Let's Clean Up Clovis--Together!

by David Lansford

Clovis is a community with unlimited potential for progress and prosperity. Our potential is evident by the character of the people who live here. Many times we have come to the aid of a neighbor or gone out of our way to help someone in need. Clovis is truly a place we can be proud to call home.

However, our community is at risk. We are at risk because we have allowed the condition of our community to deteriorate with respect to the standards we have as they relate to health, safety and general welfare. For too many decades, we have tolerated conditions that lower the quality of life for our citizens and have spoiled opportunities for our families to participate in a more vibrant economy.

Today, our Clovis City Commissioners are displaying the courage necessary to raise the standard of community appearance. Cleaning up and beautifying our community will pay dividends that all the people of Clovis will enjoy.

By keeping weeds, tall grass, junk cars and unsightly debris to a bare minimum, we will help improve our quality of life. By securing and demolishing unsafe residential and commercial properties, we will reduce the risk of bodily harm and improve real estate values throughout the community. By displaying more respect for our own property and neighborhood, so will others. Therefore, incidences of vandalism and graffiti will decrease.

The benefits of a cleaner and more attractive community are endless. Industrial and commercial developers will be more likely to invest here. Individuals, families and businesses will be more confident about establishing themselves here with the belief that Clovis is truly a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.

Many people may question some of the new standards being adopted by the Clovis City Commission. Some may say, "This is my property and I have a right to keep it looking any way I want to." This argument has brought us to where we are today-- a community that is known within the state more for its trashy appearance than for the quality of its people. It is time that the quality of our appearance matched the quality of our human spirit. We can then proudly say what we already know to be true: we are the Best City in New Mexico to call home!

The City Commission has either taken action or is considering action on three very important ordinances. All three ordinances address the standards by which we keep our community. More often than not, the people who are for something are not as vocal as those who are against something.

If you believe it is critical that the Commissioners seize this opportunity to raise the standards in our community, then please call your Commissioner and be counted as a citizen who cares about the future of our community and its people.

David Lansford is a pharmacist, the owner of Roden-Smith Pharmacy, and the Mayor of Clovis, New Mexico.

Questions or Comments? Email editor@nmjournal.com