Author

Mel Leonor Barclay, The 19th

Mel Leonor Barclay, The 19th

Mel Leonor Barclay is a political reporter. She has a decade of experience covering government and elections, from tiny South Florida localities to Congress. Most recently, Mel was a Virginia politics reporter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and previously covered federal policy at POLITICO. Mel is an immigrant of the Dominican Republic and native Spanish speaker.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller pose for selfies with attendees at a rally held by the Vote Yes For Kids campaign in Albuquerque, New Mexico in November 2022.

How New Mexico child care workers got the state to invest in their industry

By: - January 27, 2023

Merline Gallegos’ child care center has been on the verge of closing many times. She’s long struggled to pay her workers the wages she believes they deserve, and when the pandemic hit, things only got worse. “We were going to close or we needed to find some help,” Gallegos, 36, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, […]