LAS CRUCES – Gregory Shervanick, a lifelong Las Crucen and a regular participant in public gatherings across the city, hopes that District 3 residents will put his name on their ballots this November instead of the other two candidates in the city council’s race from Las Cruces to vote.
“Based on what I see as a candidate for the district, I felt that I have more experience than either, plain and simple,” said Shervanick when asked why he chose to run.
“I was also concerned,” said Shervanick, “essentially because I warned the city at certain levels that my candidacy should come in as late as possible.”
Shervanick, 66, said he was born in Las Cruces to parents stationed at the White Sands Proving Ground, now known as the White Sands Missile Range. Although he said he toured the country with his family as an army brat, the family kept friends in Las Cruces and traveled back often. Shervanick said he moved back to Las Cruces to study at New Mexico State University and get a degree in anthropology.
While at NMSU, Shervanick said he worked for NMSU Special Events and Associated Students of NMSU as an entertainment rigger for events such as movies and concerts. That led to him starting a company specializing in rigging and training others while he was still in college, he said. He also said he worked for the radio stations KRWG and KNMS while studying.
Shervanick described himself as a lifelong entrepreneur, with some of his goals, including opening a coffee bistro in Mesilla in the early 1980s called La Taza – the same company that did catering and entertainment – and ran a refurbishment, rental and renovation company who works for an archaeological surveying company and as a substitute teacher in Las Cruces.
After working for a seafood company in Washington for several years, Shervanick moved back to Las Cruces with his wife in 1988 and has since lived in District 3, currently represented by Gabe Vasquez. Vasquez has decided not to seek a second term in the council and is instead vying to remove US MP Yvette Herrell from Congress.
District 3 is roughly enclosed by South Main Street, East Butz Road, Missouri Avenue, North Solano Drive, Spruce Avenue, Triviz Drive, and portions of Telshor Boulevard and Hillrise Drive.
Shervanick said he was running because he believed he could bring critical thinking and a curious attitude to the council.
“I think a lot of what happens on the city council is basically a conscience bias,” said Shervanick.
Shervanick said he believes the city is not completely transparent to residents about the issues that affect them, and said the city only feeds residents with the facts that best fit the community. How a project affects the budget, such as an estimated schedule for completion and which departments are involved in a project, is information that, in his opinion, is not being conveyed properly to residents.
The longtime District 3 resident appears frequently at public gatherings to interview the city on issues such as the redesign of Campo Street, the use of cannabis recreational zones, or the recent proposal to increase natural gas tariffs.
Shervanick also said the city’s website could better serve residents by increasing awareness of programs, projects, and meetings and their impact on residents.
“The city has an excellent website, all they need is the people who visit and know how to use it,” he said, adding later, “The public doesn’t know what the city website can offer them in order for them to use it they can participate in the whole process. “
Regarding the borough’s plague, like El Paseo Road, and the problem of poverty, Shervanick said he was cautious about labeling the area as impoverished and said he believed some suggested solutions like urbanization, pedestrian-friendliness and attracting new people Companies doing this could hurt existing residents if, for example, they lose the availability of parking spaces.
“(District 3) doesn’t have to be considered that impoverished area,” Shervanick said. “It has to be seen as an area that contributes to it.”
“People live in District 3. They work outside of District 3,” Shervanick said. “So can we create jobs in District 3? Well, not really, unless we demolish part of the city and build commercial real estate and have companies coming into that commercial real estate. So why do you want to take a residential area and to create an industrial or commercial area? “
Although Shervanick said El Paseo was not business friendly, he didn’t think creating affordable housing could solve this and would mainly serve to increase utility revenue.
Shervanick said the city can grow economically and be revitalized, but he doesn’t believe that economic growth or revitalization can be forced into any particular area and would rather have it develop where companies deem it best and point to new ones Companies coming to Lohman Avenue and Telshor Boulevard intersection as evidence.
Shervanick also said that often, city council candidates are largely ignorant of how many changes to make during their tenure. He said he plans to use his office more effectively without being mistaken about his own power.
“I can help you understand how the city works, how to tell me, and how you can invest your time talking to someone else at City Hall to get those answers,” said Shervanick, “because one City The city council either approves or votes on what is presented to it. “
Bev Courtney, a licensed concealed carry instructor, former vice chairwoman of the Doña Ana County GOP and founder of the American Gun Culture Club, and Becki Graham, a program manager for the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, compete in the District-3 rankings – part of the race.
To vote for Shervanick, voters must write his name on their District 3 ballot, then fill in the oval to rank him against the others. Under New Mexico electoral law, voters have the option of simply writing “Shervanick” in the correct line on their ballot papers to have them count as there are no other declared candidates in the race. Postage stamps, stickers and stencils are not permitted for written votes.
More:What you need to know to vote in the Doña Ana district local elections in 2021
There will be early voting in local elections at the Doña Ana District Government Center in Las Cruces until October 30th. On Saturday through October 30th, additional prefixes were opened throughout the district. Postal voting slips can also be requested until October 28th. Election day is November 2nd.
Michael McDevitt is the city and county government reporter for Sun News. He can be reached at 575-202-3205, [email protected] or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter.
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