I am privileged and excited to officially announce that I will run in the 2020 election to retain my seat on the Town of Taos Council. 

I am proud to have been your representative as a Town council-member since 2016. The work we have done so far has been remarkable, but we have more to do. I am eager to continue being your champion as we work to save local jobs and keep Taoseños here in Taos. The culture of Taos lives within its people and we need to ensure we, the people of Taos, are able to live and thrive here. It is time to come together and protect Taos in order to avoid becoming an overrun tourist town so that it stays authentic and true for the future.

In order to keep the town on the path of economic sustainability, I will continue to promote activities that bring money into our community. Events and tourism put food on 40% of our tables. However, tourism cannot be allowed to be the single driving force behind how Taos grows. But we must continue these events in a conscientious way that benefits everyone in Taos, and work to create affordable housing options and more diverse economic opportunities so that we can protect locals while inviting visitors.  Above all, we have to train our young people and grow the skills of our current workforce.

I am focused on creating more opportunities for the members of our community. We have begun this process by approving a sixty-three unit affordable housing project, and giving Habitat for Humanity twelve lots at Chamisa Verde. I am also working to revitalize our hotels. We helped get a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to support the Don Fernando, and I am now working to do the same with the Indian Hills. These hotels provide much-needed rooms for visitors, a necessary element in my long term plan to ensure the availability of reasonably priced housing for locals.

I worked as an integral leader of the Strong at Heart project, which resulted in a plan based on over thirteen hundred comments from sixteen hundred people. Now that we have completed the plan, it is time to follow through with it and make sure it does not end up collecting dust on the shelf. In line with the results of Strong at Heart, I am committed to helping create a walkable and bikeable downtown, where locals want to be and can afford to live within a resilient economy. This is not easily done, and for me, the work begins with our youth.

My life’s work has centered around taking care of Taos’ youth, and creating opportunities for them to succeed. I facilitated the donation of 10 computers to the Youth and Family Center so students can have access to the internet, and I worked to help serve over 1,100 free meals during the summer. I also helped to secure over $2.25 million in state and federal grants that will support the center in years to come. Being a livable, thriving community includes protecting open space and creating recreation opportunities. I am following through on the Parks and Recreation plan, including getting the Dips back!

As your council member, I am working to maintain the health and safety of our community. I have approved over $3.5 million dollar in sewer and water infrastructure improvements. I support continuing the work of the council of governments as the best way to utilize your tax dollars. I worked with the police to get a $4.00 an hour raise for our officers, to ensure that we are competitive and keep our officers. I continue to support our fire department, who now provide outstanding 24-7 service to keep our community safe.

Finally, I have made it a priority to protect your money. Since I became chair of the audit committee, the Town received its first clean audit in over twenty years. I formed and chaired the financial oversight committee, which gives recommendations to the town to make sound investments when it comes to large, multi-year commitments.

I am proud to stand for the values of the members of this community, and hope to have your vote in March 2020. I encourage you to contact me any time, evansfortaos@gmail.com or (575) 200-1302, with your questions and thoughts.

Thank you,

Councilman Nathaniel Evans

Originally published as a MyTurn in the Taos News on October 30