Get Answers From Cloudcroft’s Next Mayor

Who deserves your support and vote? We submitted nine questions to the Cloudcroft 2023 mayoral candidates. Here are the answers from five of the six candidates who filed to run.

Oct 09, 2023

On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Cloudcroft voters go to the polls to elect a new mayor for the Village in a competitive race. Six candidates filed to run, and five responded to our questionnaire about why they want to be mayor and their views on some of the most critical issues facing Cloudcroft.

We sent the candidates nine questions. We’ve put their answers side-by-side, by question, for you to get a good feel of who they are and what they want to achieve.

The candidates put serious thought into their answers and deserve your attention. Cloudcroft’s future is being shaped today by new challenges and opportunities. We see that change in the recent developments on James Canyon Hwy, in Zenith Park, in our water, in our businesses and workforce, and in the price of real estate. The next mayor’s task is to help the government and community address those issues.

Spend time learning about each candidate. Make a thoughtful decision.

Click on the links below to go to the page for each question. Please share this mayoral candidate questionnaire with friends. Post on your social media. Help get the word out. The more everyone knows, the better.

2023 Cloudcroft Mayor Questionnaire

To go to the Question and Answers, click on the “Go to Question #…” below

Go to Question #1: Why do you want to be mayor? [click]

Go to Question #2: As mayor, what will you prioritize as the top issues to address? Why those? [click]

Go to Question #3: Roughly two-thirds of the homes in the Cloudcroft area are owned by people who do not live here full-time and aren’t registered to vote locally. Many others live in nearby communities and work and own businesses in Cloudcroft. These people pay Cloudcroft taxes and support local businesses and services. They are invested in the community and its health. What role, if any, should they have in the governance of Cloudcroft? How would you address this disconnect? [click]

Go to Question #4: Cloudcroft has a modest budget and limited resources. What experience do you have managing a multi-million dollar budget? Grant money is one way to add new dollars. Discuss what kind of grants you would seek and how you expect to win them. [click]

Go to Question #5: In Cloudcroft, making a living wage and finding affordable housing is difficult. The same is true of running a profitable business here. How can the community best create a healthy, sustainable economy that supports local businesses and residents? [click]

Go to Question #6: Tourism is vital to Cloudcroft. What is your vision of how we attract more visitors year-round and enhance Cloudcroft’s offerings to that market? We have plenty of competition from other New Mexico communities. [click]

Go to Question #7: A common refrain heard here is, “We don’t want to be another Ruidoso.” Do you believe Cloudcroft could become another Ruidoso even if it wanted to since we don’t have horse racing, casinos, a destination ski mountain, or enough water? Is there a better way to express what should be our aspirations than to say what we don’t want to become? [click]

Go to Question #8: Water is vital to our community — its quality and availability. What is the current state of the community’s water supply, and what would you do to ensure we have an ample supply of good water in the years ahead? How do you see balancing the tension around very limited water resources against business and community development for high-use businesses? [click]

Go to Question #9: How can people contact you and/or learn more about your campaign? [click]

You can see the candidates speak at a Town Hall on October 26th.

Where: 10 Swallow PlaceCloudcroft, NM 88317

Exit Interview:

We hope to conduct an exit Interview with current mayor William Denney to run soon. What he has learned during his tenure as mayor can be helpful for the community and the future mayor. Stay tuned.