On Friday, June 20 the City Clerk verified that 7 candidates out of 11 total candidates for Mayor successfully gathered 100% of the 3,000 qualifying nominating petition signatures from Albuquerque registered voters. All seven will appear on the November 4 municipal ballot. If  no one of the 7 candidates secures 50% plus one of the vote, the two top vote getters will face each other in a run off election which  must be held within 45 days of the  November 4 election.

All 11 Candidates for Mayor had from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025 by 5:00 pm, 64 days, to collect the required 3,000 verified signatures. The seven candidates who have qualified for the ballot gathering more than 3,000 nominating signatures are:

1. Incumbent Mayor Tim Keller qualified for the ballot after securing 4,786 signatures, the most of all the candidates.
2. Eddie Varela, a retired Albuquerque firefighter and former California fire chief, qualified after securing 3,973 signatures, the second most among candidates.
3. Alex Uballez, the former U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico, qualified after securing 3,643 signatures.
4. Louie Sanchez, a former police officer and current city councilor, qualified after securing 3,588 signatures.
5. Darren White, the former sheriff of Bernalillo County and CEO of cannabis company PurLife, qualified after receiving 3,562 signatures.
6. Daniel Chavez, president of Parking Company of America was the very first to qualify for the ballot after securing 3,427 signatures.
7. Mayling Armijo, the former director of Economic Development for Bernalillo County and deputy county manager for Sandoval County, qualified after securing  3,370 signatures.

The four candidates who have failed to secure the 3,000 qualifying  signature and who have failed to make the ballot as of Friday June 20 are:

1. Patrick Sais, who has run for mayor before and a state house seat unsuccessfully in the past collected 1,052 verified signatures.
2. Alpana Adair, a former hospitality consultant collected 29  verified signatures.
3. Brian Fejer, a local blogger, withdrew from the race collected 77 verified signature
4. Adeo Herrick, who regularly criticizes the city during the City Council’s general comment period secured 38 verified signatures.

The link to a quoted or relied upon news source is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_a6f5a27d-e7d3-4ea0-b0f2-87a2b96431c5.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block

The city link to review the City Clerk’s total raw data tabulations of verified petition signatures and rejected petition signatures for each of the 11 candidates is here:

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

MAYOR KELLER ONLY CANIDATE TO QUALIFY FOR PUBLIC FINANCE

Public finance candidates for Mayor were required to collect 3,780 donations of $5.00 to the city from registered voters to qualify for the city to give them $755,946 in city financing for their campaigns. The time frame to collect both nominating petition signatures and $5.00 qualifying contributions was the same period and was from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025.

The 8 original candidates who declared themselves  to be “public finance” candidates are Alpana Adair, Alexander Uballez, Darren White, Tim Keller, Louis Sanchez, Edie Varella, Patrick Sais and Adeo Herrick.  Six candidates withdrew their application for public finance. The only two candidates who remained  public financed candidates were Tim Keller  and Adeo Henrick.

Adeo Herrick collected only 7 of the 3,780 required verified qualifying $5.00 donations and only 29 of the 3,000 required nominating petition signatures, thereby failing to qualify for the ballot and failing to qualify for public finance.

On June 20, the City Clerk determined that Tim Keller was the only candidate to qualify for public finance. The following are the processed public finance qualifying donations for Tim Keller as of Friday June 20:

• Required Qualifying Contributions                                                      3,780
• Verified Qualifying Contributions                                                         4,046
• Rejected Qualifying Contributions                                                          361
• Remaining Qualifying Contributions Needed                                         -0-
• Percentage of Verified Qualifying Contributions Met                    100%

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

Some politcal pundits and columnists are saying that if Keller’s opponents are unable to raise sufficient campaign donations, there is a possibility that Keller could capture 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff election between the top two finishers. That is wishful thinking. Keller will need every penny of his public finance and then some to deal with his low approval ratings as the campaign drags on over the summer and into the fall and his opponents hit him hard on the issues until November 4.

Notwithstanding, all of Keller’s opponents are relegated to scrambling for private financing unless they are wealthy enough to self-finance. It’s unknown how they will do with private fundraising, but we will soon see as campaign finance reports are required to be filed and made public. The only candidate that likely has the ability to private finance his campaign is Parking Company of America CAO Daniel Chavez who has already donated $100,000 of his personal money to finance the collection of the ballot qualifying nominating signatures.

SEPTEMER 2 ONLY DAY FOR WRITE IN CANDIDATES TO FILE

Although the time frame for candidates to announce and qualify for the ballot for Mayor has come and gone, there is still an option for people to declare as write in candidates.  In 2023, the New Mexico Legislature enacted a law that allows for write in candidates in all regular local elections which includes municipal elections. The link to  the statute is here:

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-1/article-22/section-1-22-8-1/

A person desiring to be a write-in candidate for Mayor must  file with the Bernalillo County Clerk a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate because it is the Bernalillo County Clerk who oversees the election and counts the ballots under the Local Election Act. Write in candidates are given only one day to file a “declaration of intent to be a write in candidate” for Mayor. The City Clerk’s Candidate Calendar published on the City Clerk’s web page states the filing date for write-in-candidates is Tuesday, September 2.  

The “declaration of intent to be a write in candidate” must  be accompanied by  a nominating petition containing the same number of signatures required of candidates for Mayor which is 3,000 signatures. Under the law, a write-in candidate is considered a candidate for all purposes and provisions relating to candidates in the Local Election Act, except that the write-in candidate’s name shall not be printed on the ballot nor posted in any polling place.

City of Albuquerque nominating petition forms to collect signatures to nominate a candidate for Mayor as a write in candidate may be obtained from City Clerk Ethan Waston whose email address is ewatson@cabq.gov. The  City Clerk’s office is located in the Plaza Del Sol Building, 600 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 and the phone number is (505) 924-3650.

Instructions on how to use the petitions can be found at this link:

How to use the Petition Form for Mayoral Candidates

There are examples of petitions on the City Clerks  training page which can be found here:

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/training-videos

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Mayor Tim Keller is seeking a third consecutive four-year term despite the fact he has a very low approval rating. Keller’s approval rating is believed to be in the 30% to 33% range based on past polls. Notwithstanding Keller’s low approval ratings, he will likely make it into a run off, either first or second, because of his loyal base of progressive Democrats he has relied upon every single time he has run for office including NM State Senate, New Mexico State Auditor and twice as Mayor.

The fact that Keller is the only candidate to secure $755,946 in public finance is also evidence he is running against a very weak field of candidates. There is also the Measured Finance Committee Ascend Albuquerque set up to promote Keller’s candidacy. The measured finance committee has already raised $38,500 in total contributions from 8 major donors. Given the involvement of two well-known, respected progressive Democratic fundraisers, the measured fiancé committee will likely raise thousands more to promote Keller or tear down his opponents. The city link to Ascend Albuquerque is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/VMQvJiHXaP1z-Iz2eL_papP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

KELLER PROCLAIMS CITY ON THE COMEBACK

There is little doubt that the campaign for Mayor has already commenced in earnest, especially by Keller. Keller recently cast the current moment as a comeback for Albuquerque and in a real sense he is talking about a comeback for himself.

On June 17, during a luncheon speech before the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce at the  Embassy Suites, Keller reflected on his seven years in office, going back to 2017 when he initially started working with the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce on the major issues affecting companies and families: the economy, crime and homelessness.

Keller told business leaders this:

“We’ve done the real work. We’ve tried to fix and build systems that will last well beyond myself or folks who are in leadership positions in this room. We’ve also weathered pandemics, protests, two governors, two presidents, but through it all, what you see now is we’re tested. We are trusted to hold this together. … And Albuquerque is making a comeback.”

The most revealing words spoken by Keller are “We’ve tried to fix and build systems … ”  “Trying” just does not cut it when Keller acknowledges the same issues of the economy, crime and the homeless are still present today as when he ran the first time 7 years ago. Mayor Keller acknowledged how crime and homelessness have impacted Albuquerque’s businesses but he said the city has made major strides in addressing all three areas.

The link to the quoted news source is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/business/article_11730ceb-785a-4cd4-a49f-0b028cd76e29.html

KELLER’S OPPOSITION

Virtually every single one of Keller’s opponents have said he does not deserve to be elected to a third four year term and that crime and the homeless have risen sharply during Keller’s two terms in office years. They all proclaim they can do better but fail to fully articulate how. Keller’s 6 opponents argue he hasn’t done enough to combat crime and the homeless. The following is an analysis of all six of Keller’s opponents:

REPUBLICAN DARREN WHITE

Republican Darren White is the controversial former Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Public Safety for then Republican Governor Gary Johnson. White is a former two term Bernalillo County Sheriff and former Albuquerque Chief Public Safety Officer under Republican Mayor Richard Berry. When Darren White was Albuquerque Chief Public Safety Officer, he “retired” from the city after he interfered with an APD investigation of his wife involved in an accident. Following his career in law enforcement, White changed his strong opposition to the legalization of marijuana. He started his own cannabis dispensary company called PurLife.

Darren White  has been the most critical of Mayor Tim Keller’s record, particularly concerning crime, the homeless and falsely proclaiming Keller has made Albuquerque a sanctuary city.  White asserts that there have been 660 murders during Keller’s years in office, that an alarming number of businesses have had to close down because of crime and because that Keller has made Albuquerque a “sanctuary city.”

White proclaimed  in his announcement:

“Mayor Keller has presided over the most murders in Albuquerque’s history. His weak approach to crime and homelessness has failed and it’s time for change.”

In a fund raising letter, White falsely proclaimed this:

“One of Keller’s first acts as Mayor was too make Albuquerque  a Sanctuary City for illegal immigrants who commit crimes. Now we have case after case of violent crimes being committed by illegal immigrants, many of who have been arrested multiple times but turned back onto the streets by this Mayor’s backward policies. As Mayor, I will end the Sanctuary City law immediately.”

Albuquerque is not a “Sanctuary City” as White proclaims.  A “Sanctuary City” is a jurisdiction that prohibits local law enforcement  from a enforcing federal immigration laws leaving that work exclusively  to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

It was in 2001, long before Keller became Mayor, that the city council  declared the city to be an “Immigrant-Friendly City”. It establishes City Of Albuquerque policies regarding immigrants and their families, regardless of immigration status and establishes a city immigrant resource program “Immigrant Friendly” cities enact policies that are favorable to undocumented people to allow services.  Its local  law enforcement personnel do not make arrests for violations of federal immigration laws and only make arrests of undocumented people for violations of local ordinances and state laws. 

DEMOCRAT LOUIE SANCHEZ

Democrat Louie Sanchez is a first term District 1 City Councilor for the West side. He is a retired APD Police Officer and was head of former Mayor Marty Chavez’s security detail.  He is the owner of the Louie Sanchez All State Insurance Agency.  Sanchez’s campaign website calls for “safer communities,” “a stronger community” and “solutions for homelessness” but he provides little or no specifics.  Sanchez  has been critical of Keller regarding issues of transparency, accountability, and the management of APD.  Sanchez has called for the termination of Chief Harold Medina who will likely remain if Keller is elected to a third term.

Many Democrats accuse Sanchez of being a Democrat in Name Only (DINO). Sanchez is known to support ordinances sponsored by Republicans and oppose ordinances sponsored by Democrats. Sanchez supported the abolishment of the current strong Mayor form of government falsely proclaiming it does not work and he advocated it be replaced with a City Manager appointed by the Council, now he wants to be Mayor.

Sanchez is considered the swing vote on the City Council and has shown it by repeatedly voting with all 4 of the Republicans on the City Council to repeal ordinances enacted by the previous progressive city council. On April 4, 2022 Councilor Sanchez voted with the 4 Republicans to repeal “City Project Labor Agreement” requirements mandating use of union labor in city construction contracts. City Council Louie Sanchez offended all city unions when he said this about his vote to repeal the Project Labor agreement ordinance: “I know the competition is good. … I really feel everybody has to have a piece of the pie. … Another thing I know, because I was a union member for so long, is that, there is a lot of slugs in the union. I know that for a fact.”

DEMOCRAT ALEXANDER M. M. UBALLEZ

Democrat Alexander M. M. Uballez is the Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney who was fired by President Trump on Valentines Day February 14. Although he has absolutely no experience as an elected official, Uballez  proclaims his experience as a prosecutor, combined with his two years at the helm of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, would play a key role in addressing Albuquerque’s crime and public safety issues. There is a big difference between managing a federal prosecutors office of upwards of 120 employees to overseeing a municipality with 29 divisions, with upwards of 7,000 full-time employees and a $1.2 Billion budget.

