Two of Albuquerque Seniors received their Holiday gift a little early this year. Mayor Chávez and Southwest Airlines teamed up for Home for the Holidays, by giving two airline tickets to deserving Seniors who other-wise would not be able to travel for the holidays. Josephine Gonzales and Jimmie Leija were given two round trip tickets from Southwest Airlines at an announcement this afternoon in the Mayor's conference room.

Mr. Jimmie Leija has been volunteering for the RSVP program. He has stepped up for every project and averages about 40 hours a week driving for the Highland Senior Center and the Pet Food Project. Jimmie has two sons and a brand new granddaughter living in Phoenix, whom he has not seen in five years. Because of Southwest Airlines and Mayor Chávez, Jimmie will get to see his family this Holiday Season.

Mrs. Josephine Gonzales is a 72 year old grandmother who said that she will finally be able to meet her two granddaughters for the first time in San Antonio, Texas. She is beside herself and started crying when she was told that she would be flying to San Antonio for Christmas.

Mr. Leija and Mrs. Gonzales are already packing their bags to go to Phoenix and San Antonio. Both are overjoyed to be able to spend the Holidays with their family.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 61 cities in 31 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates 3,000 flights a day and has 31,000+ Employees system-wide.

In London today, Mayor Martin J. Chávez accepted the 2006 World Leadership Award on behalf of Albuquerque citizens and their efforts toward water conservation. The 2006 World Leadership Award was given to Albuquerque for Sustainable Water Management planning.

About the Award

The World Leadership Awards are given to cities whose leaders have shown exceptional imagination, foresight or resilience in a number of key fields - especially cities that have reversed trends, shaken off traditional images, and acted as an example and inspiration to others.

Cities across the world face the same problems: water, housing, transport, pollution, law and order, migration etc. The solutions however, are often local and unique; and solutions found in one city may offer ideas and inspiration for other cities. “That is what Albuquerque has done for many other cities around the world,” stated Mayor Chávez.

Presented annually in London, the World Leadership Awards celebrate the very best in modern city leadership.

How Albuquerque Won

Early in 2006 the World Leadership Forum contacted leaders in 400 of the world's largest cities, and asked them to submit synopses of their most successful projects. These projects covered a very wide range of activities spanning the environment, urban renewal, housing, health, town planning, architecture, civil engineering, education, development of the young, the economy and employment.

The shortlisted projects were presented to the judges (by the people who created and managed them), in a series of live symposia in London on 5th and 6th December 2006. The judges applied three criteria: the quality of leadership displayed, the difficulties, or obstacles, that the city has overcome; and the degree of inspiration that the city may give to others.

Albuquerque was shortlisted in one of the twenty-eight cities in eleven different categories. Mayor Chavez says, “this is one more example of Albuquerque excelling.”

View a full list of 2006 World Leadership Award winners.