Democrats Christopher R. Sedillo And Klarissa Peña Announce For City Council District 3; City Council Candidate Calendar Deadlines

Posted on by

On November 4, 2025, the municipal elections for Albuquerque Mayor and City Council will be on the ballot. Of the nine-member city council, the 5 odd number City Council Districts 1, 3,5,7, and 9 will be on the ballot. This article is the first in a series of articles on the five city council races being published as a public service announcement.

The District 3 City Council District geographic borders are generally “Old Coors Road” on the East and the Valley area, Central on the North, and Dennis Chavez Road on the South, with the West side border  jetting out to the city limits and mostly vacant area. According to the 2023 redistricting report, District 3 has a total population of 65,343.  The population of the district is further broken down as follows: Hispanic:  53,314 (81.6%),  White:  6,766  (10.4%), Native American 1,865 (2.9%),  Black 1,554 (2.4%), Asian 612 0.9% other 1,232 (1.9%).

District 3 is considered a safe Democrat City Council District.

TWO CANIDATES ANNOUNCE RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3

 According to the city clerk’s candidate web page, as of May 1,  two candidates have registered to run for City Council District 3.  Following are the candidates announcements listed in the order in which they made their formal announcement:

CHRISTOPHER R. SEDILLO

On March 11, 2025, Christopher R. Sedillo announced he is running for City Council District 3. Following is his announcement.

“Bueño Dias  Albuquerque! 

My name is Christopher Rudoph Sedillo, and I am a candidate for Albuquerque City Council, District 3.  I am a retired Navy Senior Chief Radioman with deep roots in this community.  Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I grew up in the South Valley and graduated from Rio Grande High School in 1981. 

During my senior year at Rio Grande High School, while enrolled in Marine Corps JROTC, I joined the Navy’s delayed entry program at the age of 17.   The discipline and goal-setting skills I developed during those initial four years in MCJROTC provided a solid foundation for my career.  Raised by a single mother, I learned the importance of hard work and perseverance..

Throughout my naval career, I consistently volunteered for challenging assignments, including deployments to Iraq and transporting chemical retrograde from Germany to Johnson Atoll.  While stationed at Joint Communication Support Element (JCSE) and assigned to Quick Reaction Company (QRC), a joint duty assignment, I eagerly volunteered for jump school at Ft. Benning, GA, earning the distinction of becoming a paratrooper with over 60 jumps, including one into Panama.

 As Officer in Charge of the Military Detachment, I reported the distress signal to the ship’s Master, and the USNS Sioux rescued a stranded couple from a sinking vessel.  Once again, the USNS Sioux was summoned for a no-notice call for the search, rescue, and recovery of Alaskan Airlines Flight 261 after it crashed.  Later, I volunteered and was selected to augment JFT-67 on a real-world mission to Vietnam for 60 days for the search and recovery of POW/MIA remains. 

These experiences and numerous others took me to ports around the globe, exposing me to diverse cultures, political philosophies and a host of different religions beliefs.  Reinforcing my belief that there are good people that exist everywhere.   

 I proudly served my Country for 26 years, earning over 20 ribbons, awards, and commendation over my naval career.  My shipboard assignments included the USS Ramsey (FFG-2), USS Ranger (CV-61), USS Jarrett (FFG-33), USS Stethem (DDG-63) and USNS Sioux (T-ATF 171). 

 Following my retirement from the Navy, I pursued job certifications, became a primary caregiver for family members, obtained my CDL, and worked as an OTR truck driver for two years.  In 2017, driven by a desire to serve my community, I ran for Albuquerque City Council.  After purchasing a home on the Westside, where I intend to remain, I channeled my energy into various local military-related, religious, and civic organizations, including American Legion Post 13, American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) Bataan Chapter, Honor Flight of Northern New Mexico (past board member), Knights of the Ascension, Ministry of Hope at Church of the Ascension, DPNM State Central Committee member, Westgate Neighborhood Association (Vice President), United Veterans Council of Greater Albuquerque, Moose Lodge, Harley Davidson Owners Group, Trench Rats, and the Veterans and Military Family Caucus.  In 2023, I was honored to be appointed by the Governor to the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Council. Within American Legion Post 13, I have served as Sergeant at Arms and currently hold the position of Chaplain.

I am a staunch advocate for my community, volunteering as a poll worker for multiple elections and upholding the values of equality, integrity, and honesty.  I previously served as a board member for Honor Flight of Northern New Mexico, dedication my time to ensure veterans could visit their memorials in Washington, D.C.   Recently, I stepped down from this role to focus on my City Council campaign.  As the Honor Guard Commander for American Legion Post 13, a position I’ve held for three years, I ensure that every deceased veteran receives proper military honors when requested.  Through dedicated recruitment efforts, I have tripled the Honor Guard’s membership from 10 to 30 volunteers.  As a member of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), I champion the rights of all veterans, including those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.  As a gay man who has been with my partner for 13 years, I deeply value community engagement and believe that neighborhood associations are vital to a thriving city.  I am currently the Vice-President of the Westgate Neighborhood Association.  I am committed, dedicated, and motivated to make a positive difference in our community.  Together, we can achieve great things.  Si se puede. 

I offer a unique leadership style characterized by compassion and generosity, coupled with the determination to address Albuquerque’s challenges head-on.  It is time for new leadership that will hold public officials accountable and make the difficult decisions necessary for our city’s progress.  My commitment is to the public, and I will prioritize being present, listening and fostering teamwork.  I will work to ensure that our community has access to behavioral health resources and affordable housing, and that our tax dollars are spent wisely and there is accountability.

