On March 2, Santa Fe voters will vote for one city councilor in each of the city’s four districts. Here, the candidates for a hotly contested District 1 seat engage in a battle of city smarts in SFR’s Pop Quiz. The rules are as follows: No research allowed. If they call back later with the right answer, too bad. To see who answered correctly (or came closest), check out our answer key.
Questions:
1. According to the Fiscal Impact Analysis released in September 2009, what is the projected annual tax revenue from the Northwest Quadrant at 100 percent buildout, 100 percent occupancy?
2. What percent of Santa Fe’s city budget comes from Gross Receipts Tax?
3. What’s your biggest concern for District 1?
4. Explain the difference between a luminaria and a farolito.
5. How much did the city spend to acquire the College of Santa Fe?
6. What will the new city boundaries be once annexation is complete?
7. Do you think the city has the resources to provide services to Phases I and II of annexed land?
8. Approximately how many people does the City of Santa Fe employ?
9. What is the Buckman Direct Diversion?
10. According to the city’s Code of Ethics, how long does a public employee have to publicly disclose receiving “any thing of value to be used in the performance of official duties”?
11. Which type of crime skyrocketed in Santa Fe in 2009?
12. What do you like least about being in politics?
13. How many registered voters are there in District 1?
14. Red or green?
15. What is a Community Development Block Grant, and what’s the cutoff for receiving one?
16. How much has the City spent on the Northwest Quadrant so far?
17. Name all the city parks in District 1.
18. What is the official name of the City of Santa Fe?
19. Which city division most needs to be cut?
20. What does the Santa Fe City Code do?
21. According to the Santa Fe Municipal Charter, how frequently must city councilors’ salaries be reviewed?
22. Santa Fe was the first city to sign onto the 2030 Architectural Challenge. What is it?
23. What do you like least about being in politics?
Chris Calvert, 61, letter carrier with the US Postal Service
1. Boy, I have no idea what that is. Boy. Yeah. I mean, I know that the whole project had like a $30 million deficit, so…um. Boy. I would just guess something like, um, $7 million or something. I don’t know.
2. Percent of—oh. Um, well…I mean, I know that Gross Receipts Tax is—I think it’s—well, I’m trying to define it, because we do get part of our gross receipts from the state, so…Uh, I’d say 20 percent.
3. I think it’s, um—right now I think it’s household burglary.
4. OK. Um, the farolito is the lights like in the candle, you know the paper bag with the candle inside, and the luminaria’s sort of like a bonfire.
5. How much did we spend to acquire it? Well, we bonded for 30 but the price that we paid was closer to 20 [million].
6. All three phases? Well, they’ll basically be—to the south and west, they’ll be I-25 and 599. To the east it’s basically, I think, gonna be federal land, Forest Service boundary.
7. No.
8. 1,600
9. The Buckman Direct Diversion is a diversion of our San Juan-Chama water rights off the Rio Grande.
10. How long do they have to disclose it? Hoo, boy. Uh, 30 days.
11. Um…I would say it’s property crimes.
12. [Laughs] Um, well, not much time for private life.
13. Boy, District 1…I think it’s approximately 12,600.
14. Christmas.
15. Community Development Block Grant. Um. Well, a Community Development Block Grant is a—believe it’s, uh, money that is provided by the federal government and funneled to local government to provide for certain purposes like affordable housing. Cutoff—I’m not sure what you mean. Um, boy, let’s see. I think it’s, um, boy, I want to say 120 percent.
16. I think it’s something in the neighborhood of $1.5 million.
17. ALL of the city parks in District 1?! You can’t be serious. (laughs) You can’t be! Really? Um, well, there’s certainly the Plaza. There’s Peralta Park, there’s Alto Park…oh, jeez. Um..there’s the river park—there’s various river parks, but I know there’s one that’s called River Park, and—oh, boy, what are some of the names of some of those? MaggioniCK Park, um, park up by the Cross of the Martyrs; I’m not sure what its name is exactly. Um, I know there’s one at Valle La Cañada, not sure what its name is—Veteran’sCK Park, I believe. Um, boy, let’s see…any others? Mmm…hm. Well, I think that’s about all I’m going to be able to remember right now.
18. Now that one I do know. La Real—La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís.
19. (laughs) Umm…okay, um…I guess I would have to say administrative services.
20. I’m sorry, the Santa Fe City Code? I don’t guess I understand…The Santa Fe City Code? (laughs) I guess I don’t understand the question, I’m sorry. When you say the Santa Fe City Code, I don’t know: Are you talking about the, our, code that governs the city? Umm…I guess it governs—well, it sets up the makeup of our government and, you know, the elected officials and the organization of the city government.
21. Oh, boy. Be reviewed…Every four years, I guess.
22. That means that by the year 2030 all buildings are going to be carbon neutral.
23. (laughs) Um, well, not much time for private life.
