Artesia Council Hopeful Ali Taj Takes Campaign Door to Door

Artesia City Council candidate Ali Taj visits with Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper recently to talk about his campaign. Randy Economy Photo

By Brian Hews

Call him the “walking candidate.”

For Artesia city council hopeful Ali Taj, spending time with voters on a one-to-one basis over the past several months has taught him a lot about “what’s really on in the minds of the people of our community.”

As Artesia voters get ready to cast their ballots in the upcoming Tuesday, November 5^th election, they will be seeing familiar likes Flowers, Lyon and Manalo once again listed on their ballot.

Taj said his upstart campaign to win a seat on the Artesia City Council has resonated “remarkably well” with longtime Artesia voters who tell him “they haven’t been asked for their vote in years” by the current members of the city council.

“I spend every single day walking and talking to voters here in Artesia, door to door, street after street.  As a matter of fact, I have already knocked on every voter’s door here in Artesia at least once, and am now circling back around to talk to every voter for a second time,” Taj said.

If elected, Taj said he would use his extensive fiscal background with “not only large corporations such as American Express and Ameriprise Financial, but also with my small business experience here in Artesia.”

“Voters are telling me over and over again that they want city council members who are seen in the neighborhood, and who can help them with fixing potholes, to keep our sidewalks paved, and to get more street lighting,” Taj said.

If elected, Taj said he “wants Artesia to go back to basics.”

“Trust me, I will be everyone’s fiscal watchdog, and I will cut wasteful spending, bring in new revenue to the city and support current small business and encourage new small business to open.” Taj said.

In his campaign materials, Taj touts his education credentials especially in the areas of finance and economics. He has a B.A. in Economics and Statics, completed his Masters in Public Administration with emphasis in Marketing, and has acquired Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

“Artesia has changed over the years, but it still maintains a strong community spirit.  Residents love living here, they just want their city council members to be more interested in their needs like maintaining safe streets,” Taj said.

“Pot holes need to be fixed on 183^rd Street, and traffic signals need to be coordinated better on South Street.  This isn’t rocket science, it’s a pot hole,” Taj said.

He has a web site at www.taj2artesia.com