At a special meeting today, the Las Cruces City Council created the Las Cruces Economic Recovery Board (LCERB.) The purpose of the board is to advise the mayor and City Council on strategies for gradually reopening the Las Cruces economy affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in a smart, safe, and effective manner that fits the needs of Las Cruces.
The LCERB will work in alignment with the New Mexico Economic Recovery Council (NMERC) created by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 22. The NMERC is a 15-member panel representing the state’s business community, including leaders from high-tech industries, tourism and hospitality, film, construction, energy, agriculture, and locally based retail.
“While my fellow councilors and I applaud the governor for establishing the NMEC to help establish strategies for gradually reopening businesses statewide, we feel the council lacks adequate representation from the southern part of the state. So, we took the initiative to form our own board with local representation to help us formulate strategies specific to Las Cruces,” said Mayor Ken Miyagishima. “I want to thank Councilor Johana Bencomo for recognizing that as the second largest city in New Mexico, we need to develop our own economic recovery plan in order to move forward.”
The LCERB will consist of 14-members including one member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union; one member from a local nonprofit organization; one member from the healthcare sector; one member of Workforce Solutions; one member from mental/behavioral health sector; seven business owners, with one each selected by a councilor as a member from their district; one member from the Business Recovery Committee convened by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce and one member who is an employee from the business community.
The LCERB is an ad-hoc board that will be dissolved following the full reopening of the Las Cruces economy.