Endorsements (2018 NM Legislature District 43 Campaign)

  • "I encourage all of my fellow Democrats to support Pete Sheehey with their votes for New Mexico District 43 Representative. I have known Pete both professionally as a scientist at LANL and as a personal friend for a number of years. I can truly say that he is one of the most honest and decent persons I have ever met. Whether he agrees with you or not he will treat you with respect and courtesy. He will always listen to your point of view and, like the best scientists, he can change his mind if your argument is sufficiently well thought out. So, vote for integrity, courtesy and critical thinking - vote for Pete Sheehey. "
  • - Robert Pelak, Los Alamos
  • "I support Pete for several reasons. First, he’s service oriented. He gets that serving in government means working for actual people, not simply engaging in policy debate. Second, Pete's extensive time in leadership positions gives him a full and timely understanding of issues important to many of us today. Finally, Pete is open minded, a hard worker, and a good listener. I trust him to do a good job representing my personal priorities – namely issues that impact children, families, and seniors. Even when we have disagreed, Pete has always heard me out and treated me with respect and courtesy. For these reasons, I support Pete Sheehey for State Representative and encourage you to support him too. "
  • - Susan O’Leary, Los Alamos County Councilor
  • "Pete Sheehey and I served together on the Board of Directors of the North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) from 2014 to 2016, when I was a Santa Fe County Commissioner. We also served as Chair and Vice-Chair of NCRTD’s Board Finance and Environmental Sustainability Subcommittees. Throughout our work for NCRTD, I was impressed with Pete’s commitment to the best interests of the entire region. We were honored to help run the “Blue Bus” system, which has grown to provide hundred of thousands of rides per year to people throughout north central New Mexico. Pete is a true public servant who will continue to work for the needs of people throughout District 43, in a fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable way. I ask that you vote for Pete Sheehey in the District 43 Democratic Primary election. "
  • - Miguel M. Chavez, former Santa Fe County Commissioner and Santa Fe City Councilor
  • "Brings the analytical mind of a scientist to the Legislature—in fact, we have endorsed him for this job before, back in 2010. He supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 and currently serves on the Los Alamos County Council. He also has shown the ability to bring diverse viewpoints together on the council, with its Democratic and Republican split. In House District 43, The New Mexican endorses Pete Sheehey."
  • - The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 26, 2018
  • "Electing Pete Sheehey to the State Legislature will ensure that the best interests of all of District 43 are represented most effectively. The reason is simple - District 43 needs to be represented by a scientist, with experience in politics, who also has the best interests of northern NM at heart…Pete has passion about the issues, such as affordable physical and mental health care for all, plus the ability to apply calm scientific reasoning to problems and proposed solutions. I have known Pete for many years and have seen his effectiveness in creating a bright future for Los Alamos as a County Councilor…Pete's background of science and politics will serve us well in ensuring that actions taken by the State of New Mexico will benefit District 43. Your vote for Pete is a vote for a healthy and sustainable future for us and our children."
  • - Tom Bowles, Ph.D., LANL Fellow, former LANL Chief Science Officer and Science Advisor to Governor Richardson
  • "A person in public office must enter the decision-making process with not only personal values and a commitment to those values, but the ability to make policy that represents both the District and the Big Picture. Pete shows up at meetings and community events. He pays attention and asks the right questions to inform his decisions. He studies the issues. Pete has traveled this diverse District, visiting multiple communities to talk to people and hear their concerns, hopes, and expectations for their Representative. Pete values education as the key to fulfillment for both the individual and the community. He not only cares, but his scientific background gives him the capability to propose solutions to the multiple, sometimes critical problems that face our State. Pete will be an effective advocate for the needs of the greater and diverse community that is District 43. Pete’s activism after thorough analysis and collaboration is what we need in government. "
  • - Jody Benson, former Los Alamos School Board Member
  • "I support Pete Sheehey for State Representative because he puts our values into action. As a family doctor who has cared for patients in New Mexico's cities, towns and rural areas for many years, I have seen the difficulties many New Mexican families still face in finding accessible, affordable health care. Over the 10 years that I have known Pete, he has consistently supported equal pay for women, women's right to make their own choices about contraception and abortion, marriage equality, and the rights of all to equality, justice - including environmental justice - and respect. He has joined thousands in demonstrations for those values, including the Women's March and March for Our Lives. He applies these values as a County Councilor: he fought cuts to the county's indigent health care program, successfully restoring funding in 2016; consistently supported community health and mental health programs; and made sure the county's 2019 budget funds increased hours and adds mental health services to the County Public Health Office. A vote for Pete is a vote for equal rights and affordable health care for all."