Doug Nava, 34, tax examiner for the state Taxation and Revenue Department
1. Say that again…Wow. You stumped me. You know I haven’t done my research on a lot of the Northwest Quadrant—I’ve done research as far as development, but not on what it would generate for receipts and stuff.
2. Mmkay…A big percentage of it, because our gross receipts—a lot of our public safety, our cops, everything is derived…I couldn’t give an exact percentage, but it is a big chunk of it because that’s why, with this big annexation that’s about to take place, being that gross receipts aren’t being generated too much right now, I was wondering how we would impact all the new public safety and public services if south-side annexation takes place, so I would say it’s probably more than 50 percent.
3. My biggest concern is with all the major developments that—they want to take place or should take place over the next few years is the fact that the streets aren’t wide enough. Like W. Alameda! W. Alameda’s two lanes! And I would say the congestion. If things have to happen, based on previous votes, it’s a way of making sure that congestion—and because, you know, if things have to get widened, it’s just street congestion. Because a lot of District 1 are downtown Santa Fe, E. Alameda—these are like little, two-lane streets, so it’s already crowded enough as it is trying to get down those, especially E. Alameda. That would be my biggest concern is to make sure that we can make sure development is done right.
4. OK. A luminaria is a little stacked thing of firewood, like a little bonfire, because luminaria means fire in Spanish. And the farolito, of course, is our famous little lunch bag with the candle in the sand.
5. How much did we spend to get College of Santa Fe? All I know is it was a lot of money. That’s all I know, is that it was a lot.
6. The boundaries—where it stops? Well, I know Airport Road is the big one, as far as where it stops. Um. From Airport Road up—I don’t think it’s up 285; it’s up that way. I’m just trying to map right now, in my head. I couldn’t really say the big boundaries. I just know what the section is.
7. Right now, the city is not prepared for annexation. If the city was prepared for annexation, the Police Department and all them wouldn’t be freaked out right now in how they were gonna do it. You know, they’re claiming it’s going to take 40 more officers, you know. Even like as far as fire goes, it was my understanding that, you know, there’s not even fire hydrants on that area. I mean, there’s so much that has to be implemented in there, you know, so we’re not really—yeah, they already use city water and stuff like that but, as far as public safety, according to everybody—what we’ve researched and what I’ve listened to, they’re not even ready for it because it’s such a large area. And according to what the county says, you know, they do get a lot of calls as far as public safety on that side of town.
8. How many people are employed by the City of Santa Fe? Wow. Once again, I have never had to count that number. But to all the people that work there, you know, I have no complaints about the jobs that are being done at hand.
9. Buckman Direct Diversion was the—agh! Once again, I’m sorry. I was just reading about that the other day, and now I can’t answer.
10. The ethics code. I believe it was immediately they had to—if it was something of value that it was pretty much right away.
11. Break-ins. Our biggest problem are break-ins—and they’re all during the day, pretty much. It’s really sad.
12. What do I like the least about being in politics? Answering pop quizzes. You know, there’s so much that needs to be learned, and I’m learning—it’s amazing. You know, being born and raised here, I—you just are aware of now—I always knew I wanted to be able to help the City of Santa Fe and, after people asking the questions and this and this, there is so much out there that I do know that, if given the honor, my plate is full. My plate is extremely full.
13. I know it’s over 5,000 people. I believe that it’s over 5,000 registered voters.
14. Red or green? Red. Green chile makes me sick. Yeah, it’s never been something that—I don’t know what it is.
15. I will be honest with you: That is just something I do not have knowledge on.
16. The Master Plan…OK…if I had read things correctly, I know that there was some money spent. I don’t know if it was on the roads they were looking at, but I could have sworn I read somewhere where we had spent at least—wow, was it $200,000?—on a project that was in that area. Or more. It was like $250,000, if that’s the number I believe reading.
17. My city park is Alto Park—that’s right across the street from my house—and then we have Fort Marcy, and then we have—well, a lot of people consider the Plaza a park, in many ways. And then we have—let’s see, I’m driving down West Alameda—the park all the way at the end of East Alameda by the, um, what’s the name of that school? The Head Start? There’s that park right there; I don’t know its name. That’s four. And see, we have Alto Park, we have Marcy, we have—like I said, to me the Plaza’s always been a park to many people—third, and there’s the skateboard. Those are the only ones. And there’s this little community center, they have a little park there…
18. The official name is La Villa Real de Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís.
19. Which city division needs to be cut? Well, as far as all the city divisions go, I’m sure nobody wants to get cut because everybody’s jobs are important or else they wouldn’t be placed within the City of Santa Fe, to work for the city. I couldn’t say anybody right now deserves to be cut because I myself haven’t had the chance to sit down and say, ‘Can I see each of your books, one at a time?’ It’s not a matter of cutting; it’s a matter of making it work on what we have so that everybody gets their fair share because everybody’s important to the City of Santa Fe, who works for us.
