[box type=”info” style=”rounded”]TERRY BRUNNER is the USDA Rural Development State Director for New Mexico.[/box]
All of us know Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Bill and Melinda Gates as some of history’s most famous, successful couples. But you may not know we have a very successful (maybe not yet internationally famous) couple living in our midst today in rural New Mexico—Joe and Christina Campos of Santa Rosa, NM. Joe and Christina have together devoted a substantial amount of their lives to improving their rural community and they have plenty of accomplishments to show for it. Joe served as a Guadalupe County Commissioner, a State Representative for 8 years and is serving in his fourth term as Mayor of Santa Rosa. During Joe’s time in public service the community acquired new water and sewer systems, a new correctional facility, enhancements to the Blue Hole recreation site and a downtown makeover. Christina serves as the Administrator of the Guadalupe County Hospital where, during her tenure, they built a modern hospital and public health clinic. Next door to the hospital is a brand new dental facility. Few similarly-sized communities in New Mexico are able to claim such comprehensive, state-of-the art health services. If that’s not enough already to do, Joe and Christina own a local family restaurant, “Joseph’s Bar and Grill” which has been a mainstay on old Route 66 for many years. I wasn’t surprised to find this active couple recently at a housing meeting sponsored by the City of Santa Rosa. There were about 30 people in attendance — on a weeknight. The meeting was part of a series of gatherings convened by Mayor Campos concerning the future of housing, economic development, workforce and other issues in Santa Rosa. It can be hard for rural communities to have those hard discussions about these issues but I was impressed with the respectful, productive dialogue and that participants were truly engaged in the subject matter.