Uballez’s  biggest claim to fame is bringing federal charges against law enforcement officers and the ring leaders involved in the DWI bribery and conspiracy scandal to dismiss hundreds of DWI cases. Confidential sources report that Uballez wanted  the FBI to turn over cases  to his office so that his office could bring charges in January, 2025 before he was fired by Trump to get recognition and take credit for the prosecutions. Criminal Defense Attorney Thomas Clear and his investigator along with15 APD officers, 3 Sherriff Deputies, and 1 State Police Officer have been implicated in the bribery scheme  to get cases dismissed in the largest bribery and conspiracy case in the city’s history. Instead of bringing charges against all 21, Uballez essentially “cherry picked” the 5 most prominent cases to prosecute to enable him to take credit. There is no guarantee that all the others will be prosecuted.

Then there is the matter of when on  January 25, 2024 then US Attorney Alexander Uballez sent a letter to Bernalillo Country District Attorney Sam Bregman that  outed the FBI federal DWI Enterprise investigation stating in part there was “an ongoing and covert, federal  investigation involving the APD .” The letter placed into jeopardy the federal investigation of APD when the letter was distributed to the media and made public. The letter likely violated the Department of Justice protocols and ethical standards when it was sent to Bregman and then released to the news media.  Publication of the letter by the media undermined the confidentiality of the criminal investigation.

Political analysts, city hall watchers and Democratic Party insiders are saying Uballez has picked up the backing of younger progressive Democrats who have become very disillusioned and dissatisfied with progressive Democrat Tim Keller.  Uballez has said of Keller that a third term is only warranted when a leader has “absolutely crushed it and delivered on all the promises,” which he doesn’t believe is the case with Keller’s tenure. He points to areas like public safety, homelessness, and economic development as evidence of stagnation and a lack of progress under Keller’s leadership.

Uballez failed to secure public financing and argued the current system favors incumbents like Keller due to their name recognition and established political infrastructure, making it difficult for newcomers to compete.

REPUBLICAN EDDIE VARELA

Republican Eddie Varela is a retired Albuquerque firefighter and former California fire chief. Varela’s campaign website lists six issues, including safety, homelessness, transparency, seniors, youth and small businesses as his top priorities giving few specifics. Varela said he wants to restore public safety, rebuild trust in the government and revitalize the economy. Like the other candidates, he  is running on a platform advocating for change.

He has stated that on his first day, he would declare war on crime and implement a curfew for those 18 and under. Varela has stated that he would not push to declare Albuquerque an “immigrant-friendly” nor “sanctuary city” and believes the city should cooperate with all federal agencies.

Varela has said he did not vote for Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris for President, but now that Trump has been elected, he feels that Trump is doing a “great job” as President. Varela has said that he agrees with President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s severe cuts to government and reducing the size of the federal government. Varela has not said how he will deal  with the Trump Administration cutting millions of federal funding to the city.

DEMOCRAT MAYLING ARMIJO 

Democrat Mayling Armijo is a former Deputy County Manager for Sandoval County. On her campaign website, she lists her priorities as crime, housing and homelessness, substance abuse, job growth, and setting term limits for the mayor’s office. She proclaims that she is not a politician and offers very little specifics on how she will bring down crime. Her experience includes working as economic development director for Bernalillo County, the deputy County Manager for Sandoval County and work with the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

Armijo is a privately financed candidate and a separate  measured finance committee has been formed to promote her and has already raised $140,000.  Reasons for running against Keller include her general dissatisfaction with the Keller administration. Armijo stated that she “didn’t see anybody else jumping in, and [she] knew that [they] couldn’t do another four years of this current administration”.

INDEPENDENT DAN CHAVEZ

Independent Daniel Chavez was born and raised in Albuquerque. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with his bachelor’s degree in 1995, Daniel Chavez acquired the Albuquerque branch of Parking Company of America which is  the managing company of several parking lots in the city. Chavez is President of the company. Chavez has never run for or held office and is considered a virtual unknown.  Chavez has said if elected he would focus on making Albuquerque safer and creating economic opportunities but offers little or no specifics. He is a privately financed candidate.

Daniel Chavez has said very little publicly about Mayor Keller. Chavez’s campaign strategy was to first qualify for the ballot by spending $100,000 of his own money to surpass Keller in collecting nominating  signatures to be first to get on the ballot and to gain attention for his campaign. Chavez believes the public finance system, historically, has benefited incumbents like Keller, suggesting it acts as an “incumbent protection plan“. Chaves appears to be wealthy enough to self-finance. Chavez, like all others running against Keller cites concerns about crime and homelessness, but offers no specifics on what he intends to do.

KELLER’S RECORD OF FAILURE

The biggest problem Keller has for his re-election is that during his two terms, he has been a major failure if not an outright disaster when it comes to city management, policy and addressing the city’s complex problems. Thus far the candidates running against Keller state the obvious problems the city is facing such as crime is out of control  and the homeless have taken over the city but they offer no real solutions. Keller did the exact same thing when he ran for mayor the first time seven years ago, but now he must run on his own record.

CRIME FIGHTING FAILURE

Seven years ago when Keller first ran and became Mayor, he proclaimed violent crime was out of control, that he could get it down and that he would increase APD sworn from the then 850 to 1,200. Violent crime and homicides continues to spike and are out of control seven years later with APD currently at about 900 sworn officers. The city’s ongoing homicide and violent crime rates continue to be at historical highs and people simply do not feel safe in their homes as the fentanyl crisis surges. APD ranks number one in police killings of citizens in the top 50 largest cities in the country.

Mayor Keller and Chief Harold Medina have seriously mismanaged the ongoing train wreck known as the Albuquerque Police Department with the department still dangerously understaffed at about 900 cops despite  seven years of  increased budgets, salary increases and lucrative bonus pay. Of the 900 sworn police, there are only 250 sworn officers patrolling the streets of Albuquerque divided into 3 shifts. Its not uncommon for entire area commands being patrolled by 2 or 4 officers because others are on leave.   Keller has literally thrown money at the problem. This coming from the Mayor who promised 1,200 cops during his first term. During a recent APD Academy graduation, Keller promised 1,000 cops by the end of the year which is not at all likely given expected retirements.

APD CORRUPTION

Then there is the largest bribery and corruption case in APD’s history with 14 APD Officers implicated and 3 who have been federally charged and who have plead guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges involving the dismissal of hundreds of DWI cases for bribes. The former APD officers face up to 130 years in prison. Both Keller and Chief Medina have failed to take any responsibility for what happened under their watch as they deflect and blame others. They both have blamed the Court’s, the DAs Office and the Public Defenders for the DWI dismissals.’

THE HOMELESS CRISIS

Keller has spent over $300 million in the last 3 years on homeless shelters, programs, and the city purchasing and remodeling motels for low-income housing.  The approved 2026 city budget contains an additional $56 million for homeless services and contracts with providers. The funding is an “unsustainable black hole” of expenditures.

Keller has taken an “all the above approach” to deal with the city’s homeless. The city has a total of 5 shelters  to deal with the homeless that should be operating as an integrated system:

• The Gibson Gateway shelter
• The Gateway West shelter
• The Family Gateway shelter
• The Youth Homeless shelter
• The Recovery Shelter

The blunt reality is that Mayor Keller has essentially proclaimed the unhoused as “wards of the city” when such a responsibility should be undertaken by the state or federal government.

The recent annual Point In Time  homeless survey count found an 18% increase in  the homeless with upwards of 3,000 chronic homeless. It has been reported that 75% refuse city services. Despite Keller’s spending efforts to assist the unhoused, the city’s homeless numbers continue to spike as the crisis worsens and as the unhoused refuse services and as they take over our streets.

The $300 million spent to help 3,000 to 5,000 homeless with 75% refusing services would have gone a  long way to finance community centers, senior citizen centers, police and fire substations, preschool or after school programs, senior citizen programs, and police and fire programs.

Keller has allowed the unhoused to proliferate city streets, parks and open space declining to aggressively enforce city and state vagrant laws and make arrests. Keller allowed Corando Park to become the city’s de facto city sanction homeless encampment before he declared it to be the most dangerous place in the state forgetting it was he who sanctioned it and then he was forced to close it down because of out-of-control violent crime and illicit drug use.

A solution to deal with mentally ill and drug addicted homeless people who refuse city services is the initiation of civil mental health commitments by the state to mandate mental health care or drug addiction counseling in a hospital setting after a court hearing determining a person is a danger to themselves or others. Such an approach would get the mentally ill and drug addicted the health care they desperately need and off the streets.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING EFFORTS

Keller’s “ABQ Housing Forward Plan” to increase affordable housing was nothing more than a politcal rues relying on the city’s housing shortage. His original announced goal was for the city to have 5,000 additional affordable housing units to be added to the market by 2025 but he fell short by 3,000. Keller pushed mandating “safe outdoor spaces” approved exclusively by the planning department for the unhoused in all 9 city council districts over objections of neighborhoods. Keller wanted to double or triple the city’s density by allowing casitas and duplex development in existing neighborhoods by eliminating the rights of appeal by objecting to neighborhood associations and adjoining property owners.

Keller’s “Housing Forward Plan” makes gentrification an official city policy that caters to developers and the NAIOP crowd at the expense of neighborhoods and property rights. It will not increase affordable housing. It will allow developers and investors to destroy existing neighborhoods for the sake of making a development buck and increasing density in established neighborhoods and destroying their original character.

Keller also supports recent amendments to the city’s zoning laws know as the Integrated Development Ordinance. Those changes reduce or totally eliminate Neighborhood Associations and adjoining property owners’ rights of standing to appeal developments. In the limited instances where they can appeal a development and they lose the appeal, the changes require them to pay the attorney’s fees of the defending developer when before both sides would assume their own attorney fees and costs.

FAILURE TO HOLD CHIEF MEDINA ACCOUNTABLE

Keller has also refused to hold Chief Medina accountable for a vehicle crash where Medina negligently plowed into another driver putting the driver in the hospital in critical condition. Medina admitted to violating state law when he failed to have his body camera on during an incident that preceded the crash.

After the crash, Keller called Medina “arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city.” Medina’s appointed crash review board declared the crash as “non avoidable” even after Medina admitted to causing the crash. Medina was given a slap on the wrist with letters of reprimand. The City and Medina have been sued by the other driver and the case is still pending and will likely result in a significant judgement being paid for Medina’s negligent driving and his running of a red light. Medina claims he will retire in December and Keller claims he will find a new Chief, but don’t believe them. They are tied to the hip.

FINAL COMMENTARY

Eight years of Tim Keller as Mayor has been more than enough. Simply put, Albuquerque needs a new Mayor. Keller is completing 8 years as Mayor and he is still struggling with the very issues he dealt with 8 years ago: high violent crime rates, drugs, the homeless crisis and a corrupt APD. Things have not gotten any better under his leadership and some would say the city is worse off today than when he was first elected in 2017.

“ANY ONE BUT KELLER” ATTITUDE IS REAL

There exists a serious undercurrent of dissatisfaction with all 7 candidates, especially Mayor Tim Keller. Although City Hall observers and political pundits are saying the election is Keller’s to lose, what they fail to take into account is that what is beginning to emerge is an “any one but Keller attitude”. It can also be called “Keller Fatique” which is what happened with “Chavez Fatique “ when Democrat Mayor Marty Chavez attempted to seek a third consecutive four year term in 2009 and he lost to Republican Richard Berry. Simply put, people want change.

The “any one but Keller attitude” comes into sharp focus when the local news stations publish stories on FACEBOOK where Keller is interviewed at length about his candidacy and literally hundreds of public comments are made that are all negative and berating Keller for his failure to address and solve the city’s problems.  Candidates who are running for city council and who are now going door to door to collect nominating signatures and $5.00 for their own candidacies are  reporting they are encountering strong anti-Keller sentiment with them being asked questions if they support Keller for reelection.

It is  doubtful any of the 6 running against Keller now possess the gravitas to be Mayor. Based upon what they have said and done, they appear not to have a full understanding of the seriousness of purpose of being Mayor, the background nor the credentials necessary to be an effective Mayor.  Hope springs eternal that over the course of the four month campaign that one of the six running against Keller will emerge as a viable candidate and succeed in removal of an entrenched politician.

