Candidates in Santa Fe forum call for bigger emergency‑management staff, better coordination

At a candidate forum for Santa Fe’s District 2, multiple contenders said the city’s emergency‑management capacity needs more staff, clearer coordination and better public communications.

Burl Brechner said the city’s emergency management office was "down to 1 interim director" after the former director left months ago and urged the city to provide budgetary support and broaden planning beyond fires and floods. "We also need to better understand what an emergency is," Brechner said, arguing the office must plan for a wider range of threats.

Several other candidates described overlapping concerns. Candidate Bridal called for integrated emergency medical services and law enforcement responses and for improved crowd protections at large events such as fiestas and the Spanish Market, noting a recent incident in which a vehicle breached a barricade. Paul Bustamante recommended closer coordination with county and state officials, clearer responsibility lines and reliable notification systems, including the city alert app and cell‑phone alerts.

Cam Crawford urged filling vacancies in response departments, educating the public on evacuation routes and finding a permanent emergency‑management director. Mary Jo Metzger described county‑level command centers and hospital surge capacity developed during the COVID‑19 pandemic, saying drills and coordinated testing prepared local health systems.

Other candidates urged communication‑focused measures: Candidate Bella pointed to a Verizon coverage "black hole" in District 2 and suggested training volunteer disaster‑response corps and expanding messaging and basic response training. Stephanie Benonato, speaking by phone, said the city should expand the Office of Emergency Management and consider a broader definition of emergency responses that includes epidemics and large crowd events.

None of the candidates proposed a specific funding source at the forum; several tied needed actions to staffing and budget increases. Candidates also varied on priorities—some emphasized event safety and barricades, others system‑level coordination with county and state agencies. The forum closed without formal action; the mayor is expected to consider candidate feedback as part of his appointment process.