Antoinette Reyes, 26, is running for Las Cruces City Council for District 4, the seat currently held by Jack Eakman, who is not running for re-election. Another Las Cruces resident, Robert Palacios, has also announced a run for the seat.
Here is a statement from the Reyes campaign:
Antoinette is a 15th generation New Mexican. She is the eldest in a low-income family and helped raise her younger siblings. She now has two children of her own. Antoinette understands the needs of families living paycheck to paycheck.
Antoinette received her Bachelors in Anthropology with a supplementary major in Sustainable Development from NMSU. She is completing her Masters in Applied Economics with a focus on the environment and natural resources this October.
Antoinette recently finished a contract working for an organization dedicated to building a statewide network focused on environmental advocacy in the public health community. She is a substitute teacher and has worked as a private tutor for kindergartners through college students. She holds a volunteer leadership position for a non-profit that works on health care, the environment, electoral reform, and social justice. She formerly worked at the Museum of Nature and Science and was a support provider for people with developmental disabilities.
As a former City of Las Cruces employee in the Sustainability Office, Antoinette helped garner a $10 million bond for energy-related projects, such as green retrofits, xeriscaping, and solar installations.
Antoinette wants to make sure that her children and all kids in the community grow up in a safe environment with opportunities. Her priorities include improving public safety, expanding public infrastructure (transit and broadband), cutting wasteful spending, improving the city’s energy efficiency, expanding the amount of bilingual materials, and prioritizing economic development with the goal of addressing poverty and ensuring small businesses thrive in Las Cruces. Antoinette is committed to improving the lives of all city residents and if elected, vows to regularly hold constituent meetings throughout the district