  • - Nona Girardi, MD, family physician and resident of Los Alamos
  • "CVNM engages in a thorough endorsement process and endorses candidates based on their conservation records and responses to a questionnaire on topics including environmental justice, environmental health, quality of life, energy, water, land use, transportation, wildlife and wilderness. Sheehey is a retired physicist and Los Alamos County Commissioner. His support for renewable energy issues and his understanding of water management and conservation put him well ahead of the rest of the candidates in the race. His record as a Los Alamos County Commissioner indicates a thoughtful and progressive approach to conservation issues. He will be an able and educated replacement for the outgoing Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard."
  • - Conservation Voters New Mexico
  • "I worked with Pete Sheehey for many years at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The work we did at LANL involved many large and small teams and lots of strong personalities. Pete is an excellent team player. He had confidence in his own knowledge and abilities, but he was always happy to seek additional expert advice and learn from others. Pete has good team building skills, leads by example and is quick to give credit to others for their contributions. I feel that only way we can move New Mexico forward is to identify our priorities and find common ground. I am confident that Pete will represent us well and I support him as our next State Representative of New Mexico District 43. "
  • - Tom Canfield, Los Alamos
  • "During his six years on the Los Alamos County Council, Pete Sheehey has led or supported efforts to promote environmental protection, including to ban trapping in Los Alamos County; implement curbside yard-waste pickup; meet Los Alamos’ goal of 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2040; and publish an extensive study on county water resources to aid in adopting a revised and more realistic 40-year water plan. Sheehey has lobbied for stricter groundwater protections and holding polluters accountable (e.g., the Nacimiento copper mine near Cuba). He is running to replace Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard and will be a worthy replacement in the Legislature."
  • - Rio Grande Chapter, Sierra Club
  • "Both candidates for House District 43, through their questionnaires and in their campaign pronouncements, satisfy the NEA-New Mexico EdPAC that they deserve the votes of New Mexicans who fully support student success and our public schools…we believe your commitment to New Mexico students and the public school employees who educate them, will make you an excellent legislator in the next session."
  • - National Education Association, New Mexico
  • "We plan to vote for Pete Sheehey and wanted to share our reasoning. First, we’ve always been impressed by Pete’s curiosity and humility. He’s always asking questions, analyzing information, and learning. These traits have served him well on the Planning and Zoning Commission and on the County Council. They will serve him well in building coalitions to develop legislation that can garner sufficient support to become law. Second, Pete has consistently demonstrated prudence when considering the expenditure of taxpayer dollars. He takes the long view and tries to account for various scenarios and the unexpected to avoid overcommitting resources, which can undermine the positive effects of legislation for improving education, healthcare, the environment, infrastructure, or criminal justice. As a physicist, Pete learned that to be successful you need to consider a broad range of interactions, including unintended consequences, when designing successful experiments. Those lessons translate well to crafting effective legislation to improve complicated public systems. Pete’s very special combination of curiosity, humility, and prudence often leads him to innovative, cost-effective approaches such as the public-private partnership he promoted to accelerate the restoration of our precious forest watersheds. Finally, with the growing impact of climate change, it will be very valuable to have a scientist like Pete in the Legislature to help guide appropriate actions. "
  • - Ann McLaughlin & Bill Wadt, Los Alamos
  • "My choice in this election is Pete Sheehey. In making this choice I asked myself: (a) Who will make the greatest effort needed to address a complex range of diverse citizen concerns across a widely spread district; (b) Given that these concerns typically involve some combination of technical, financial and public value components, who will make the consistently concerted effort to obtain a balanced resolution of governmental initiatives; and (c) Will the candidate have the personal fortitude needed to sort through conflicting political agendas both within the District and in the House of Representatives itself. Pete has consistently made an effort to seek out constituents and listen attentively to their concerns. He has worked well with the Council to build consensus on difficult issues, such as the August 28, 2017 “Proclamation Celebrating the Contributions and Just Treatment of Immigrants and Refugees in the County of Los Alamos.” He negotiated this Proclamation carefully to get a unanimous bipartisan 7-0 vote from the Council, and turned a potentially divisive issue into one that earned widespread community support. Pete has had no difficulty in voting against legislative proposals that he felt were wrong in terms of technology or the public good. I have complete confidence that Pete will continue to do what he thinks is right, rather than going along with "business-as-usual" so common in public governance. This is why I support Pete Sheehey for our District 43 State Representative. "
