SHPE - Fall 2008 - (Page 33)

political solution. They are not always the same, and their paths are not the same.” Maestas’ expertise in infrastructure and transportation issues has given him an authoritative voice as a member and past president of the New Mexico Municipal League (NMML), which comprises the state’s 103 incorporated municipalities. William Fulginiti, NMML executive director, has worked with Maestas for nearly a decade and describes him as a “policy wonk” in the most positive sense. “Joe was able to analyze the process that the state uses to finance these projects and systematically describe how it could be improved, how it could be organized and how the priority setting should occur,” he said. “That’s due to his technical training and his work as an engineer for the federal government.” Eric Griego, former Albuquerque councilman and current member of the New Mexico State Senate, also served on the NMML executive committee with Maestas. “When you have hundreds of municipal officials who don’t have engineering backgrounds trying to figure out how to appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation, he was the expert to whom people looked to see if things made sense and for what we should be fighting,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of engineers that can take that technical knowledge and political savvy and translate it into policy.” Maestas recently served on the National League of Cities (NLC), the oldest and largest national organization in the United States. NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 16,000 cities, villages and towns it represents. He is also past president of the NLC’s Hispanic Elected Local Officials. Governor Bill Richardson also recently appointed Maestas to the board of directors of the New Mexico Economic Partnership, which attracts businesses to the state. Most recently, Maestas ran for a position on the Public Regulation Commission, which regulates the utilities and other public services in the state. “With the escalating cost of fuel, I saw the need for someone who would really champion increased use of renewable energy by the utility companies and avoid, if at all possible, passing the cost along to the consumer,” he said. Mastas came in third in the tight, six-way race. For the time being, Maestas is focused www.SHPE.org ❘ Fall 2008 on pending transportation projects and economic development as well as creating momentum during the later part of his term as mayor. Still, his political future remains bright, as his name was even mentioned to fill a congressional seat. “He is a real leader in Northern New Mexico,” Griego said, “and I think he’s a real rarity, not just in the state, but in a lot of places. Usually small communities aren’t lucky enough to get a guy like Joe Maestas to run for mayor.” Griego continued, “I hope that Joe inspires other engineers, especially Hispanics, to get into public service. “We don’t just need people with economics, business and political backgrounds, but also people who understand technology. The more voices like his that we have, the better policy decisions we’ll make for our states and for our cities.” ■ 33 http://pbsj.com http://pbsj.com http://www.SHPE.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Fall 2008

SHPE - Fall 2008 Contents President's Letter From the Vice President Calendar of Events National Board of Directors The Great '08: Chapter Leaders Learn to Spread 'SHPE Fever' Browser National Retreat Provides a Redefinition An Engineer and a Politician Capitalizing on Engineering Talent Grupos de Afinidad A Focused Approach to Getting the Job You Really Want SHPE Conference 2008 IPC Update Programs & Services Keeping Warm with 'Yuper' Familia Spirit Promise of Spring Recruit, Engage and Retain Regional Student Representatives Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Fall 2008

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