Given the overall dissatisfaction and disappointment with the six candidates running against Keller, and the overall voter dissatisfaction with Keller himself, there is a chance that there will be one or more write in candidates that could take advantage of the “any one but Keller” attitude. It’s fully understood that write in candidacy’s are considered long shots, but given the nature of the times and voter dissatisfaction in general with city hall, success could be achieved by a write in candidate. With the new state law, community leaders, neighborhood associations, civic organizations, activists and those in the business community who are dissatisfied with the 7 candidates now still have the option to recruit one of their own of like mind.

If not, it is likely we will have another 4 years of disastrous policies, either under Mayor Tim Keller as he continues with his disastrous policies or one of the 6 others running against him who will implement their own.

 

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

— Matthew 19:13-14

On June 12,  the New Mexico Voices for Children released the “2025 Kids Count Data Book, State Trends In Child Well Being.” The annual “Kids Count” Data Book is prepared by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Casey foundation is a nonprofit based in Maryland focusing on improving the well-being and future of American children and their families. It assesses how New Mexico children are faring in a number of areas including economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. By providing policymakers and advocates with benchmarks of child and young adult well-being, the Foundation seeks to enrich local, state and national discussions concerning ways to enable all kids and youth to succeed.

KIDS COUNT RANKING FOR NEW MEXICO

According to the 2025  annual Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count data book, for the fifth consecutive year in a row, New Mexico was ranked 50^th as the worst state in the country for child well-being.

The study focuses on four major categories of wellbeing and then makes an overall ranking of each state for child wellbeing. The four major categories and the rankings are:

1. Economic well-being: 49th 
2. Education: 50th 
3. Health: 46th
4. Family and Community: 50th

Following are the rankings providing an explanation of  how they were calculated:

NEW MEXICO OVERALL CHILD WELL-BEING RANKIING: 50^th

The Casey foundation determines the ranking  for each state using statistical data compiled on each state in four key indicators in the major ranking categories.

Overall rankings  for each state was calculated in the following manner:

The Casey converted the state numerical values for the most recent year for all 16 key indicators into standard scores. It summed those standard scores within their domains to create a domain standard score for each state.  Finally, it ranked the states based on their total standard score in sequential order from highest/best (1) to lowest/ worst (50).

All measures were given the same weight in calculating the total standard score. Percentage change over time analysis was computed by comparing the most recent year’s data for the 16 key indicators with the data for the base year.

To calculate percentage change, the Foundation subtracted the rate for the most recent year from the rate for the base year and then divided that quantity by the rate for the base year. The results are multiplied by 100 for readability. The percentage change was calculated on rounded data, and the percentage-change figure has been rounded to the nearest whole number.

NEW MEXICO ECONOMIC WELL-BEING RANKING: 49^th  (Louisiana was ranked  50^th)

The 4 major indicators relied upon to determine Economic Well being are:

1. Children in poverty is the percentage of children under age 18 who live in families with incomes below 100% of the U.S. poverty threshold, as defined each year by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2023, a family of two adults and two children lived in poverty if the family’s annual income fell below $30,900.
2. Children whose parents lack secure employment is the share of all children under age 18 who live in families where no parent has regular, full-time, year-round employment. For children in single-parent families, this means the resident parent did not work at least 35 hours per week for at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior.
3. Children living in households with a high housing cost burden is the percentage of children under age 18 who live in households where more than 30% of monthly household pretax income is spent on housing-related expenses, including rent, mortgage payments, taxes and insurance.
4. Teens not in school and not working is the percentage of teenagers between ages 16 and 19 who are not enrolled in school (full or part time) and not employed (full or part time).

NEW MEXICO EDUCATION RANKING: 50^th

The 4 major indicators relied upon to determine Education rankings are:

1. Young children not in school is the percentage of children ages 3 and 4 who were not enrolled in school/
2. Fourth graders not proficient in reading is the percentage of fourth grade public school students who did not reach the proficient level in reading as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
3. Eighth graders not proficient in math is the percentage of eighth grade public school students who did not reach the proficient level in math as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
4. High school students not graduating on time is the percentage of an entering freshman class not graduating in four years

NEW MEXICO HEALTH RANKING: 46^th  (New Mexico was ahead of Arkansas (47)  Texas (48)  Louisiana (49),  Mississippi (50)

The 4 major indicators relied upon to determine HEALTH rankings are:

1. Low birth-weight babies is the percentage of live births weighing less than 5.5 pounds (2,500 grams).
2. Children without health insurance is the percentage of children under age 19 not covered by any health insurance
3. Child and teen deaths per 100,000 is the number of deaths, from all causes, of children between ages 1 and 19 per 100,000 children in this age range.
4. Children and teens who are overweight or obese is the percentage of children and teens ages 10 to 17 with a Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age at or above the 85th percentile.

NEW MEXICO FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RANKNG:  50^th

The 4 major indicators relied upon to determine FAMILY AND COMMUNITY rankings are:

1. Children in single-parent families is the percentage of children under age 18 who live with their single parent in a family. Children not living with a parent are excluded.
2. Children in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma is the percentage of children under age 18 who live in households where the head of the household does not have a high school diploma or equivalent.
3. Children living in high-poverty areas is the percentage of children under age 18 who live in census tracts where the poverty rates of the total population are 30% or more. In 2023, a family of two adults and two children lived in poverty if the family’s annual income fell below $30,900. The data are based on income received in the 12 months prior to the survey.
4. Teen births per 1,000 is the number of births to teenagers ages 15 to 19 per 1,000 females in this age group. Data reflect the mother’s place of residence, not the place where the birth occurred.

Links to the 2024 Kids Count Data Book are  here:

Click to access Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook.pdf

https://www.aecf.org/resources/2025-kids-count-data-book

The 2025 Kids Count rankings are essentially identical to the  2024, 2023 Rankings. Following are rankings for the past 3 years for comparison:

In 2025 New Mexico rankings were as follows:

 Overall childhood well-being: 50^TH  

• Education: 50^TH
• Economic well-being: 49th
• Health: 46th
• Family and community: 50^th

The link to the 2025 Kids Count Data Book is here:

https://www.aecf.org/resources/2025-kids-count-data-book

In 2024 New Mexico Kids Count rankings were as follows:

• Overall childhood well-being: 50^TH
• Education: 50^TH
• Economic well-being: 48^TH
• Health: 44^TH
• Family and community: 49^TH

The link to the 2024 Kids Count Data Book is here:

https://www.aecf.org/resources/2024-kids-count-data-book

In 2023 New Mexico Kids Count rankings were as follows:

 Overall childhood well-being: 50th

• Education: 5Oth
• Economic well-being: 49^th
• Health: 44^th
• Family and community: 48^th

The link to the 2023 Kids Count Data Book is here:

Click to access aecf-2023kidscountdatabook-2023.pdf

REVISITING YAZZIE V. MARTINEZ 

The Kid’s Count rankings reflect a very disturbing lack of progress over the past five years since the 2018 landmark education court decision of YAZZIE V. MARTINEZ that should have had a direct impact on reversing New Mexico’s 50^th ranking in education.

It was on Friday, July 20, 2018, Santa Fe District Court Judge Sarah Singleton ruled in the case of Yazzie v. State of New Mexico and Governor Suzanna Martinez that the state of New Mexico was violating the constitutional rights of at-risk students by failing to provide them with a sufficient education. The Court ruling centered on the guaranteed right under the New Mexico Constitution to a sufficient education for all children. The lawsuit alleged a severe lack of state funding, resources and services to help students, particularly children from low-income families, students of color, including Native Americans, English-language learners and students with disabilities.

The Judge found that it was clear that many New Mexico students were not receiving the basic education in reading, writing and math they should be receiving in our public-school system. As a matter of law, Judge Singleton wrote the “lack of funds is not a defense to providing constitutional rights.”

In her blistering written opinion, Judge Singleton wrote:

“[The evidence presented at trial] proves that the vast majority of New Mexico’s at-risk children finish each school year without the basic literacy and math skills needed to pursue post-secondary education or a career. … Indeed, overall New Mexico children rank at the very bottom in the country for educational achievement. … The at-risk students are still not attaining proficiency at the rate of non-at-risk students … and the programs being lauded by [the Public Education Department] are not changing this picture.”

The court found that New Mexico students have a right to be college-and career-ready, a standard that was not being met by New Mexico’s education system. To address this, the state was ordered to take immediate action and establish an educational system that ensures at-risk students in New Mexico will be college and career ready.

PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT  ORDERED TO CREATE PLAN TO FIX  PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SYSTEM

On April 29, 2025 Santa Fe First Judicial District Court Judge Matthew  ruled that the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)  had not  complied with the rulings in Yazzie v. State of New Mexico and Governor Suzanna Martinez to improve the quality of education it provides to Native American and underserved students. Judge Wilson  ordered PED to begin the process for creating a plan to fix its primary and secondary education system.  Judge Wilson said the state needs a plan to ensure progress is made and tracked and said this in his ruling:

“The PED and the state of New Mexico is not in compliance with this court’s final judgement in [Yazzie v. State of New Mexico and Governor Suzanna Martinez. ]. … The defendants are ordered to develop a comprehensive remedial plan to address the continuing violation of at-risk student’s constitutional rights. …A court-ordered plan would provide guidance to the Legislature and the executive branches of government, particularly when making difficult budgetary decisions that need to survive political and economic shifts.”

Those affected by the court case include Native American students, English language learners, low-income students and those with disabilities. The argument is that those groups face significant educational disparities.

As part of the original ruling, the plaintiffs in the case have been waiting for the Public Education Department to submit a plan to address teacher workforce issues, class sizes, and a wide range of other factors.  Judge Matthew Wilson ordered PED to work with a legislative committee to make a new plan by July. Attorneys for the plaintiffs call it a win.   While a draft is due in July, PED has until December to submit a final plan. The court also require the PED to work with families and educators in order to develop that plan.

Public Education Department  released the following statement in reaction to Judge Wilsons ruling:

“The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) welcomes Judge Wilson’s decision to lead development of a plan providing all New Mexico students an excellent education, that will lead to resolution of the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit for students, parents and families. Improving student outcomes is central to our mission and this plan will support lasting improvements to our educational system. 

The Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit highlighted longstanding systemic challenges state education. The Court directed increased funding and programming for at-risk students, including those from economically disadvantaged homes, English Language Learners, Native American children, and children with disabilities. Since 2019, the state has substantially increased funding and taken significant steps to improve student performance and educator recruitment and retention.”

Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:

https://www.krqe.com/news/education/judge-orders-new-mexicos-ped-to-create-plan-for-better-educating-at-risk-students/

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_50688559-4760-4d15-8c12-18e16c33ffaa.html

NEW MEXICO’S FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TO KIDS

During the last 7 years, the New Mexico legislature has been very aggressive when it comes to increased funding to turn things around for New Mexico’s children when it comes to education and their wellbeing. Much of the legislatures efforts  have been a direct result of the 2018 landmark education case of Yazzie-Martinez v. New Mexico Public Education Department  where a  First Judicial District Court ruled the State of New Mexico violated students’ fundamental rights by failing to provide a sufficient public education mandated by the state constitution.

In fiscal year 2019, public education funding spiked. The biggest accomplishments of the 2019 Legislative session were the dramatic increases in public education funding, creation of the Early Childhood Department (CYFD), the mandates to Children, Youth and Families and Public Education departments, not to mention raises for educators and increasing CYFD social workers by 125 were clearly the biggest accomplishments of the 2019 Legislative session.

2019 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

Funding spiked in 2019  and was up to $306 million, including the following:

• $64 million for Pre-K to better prepare children for elementary school.
• $45 million for family, infant, toddler programs to help families with children with developmental delays.
• $30 million for K-3 Plus to add 25 days to the school year.

New Mexico is 1 of just 4 states with a stand-alone department dedicated to services targeting children through age 5. The initial operating budget for the new department was $419 million for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The new department is tasked with overseeing the state’s growing investment in prekindergarten, home visiting programs for new parents, childcare and similar services that previously were scattered across several departments. One of the key goals is to better coordinate the state’s network of early childhood services by housing them in one department rather than having them overseen separately by other departments.