OK, but if you had to pick one…?
I couldn’t really pick one because, you know, we need the police. We need the people who go out there and maintain the streets and the roads. I really could not pick one because I just don’t think it’s fair right now to really pick somebody out if I really don’t have the entire budget in my hands at face to be able to look over it.
20. The Santa Fe City Code? As far as, in general, to everybody? Well, I know that there’s just the codes of buildings—um…I know that there’s different—I mean, to me, the way I understood it correctly, there’s just many codes depending on what it is pertaining to. I know there’s building codes…What’s the main city code that goes over everything? That one I don’t know.
21. Wow. I know that a lot of them just got reviewed recently; I guess that some of them are getting increases if I understood it right—every two years? I think it’s every few years that they review it.
22. That I don’t know, and I’m not afraid to say that. At all.
23. What do I like the least about being in politics? Answering pop quizzes. You know, there’s so much that needs to be learned, and I’m learning—it’s amazing. You know, being born and raised here, I—you just are aware of now—I always knew I wanted to be able to help the City of Santa Fe, and after people asking the questions and this and this, there is so much out there that I do know that, if given the honor, my plate is full. My plate is extremely full.
Russell Simon, 28, community manager
1. I don’t know.
2. A huge amount, something like 89 percent.
3. The biggest concern for my district is that we have an effective and responsive city government, and it’s the same concern I have for the city as a whole. I think that city councilors need to represent the interests of the whole city.
4. [Laughs] You know, I’ve asked people that before, in the past, and I’ve gotten a lot of different answers, so I’m going to get them mixed up if I try to tell you the difference. One of them is just an open bonfire, I believe, and the other is, you know, the bag with the candle inside. I don’t know which is which. I think the farolito is the bag with the candle.
5. Tens of millions of dollars.
6. Well, the first phase brought it out to the I-25 corridor, and subsequent phases will extend it on the south side out to the—and on the west side and the north side out to the 599 bypass. And the final phase also extends it east towards, you know, the forest and the mountains.
7. Not right now, they don’t, and they should have been planning for that a lot longer.
8. I think it’s about 1,800.
9. That pipes water from the San Juan-Chama river basin to the City of Santa Fe.
10. I don’t know the answer to that question, but it’s a good question. I would hope that it is not a long time, though.
11. Burglaries—property crime.
12. Probably having to compromise on principles you believe in.
13. Approximately 12,600.
14. Green. I dream about it in my sleep. My mouth waters, when I’m away from Santa Fe, for green chile.
15. It’s a federal grant the city uses to do community development. I don’t know what the cutoff is.
16. I hear a million dollars, which, since I don’t support the Northwest Quadrant, I’m quite disappointed that we spent so much money on it already.
17. Name the city parks in District 1? Um, the Plaza. Frank Ortiz, the dog park. Ummm…Bicentennial Park, the Cross of the Martyrs, Fort Marcy one…We’ve got good parks in District 1.
18. The full-throated, Spanish, original name? La Villa—La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís.
19. I’m not going to go into that. I don’t get the numbers that current city councilors get put in front of them every week, but I can assure you, once I’m elected, I’ll have an opinion on that.
20. What does the Santa Fe City Code do? It outlines the laws of the city.
21. I don’t know.
22. It’s a program developed by Ed Mazria, a local architect, to drastically reduce emissions in buildings by 2030.
23. Probably having to compromise on principles you believe in.
Answer Key
(excludes answers that call for opinion)
1. $1.13 million
2. 40 percent
4. Luminaria: a small piñon bonfire, traditionally used during Las Posadas. Farolito: a paper bag with a candle in it
5. $19.5 million
6. State Route 599, I-25 and the Santa Fe National Forest
8. 1,797 (1,601 full time)
9. A plan to divert San Juan-Chama Project water from the Rio Grande into Santa Fe
10. Seven days
11. Burglary/property crime
13. 12,546 (as of November 2009)
15. Federal money the city of Santa Fe receives for moderate to low-income people by either directly benefiting low-income people, preventing or eliminating slum and blighted conditions, or meeting an urgent community need that threatens the health or welfare of residents. The cutoff is 80% of the average median income.
16. Between $1 million and $1.5 million
17. The Plaza, Fort Marcy, Frank Ortiz (dog park), Torreón Park, Alto Street/Bicentennial Park, Cathedral Park, Hillside Park. (Santa Fe River and Hyde Memorial are state parks.)
18. La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís
20. It governs the city government and administration.
21. Every four years.
22. The 2030 Challenge is a global agreement, created by Santa Fe architect Ed Mazria's nonprofit, Architecture 2030, that all new buildings and major renovations be carbon-neutral by 2030.
