Downs mayor promises 'new day'

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Ruidoso Downs Mayor-elect Gary Williams

It will be "a new day for Ruidoso Downs."

The words came from City Councilor Gary Williams, who will be sworn in Monday to a four-year term as mayor.

Williams had never held an elected position before becoming a city councilor four years ago.

"Citizens in my subdivision, who were trying to fight a development there, figured, 'Hey, we've got this retired guy. He's got nothing to do. Let's push to make him an elected official so we can stop this development. And it worked out for both of us."

Williams said he came away with some realizations after four years on the council.

"I think, overall, we overcame what I called the terrible threes, and that being the flood, the freeze and the fire," Williams said, referring to the July 2008 Hurricane Dolly Flood, the early February 2011 extended days of sub-zero temperatures that resulted in a high number of broken water pipes, and the April 2011 White Fire that skirted the north edge of the city and destroyed some homes.

"We were able to really keep our community together despite all that adversity."

Williams said his public service on the council the past four years were "kind of fun" but also started with "not knowing what to expect." He called it a learning experience. Now that "learning" will shape the Williams' approach. He said he wants to work closely with other governments in the area.

"We are joined at the hip," he said of neighboring communities like Ruidoso, Mescalero and Alto. "There's no separation.

And for us to benefit from each other, it is vital for us as a region, and I'm talking about the outlying the communities, to work together. And that's the key. How can you not want to work with partners instead of working as adversaries? And we can learn from the village (of Ruidoso) because they have a tremendous amount of talent over there, people who really know how to take care of business and give us some insights and give us some understandings, possibly giving us a direction that we can go to. Yeah, I want to tap into it."

Williams said he has "high-level" relationships with the mayor and other village officials in Ruidoso.

"And I will continue to pursue that. I want to push for it. And I want to be adamant of the fact that we are going to work together."

Issues

Williams said there will be "issues," but sitting down together he said can settle differences.

The long-running differences involving the jointly owned regional wastewater treatment plant and its operations were called by Williams "the little splinter in your foot that you try to get out and you can't so you're limping all the time."

He said the anxieties on both sides with the wastewater treatment plant can be resolved by being sincere and up front.

"The wastewater plant is important because we both put out (funding) and went to the max on both sides to get this thing built," the mayor-elect said. "You're going to see a lot of cooperation here because I believe in it and I believe our potential is unlimited. And if you have that kind of understanding between partners, and we are partners, then we can make it happen and we'll both benefit from it big time."

Questioned if some services in the area could be combined to save costs, Williams was a bit cautious. He said watching every penny is important but services must be top notch.

Dialogue

"There may be a dialogue and a discussion on it," Williams said of the idea of some combined operations. "I'm willing to sit down and go through all of the variables that are out there and see what is beneficial for both of us and especially for our community to ensure that yes, we could do this and it would help both our communities cost-wise but still provide the services at the level that we are expected to provide. Then why not, have a discussion about it to a point where OK, this one works, this doesn't work, we can try this. It's not a foregone conclusion that this is the end of the story about what's going on. The whole part of what's going to happen in this next administration is dialogue, is talking, and is trying to understand what is going to benefit your community in particular but both communities in general."

And as mayor, Williams said he will have expectations.

"I think what's been lacking is our ability to expand, to really move forward to attract people our community because we are lacking services, like attractions other than the racetrack, which is seasonal, and businesses," Williams said. "I think Ruidoso Downs, the (U.S. Highway) 70 corridor, it could flourish with businesses that would benefit from the people that come into our community, the people that live in our community. Ruidoso Downs, it has an unlimited potential. What's lacking to me, and I've seen this from the inside, is leadership and determination. Change is beneficial if you're willing to go forward with it. The next administration is going to work with that."

Williams said everyone - local government, businesses and the whole community -must come together to "see it through in order to survive and thrive."

Coming together

Williams has been Mayor Tom Armstrong's designate on the Ruidoso Downs Economic Development Committee.

"The board lacked direction," Williams said of the Economic Development Committee. "And I think because of that their purpose of what they're there for, we really didn't accomplish that task that the board itself should be looking at to develop a plan for a vision. And this administration's intent is to insure the board's direction is straight forward with the idea and the plan in place so we can reach out and get people interested."

Williams said the area already has good reasons for living and establishing businesses in Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs.

The most difficult task to deal with in the coming years that Williams sees is reduced funding from the federal and state levels.

"But there are funding opportunities," he said. "You've just got to be willing to research, have the desire to go out there and pursue it."

Williams said he will make some "minor adjustments" in administrative positions to make improvements "to progress forward."

Source: http://www.ruidosonews.com/ci_20133888/downs-mayor-promises-new-day?source=rss_viewed

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