  • - Robert Wells, Los Alamos
  • "Pete has worked tirelessly as County Councilor to carefully research issues before the council, and to reach out to community members to take into account their concerns and take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. As a friend and supporter of Pete's for many years, I've observed the joy he takes, both as a candidate working hard at door-to-door canvassing, and as a public servant asking for input from his constituents, in connecting with people throughout County and in actively crafting progressive approaches to meeting their needs and addressing their concerns. In researching a detailed study of County water use, working at the legislature to address potential tax revenue shortfalls associated with a changeover in the LANL contract, supporting local and regional transit, advocating County membership in the Rio Grande water fund, securing revenue sources for our schools, and working for the restoration of funding for public health and mental health services, Pete has put in the time and effort to deeply inform himself and to use that information to achieve concrete results that benefit his constituents. The Sierra Club endorsement process (which, although I am a Club member and former Pajarito Group executive committee member, I was not involved in) is meant to take into account candidates' achievements as well as their stated positions on issues. Pete's record of hard work and concrete, fact and detail-based achievements in protecting and enhancing our environment is probably reflected in the Rio Grande chapter's endorsement. This record is one of many factors leading me to strongly support Pete in the primary. Pete is both a scientist and a "people person", which will serve him well as State Representative. He will listen to us, and will work diligently both to understand the facts and any science relevant to an issue, and to make sure our state government does what it needs to for our District and our State. "
  • - Howard Barnum, Los Alamos
  • "As a law enforcement officer of 30 years, and the elected Sheriff of Los Alamos County for the past seven years, I have had the opportunity to meet and know both Pete Sheehey and his opponent in the Democratic primary for the House of Representatives, District 43. Both are current members of the Los Alamos County Council. Witnessing how both work and communicate has led to these findings. Pete Sheehey is a true public servant, and he is not influenced by personal agendas or bias. He was not intimidated by the controversy over the role of the Sheriff and did his best to understand and explain the issue and sought a resolution. I would like to commend Councilor Sheehey for his service and would ask my family and friends from Santa Fe, La Cienega, Jemez Springs, Cuba and Los Alamos to vote for Pete Sheehey Representative District 43."
  • - Marco Lucero, Los Alamos County Sheriff
  • "I have been in Los Alamos for the last 40 years. I have known Pete for many years now and had many conversations with him about the problems small businesses have in our town. I have found him to be concerned and interested in what I had to say. In my 30 years as a businessman in town I have seen many issues over the years and I have shared them with Pete. He is well informed or will find answers about anything I ask him. I have talked to him recently about the ongoing issue of code enforcement and I have told him my concerns from a small business perspective. His take on this and other issues is reasonable and balanced. Pete is a retired scientist whose only concern as a politician is what is good for our town. I think that Pete will make a fine State Legislator because he is very approachable, hard working, and he really cares about the issues. "
  • - Bill Cabral, former Radio Shack/Bill's Computer Shop owner
  • "As a resident of Los Alamos for many years, I would like to express my strong support for Pete Sheehey's candidacy for District 43 Representative. Pete is strongly committed to serve in the best interests of our District and State. He is currently a member of the Los Alamos County Council, he is a recent Vice-Chair of the Los Alamos Planning and Zoning Commission, and he is President of the Los Alamos Committee on Arms Control and International Security. Pete has the experience, skills, judgment, leadership qualities, and personality to be an effective good-government member of the state Legislature. "
  • - Lew Agnew, Los Alamos
  • "I am endorsing Pete for District 43 representative. Why? First, Pete is a scientist with broad experience and interests outside the scientific community. He knows how to process information, and to analyze evidence. In the work of the legislature, many issues come up that require scientific knowledge or expertise---energy, environment, transportation. There are no scientists in the legislature. They need one. Second, Pete is an open minded pragmatist. He is not an ideologue. He knows how to work with others to get things done. He will know how to get along in an ambience that can often be contentious and disputatious. Third, Pete is a long time resident of this district, who has served our community well on County Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission. He knows the district, and he knows the people."
