I’m honored to be the first vegan animal rights activist to serve on Albuquerque City Council. I take office on January 1, 2022, and I am anxious to get to work for the residents of District 7, the planet and the animals. I haven’t taken office yet, but I’m already advocating for all animals. My first official act as City Councilor-Elect was to insist on having vegan food available at the swearing in ceremony on the 1st. My second act was meeting with the Director of the Animal Welfare Department to discuss needed improvements to the city shelter system and animal care & control, as well as inform them of my intention to push for all shelter events to be 100% vegan. My third act was to inform the City that District 7 City Council offices will be 100% vegan during my term on Council. There will be many, many more opportunities to elevate animals in our society via City Council operations, events and legislation. Animals need a voice on City Council to help them live lives free from violence by humans. We can do a lot to elevate animals in our society and provide them respect and protection, and I’ll advocate for them every day. The animals deserve no less. I’ll be calling on animal advocates in the coming years to assist as we work on various animal-related issues here in Albuquerque. Here are just a few examples of the types of pro-animal policies that I hope to implement: 1. Update the HEART (Humane and Ethical Animals Rules and Treatment) Ordinance to better protect all animals. Specific areas that should be updated include the animal cruelty, exotic animal display, and “nuisance” animal sections of the code. This was a groundbreaking ordinance when it was introduced back in 2006, but it’s been 15+ years with no updates. 2. Include the benefits of plant-based foods in policy discussions at the city level. These benefits include the wellbeing of animals, better health for humans, and reduction in greenhouse gases that cause climate change. I will focus on policies to provide plant-based food at city functions, city buildings, city-run farmers markets, and more. 3. Raise awareness of The Link between animal abuse and human violence. I will propose a training program on The Link for all City staff working with the public. This training would teach them about The Link and how to spot signs of family violence: child abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, or elder abuse. The training will also emphasize the importance of reporting any suspected family violence to the proper authorities. These changes will not be easy, and some may take a long time to finalize. But, together, we can elevate animals in our society, improve the well-being of animals in Albuquerque and raise awareness of animal rights city wide. To follow my work and receive updates as we move forward, please follow my FB page @Tammy4abq or send me your email address to add to our District 7 email listserv.
Tammy Fiebelkorn is a longtime vegan animal rights activist who was just elected to Albuquerque City Council, District 7. She’s an environmental economist and energy efficiency advocate. She’s also the founder and board president of Positive Links, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing all forms of family violence – animal abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse. Tammy lives with her partner, Paul; three senior and special needs mutts, Frida, Cinderella, and Frijolito; and a 68-year-old paralyzed Amazon parrot, Mr. T. Tammy Fiebelkorn Albuquerque City Councilor-Elect tammyforabq@gmail.com tammyforalbuquerque.com NM Vegan | 14
