A lifelong
New Mexican,
Lawrence was born in
Santa Fe and raised in the rural town of
Sile,
New Mexico. He graduated from
Bernalillo High School in
1976. He earned his bachelors degree from the
University of New Mexico, and later added a masters degree from
UNM in
Public Administration.
Lawrence is a life-long public servant. His journey in public service began working for state government and in
1984 he became the
Deputy Secretary of Transportation for the
State of New Mexico under
Governor Toney Anaya. In
1987 Lawrence joined the staff of
Senator Jeff Bingaman in
Washington, and in
1990 he returned home to New Mexico and served as the
Chief Administrative Officer (
CAO) of the
City of Albuquerque. Lawrence is the longest serving individual to hold this position, serving through 12 years and three different administrations. In that capacity, he was responsible for balancing an over $1B budget. In
2002 Lawrence left the city to become
Executive Director of the
Mid-Region Council of Governments (
MRCOG).
Representing Bernalillo,
Valencia, Torrance, and Sandoval
counties, MRCOG manages regional transportation, agriculture, workforce development, employment growth, land-use, water, and economic development programs.
Throughout his career Lawrence has worked hard to build a better New Mexico. His most visible accomplishments are those New Mexico institutions he helped build during his time as CAO of
Albuquerque and as Executive Director of MRCOG: expansions of the
Albuquerque Airport and
Convention Center; development of the
Balloon Fiesta Park; educational and family-oriented facilities including the
Explora Science Center, the
Albuquerque Aquarium and
Botanic Gardens, and the Isotopes
Baseball Park; and transportation infrastructure, including managing the planning and construction of the award-winning
New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail line.
Lawrence has a track record of getting things done, but he is most proud of his track record of bringing people together. As CAO of Albuquerque, Lawrence
built bridges between different New Mexico constituencies to successfully protect
Kirtland Air Force Base when it was threatened by the
Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Lawrence also built consensus around new transportation initiatives, a key factor in the success of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express as well as a number of road construction and maintenance programs. Lawrence is committed to building a better New Mexico as your
Lieutenant Governor.
Lawrence serves on the
United Way of New Mexico
Board of Directors and the
State Parks Advisory Board, and has served the community over the years through participation in the New Mexico Livable Communities
Task Force, the New Mexico
Stimulus Package Advisory Committee, and the
Kirtland AFB Retention Committee and Kirtland AFB
Partnership Committee, as well as through
Board membership on the
Carrie Tingley Hospital and the
Convention and
Visitors Bureau. Lawrence lives in
Los Ranchos with his wife, Kim, and their three children.
*taken from the campain website for lawerce rael*
infomation from
http://www.rael2010.org
- published: 20 Nov 2009
- views: 552