  • - Virginia and Ed Sayre (retired Los Alamos County Administrator/ Library Director)
  • "Pete has always been strongly supportive of renewable energy development and energy effciency. He will be able to see through the smoke screens that vested interests routinely attempt to erect around elected officials on such issues. Pete has always expressed strong concern about the ethical problems surrounding New Mexico politics. In this context I note that Pete has very little connection to the reigning political machines of either of the major political parties in New Mexico. So I believe he will be able to function both independently and effectively."
  • - Ben Luce, Clean Energy Advocate/Physics Professor, former LANL renewable energy liaison

Previous Endorsements (2012/2016 County Council campaigns/2010 District 43 Campaign)

  • (2016) "I've known Pete for many years, both as a colleague at work and personally. His calm demeanor and, more importantly, willingness to listen and learn is exactly what we need on the County Council."
  • - Ken Milder, Los Alamos County Assessor, former County Councilor
  • "Sheehey is an oustpoken defender of the environment on the council and consistently supports Los Alamos conservation and climate efforts, including the Carbon Neutral 2040 initiative, a suite of innovative goals, plans and benchmarks for Los Alamos to be carbon-neutral by 2040. Sheehey also championed curbside recycling of lawn waste and was a driving force behind the “walkable Los Alamos” initiative that supports downtown development and a more walkable city. Sheehey publicly supported amenities to get people outdoors. These include the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, the walking paths and Atomic City Transit. Sheehey was also an advocate of the campaign to transfer the Valles Caldera Preserve to National Parks ownership, a key local victory for the public. Sheehey supports the citizen-developed Comprehensive Plan in making decisions. He was formerly a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and championed publicly supported amenities — including the huge town system of trails, the municipal swimming pool, the golf course and tennis courts and expanding bike trails on upgraded road plans. And Sheehey walks (or buses) his talk: He takes the local bus whenever he can, including to the Los Alamos Food Co-op. "
  • - Rio Grande Chapter, Sierra Club
  • (2012) "I agree with Pete that if we want local government to do important things for us, we have to do it in a fiscally responsible way."
  • - Bernard L. (Bun) Ryan, Los Alamos Living Treasure, pitcher on the famed Pierotti's Clowns softball team
  • (2010) "The district's demographics have changed in recent decades, now counting 43 percent Democratic registration, 35 percent Republican - and, crucially, 19 percent independent.
  • Sheehey, an Air Force veteran and a physicist at LANL, strikes us as the candidate who would go into the general election more independent of, and less compromised by, backing… and contributions. With campaign and post-campaign ethics emerging as a major issue, his party needs all the strings-free candidates it can get.
  • His Democratic credentials, meanwhile, are sterling: He and his wife, Naishing Key, were strong John Kerry supporters in 2004 and campaigned hard, including door-to-door, for Barack Obama in 2008.
  • He would offer solid evidence for his alternative-energy and environmentalist stands - and as a member of Los Alamos County's planning-and-zoning commission has a great grasp of procedural politics.
  • We recommend Pete Sheehey as the Democratic candidate in House District 43."
  • - The Santa Fe New Mexican, May 20, 2010