By Frost McGahey
On Monday, August 12, Tom Shelley, candidate for county commission District 5, spoke to a group of voters. Shelley had run for the district in 2020 and lost by 35 votes, 1265 to 1300. When asked why he was running again, Shelley replied, "I feel some of the county commissioners are drifting away from what helps families and businesses. They are not focusing on local issues.
I'm appalled that the current district 5 commissioner pushed to take Gila Water decisions away from the three counties that rely on Gila Water."
A few of the county commissioners are pushing for more wind and solar power. As a retired environmental engineer for Freeport and a rancher, I've used both, and they are great for some uses. Windmills have been watering cattle for over 150 years, but along with solar, they're not reliable enough for large scale energy production.
They have to be backed up by other fuels so the goals of building them on a large scale are not being realized. Worst of all, they will raise energy prices for every Grant County family which they can ill afford in this terrible inflation.
The county has done a great job on ensuring the hospital is solvent and taking care of other business. And we have a fantastic county manager in Charlene Webb."
Shelley is now retired from Freeport-McMoRan as an environmental engineer. "I've noticed some county commissioners being careless with policies and initiatives that can hurt our farming, ranching and mining industries, which are the foundation of our economy. Prosperity for families in Grant County is harmed when our economy is harmed. County government has a great impact on the quality of life so it should be focused on helping our people flourish."
One woman said, "The school district is raising taxes, and I've heard some county commissioners want to do the same thing. Where do you stand on that?" Shelley replied, "This is definitely not the time to do that. There was a YouTube video of a man showing a basket of groceries at Wal-Mart and saying the cost had increased 4 times since 2020."
When asked about his goals if elected Shelley said, "Safety first. Grant County used to be a safer place to live. We need to do something about that. Secondly, I want to focus on economic prosperity. Families are suffering from inflation and the drug influx. I want to work to find solutions to these problems."
Shelley is a life-long Grant County resident and since retiring he consults as a civil engineer and runs his ranch. A U.S. Army veteran, he is vice-president of the Grant County Grower's Association, active in the New Mexico Mining Association and the NM Farm and Livestock Bureau.
To find out more about Tom Shelley or help his campaign, he can be reached at Votetomshelley.com or on Facebook – Tom Shelley –Candidate for Grant County Commissioner District 5.
District 5 encompasses Tyrone to the southern part of Silver City. Voter registration cards show which district a person lives in.
