Tuesday, August 16, 2022The Year Was 1981
We pause from today's political to and fro to bring you this blast from the past. . . ABQ oldtimers will recall the mayoral election of 1981when Mayor David Rusk was ousted from office largely because he refused to clean up a weed invasion as a result of summer monsoons. That came to mind when reader Philip Romero wrote to us: Joe, We have a weed problem in Albuquerque and it’s not only the kind they smoke! It’s the kind that encroaches sidewalks, walking and bike paths, also our beautiful medians and streets. Why is the mayor and council not seeing this? Yet they wanna build more tourist walkways and rebuild old buildings, which I’m not against but they do need to maintain the neglected streets and walkways, namely on Unser, Ladera, Coors and other streets in the area. Or as the clever headline in the newspaper recently said of the ABQ weed explosion: Too many weeds, not enough whackers. Rusk was ABQ's first progressive Democratic mayor serving from 1977-'81 after running unsuccessfully for the job in 1974. There was a crime problem but nothing like today. Property crime was the biggest concern while violence was mostly confined to certain neighborhoods so the weed mishap was major news. Apart from the city's arrogance in dragging its feet responding to voter outrage over the weed problem, Rusk was a pretty good Mayor. He worked to advance public transit (he rode the bus to the Mayor's office regularly), increased open space acreage and did his best to inject new life into downtown by renovating the historic Kimo Theatre and holding "Downtown Saturday Night" festivals. Hard to imagine today but outdoor dining was not allowed in the city back in the 70's. Rusk fixed that. Democrat Rusk lost his '81 re-election bid to Republican Harry Kinney who had been ousted by Rusk in 1977. Rusk, the son of former Secretary of State Dean Rusk is now 81 and living in DC. He became a noted urban policy consultant after his mayoral term. Rusk says he has suffered total hearing loss but received a cochlear implant. He was what today they would call "a political elite." He was urbane and loved ABQ and all cities. His downfall as a politician was his struggle relating to ordinary people. David Rusk left a positive mark on ABQ and even conservatives of yesteryear still around today may pine for the city that he led--smaller, friendlier and flush with enthusiasm for its future. The year was 1981--the year they wouldn't cut the weeds. I was there and that's how I remember it. Reporting from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan. This is the home of New Mexico Politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2022 |
 
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