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New Mexico stands at a critical crossroads. As we confront a rapidly changing climate, historic droughts and an energy economy in turbulent transition, the leadership we choose for our state executive office matters more than ever.

While I respect Deb Haaland鈥檚 historic biography, she is not the best choice to lead New Mexico forward as governor. As Department of Interior secretary, she was not a decisive leader. She occupied the position and let the White House protect itself from the wrath of the energy oligarchs. That is why I, having devoted my public career to the responsible stewardship of our public lands and environment, am voting for Sam Bregman.

Throughout my career in public service 鈥� serving as the director of the Bureau of Land Management, the natural resource trustee for New Mexico, and twice as the state鈥檚 land commissioner, alongside my time as mayor of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 鈥� I have operated under a foundational truth: Managing New Mexico鈥檚 landscape requires a person willing to enforce laws that protect public land.

Bregman has proven he can enforce laws against criminals in a very effective manner. He would fearlessly protect our natural resources in the face of threats from President Donald Trump and his administration.

First and foremost is the issue of water. In New Mexico, water isn鈥檛 just a resource; it is life itself. Our rivers, aquifers and acequias are facing unprecedented strain from prolonged desertification along with the worst drought we鈥檝e seen in decades. As land commissioner and as sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 mayor, I learned firsthand that protecting our water supply requires tough and sometimes unpopular decisions regarding urban growth, agricultural quotas and industrial accountability.

Now we need a leader focused on strict, science-based allocation and localized enforcement. We cannot afford a governor who doesn鈥檛 understand the unique challenges of New Mexico's water crisis. True conservation means ensuring that our public lands remain intact for future generations while serving the public good. During my time leading the BLM, I fought hard to elevate conservation to its proper place alongside commercial interests. We are seeing a continuation of that battle today. Now it is a matter of life and death.

During the Trump administration, we have witnessed a relentless assault on our natural heritage, epitomized by federal efforts to open vast swathes of protected areas to short-term corporate exploitation. Trump鈥檚 public land policies have systematically prioritized extractive industries, sought to gut environmental reviews and actively undermined the multiuse mandate of our public acreage. New Mexico needs a governor that is tough enough to stand up to these assaults on our public lands. That is Bregman.

While the Biden-Harris administration 鈥� and the BLM itself 鈥� pushed back to correct Trump鈥檚 first-term assault on our public lands by introducing rules that placed conservation on equal footing with extraction, the Trump administration is now rolling those back. New Mexico needs a governor who can implement protections for our public lands locally without gridlocking our economy. That leader is Bregman.

We must transition to clean energy 鈥� there is no doubt about that. But that transition must be managed with extreme fiscal care. A sudden plunge of state revenue without a fully realized, diversified economic safety net will bankrupt our public education system and harm working-class families. We need a pragmatist who can bridge the gap between our current energy realities and our renewable future.

Having sat in the chairs of the land commissioner and the mayor of our largest city, I know that running New Mexico requires deep, localized executive experience. It requires understanding the complex mosaic of federal lands, state trust lands, water law and municipal budgeting.

Haaland is a politician with a compelling life story, but, at this pivotal moment, New Mexico cannot afford a governor who is not a strong leader. We need a governor strictly focused on New Mexico's waters, New Mexico's lands and New Mexico's people. I am voting for Sam Bregman. 

Jim Baca was the mayor of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 from 1997-2001. He went on to be New Mexico鈥檚 natural resources trustee.