Las Cruces, NM – In April of 2019, Manuel “Manny” Sanchez was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as County Commissioner for District 5. He is now seeking a full term.
Here is a statement from the Sanchez campaign:
Sanchez has diligently served the constituents of District 5, working to ensure their voices are heard and concerns addressed.
Understanding the importance of communication and the need to hear directly from constituents, Manny holds regular community meetings across the district. “I am proud of the accomplishments and progress we are making during my short tenure as Commissioner.
The residents of Northern Doña Ana County finally have bus service that provides access to classes at Doña Ana Community College and NMSU, as well as to various Ben Archer facilities for their health care. Having a presence in our communities has helped me understand the issues they have in their lives and how the County can help best serve them. I was humbled at the opportunity to connect a veteran within one of our communities with Rep. Torres Small’s office to ensure he received all the benefits he deserved. I will continue my efforts to listen to my constituents and work to improve the quality of life for all County residents. That’s why I’m asking my constituents for the opportunity to represent them for a full term in the 2020 election,” Sanchez said.
Commissioner Sanchez’s childhood in Anthony, NM and family history impressed upon him the value of working families and forged his work ethic. “My maternal great-grandparents worked the farms in La Unión and my paternal grandfather worked as a bracero all over Doña Ana County, where he earned enough money to bring his family to the US,” Sanchez said. “I was the first to graduate college on my mother’s side and I aimed high with the encouragement of my father, who became a US citizen at 18 and was a teacher for 35 years.”
Sanchez earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For 19 years, he has worked for General Electric in its Aviation and Power businesses in various roles across the country and internationally. His current role is Technology & Productivity Manager, working with service contracts across the US to identify best practices to reduce cost and improve customer satisfaction. His training and experiences in leadership, technology development, and finance have helped him successfully collaborate with organizations to plan and manage large-scale, multi-million dollar projects. He and his wife, Teresa Tenorio from Santa Rosa, NM, and their 3 daughters have lived in Las Cruces for 9 years. In January 2020, Ms. Tenorio began her 4-year elected term on the Las Cruces School Board. They are both committed to serving on local government bodies to ensure that our community remains a great place to live, raise a family, work, and retire.
Sanchez’s priorities for the County include:
- Infrastructure improvements including increased access to internet and improved drainage within the colonias.
- Start of operations at Crisis Triage Center and increasing mental health services in Doña Ana County.
- Increase utilization of renewable energy resources and energy efficiency improvements on County properties.
- Continue working with organizations like MVEDA and the Border Industrial Association to attract businesses to Doña Ana County, especially those within our emerging markets like hemp, video game development, commercial space industry, and outdoor recreation.
- Retention of young professionals graduating from area universities, increase the number of jobs that provide a living wage, and grow our tax base.