Sunland Park, New Mexico

the newer housing developments coming into play. More professionals with young families are moving in and buying new homes; retirees are moving in from the higher tax rates in El Paso and Mexico. People are also choosing the new housing areas to be closer to the industrial developments in Santa Teresa. Those incoming residents tend to have a higher education and jobs in high-earning professions. Sunland Park touts the fact that it’s a tri-state area which provides many opportunities. But because there are different jurisdictions, in situations where you need a unified response, for example with the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s very challenging. Perea admits, “You have New Mexico doing one thing, the state of Chihuahua doing another, and then Texas is doing another. And one plan that works across each of those states is not necessarily going to work for our community. We have people who live in Sunland Park and work in El Paso and vice versa; and even across the Mexican border. With different restrictions in different states, it’s problematic. We have to monitor what every state is doing and adapt accordingly. But despite it all, there are still a lot of positive things happening in Sunland Park.” Marquez adds, “New Mexico has been conservative in their approach to the issue and Texas has been less conservative. The Mayor is correct. There are three very different perspectives and treatments of this issue and it shows in our area.” Within the last two years, the city established an Environmental Specialist position in its Public Works Department, through a contract with South Central Solid Waste Authority. Creating the role is part of an ongoing sustainability effort that includes bringing recycling into the community where it was non-existent before. Several community cleanups have been held and the city has also adopted a once-a-month curbside pickup of bulk items. The overall idea is to beautify the community and reduce the