July 23, 2008 - Day 2 of the ROUNDHOUSE ON THE ROAD Tour

Clovis:

It was an early start again today - I began my day with two radio interviews in Clovis to get the word out.

Next thing, breakfast. I met up with some of my closest friends at the IHOP. Great pancakes by the way. I set up shop in the parking lot of the Clovis Library. We had more than 30 people turn out to meet with me about a wide variety of issues. People expressed concerns about high fuel prices, healthcare and road maintenance. As my office hours concluded, I walked into the library to speak with a group of kids between the ages of 2 and 10. They had all come to the library to read together and work on some arts and crafts projects. It's interactions with kids like this that bring home how important our economic future is for the state. Then I had an interview with the Clovis News Journal where we talked about the importance of building a strong Educonomy in New Mexico.

Portales:

I arrived in Portales early in the afternoon. After eating lunch with local officials and community leaders, I took a tour with the Downtown Dream Team, a local group committed to re-vitalization of the economic heart of Portales, its small businesses. I was very impressed with all that's happening in downtown Portales. Great leadership from the mayor and his downtown team. It's inspiring to see all of these folks working together for the common good. I even had a chance to shop at and enjoy some goodies from a number of local businesses. Portales is a great example of the revitalization of downtown small towns throughout New Mexico. Projects like these are going to help keep our state a vibrant place to live and work in the future.

When the downtown tour was finished, I held office hours at the city Memorial Building. I met with people from the local fire department and many other constituents. So many people turned out for office hours that, rather than meet with everyone individually, I held an impromptu town hall and answered questions on issues ranging from healthcare to road repairs to the cost of the Rail Runner. It's really good to see and hear how engaged citizens are in the issues and the potential solutions.

When my time in Portales concluded, I drove to Roswell for the night. Tomorrow I'll spend more time in Roswell, head to Vaughn, and then wrap up at the Isotopes game in Albuquerque.

Check back tomorrow for more updates from the ROUNDHOUSE ON THE ROAD TOUR and the complete log of the ROUNDHOUSE ON THE ROAD TOUR