Wedum runs for District 59

BY LAURA HUNT STAFF WRITER

Mar 10, 2006, 06:00 pm

For the first time in four years, voters will have a choice in the New Mexico District 59 election.

Dr. Ellen Wedum announced she will run as the Democratic candidate for District 59 representative. For the past two elections, Rep. Avon Wilson, R-Roswell, has gone unopposed, Wedum said.

Wilson is not running for re-election due to health problems, but Republican candidates Mike Kakuska and Nora Espinoza will compete in the Republican primary this June. The winner of that election will face Wedum in November.

District 59 covers Roswell, Chavez County, southern Lincoln County, and eastern Otero County, which includes High Rolls, Weed, Timberon and Sacramento. About 70 percent of District 59 voters live in Roswell.

Wedum, a retired teacher and physical chemist, decided to run to offer a choice to voters, she said. "I believe that we need to strengthen democracy by making these races competitive," Wedum said. "If a person runs unopposed, there's no discussion of the issues, because they don't need to. They can just go ahead and do whatever they want."

According to her biography, Wedum first ran for public office in 1992. She was the Democratic candidate for Congress in a conservative district in Indiana. Although she didn't win that election, she did receive more votes in that district than any Democrat has before or since, including President Bill Clinton.

For Wedum, there isn't a "number one" issue in District 59. Because the district encompasses several counties, issues range from fire and water in the rural communities, to drug use prevention, the police department and youth programs in Roswell, she said.

Her strategy for educating herself on the district's varied issues has been to visit with its residents, she said. She has spoken with many Democrats, but also plans to speak to Republican groups. While talking to residents, Wedum realized many didn't know the name of their representative. She wants that to change, she said. "My message is, 'My door is open,'" Wedum said. "I will be here for you. You will know who I am."

Wedum was born in Cincinnati, and grew up in Frederick, Md. She earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1963 from the University of California-Berkely, and a master's degree in chemical physics in 1970 from the University of Oregon.

She then earned a second master's degree in physics from the University of Nevada in Reno.

She worked for several years as a project engineer for Perkin-Elmer ETEC and then as a senior scientist for EG&G Corporation in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Wedum earned a doctorate in 1994 from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. She was a teacher until retiring in Cloudcroft a year and a half ago, when she became an active member of the Otero County Democrats, she said.

Wedum said her science and teaching background will help her as a representative. "I think that I'll be able to understand some of these issues a little quicker and easier than some people," she said. "I'll then be able to turn around with my teaching experience and explain it to other legislators."

She said in the past, legislative bills have been poorly worded or vague. One example is a bill that passed allowing city employees to negotiate their salaries, she said. "But unfortunately, the way it was written, the employees can only ask for less than they are offered," Wedum said. "That makes absolutely no sense."

Wedum also believes being a retiree gives her an advantage over the Republican candidates for the district seat. "If elected, I can spend practically full-time working with the district," she said.

Though most of the voters are in Roswell, Wedum said she plans to reach out to everyone in District 59. She said that's something Kakuska and Espinoza have failed to do thus far.

"That's not right," she said. "You have to care about the whole district."