ABQ's inferiority complex has grown so much as the crime crisis drags on that even projects that appear to have great merit are being shunned and ridiculed. 

Take, for example, the seven mile Rail Trail proposed for the greater downtown area. Despite a world class design by renowned architect Antoine Predock and a reasonable investment forecast at about $60 million, critics are already dubbing the Trail "The Fentanyl Highway." They warn that the trail would only be a lair for muggers, drug dealers and other criminals who would attack defenseless tourists and residents. 

Supporters argue that the city must continue to rebuild for future generations and not use crime and public safety as an excuse to back off. The brain drain among young residents 18-34 has been unrelenting this past decade, leaving the city without a significant professional class outside of government funded entities such as Sandia Labs and UNM. 

That's not because of crime, although it is a factor, it's because there are fewer professional jobs and amenities to keep the brightest of the new generation here. Downtown is a modern version of its 19th century self, strewn with bars and not much else. While there have been a number of efforts made at reviving the area, the Trail offers a real vision to tie together the history of ABQ, creates a bona fide tourist attraction and could get people thinking about ABQ in a different and more positive light. 

Of course, public safety must and will be a fundamental principle in developing the project but waiting for a miracle crime cure before acting will only mean more stagnation and paralysis. 

Public works projects got a bad reputation when Mayor Berry's ill-fated ART project on Central soured the public and justifiably so. And there's been concern that ongoing redevelopment of the old Rail Yards near downtown could become another black hole but with a film academy now planned there, those fears have abated.

And the Rail Trail is not a badly drawn bus route. It's a vision for ABQ that could recapture some of the charisma and allure lost during difficult times. As the Downtown ABQ News put it: 

Isn't it time to put Breaking Bad in the rearview mirror and reimagine the ABQ of the future? 

Attorney Randi McGinn is a political old-timer like President Biden and will host the chief executive at her ABQ home today at a $3,300 a person fundraiser soon after Scranton Joe touches down this afternoon. That news from one of those invited to the event. Biden will then overnight here and do a climate change event on Wednesday. 

One of those going amplifies on the event which will raise money for the Biden Victory Fund:

McGinn is a nationally known criminal defense lawyer who has close ties to former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who endorsed her when she ran for the ABQ congressional seat in a special election in 2019. The nominee was selected by the Dem Central Committee and they chose Melanie Stansbury.  

McGinn has been a longtime major donor to Democratic candidates. 

Biden's ABQ visit is part of a three state western swing that also includes Arizona and Utah. He started at the Grand Canyon Monday and will hold a climate event there this morning before heading our way. 

This is the home of New Mexico politics.