 While City Council elections are nonpartisan, I value relationships with individuals across the political spectrum, recognizing that the issues facing our city transcend party lines.  I maintain positive relationships with county and state officials, and my focus will remain on you and the issues that matter most to our city.  I am eager to hear your concerns and ideas for building a better Albuquerque for all.  Thank you for your time and support.  Together, we can build an Albuquerque where families feel safe, children have opportunities, and every neighborhood can thrive.  As President John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for your Country.” 

We can do it, City Council District 3.”

Thank you,

Christopher R. Sedillo

CITY CLERK CANDIDATE INFORMATION

According to the City Clerk’s candidate web page, Christopher R. Sedillo is a Publicly Financed candidate. Contact information and his campaign website outlining his platform and his candidate financial disclosure can be found here:

KLARISSA J. PEÑA

Incumbent City Councilor Klarissa Peña was elected to the City Council in October 2013 and she is the 2025 City Council Vice President. There are no term limits for City Council and she is seeking a fourth term. On April 24, she announced on her FACEBOOK page that she is running for a third 4 year term. Following is her announcement:

“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the community where I was born and raised. Thank you for your continued support and for placing your confidence in me to serve as your City Councilor for District 3 in the City of Albuquerque.

 A lot has changed since I first ran for office. The community has also changed. As your City Councilor, we’ve made significant Investments in our district. We built the West Gate Community Center, we are making improvements to the West Side Animal Shelter, brought more businesses to our district, new parks, lit up our streets with over 250 new streetlights, we planted hundreds of new trees and added new playground equipment.

We continue to make our community safer with the soon to be completed South West Public Safety Center, that includes a police substation, fire station and Albuquerque Community Safety. More importantly passed meaningful legislation that supports working families. But there’s still more we can accomplish. That’s why I’m proud to announce that I’m running for re-election for City Council District 3.

 This work isn’t done alone; it is the result of decades of collaborating with community volunteers and also partnering with other local, state and federal elected officials to accomplish the vision for South West Albuquerque.

I look forward to earning your support and your vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

CITY CLERK CANDIDATE INFORMATION

According to the City Clerk’s candidate web page, Klarissa Peña is a Publicly Financed candidate. Contact information for  her campaign  and her candidate financial disclosure can be found here:

The link to the City Clerks web page listing the names and information on all declared candidates for Mayor and City Council is here:

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2025-candidates-and-committees-1

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE CALENDAR DEADLINES  

The “exploratory period” for City Council Candidates if from April 17, 2025 to June 1, 2025. During this time period, candidates must make an appointment with the City Clerk where they register as a candidate and campaign rules and regulations are outlined for them.

The “seed money period” for candidates for City Council is from April 27, 2025 to 7, 2025 during which time candidates for city council can collect campaign donations. The seed money contribution limits that can be collected by each candidate in District 3 is $250 from individuals and an aggregate of  $8,373.00

The qualifying contribution period for city council candidates is from June 2, to July 7, 20025 where candidates are allowed to collect $5.00 donations to qualify for public financing. In order to File the Declaration of Intent, the applicant candidate for public finance has to schedule an appointment with the City Clerk at least one day prior to filing. The Clerk will reviewed the public finance process with the applicant candidate and provided the Declaration of Intent for public financing. The city clerk provides receipt book to collect the donations and candidates are also allow to set up an on line donation system.

Applicant Candidates must receive Qualifying Contributions from 1% of the registered voters in the district the candidate wishes to represent. The number of qualifying $5.00 contributions each candidate must collect running in District 3 is 335.  The amount of public finance given to a candidate by the city if they qualify and the spending limit for city council District 3 is $41,865.00.

The nominating petition period to collect nominating signatures to be placed on the ballot is from June 2, 2025 to July 7, 2025. The city clerk provides the nominating petition forms. All Candidates for City Council must gather more than 500 signatures from registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent from June 2, 2025, at 8:00am – July 7, 2025, at 5:00pm.

This entry was posted in Opinions by . Bookmark the permalink.

About

Pete Dinelli was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is of Italian and Hispanic descent. He is a 1970 graduate of Del Norte High School, a 1974 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a 1977 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Pete has a 40 year history of community involvement and service as an elected and appointed official and as a practicing attorney in Albuquerque. Pete and his wife Betty Case Dinelli have been married since 1984 and they have two adult sons, Mark, who is an attorney and George, who is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Pete has been a licensed New Mexico attorney since 1978. Pete has over 27 years of municipal and state government service. Pete’s service to Albuquerque has been extensive. He has been an elected Albuquerque City Councilor, serving as Vice President. He has served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge with Statewide jurisdiction. Pete has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has served as a Bernalillo County Chief Deputy District Attorney, as an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney and as a Deputy City Attorney. For eight years, Pete was employed with the City of Albuquerque both as a Deputy City Attorney and Chief Public Safety Officer overseeing the city departments of police, fire, 911 emergency call center and the emergency operations center. While with the City of Albuquerque Legal Department, Pete served as Director of the Safe City Strike Force and Interim Director of the 911 Emergency Operations Center. Pete’s community involvement includes being a past President of the Albuquerque Kiwanis Club, past President of the Our Lady of Fatima School Board, and Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.