2020 AND 2021 FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS

In 2020 the New Mexico Legislature created a $320 million early childhood education trust fund. In 2021, lawmakers and the governor agreed to up the spending on early childhood programs to $500 million.

2022 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

During the 2022 New Mexico Legislative session, a trio of bills were enacted  to fund programs to help Native American students succeed in school. The house bills provided more than $70 million to tribal entities to help offer culturally relevant lesson plans and access to virtual and after-school programs for those students.

The first bill appropriated $20 million from the state’s general fund to the Indian Education Act to be used to create culturally relevant learning programs, including Native language programs, for students in the K-12 system.

A second bill appropriated $21.5 million to help tribal education departments develop learning plans and programs for students, extend learning opportunities and support tribal school libraries.

The third bill was aimed at higher education and  appropriated $29.6 million to four state colleges and three tribal colleges for 53 initiatives.

In the summer of 2022, the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) released updates on the progress made in response to the Yazzie-Martinez ruling. The report highlights various initiatives undertaken by the state, including increased funding, expanded access to pre-kindergarten programs, and targeted support for struggling schools.

“According to the report, the state’s spending on public education has received a substantial boost. In fiscal year 2018, New Mexico’s education system was funded at the tune of $2.69 billion; in fiscal year 2024, the education system is being funded at $4.17 billion. That is an increase of $1.3 billion over five years. State funds have been channeled toward reducing class sizes, hiring additional teachers, improving professional development programs, and enhancing resources for English language learners and special education students.”

In November 2022, voters approved tapping the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund for roughly another $240 million annually for early childhood education and K-12 schools. The additional distribution of funding from the Permanent Land Grant Fund goes into effect on July 1.

2023 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

The enacted 2023-2024 New Mexico State budget contains major expenditures for  education and child wellbeing.  Those expenditures include:

• $220.1 Million for extended in-classroom learning time by increasing the number of minimum instructional hours per year in public schools.
• $30 Million to provide healthy universal school meals and to eliminate school meal costs for every New Mexico child.
• 9 Million to the Children, Youth and Families Department for 60 new protective services staff, to be supported by additional federal matching funds.
• $277.3 Million for continued investments in affordable, high-quality child care.
• $131 Million to maintain and expand access to high-quality pre-k education.
• $40.4 Million for the continued expansion of early childhood home visiting.
• $111.1 Million to provide a four percent salary increase forall school personnel.
• $157.4 Million for the Opportunity Scholarship program

2023 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

The 2024 enacted New Mexico budget includes the following funding  for public education:

• $4.43 billion in recurring funds for public schools. Annual spending on K-12 education increased by 6.1% to $4.43.
• $19.6 million to expand Pre-K
• $50 million to the tribal Educational Trust Fund
• $20 million to pilot and evaluate evidence-based strategies to improve the Children, Youth and Families Department
• $49 million for literacy, career technical education and community school programs
• $14 million in early literacy support
• $55 million for culturally relevant and bilingual materials
• $62.7 million for 2% salary increases, bringing all school personnel up to $15 per hour
• $43 million to expand early childhood care
• $750,000 to support adult literacy programs
• $2 million for attendance programs

2024 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

On February 12, 2024, the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year state budget was passed by the New Mexico Legislature. It contains  a 6.5% increase in recurring funds from last year’s  2023-2024 fiscal year.  The largest slice of the general fund goes to public schools, which are slated to receive about $4.3 billion for the fiscal year. That includes more than $94 million to give a flat 3% raise to all public-school employees, an amount that was trimmed by a Senate Finance Committee. Before public school employees were looking at a total average of 4% raises.  The final version the budget approved by the Senate includes $30 million for summer reading intervention programs, $14 million for early literacy and reading support and $5 million to train secondary educators in the science of reading.

2025 EDUCATION BUDGET FUNDING

During the 2025 legislative session, several bills were approved during the 60-day legislative session that will likely benefit New Mexico’s children and their well being. The legislation includes a $10.8 billion budget bill that directs over $100 million to transitional housing and the state’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department. The legislature also  created a new state Medicaid trust fund that could help the state weather federal funding decreases, legislation expanding childcare assistance for prekindergarten children and established an outside oversight office to review complaints involving CYFD

CYFD REMAINS IN CONTROVERSY

Complicating matters for New Mexico’s children is the fact the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) remains mired in controversy. The state  has one of the lowest average median household incomes in the U.S., and while the state has the second-richest sovereign wealth fund in the nation and has, in recent years, markedly spent more on education, those efforts have yet to yield discernible dividends.

REACTION TO NEW MEXICO KIDS COUNT RANKINGS

The nonprofit New Mexico Voices for Children, which partnered with the Annie E. Casey Foundation on the report,  noted  that the state has passed legislation and additional funding specifically  directed at improving education and childhood well-being since 2023 and  believes the state’s ranking could change in the coming years. New Mexico Voices for Children also think the state’s circumstances and demographics don’t warrant a comparison to others.  Gabrielle Uballez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children said this:

“Other states have vastly different circumstances than New Mexico, whether that’s their population, their racial and ethnic makeup, their just general structure. … We like to look at comparing New Mexico to itself.”

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, noted the bills approved during this year’s 60-day legislative session that will  benefit New Mexico children.  Speaker Martínez said this:

“I’m a big believer in data, data is always good. It helps us improve. I’m really proud of all of the work we’ve done over the last several legislative sessions. … Those are all good things, and I think that eventually we’ll see those returns. Having said that, I do think that there’s more work that remains to be done.”

One New Mexico lawmaker questions  if the state’s increased spending and new policies are yielding results.  Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow, Truth or Consequences, said this in a phone interview with the Albuquerque Journal:

“We have had unprecedented investments in early childhood education, we’ve had the Zuni lawsuit and Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit, and even this year, the judge says we are not making improvements on educational outcomes. … It’s time for parents to be in charge of their kid’s education and for dollars to follow students. We are so far behind the curve … we can look to any state and do better.”

Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow expressed support for school-choice programs, noting declining enrollment in public schools and saying that “poverty is an excuse” and that “if poverty is keeping children in a failing school system, all the more reason to pass school choice.” Dow said this:

“The courts agreed the families who felt like the public education system was failing them went to court, and the courts agreed that New Mexico is failing to adequately educate students. The remedy was to give money to the system that was failing students. … It’s time to stop funding the same system, and one size will never fit all.”

Amanda Aragon, the executive director of New Mexico Kids Can, said this of New Mexico’s rankings:

“When a data point is telling us this child is grade levels below? My question is, what are we doing about it? … For me, it means we have to make a change. Now, for some people in the state, they’re saying maybe not, maybe because we have a lot of poor children. That’s just how it’s going to be. … Or maybe because we have a lot of English learners. That’s how it’s going to be. And I just fundamentally don’t believe that. So I think some of those excuses for why we’ve been at the bottom I think have not served us well.”

Aragon sees that New Mexico has started on the same journey Mississippi was on years ago, specifically in early literacy. She said the state assumed educators knew how to teach reading, now all teachers have been trained on the subject. Aragon said this:

“So what Mississippi did 10 years ago, everyone knows about now everyone’s trying to be Mississippi. So we not only have to do better, but we have to outperform the other states that are also doing better.”

But there is more that Mississippi has done according to Aragon. She suggests New Mexico should make changes in big waves, rather than in small increments. Aragon said this:

“Instead of coming up with strategies that we know work and keeping those strategies consistent through different governors and different legislative cycles, we go back and forth, we do something, and then it changes.”

Aragon also raised the point that communities should make their voice heard as well, especially to elected officials, saying this:

“Our House of Representatives, for example, has elections over two years, that doesn’t necessarily create an environment where you want to stick your neck out on the line to make bold policy decisions. And so I don’t think anyone is intentionally skirting away from doing hard things, I think it’s just the system kind of rewards them in weird ways, for not doing the hard things. And that’s why I keep coming back to this idea of, like, the community has to tell the government that it’s time for something different, that we are not going to accept being 50th in education anymore.”

Ellen Bernstein, the president of Albuquerque Teachers Federation, believes policymakers should take a comprehensive look at all things that affect education to make the best decisions. Bernstein said this:

“You know, we’ve got to do something with education, but they never do anything with food insecurity, or traumatic experiences for children, we have to look at it combined. And that way, we can really increase our scores in every area. ”

Bernstein said there is a national trend showing that many states are looking to elevate the living conditions, and the wages of the families so that they can provide better for their kids. Bernstein said it should be a collaborative effort among educators, policy makers, and support systems to have better outcomes.

Bernstein highlighted the importance of support from families, specifically parents and said this:

“But if they’re working two and three jobs, and they’re trying to get some sleep, and they’re not getting their kid to school, I mean, it’s all interconnected.”

Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_8d2799db-8229-41a1-bca6-636f9a8a124a.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block

https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-last-kids-count-data-report/6111377

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

After a full 7 years of millions spent each year on the state education programs and departments created, it difficult to accept why New Mexico has not improved in the annual Kids Count Data Book. If anything, the ratings are getting worse.

Public education leaders must  take responsibility for what is happening and its mismanagement. It’s a failure to hold people accountable  for failing our kids.

Judge Wilson  ordering  PED to begin the process for creating a plan to fix its primary and secondary education system was long overdue.

The  state needs  a plan to ensure progress is made and tracked.

No one knows for sure how much more time and more funding will it take to turn things around.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a summary review of the enacted Fiscal Year 2026 budget for the City of Albuquerque. The POSTSCRIPT contains a summary breakdown of the individual budgets for the 29 city departments with highlights.

On Monday, May 19, Albuquerque City approved a $1.5 billion city budget on a 6-2 vote.  Voting YES for enactment of the budget were Democrats Joquine Baca, Nicole Rogers, Louie Sanchez, Tammy Feibelkorn and Republicans Renee Grout and Dan Champine. Voting  NO were Republican City Councilor Dan Lewis and Democrat City Councilor Klarissa Peña. Republican Council President Brook Bassan was absent.

The fiscal year begins July 1, 2025 and ends June 30, 2025. The enacted budget is a whopping $1.5 billion budget. Last year’s 2025 was $1.4 billion. The $1.5 billion budget continues investments in public safety, programs to address homelessness, small businesses and community development, and initiatives that benefit working families.

The General Fund Budget, which is the  funding for the individual city departments, is $870.49 million, an increase of $19.2 million or a 2.3% increase above the 2025 budget. It maintains fundamental service efforts from previous years with reductions in expenses from projected savings and reductions in recuring expenses from unfilled vacant positions.

The link to review the entire 234 page proposed 2026 fiscal year budget with bars and graphs and the individual 27 departments proposed budgets is here:

https://www.cabq.gov/dfa/documents/fy26-proposed-budget-web-version.pdf

APPROPRIATIONS

The approved  General Fund budget for FY/26 is $870.4 million reflecting a total increase of $19.2 million or 2.3% from the original approved FY/25 budget, not including reserves. The amount of non-recurring appropriations at $29.1 million is slightly lower as compared to the $32.4 million in the original approved FY/25 budget. This decrease reflects the reduction of $3.3 million in non-recurring funding that supported various one-time initiatives in FY/25.

REVENUE AND SOURCES

For the FY/26 approved  budget, recurring revenues are estimated to be $866 million, which is 4.4%, or $36.9 million, above the FY/25 estimated actual. Total Gross Receipts Tax revenue is expected to grow 2.9%, or by $16.6 million.

Total operating resources for all funds is projected at $1.5 billion for FY/26. This is $102.5 million higher than the FY/25 original approved budget of $1.39 billion. The increase is the result of estimated additional tax, service revenue, and use of fund balance.  Revenue categories continued to demonstrate slight economic growth from the FY/25 original budget as the City has normalized from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Gross Receipt Tax (GRT), enterprise revenues, and property taxes together make up 64.3% of the City’s total revenues. GRT is the City’s major source of revenue and is estimated at $603 million or 40.2% of total resources for FY/26. Property Tax comprises 13% of total revenue.

The various enterprises operated by the City are estimated to generate 11.1% of total revenue in FY/26. Inter-fund transfers and the use of available fund balances make up the next category of revenue at 21.1%, while the other categories that include payments from other governmental entities, permits, fees, and other charges, comprise 14.6% of overall remaining City revenue.

