David Coss - Mayor of Santa Fe
Photo by Douglas Merriam
Santa Fe Mayor David Coss in the Santa Fe River
You regularly meet with the public in conversation sessions called Coffee with Coss. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from the experience?
That there are a tremendous number of Santa Feans ready, willing, and able to engage on the issues. The first time we did it, we were wondering if anyone would show up, and 40 people came. When we invited the youth to come, something like 140 showed up. People don’t just want to complain; they want to find ways to work on improving their community.
Are there follow-through meetings to see that some action comes about?
At this point we’ve met with merchants on several occasions, and we’ll be meeting again with other groups as well. Talking about things is important, but then putting programs in place to see results is obviously critical—and much harder. “Just where are those bike racks we’ve been promised, Mr. Mayor?”
There are a lot of areas where Santa Feans are wondering how the results will follow the talk. How is the restoration of the Santa Fe River going to proceed, for example?
We’ve initiated a lot of cleanup and planting, but it’s going to be a long process. We need to remember that it’s not just about what you see when you look at the river. I put restoration into a whole watershed perspective, which means we’re also considering how the actions we take interface with our draft 40-year water plan, how our plan for restoration meshes with our storm-water management, and how do we manage the hardscape of the city? We need to have a big vision about interconnectedness, and then build the appropriate partnerships tributary by tributary, neighborhood by neighborhood, district by district. [Note: The Santa Fe river was recently named the country’s most-endangered.]
But what are we talking about achieving?
I don’t see a good reason why the area from the Camino Alire bridge down to Agua Fria Village can’t look more like the river does along Alameda and near the land office. That kind of living river is, to me, one of the best indicators that the community itself is healthy and has a positive future. But it’s not going to be cheap or easy. We’ve got about $1.2 million invested. I would like to see that turn into about $2 million in new investment each year for the next ten years.
How far are we from mandating water harvesting as a function of our building code and permitting process?
I believe within this coming year we will move in that direction. Councilors [Chris] Calvert and [Rebecca] Wurzburger have taken the lead in looking at the Green Building Code, which will contain both water- and energy-conservation measures. We have an internal staff group, called the Green Team, which is putting together the steps and the process. I will be encouraging their efforts and working with them to update our codes this year.
One of the first things you did as mayor was attempt to oust some planning commissioners.
That was a case of a new mayor making a significant procedural mistake. I had some concerns about the Planning Commission in terms of divisiveness and the number of appeals that were coming before the City Council, and there were some suggestions to change out four existing commissioners. I was in a hurry,
I didn’t do my homework, and I should never have sent a letter requesting resignations—that’s worth a face-to-face meeting. It was a rookie mistake, and I’ve apologized to those commissioners for dragging them into that mess without having my ducks in a row. The communication between the commission and the mayor’s office is much better now.
What is your hope for your administration’s legacy?
I see the river and the watershed and moving toward sustainability as important goals. I’d like to see Cerrillos Road finished so that it drains instead of floods, and that runoff can contribute to our watershed being more like a sponge. As a community, I think Santa Fe wants to have food security, an end to homelessness, affordable housing that remains affordable for our kids. I’d like to see education and workforce development as the cornerstone of a strong economy. This community has started a lot of projects that my predecessors were involved in—Debbie Jaramillo with the Railyard, Larry Delgado with the Convention Center—and I think it’s important to honor those commitments.
What are your plans for this summer?
My wife, Carol, and I will be the honorary hosts for the O’Keeffe Museum’s 10th anniversary. I’ll be going to Spain with my family, and while I’m there I’m meeting with a researcher who will present a document that is expected to show that Santa Fe was founded in 1605 instead of 1610. That, of course, would mean we should have had our 400-year celebration a few years ago.
How do you feel about a Quality of Life Initiative in Santa Fe—the fractional gross receipts tax, that could bring in up to $10 million annually for arts and culture, and possibly for river improvements?
You know, I want to study that more carefully. I know it failed in Albuquerque, in part because the mayor didn’t support it. We have a lot on our plate right now, including a potential real-estate transfer tax to support affordable housing, and a property tax to support the parks master plan.
I support all of those taxes for right now.
You know, I think Santa Fe is an exceptional place that can generate a lot of community wealth. It’s a place that says we want a $27 million recreation facility like no city under a million in population has, and we go and do it. We want a gorgeous $8 million library on the Southside, and we do it. In Santa Fe, the community is often willing to look at something and ask, “Is this something that can help us be the city that we want to be?” Things are possible here that aren’t in other parts of the world.
How’s the mustache look treating you?
Well, I like it, but I gotta say it’s only getting about a 50 percent approval rating.
More info: santafewatershed.org
