied by members of the public.

The format did not allow the two candidates to question one another or respond to the other's comments. As a result, the roughly 45-minute event was less a contest of contrasting ideas than a calm, disciplined display of responses to queries.

Romero accentuated her experience as a lawmaker who has learned how to work with legislators on issues such as climate change, affordable housing and the legalization of recreational cannabis use for people 21 and older.

Groseclose said more has to be done to deal with rising crime and violence concerns, drugs coming across the border from Mexico and ensuring students stay in school.

"We've had four years, no progress, on any of these issues," he said.

Not surprisingly, one of the first questions posed to the candidates was about their respective stand on abortion — which, after this summer's U.S. Supreme Court repeal of Roe v. Wade, has once again become a hotly debated topic nationwide.

Romero said she supports a woman's right to do what she wants with her body and said it is not an issue on which the government should be weighing in. New Mexicans have already demonstrated they "want the right" to choose for themselves, she said.

Groseclose agreed government should not rule on the issue and suggested, as does GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti, the question be put to voters in the form of a constitutional amendment placed on the state's general election ballot.

"This is not something the Legislature should decide," Groseclose said. "New Mexicans should decide how to deal with this."

On the issue of crime, Romero said lawmakers have to address its root causes, through education or mental health supports.

"Have a team of people, not cops, to help deescalate situations," she said, adding lawmakers have struggled for several years with the problem.

She said the state has increased the budget over the past few years "to deal with it, and it is a huge problem. ... It's one of the hardest issues to get funding for."

Groseclose said more has to be done to hold criminals accountable.

"We need to make the sentence fit the crime," he said. He noted lawmakers have failed to pass proposed legislation that would have enhanced penalties for criminals who use a gun in the commission of a crime — something he called a "common sense" approach.

He reiterated his plan to support legislation to create vocational programs in the state's high schools so students who aren't on a college track might find a trade that could lead to a career.

Romero spoke about finding ways to support more affordable housing initiatives, a key issue in Santa Fe and its surrounding areas.

Romero captured the District 46 seat in 2018 after defeating three-term incumbent Carl Trujillo in the Democratic Party primary. Romero won more than 75 percent of the general election vote against Groseclose two years ago.