MAYOR’S STATEMEMT ON BUDGET PASSAGE

After the council vote, a Keller news release said the budget passed with strong support and minimal changes, maintaining key investments in public safety, homelessness response, and family services. Keller said this:

“This budget builds on real momentum, lower crime, more shelter and treatment options, and stronger support for working families. Together, we’re investing in a safer, more compassionate, and more resilient city.”

City Chief Financial Officer Kevin Sourisseau said this:

“We’re protecting the core services our residents count on every day while preparing responsibly for economic uncertainty. …This budget holds the line on our values and ensures we keep moving in the right direction.”

CITY COUNCILOR’S REACT TO BUDGET PASSAGE

 Republican City Councilor Renee Grout chairs the Committee of the Whole, which considers the budget and the capital improvements program proposed by the mayor. She said councilors had little to work with,  but were able to support key goals. Grout said this:

“The passage of the FY 2026 budget and the adoption of our one-year objectives … demonstrate the council’s dedication to both sound financial management and a focused approach to addressing the needs of our growing community. … “These actions provide the framework for how we intend to serve Albuquerque residents in the coming year.”

Grout said she’s hopeful the city sees revenues pick up, giving councilors the opportunity to give employees a mid-year pay hike.

Democrat City Councilor Louie Sanchez said the final budget includes some items that were important to him and his constituents, but leaves the city with a bloated administration and little left over to support rank-and-file employees. The council approved a Sanchez amendment that guarantees $250,000 for a domestic violence sexual assault commission.

Republican City Councilor Dan Lewis said there are a lot of good things in the budget, but that it also misses the mark in important ways. Lewis said this:

“We could have given a significant amount of increase to the people who do the most work in this city, but we didn’t do that. … There’s not a whole lot in this budget that I can support, and I don’t think it serves the people of the city very well.”

Lewis said “all the wrong departments” have grown during Mayor Keller’s tenure and that the budget doesn’t include money for the police department to hire enough new officers to adequately address the city’s crime problem.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The city council’s biggest disappointment was being unable to provide pay hikes they wanted for city employees. The budget, as amended, calls for many workers to receive a 2.5% pay raise.

Mayor Tim Keller’s proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year included a 2% raise for employees. The council then approved an amendment adding another 0.5% after voting down another that would have increased the total to 3%, but devoted less to libraries, open space management, after-school programs and other priorities.

The raises apply to employees not associated with the firefighters’ union, which had negotiated a separate deal. Their total cost is just over $2 million, about half of which was freed up when the U.S. Department of Justice ended federal oversight of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Workers in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees may get larger pay increases, as the budget brings all employees in that union up to the minimum negotiated rate.

MAYOR TIM KELLER’S PRIORITES FOR THIRD TERM REFLECTED IN BUDGET

Ever since Tim Keller was first elected Mayor in 2017, public safety, addressing the homeless, housing and the behavioral health crisis have been his top priorities as Mayor. The proposed F/Y 26 budget reflects a continuation of Mayor Keller’s priorities as he seeks of third 4 year term as Mayor.

PUBLIC SAFETY

As has been the case for the last 7  years, crime reduction and public safety are Keller’s major priorities reflected in the 2026 enacted budget. The approved budget fully funds police, fire, and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department.

The Crime statistics  in most major categories for 2024 are down. APD’s arrest rates have increased, and the homicide solve rate remains above 90% for the third straight year.

The Albuquerque Community Safety department provides an alternative response for mental and behavioral health calls. It has taken 100,000 calls for service and freed police officers to focus on violent crime.

This 2026 enacted budget includes staffing and operating costs projected for Fire Station 23, located at the forthcoming Southwest Public Safety Center, which is slated to open in Q2 of the fiscal year.

The Albuquerque Police Department and the Fire and Rescue Department are two of the largest departments of the 27 departments for City operating appropriations, primarily due to their large work forces.

The two departments together comprise upwards of 30% of the total fund appropriations of $1.5 billion and upwards of 47% % of the General Fund appropriations of $845.9 million in FY/26.

The approved F/Y 26  budget fully funds police, fire, and the community safety department. The most notable line item appropriations  for public safety include:

• $2.7 million to centralize critical safety technologies and improve officer training and reporting efficiencies. This investment ensures that APD remains at the forefront of officer safety, accountability, and operational effectiveness.
• $2.1 million to support the retention of officers with 19+ years of service and keep effective personnel in the force.
• $2.8 million to support the school-based violence intervention program and the taskforce on domestic violence.
• $10.2 million to support the Community Safety field response program that provides adequate response to the community to address non-violent mental and behavioral health emergencies with implementation of the bi-lateral split of the city into two area commands.
• $1.1 million for the staffing and operating costs projected for Fire Station 23 in the Southwest quadrant of the city will be equipped with one four-person Advanced Life Support truck and will offer improved service for the area’s growing population and needs.
• $6.5 million for the collective bargaining agreement contract negotiated with the Fire department union.

HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 

For the last 7 years, the Keller Administration has attempted to take a comprehensive approach to address homelessness, behavioral health, and addiction treatment. Over the past three years, the Keller Administration has taken critical steps to build a network of support for the unhoused called the Gateway Network System. The City is now providing shelter and services to more than 1,000 men, women, and children nightly through the Gateway Network, with more programs and services coming online this year.

By using operating and opioid settlement dollars, the Gateway system will attempt to take hundreds more off  the streets and into addiction and other treatment programs, and into housing.

The priorities contained  in the F/Y 26 budget include:

• Leveraging opioid settlement funding to get hundreds more people off our streets and connected to the treatment, housing, and services they need to recover.
• $8 million for permanent supportive housing vouchers to support the City’s Housing First model. Full funding for service contracts for mental health, substance abuse, early intervention and prevention programs, domestic violence shelters and services, sexual assault services, health and social service center providers, and services to abused, neglected and abandoned youth.
• $6.9 million for Gateway West, which has operated at close to full occupancy for much of the year.
• $500 thousand to continue the funding for Albuquerque Street Connect, a highly effective program that focuses on people experiencing homelessness who use the most emergency services and care, to establish ongoing relationships that result in permanent supportive housing.

The City of Albuquerque has created what is called the Gateway Network of support for people struggling with homelessness and addiction. The network includes the following:

1. Gateway Center– Campus providing medical, behavioral, and social services including overnight beds, first responder intake, medical sobering and respite.

• Annual Impact: 20,200 Individuals
• Open Since 2022, more services coming in 2025

2. Gateway West – Safe, supportive 660-bed facility for individuals experiencing homelessness, offering specialized resources and case management.

• Annual Impact:5,700 Individuals
• Open 24/7 Since 2019

3. Gateway Family – Supportive housing center for families with overnight beds, meals, and case management to help achieve stable housing.

• Annual Impact: 987 Individuals
• Open Since 2020

4. Gateway Recovery– 50-resident micro-community offering low-barrier beds, recovery services, and support for 18 – 24 months.

• Annual projected Impact: 50 – 100
• Opening Early 2025

5. Gateway Young Adult – Housing and support for young adults ages 15-25 experiencing homelessness, tailored to their unique needs.

• Annual projected Impact: 120 Individuals
• Opening Late 2025

The Gateway Center Houses Critical Services And Seven Tenants.

The services provided are:

• First Responder Receiving Area – 20 people/night
• Medical Sobering Center – 50 people/night
• Medical Respite Center – 50 people/night
• Women’s Navigation Center – 50 people/night plus additional 50 coming on line
• Men’s Navigation Center – 92 people/night with the beds coming on line
• Engagement Center – providing connection/access services to more than 1,000 people per year

The Tenants are:

• Turquoise Lodge Behavioral Hospital
• Haven Behavioral Hospital
• Ideal Option Substance Use Disorder Treatment
• AMG Hospital
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Vizionz-Sankofa Resource Center
• Albuquerque Community Safety – Trauma Recovery Center

KELLER’S UNSUSTAINABLE BLACK HOLE OF EXPENDURES

Mayor Tim Keller has taken an “all the above approach” to deal with the city’s homeless crisis. It’s an unsustainable “black hole” of expenditures.

Keller has established a total of five shelters that are to operate as an integrated system. The shelters are:

1. The Gibson Gateway Shelter.
2. The Gateway West Shelter.
3. The Gateway Family Shelter.
4. The Youth Homeless Shelter.
5. The Recovery Shelter.

In the last three years, the city has spent upwards of $275 million on homeless shelters, programs and purchasing and remodeling motels for low-income housing. In 2021, the city acquired the Lovelace Hospital for $15 million and spent $90 million to remodel it into the Gateway shelter. In the last two years, the Keller Administration spent $25 million to purchase and remodel motels for low-income housing.

In fiscal year 2021-2022, the Family Community Services Department spent $35 million on homeless initiatives. In fiscal year 2022-2023 the department spent another $59 million on homeless initiatives. On June 23, 2022, Keller announced that the city was adding $48 million to the fiscal year 2023 budget to address housing and homelessness issues in Albuquerque.

The fiscal year 2026 approved General Fund budget for the Health, Housing and Homelessness Department is $53.3 million. The sum includes $48 million for strategic support, health and human services, affordable housing, mental health services, emergency shelter services, homeless support services, shelter operations, substance abuse services and $4.2 million for the Gibson Gateway maintenance division.

The city is seeking funding for 116 separate services contracts totaling $53.7 million to pay for services provided to the unhoused:

1. $30.4 million for 32 affordable housing contracts.
2. $6.3 million for 12 emergency shelter contracts.
3. $2 million for 16 health and human service contracts.
4. $5.7 million for 29 homeless support service contracts.
5. $3.8 million for five Gateway Shelter operating contracts.
6. $2.2 million for 11 mental health service contracts.
7. $2.6 million for 11 substance abuse treatment contracts.

The 2024 Point In Time homeless survey found an 18% increase in Albuquerque’s homeless numbers. The PIT survey identified 2,740 people experiencing homelessness, including 1,231 on the streets, 1,289 in emergency shelters and 220 in transitional housing. The HHH Department’s fiscal year 2026 budget performance measures report emergency unsheltered as 6,103 in 2023, 7,420 in 2024, 7,257 targeted in 2025 and 8,439 targeted in 2026.

Keller has allowed the unhoused to proliferate city streets, parks and open spaces declining to enforce city and state vagrancy laws and make arrests. The problem is the chronic unhoused refuse to accept city services as Keller continues to throw city resources at the crisis.

A 2025 report by the city found 30% of individuals experiencing homelessness self report having a serious mental illness, 25% self report having a substance use disorder and around 66% experience some form of mental health condition. Upwards of 75% of the chronic, emergency unhoused simply refuse city services.

Keller has essentially proclaimed the unhoused as “wards of the city.” The mayor’s approach is not sustainable. Such responsibility must be undertaken by the state or federal government.

The millions spent to help the unhoused with many refusing services would have gone a long way to finance community centers, senior citizen centers, police and fire substations, preschool or after school programs, senior citizen programs, and police and fire programs.

VIABLE SOLUTION TO DEAL WITH UNHOUSED WHO REFUSE SERVICES

A  viable and  solution to deal with mentally ill and drug addicted homeless people who refuse city services is the initiation of civil mental health commitments by the state to mandate mental health care or drug addiction counseling in a hospital setting after a court hearing determining a person is a danger to themselves or others. Such an approach would get the mentally ill and drug addicted the health care they desperately need and off the streets.

The 2025 New Mexico  legislature enacted the Behavioral Health package that will fund half billion-trust fund to build behavioral health facilities an hire personnel in 3 regions overseen by the courts to ensure due process of law and protect civil rights of the mentally ill. The county also has behavioral health tax where facilities are also being built.

Part of the enacted behavioral health package expands the definition of “serious danger to self and others”. The Bernalillo County District Attorney is authorized under the law to initiate civil mental health commitments and get people committed for longer periods of time to compel treatment and get them the mental health care and substance abuse counseling they need, thereby making those committed wards of the state.

Mayor Keller and the city was misguided to convert the old Lovelace hospital to a 24/7 shelter and should have kept it as a hospital and use the 200 patient rooms for civil mental health commitments. Instead the  Keller Administration rezoned the hospital for a 24/7 homeless shelter.

FINAL COMMENT

One thing is for certain, Keller’s emphasis on providing services for the homeless had a direct impact on city council priorities  including being able to provide pay hikes they wanted for city employees. Any complaints from the Council that they are disappointed should be totally disregarded given the extent in which they essentially rubber stamped all that Mayor Keller wanted as he seeks a third, four year term. The city council failed in its oversight of the city budget.

