If you are one of many New Mexicans sick of deceitful politicians who put their own agendas ahead of the public good, think twice about Susana Martínez.

She has proven that she can give slick answers, but if we elect her, we will have a Texas-style big business free-for-all that harms private-property rights and public health and safety.

As an independent voter, I disagree with Diane Denish on many points, but she beats Martínez on three important counts:

Straight answers: When asked by the non-partisan League of Women Voters how to reduce fossil-fuel use, Martínez played a shell game, and turned the answer into reducing how much we import, not how much we use. She tried to disguise her intent to expand and deregulate domestic drilling by mentioning solar and wind, but was clearly saying "Drill, baby drill."

Denish gave detailed strategies for actually reducing our use of fossil fuels, and creating well-paid jobs with clean energy.

Ideology versus reason: Neither candidate likes the Oil Conservation Division's "Pit Rule," but Martínez's position is party-line dogma. The rule, drafted by a team that included oil and gas professionals, prevents well operators from dumping toxic oil sludge into unlined pits. The only argument against this rule is that it interferes with industry profits. Poorly supported by actual cost analysis, it's a knee-jerk attack that Martínez parrots.

Denish has said she will "re-visit" the Pit Rule to make sure it is fair and effective. I don't believe that is necessary, but at least Denish is basing her positions on reason.

Backers and their agenda: A majority of Martínez's $4 million campaign war chest has come from oil and gas interests, many of them in Texas. As reported in The New Mexican, other big donors include nearly a full Cheney-Bush line-up: a hunting buddy of Cheney's; Swift-Boat character assassins; the biggest donor to Karl Rove's reactionary lobby. These are deregulation fanatics, and if their money wins this election, that's what we'll get, benefits to big business at citizens' expense. Martínez will start by gutting the Pit Rule, using a moratorium to avoid legislative or public input (capitolreportnewmexico.com, Oct. 4).

Denish is backed by women in politics, by unions, the Democratic governors organization, some oil and real-estate money — almost all from within New Mexico. Her positions reflect those supporters, not anti-oil, but favoring appropriate state, county and local regulations to protect public health and safety.

Martínez wants to "remove barriers" to Big Oil and other out-of-state business: those hard-won restrictions that protect our communities, our land, our water, and our local economy.

Drilling can be done responsibly, but there are too many companies that will carelessly destroy our property values, making our homes or businesses unlivable and unsellable. Unless we own mineral rights, they don't have to compensate us for our losses. Even responsible drilling can end in disaster. This year alone, New Mexico suffered spills at Bosque del Apache and near Cuba, an explosion near Carlsbad, huge collapsing brine wells, and poisoned water wells from here to New York (see Emmy-winning New Mexico documentary, splitestate.com). Citizens rightfully expect protection.

The only barriers that stand between holding onto our rights and holding the bag are regulations that Susana Martínez wants to remove. Even if you feel like throwing some bums out of politics, don't invite a worse one in. Vote for a write-in, vote for Denish, but if you want to keep New Mexico a good place for its citizens, don't even consider Tejana Susana. She's about selling our rights out of state.

Santa Fean Kim Sorvig, research associate professor, UNM School of Architecture and Planning, is an internationally-known expert on sustainable land-use.