The links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here:

https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/city-administration2019s-budget-prioritizes-safety-jobs-families

https://citydesk.nm.news/2025/its-budget-time-in-albuquerque-again/

https://nm.news/2025/05/20/albuquerques-1-5-billion-budget-is-approved-but-city-councilors-arent-celebrating/?mc_cid=8c21e6daf4&mc_eid=001367acf1

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/albuquerque-city-councilors-approve-1-5b-budget/

______________________________________

POSTSCRIPT

Following is a breakdown of the 29 City Department Budgets with highlights.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

The city of Albuquerque employs upwards 7,000 full-time, part time and contract employees who work for a total of 29 separate city hall departments with each having their own budgets. Those 29 departments are:

1. Animal Welfare
2. Arts & Cultural Affairs
3. Aviation
4. Chief Administrative Office
5. City Support
6. Civilian Police Oversight Agency
7. Community Safety
8. Council Services
9. Economic Development
10. Environmental Health
11. Finance and Administrative Services
12. Fire And Rescue General Services
13. General Services
14. Health, Housing, and Homelessness
15. Human Resources
16. Legal
17. Mayor’s Office
18. Municipal Development
19. Office of the City Clerk
20. Office of Inspector General
21. Office of Internal Audit
22. Parks and Recreation Department
23. Planning
24. Police
25. Senior Affairs
26. Solid Waste
27. Technology & Innovation
28. Transit
29. Youth Family Services

SUMMARY DEPARTMENT BUDGETS REVIEWED

Following are the highlights of the 29 department budget adopted by the City Council

ANIMAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT

The Animal Welfare Department is dedicated to improving  the health and well-being of Albuquerque pets through a variety of programs and initiatives. These initiatives include animal shelters,  adoption centers, veterinary clinics,  “We Care” Community Pet Services Unit (providing vaccinations, microchipping and free to low cost spay/neuter for those that qualify),  a free dog training class with every adoption, Animal Protection Services (public-safety), foster program, a community-cat program, a public information initiative, dog house program,  dog tag program,  pet food bank,  a volunteer program. The approved FY/26 General Fund budget for Animal Welfare totals $16.5 million, a decrease of $106 thousand, or 0.6%, from the FY/25 original budget of $16.3 million. The FY/26 Animal Welfare Department budget contains funding for a total count of 158 FTEs and this number identical to last year.

ARTS AND CULTURE

The Department of Arts and Culture is comprised of seven divisions. The Albuquerque Biological Park (BioPark) operates the Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Gardens, Heritage Farm, Bugarium, and Tingley Beach. The Albuquerque Museum protects and displays the artwork and historical items of the middle Rio Grande valley and brings world renowned traveling exhibits to the City.The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget for the Department of Arts and Culture totals $52.8 million, a $416 thousand, or 0.8%, decrease from the FY/25 original budget. The proposed budget for the Arts and Cultural Department contains funding for  415 FTE’s which is one more than the 2025 FTE’s of 414.

FEE INCREASES

The F/Y 2026 proposed budget would increase the entrance fees for the Albuquerque Bio Park by $1. The increases come a year after the council approved fee increases for the Bio Park, municipal golf courses, and aquatic centers in last year’s budget, even as budget documents raise concerns about revenue for those services. Last year’s proposed budget raised golf, pool and zoo fees to generate about $2.5 million. However, this year’s budget notes a concern of “lower consumer demand as the economy cools, and absent any notable population growth,” and said revenue from the services was down 3.7% in February.

The BioPark’s attendance from June 2023 to July 2024, or fiscal year  2024 was 1.1 million, a slight increase from the previous year. So far in fiscal year 2025, from June 2024 to July 2025, budget documents report 568,915 visitors. Only BioPark visitors from in-state will feel the increase proposed for this year. Whether adults, seniors or children, they would pay $1 more upon entry. Last year, the council approved a fee increase of $5 for out-of-state visitors.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_84ca3efb-af0e-4278-ba8d-9e3aacd27987.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block

Aviation

The Aviation Department operates two municipal airports: The Albuquerque International Sunport, which covers approximately 2,200 acres on Albuquerque’s east side; and Double Eagle II (DE II) Reliever Airport, which covers approximately 4,500 acres on Albuquerque’s west side. The proposed FY/26 operating budget for the City’s two airports, including transfers for capital and debt service needs, is $121 million, or an increase of 41.1%. The adopted F/Y 26 budget includes funding for a total of 306 FTE’s which is six more than the F/Y 25 of 300.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

The Department of the Chief Administrative Office (CAO) supports the Mayor of the City of Albuquerque and general city functions. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council to provide day-to-day management of the City. Together, the Mayor and CAO provide the leadership and direction to execute policies of the Mayor and those legislated by the City Council.  The approved FY/26 General Fund budget for the Department of the Chief Administrative Office is $4.3 million, a decrease of 36.2% or $2.4 million from the FY/25 original level. The decrease is largely due to the budget realignment of $3.5 million to align positions with their reporting City Department.  The CAO has a total of 23  FTE’s for FY/26 an increase of  5 from FY/25.

CITY SUPPORT

City Support functions as a division of City government that operates as a virtual department consisting of a number of diverse, city-wide, financial programs. The approved FY/26 General Fund budget for City Support is $36.71 million, a 0.7% decrease from the FY/25 original budget of $36.96 million.

CIVILIAN POLICE OVERSIGHT AGENCY

The Civilian Police Oversight Agency (CPOA) receives and investigates complaints and compliments about the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) from community members. The CPOA also reviews APD practices and policies and makes policy recommendations to the Chief of Police, the Mayor and City Council. City Ordinance mandates that the CPOA function as independently as possible from City Administration and City Council in order to carry out the Agency’s mission free of any perceived or actual bias. The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget is $3 million, an increase of 7.7%, or $218 thousand, above the FY/25original budget. The department has a total of 21 FTEs, including the Department Director, investigators and support staff.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

The Albuquerque Community Safety Department (ACS) dispatches first responders to 911 calls with or without other first responders from the police and fire departments. ACS responders may have backgrounds as social workers, peer-to-peer support, clinicians, counselors, or in similar fields. It is a cabinet-level department responding to calls on inebriation (down and outs), homelessness, addiction, and mental health. It works alongside APD and AFR as a third option for 911 dispatch.  Personnel changes include the mid-year creation of positions for 3 field operations program managers and a community outreach manager at $527 thousand and budget neutral reclassifications of a mental and behavioral health division manager to an associate director and a violence intervention program special projects manager to a violence intervention manager.The FY/26 approved  General Fund budget for Community Safety is $17.9 million, a $38 thousand or 0.2% decrease from the FY/25 original budget. The F/Y 26 proposed budget for ACSD includes funding for a total of 140 full time employees (FTE) which is an increase of 9 FTEs over last years131 FTEs.

On April 2, 2025, ACS announced it had reached the milestone of taking 100,000 calls for service since opening in 2021. In recent years, ACS has gone from handling 900 calls a month to handling 3,000 a month, becoming a 24/7 service and opening a standalone headquarters in 2024. Despite thousands of calls being rerouted to ACS during that time, fatal confrontations between officers and those in crisis have continued. In recent years, APD officers have shot and killed several people, a fair number of whom were armed, during a behavioral health crisis.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_27832522-fac2-4fdb-b928-e3495e5c91c5.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block

COUNCIL SERVICES

Council Services provides support services to the Albuquerque City Council. City Council is the governing body charged with setting long-term goals and short-term objectives, enacting policy, adopting a budget for the operations of city government, and coordinating with other agencies. Albuquerque is divided into nine districts. Each district is represented by one councilor elected by district residents. The adopted FY/26 General Fund budget is $8.8 million, a 1.1% or $99 thousand increase from the FY/25 original budget. Technical adjustments include funding of $99 thousand for councilor required salary adjustments; $41 thousand for the employer’s share of the State mandated PERA increase of 0.5%. Council services employs a total of 43 FTE’s including the Director and City Council analysts and secretaries.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Economic Development Department provides services intended to bring long-term economic vitality to the City. Included in the department are the economic development division, the film and music offices, the international trade division, the management of contracts for tourism and the program for economic development investments. The FY/26 approved  General Fund budget form the Economic Development Department is $5.1 million, a $72, 000 or 1.4% increase over the FY/25 original budget. The department employs 17 full time employees and that has remained unchanged for the last 3 years.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

The Environmental Health Department leads the City of Albuquerque in protecting the immediate and long-term health, safety and well-being of all citizens. Multiple department programs and divisions focus on public health and environmental threat prevention such as infectious diseases, climate change, environmental contamination, and air pollution. Accordingly, the department provides services such as restaurant inspections, mosquito control, regional air and groundwater monitoring, landfill remediation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.  The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget totals $6.2 million, an increase of $942 thousand, or 18%, above the FY/25 original budget. A total of 91 FTEs have been approved for F/Y 26 an increase by 7.

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

The Finance and Administrative Services Department provides internal services including accounting, budget, purchasing, risk management, treasury, investment management, emergency management, metropolitan redevelopment, and equity and inclusion oversight.

The approved  FY/26 General Fund appropriation is  $17.1 million, an increase of 5.1%, or $827 thousand above the FY/25 original budget. A total of 158 FTE’s have been approved for FY/26.

FIRE AND RESCUE GENERAL SERVICES

The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget for the Albuquerque Fire and Rescue Department (AFRD) is $132.4 million. It reflects an increase of 10.4% or $12.5 million above the FY/25 original budget. The budget contains funding of $6.5 million for the union negotiated Cost of Living Allocation (COLA), along with $3.8 million for the FY/25 negotiated COLA. The overtime appropriation was increased to $833,000 in proportion to union wage adjustments. The approved  F/Y 26 budget for AFRD includes funding for a total of 827 full time employees (FTE) which is an increase of 6 FTEs over last years 821 FTEs.

GENERAL SERVICES

The General Services Department (GSD) was created in FY/23 with the key responsibility of centralizing maintenance of major City facilities such as the Albuquerque Government Center, the Baseball Stadium and the Convention Center, which includes contract management. This department assumes responsibility for the facilitation of security and fleet operations throughout the City. GSD also includes Energy and Sustainability as well as the Law Enforcement Center. The FY/26 approved  General Services budget is $22.9 million, a decrease of 0.5% or $119 thousand below the FY/25 original budget.  A total of 224 FTE’s have been approved for the department for FY/26 a reduction of 3.

HEALTH, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS DEPARTMENT

The Health, Housing and Homelessness (HHH) Department provides a range of services.  The services offered by the department directly or by contract with community providers include the following:

• Behavioral health services which include mental health and substance abuse treatment programs
• Homeless services
• Domestic violence support
• Health care
• Gang/violence intervention and prevention
• Public health services.
• Rental assistance; and
• Affordable housing developments

HHH also operates four Health and Social Service Centers. Services are incorporated within programs to allow for performance measures and to align specifically to city goals and desired community conditions.

The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget for HHH totals $53.3 million, including $8 million for housing vouchers budgeted in City Support for the transfer to Operating Grant Fund (265), an increase of $2.1 million above the FY/25 original budget. The FY/26 proposed budget for the department’s grants are estimated at $4.2 million in the Community Development Fund and $2.5 million in the Operating Grants Fund. The F/Y 26 approved  budget for HHH includes funding for a total of 100 full time employees (FTE) which is identical to F/Y 25.

F/Y 2026 proposed budget reveals the following funding for 116 contracts to assist the homeless and the substance addicted:

• $30,381,000 for 32 Affordable Housing contracts,
• $6,347,619 for 12 Emergency Shelter contracts,
• $1,962,480 for 16 Health Service Contracts,
• $5,746,188 for 29 Homeless Support Service Contracts,
• $3,864,500 for 5 Gateway Shelter Operating contracts,
• $2,825,400 for 11 Mental Health Service Contracts,
• $2,573,526 million for 11 Substance Abuse Treatment Contracts

The grand total of all contracts is $53,79,149.

HUMAN RESOURCES

The Human Resources Department provides personnel management and employment services to the City of Albuquerque. Key focuses are: job classifications; competitive compensation and benefits programs; training and promotional opportunities for all employees; and dissemination, maintenance and interpretation of the Personnel Rules & Regulations to ensure consistency and compliance with the Merit System Ordinance.

The approved  General Fund FY/26 budget for Human Resources is $5.9 million, a decrease of 3.2%, or $194 thousand below the FY/25 original budget. A total of 47 FTEs have been approved for FY/26.

LEGAL

The Legal Department advises the City in all legal matters, and consists of six main divisions: the Litigation Division; the Employment Law Division; the Municipal Affairs Division; the Division of Property, Finance, Development and Public Information; the Policy Division; and the Compliance Division. The Legal Department’s mission is to provide timely and quality legal advice to the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and all City departments; to effectively represent the City of Albuquerque in litigation in state and federal courts and administrative hearings; and how to legally bring about effective policy changes. The approved FY/26 General Fund budget is $7.1 million, an increase of $453 thousand over the FY/25 original budget. 53 total full-time positions have been approved for the department including the City Attorney and Deputy City Attorneys, para legals and secretaries.

MAYOR’S OFFICE

The Mayor’s Office supports the elected chief executive and ceremonial head of the City pursuant to the City Charter. The office is comprised of support staff and constituent services that keep the Mayor in touch with residents of Albuquerque and their concerns. The Mayor provides the leadership and direction to execute policies and those legislated by the City Council to provide municipal goods, services, facilities, and infrastructure required of a modern city.  The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget for the Mayor’s Office is $1.1 million, a decrease of 15.6% or $195 thousand from the FY/25 original budget. The Mayor’s office employs a total of 5 FTEs approved for FY/26.

MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT

The Department of Municipal Development (DMD) operates and maintains City streets, storm drains, traffic signals, street lighting, parking operations, and the development and design of capital public buildings. The FY/26 approved General Fund budget totals $37.6 million, a decrease of $57,000, or 0.2%, below the FY/25 original budget. The FY/26 Gasoline Tax Road Fund proposed budget is $5.4 million, a decrease of 23.5% or $1.7 million from FY/25. The FY/26 Automated Speed Enforcement Fund proposed budget is $2.8 million, an increase of 11.4% or $285 thousand from the FY/25 original budget. The Parking Enterprise FY/26 proposed budget of $5.9 million reflects an increase of 4.6%, or $263 thousand, from the FY/25 original budget.  Parking Facilities funds 49 full-time positions. The F/Y 26 approved  budget for the Department of Municipal Development includes funding for a total of 337 full time employees (FTE) which is one less than the F/Y 2025 budget of 338.

OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK

The Office of the City Clerk maintains official records for the City of Albuquerque, administers the public financing program for municipal elections, accepts bids from the general public, as well as accepts service of process for summons, subpoenas and tort claims on behalf of the City of Albuquerque. The City Clerk is the chief records custodian for the City of Albuquerque and processes requests for public records pursuant to the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The Office of the City Clerk also manages the Office of Administrative Hearings and is responsible for conducting all hearings specifically assigned by City of Albuquerque ordinance, including animal appeals, handicap parking and personnel matters. The Office of the City Clerk is responsible for the preservation, maintenance and provision of public records. The Office also prepares and administers the City’s Municipal elections public financing program. The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget is $5.2 million, a decrease of 12%, or $702 thousand, below the FY/25 original budget. A total of 38 FTEs have been approved for the department.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

The Office of Inspector General is an independent office of City Government and does not report to the City’s executive branch nor the City Council. The Office of Inspector General reports directly to the Accountability in Government Oversight Committee, which provides oversight to the Office of Inspector General and reviews and approves all investigatory reports. The mission of the department is  to provide independent and objective insight, oversight, and foresight in promoting integrity, efficiency, overall effectiveness, accountability, and transparency in government to safeguard and preserve the public trust. The approve FY/26 budget for the Office of Inspector General is $899 thousand, an increase of $86 thousand from the FY/25 original budget. A total of 9 FTE’s have been approved for the department.

OFFICE OF INTERNAL AUDIT

The Office of Internal Audit is an independent and nonpartisan office of City Government. The office is not part of the City’s executive branch or the City Council and strictly adheres to government auditing standards while exercising the highest standards of ethics. The Office of Internal Audit reports directly to the Accountability in Government Oversight Committee, which is comprised of five community members at large, who are responsible for reviewing and approving all audit reports. The goals of the department are to: Ø Provide independent and objective value-added audits, reviews, and advisory services. Ø Proactively identify risks, evaluate controls, and make recommendations that will strengthen City operations. The approved  FY/26 proposed budget for the Office of Internal Audit totals $1.1 million, a decrease of $55 thousand, or 4.8%, from the original FY/25 budget. The department employees 8 FTEs.

PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

The Parks and Recreation Department serves the recreational needs of Albuquerque and the surrounding metropolitan area. The department is organized into the following divisions: park management, recreation, aquatics, open space, golf, design & development, construction, and administration. The FY/26 approved General Fund budget for the Parks and Recreaton Department is $50.2 million, an increase of 1.2%, or $616 thousand from the FY/25 original budget. The F/Y 26 approved  budget for the Parks and Recreation Department includes funding for a total of 343 full time employees (FTEs) which is two less than the F/Y 2025 budget of 345.

PLANNING DEPARTMEMT

The Planning Department enforces zoning, building, and land use codes and regulations so buildings and neighborhoods are safe and protected. It also creates and deploys development plans and strategies to ensure that growth conforms to adopted plans, policies and regulations. The Planning Department’s MISSION is to  facilitate and manage the sustainable growth of Albuquerque. It  enforces regulations to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The approved FY/26  General Fund budget for the Planning Department is $23.6 million, a $1.3 million or 6% increase over the FY/25 original budget.  The F/Y 26 proposed budget for the Planning Department includes funding for a total of 198  full time employees (FTEs) which is two less than the F/Y 2025 budget of 200 FTEs.

POLICE DEPARTMENT (APD)

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) continues to be the largest funded department budget and it is about a fifth of the total. The FY/26 approved General Fund budget for APD is $275 million, representing an increase of 1.8% or $4.8 million above the FY/25 approved budget.

The F/Y 26 approve  budget includes funding for a total of 1,887 full time employees (FTEs), which includes citizen employees, which is an increase of 47 FTEs over last years 1,840 FTEs.  According to the F/Y 26 proposed budget, APD has 900 sworn police (mid year 2025) and APD is requesting funding for 1,100 sworn police or 200 more than they are likely to fill.

In 2023 APD had 877 sworn police and in 2024 APD had 872 sworn police. In the last seven years APD has been unable to keep up with retirements and it has never exceeded 1,000 full time sworn police officers.

APD has consistently asked for full funding for as many as 100 sworn police positions that go unfilled because APD is unable to keep up with retirements. Rather than allowing the funding for the vacant positions to revert back to the general fund, APD management applies the funding to other APD priorities including bonus and retention funding and APD programs.

SENIOR AFFAIRS

The Department of Senior Affairs offers a broad range of programs and services responsive to the needs of senior citizens in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. The department provides services through three program strategies. The department maintains six senior centers, two multigenerational centers, two stand-alone fitness centers and 23 meal sites where seniors may gather for organized activities, socializing and services.The FY/26 approved  budget for the Department of Senior Affairs is $11.5 million, which reflects an increase of 4.1% or $450 thousand above the FY/25 original budget. The F/Y 26 approved  budget for the Department of Senior Affairs includes funding for a total of 151 full time employees (FTEs) which is 5 more  than the F/Y 2025 budget of 146 FTEs.

SOLID WASTE

The Solid Waste Management Department provides residential and commercial trash collection, disposal, and the collection of residential recycling. The department oversees large-item disposal, graffiti removal, weed and litter abatement, median maintenance, convenience centers, and neighborhood cleanup support. Other services include operating the City landfill in compliance with State and Federal regulations and educating the public about recycling and responsible waste disposal. The FY/26 approved  operating budget for the Solid Waste Management Department totals $92.1 million, a decrease of $4.5 million, or 4.6%, from the FY/25 original budget. The reduction is largely due to the decrease in transfers out to debt service fund  and to the capital fund. The F/Y 26 approved budget for the Solid Waste Management Department includes funding for a total of 542 full time employees (FTEs) which is identical to the F/Y 2025 budget.

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

The Department of Technology and Innovation provides technology services and resources to support City departments, employees, and community members with innovative engagement (online, 311, WiFi), applications, communication (voice, data, and radio), and infrastructure capabilities. The approved FY/26  General Fund budget is $18.3 million, a 2.3% increase from the original FY/25 budget of $17.9 million. A total of 146 FTE’s have been approved for the department.

TRANSIT

The Transit Department provides fixed route (ABQ Ride) and rapid transit (ART) bus service for the Albuquerque community and Para-Transit (SunVan) service for the mobility impaired population. The department provides connection routes with the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train throughout the City, to the airport, and to the City of Rio Rancho. Additional services, such as special events park and ride that might include the New Mexico State Fair and luminaria tours, are also made available in an effort to offer a broad range of alternative transportation services. The approved FY/26  General Fund budget for the Transit Department is $30.1 million and decreased by $17 thousand from the FY/25 original budget. All the subsidy funding is recurring. The F/Y 26 proposed budget for the Transit Department  includes funding for a total of 540  full time employees (FTEs) which is 11 less  than the F/Y 2025 budget of 551 FTEs

YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Youth and Family Services Department (YFS) provides a variety of programs focused on early childhood education, out-of-school time opportunities, community recreation, and support for seniors to promote aging with dignity and independence. The Department operates nearly two dozen community centers, offering public access to gymnasiums, meeting rooms, kitchens, multipurpose activity rooms, computer labs, weight/fitness rooms, athletic fields, and multipurpose courts. YFS also manages 18 child and family development centers in a collaborative effort of Federal, State, and City funding to provide quality early learning opportunities for children from birth to 5 years old. MISSION To provide quality early learning, education, youth services, and recreation to promote healthy aging and improved quality of life for the entire Albuquerque community. The approved  FY/26 General Fund budget totals $25.8 million, a decrease of $1.2 million, or 4.3%, from the FY/25 original budget. The F/Y 26 approved budget includes funding for a total of 255  full time employees (FTEs) which is 3 less than the F/Y 2025 budget of 558 FTEs.

There are 11 candidates who have registered with the City Clerk as candidates running for Mayor. The candidates listed in order by the City Clerk on the candidate web page are:

1. Mayling Armijo
2. Eddie Varela
3. Patrick Sais
4. Darren White
5. Timothy Keller
6. Louie Sanchez
7. Alpana Adair
8. Brian Fejer
9. Alexander M. M. Uballez
10. Daniel Chavez
11. Adeo Herrick

PROCESSED PETITION SIGNATURES

All eleven candidates must collect at least 3,000 qualifying nominating petition signatures from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025  to secure a ballot positon. Each signature must come from registered voters in the Albuquerque area. City clerk’s go through each one of the signatures to confirm their registration. Candidates can challenge each other’s signatures for disqualification. The signatures of people who sign the nomination petitions and who are not actually registered voters are tossed and are not counted.

Following is the breakdown of petition signatures collected by the 11 candidates as of June 13, 2025 as tabulated and verified  by the city clerk:

DANIEL CHAVEZ

• Required Petition Signatures                                                     3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                        3,427
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                      2,338
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                          -0-
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                    100% 

TIMOTHY KELLER

• Required Petition Signatures                                                     3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                        3,424
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                         592
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                          -0-
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                     100%

ALEXANDER UBALLEZ

• Required Petition Signatures                                                      3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                         3,281
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                          621
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                          -0-
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                       100%

EDDIE VARELA

• Required Petition Signatures                                                        3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                           3,510
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                           992
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                            -0-
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                        100%

LOUIE SANCHEZ

• Required Petition Signatures                                                        3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                           2,981
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                         1,345
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                             19
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                           99%

MAYLING ARMIJO

• Required Petition Signatures                                                         3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                            2,358
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                          1,160
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                            642
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                           79%

DARREN WHITE

• Required Petition Signatures                                                         3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                            2,268
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                            167
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                            732
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                          76%

PATRICK SAIS

• Required Petition Signatures                                                           3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                                 975
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                               950
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                           2,025
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                             32%

BRIAN FEJER

• Required Petition Signatures                                                         3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                                77
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                              -0-
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                         2,923
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                             3%

ALPANA ADAIR

• Required Petition Signatures                                                            3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                                   28
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                                 19
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                            2,972
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                                1%

ADEO HERRICK

• Required Petition Signatures                                                             3,000
• Verified Petition Signatures                                                                    38
• Rejected Petition Signatures                                                                  28
• Remaining Petition Signatures Needed                                              2,962
• Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met                                 1%

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Out of 11 candidates for mayor, the following 4 have qualified for ballot and have collected 100% of the required verified qualifying signatures as of June 13, 2025:

1. DANIEL CHAVEZ
2. TIMOTHY KELLER
3. ALEXANDER UBALLEZ
4. EDDIE VARELA

With 8 days left to collect qualifying signatures, the following additional 3 will likely qualify for the ballot:

1. LOUIE SANCHEZ (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met  99%, 19 signatures remaining needed)
2. MAYLING ARMIJO (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met 79%, 642 signatures remaining needed)
3. DARREN WHITE (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met 76%, 732 signatures remaining needed).

With 8 days left to collect qualifying signatures, the following 4 will  likely NOT qualify for the ballot:

1. PATRICK SAIS (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 32%, Remaining Petition Signatures needed 2,327)
2. BRIAN FEJER (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met  3%, remaining Petition Signatures Needed 2,923)
3. ALPANA ADAIR (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met 1%, remaining petition signatures Needed 2,972)
4. ADEO HERRICK (Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met 1%, remaining petition signatures needed 2,962)

PROCESSED QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS

Public finance candidates must collect 3,780 donations of $5.00 to the city from registered voters to qualify for the city to give them $755,946 in city financing for their campaigns. The time frame to collect both nominating petition signatures and $5.00 qualifying contributions is the same and it is from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025, a mere 64 days.

Originally, 8 candidates declared as  public finance candidates. Now there are 2 with 6 withdrawing their applications for public finance with those 6 now private financed candidates.

The 8 original candidates who declared themselves  to be “public finance” candidates are Alpana Adair, Alexander Uballez, Darren White, Tim Keller, Louis Sanchez, Edie Varella, Patrick Sais and Adeo Herrick.  Six candidates have now withdrawn their application for public finance

The only two candidates who are still declared public financed candidates are Tim Keller  and Adeo Henrick.

Adeo Herrick has collected 0% of the qualifying $5.00 donations and 1% of the required nominating petition signatures and it is safe to assume that Herrick is not a serious candidate and has likely dropped out of the race.

The following are the processed public finance qualifying donations for Tim Keller as of Friday June 13:

 TIMOTHY KELLER

• Required Qualifying Contributions                                                      3,780
• Verified Qualifying Contributions                                                         3,688
• Rejected Qualifying Contributions                                                         312
• Remaining Qualifying Contributions Needed                                          92
• Percentage of Verified Qualifying Contributions Met                      98%

COMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

With 8 days left to collect qualifying $5.00 and with Keller having collected 98% of the donations and with only 92 remaining to be collected, Keller will be the only candidate to qualify for public finance and will be given by the city $755,946 to run his campaign.

As for Keller’s opponents, all are relegated to scrambling for private financing unless they are wealthy enough to self-finance. It’s unknown how they will do with private fundraising but we will soon see as campaign finance reports are required. The only candidate that likely has the ability to private finance his own campaign is Parking Company of America CAO Daniel Chavez who has already donated $100,000 of his personal money to finance the collection of the ballot qualifying nominating signatures.

THREE MEASURED FINANCE COMMITEES FORMED FOR MAYOR’S RACE

Under the City of Albuquerque’s campaign finance laws, a Measure Finance Committee (MFC) is a political action committee (PAC), person or group that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure within the City of Albuquerque. Measure finance committees are not bound by the individual contribution limits and business bans like candidates. Any Measure Finance Committee can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of a candidate or in opposition to a candidate.

Measured finance committees are strictly prohibited from coordinating their activities with candidates and their campaigns. It is a very grey area as to what constitutes coordinating campaigns when friends, family and business associates and people who do business with the city are comingled with both the candidates campaigns, make donations and the measured finance committee fundraising and activities .

In the 2025 municipal election, three  measured finance Committees have been formed to help and support Mayling Armijo, Tim Keller and Eddie Varela. The 3 measured finance committees and what they have raised thus far as of June 13 are:

1. SAFER ALBUQUERQUE COMMITTEE (SAFER ABQ) formed for the purpose “To advocate for Mayling Armijo’s candidacy for mayor during the Albuquerque 2025 mayoral race and align with values that reduce crime, reduce homelessness, and promote job growth.”

As of June 13, this measured finance committee has raised  $120,080 in total contributions and has made $41,466.90 in total expenditures and has a  cash balance of $78,613.  A total of 53 expenditures have been made for “advertising” with 13 payments made to LINKEDIN and 22 payments made to FACEBOOK.

Chairperson:  CHARLES M. ROLISON Treasurer: KATRINA TRACY.  The top Contributors listed in the financial disclosure for the SAFER ALBUQUERQUE COMMITTEE (SAFER ABQ) are:

1. Chauling Mary Armijo                                $40,000
2. Katrina Tracy                                             $40,000
3. Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC Inc        $40,000
4. Charles Rolison                                           $80.00

Chauling Mary Armijo is believed to be  the owner and chief executive officer of Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC and she is the sister of candidate Mayling Armijo.

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/M3FjOgNU2Z3h9u5VXBTrEgpRrh19RviUIoO4CmCWDAE1/null/null/2/2025

1. ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE formed for the purpose “To support the election of Tim Keller as Mayor of Albuquerque.”

As of June 13, this measured finance committee  has raised $38,500 in total contributions and has made $14,050.92 in total expenditures and has a cash balance of $24,449.08.

$24,449.08.  CHAIRPERSON: Michelle Mayorga. TREASURER: Sean Marcus.

The chairperson for ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE is well known progressive Democrat and politcal consultant Michelle Mayorga who  is a partner with GBOA, a public opinion research, political strategy and consulting firm based out of  Washington, DC.  Michelle Mayorga has spent two decades in progressive politics — recruiting, managing, and training candidates and organizers at all levels. Her clients have included Democratic candidates around the country, such as Senator Ben Ray Luján (NM), Reps. Colin Allred (TX-32), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), and Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-3) as well as Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

The email address for this measured finance committee is sfitzer139@gmail.com. This email address is believed to be that of Steve Fitzer who is a highly respected and well known politcal fundraiser and strategist for successful democratic candidates for office. Steve Fitzer is Vice President of Strategies 360 in the New Mexico office which is a politcal strategies and fundraising company. “Fitzers career in politics and campaigns spans over three decades.  From city council races to presidential races, he has had experience at every size and reach of a campaign. For over the  last 20 years his main focus has been fundraising.” You can read more about Mr. Fitzer in the link below:

Political Fundraiser and Strategist, Steve Fitzer, Joins Strategies 360

CONTRIBUTORS

As of June 13, major  contributors to ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE listed are:

• Fresquez Concessions, Inc                        $15,000
• Edward Garcia                                              $5,000
• Carlos Garcia                                                $5,000
• Paul Wynn                                                    $5,000
• Texas Spine and Orthopedic Surgeons        $2,500
• Randi McGinn                                               $2,500
• Suresh Neelagan                                          $2,500
• James C. Atkins                                            $1,000

COMMENTARY ON CONTRIBUTORS

“Fresquez Concessions, Inc.”, which is a part of “Fresquez Companies”, manages and operates the City of Albuquerque’s Airport concession contracts. The Chief Executive Officer of Fresquez Companies is Lenny Fresquez and his daughter Lee Anna Fresquez is the President of Fresquez Companies . Edward Garcia is the  Executive Chairman of the Garcia Automotive Family Dealerships and Carlos Garcia is a managing partner who oversee the group’s operations. In addition to the Garcia Automotive Dealerships, the Garcia family are major stakeholders in Albuquerque downtown real estate development.

EXPENDITURES OF ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE 

As of June 13, according to ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE  financial expenditures report, the following expenditures with purpose listed have been made:

• April 15: $759 paid to  Blue Print Public Affairs of Salt Lake, Utah  for “fundraising.”
• May 1: $277: paid to “ACT Blue”, Somerville, MA,  for “information”
• May 2:  $3,000 paid to Blue Print Public Affairs of Salt Lake, Utah  for “information.”
• May 21: $1,076.25 paid to Electronics In Motion, Shake He, Ohio for “professional”
• June 2: $1,076 paid to Electronics In Motion, Shake He, Ohio for “professional”
• May 30: $7,500 paid to Stanford Campaigns, Dallas, Texas for “other”
• June 1: $370 paid to “ACT Blue”, Somerville, MA, for “information”

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/VMQvJiHXaP1z-Iz2eL_papP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

3. CIPGAW: Committee to Elect Eddie Varela Mayor of Albuquerque formed for the purpose to “Elect Eddie Varela Mayor of Albuquerque.”

As of June 13, the Finance Report states the  measured finance committee has raised $5,000  in total contributions and reports  $24.83 in total expenditures and has a cash balance of $4,975.17.

EXPENDITURES

The Finance Disclosure statement reflects a $24.83 expenditure to White Co Checks on May 22.

The Finance Disclosure statement reflects a monetary  expenditure of $3,000 on June 6 listing as the reason “Varela, Ed” with no further explanation.

CHAIRPERSON: Bradley William Day  TREASURER: Amanda Baca.

CONTRIBUTORS

As of June 13, the sole contributor to this measured finance committee is  Bradley William Day who contributed $5,000 on May 14, 2025.

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/feXJuXAYkFJVGJBhl95rMZP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The purpose and intent of the city’s public financing system is to reduce the influence of large donors in local elections. Simply put, its a FALSE narrative with the existence of measured finance committees that can and will raise unlimited amounts of money and spend it on promoting a candidate.

The influence of “dark  money”  in elections as allowed by the US Supreme Court decision in Citizens United is destroying our democracy. Many highly qualified candidates for office all too often do not bother to run because of the inability or difficulty raising the necessary money to run. Political campaign fundraising and big money influence are warping our election process. Money spent becomes equated with the final vote. Money drives the message, affects voter turnout and ultimately the outcome of an election. Albuquerque municipal elections need campaign finance reform and enforcement. Voters are encouraged NOT to donate to any one of the 3 measured finance committees established to promote Mayling Armijo, Tim Keller and Eddie Varela.

Campaign finance reform and reform of the city’s public finance laws should become an issue in the 2025 Mayor’s race. The fact that only one candidate for Mayor will qualify for public finance this election year is clear evidence that the system has been set up for other candidates to fail and that it favors incumbents. That is why only Mayor Keller will qualify for public finance. The system favors incumbents such as Mayor Tim Keller who have high name identification and built in campaign organizations including city staff and a Mayor who holds two and three press conferences a day.

Until there is real reform of public finance laws, we can continue to expect only incumbents to qualify for public financing in elections for Mayor and thereby by giving the incumbent the upper hand and an unfair advantage over all those who run for the office. See the below POSTCRIPT on proposed changes to the city’s public finance system.

If Mayor Tim Keller is really committed to the city public finance  and wants to “Walk The Talk” as he has said in the past, he would go out of his way to distance himself from ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE. 

Keller should ask ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE organizers cease any efforts to raise donations to promote his candidacy. Asking Keller to condemn a measured finance committee promoting him is likely way too much to ask of an entrenched politician such as Keller and his greedy enablers and handlers who make lucrative livings off of public finance and the candidates they support.

Keller wants the best of both worlds of getting public finance and having a measured finance committee raise even more to promote him and he will be getting his wish!

______________________

PROPOSED CHANGES TO CITY’S MEASURED FINANCE SYSTEM

The deficiencies in the city’s public financing have been repeatedly warned about over the last 14 years, at least by www.PeteDinelli.com, but have been ignored. Some of the changes advocated is reducing the number of qualifying donations to a more realistic number as well as increasing the time to collect the qualifying donations. Simply put, public finance laws should not be set up to make it too difficult to qualify for public financing and should have sufficient safeguards to police and prevent fraud.

The following changes to the City’s public finance system  and election code are in order:

1. Reduce the amount of the qualifying donation from $5.00 to $2.00.
2. Double the amount of time from 64 days to 128 days to collect both the qualifying donations and petition signatures, and private campaign donation collection.
3. Reduce the number of qualifying donations from 3,780 to a flat 2,000. Simply put, many voters loath making political donations of any kind.
4. Strictly prohibit former campaign staff or family members of candidates from being  allowed to run or fund measured finance committees.
5. Allow the collection of the qualifying donations from anyone who wants, and not just residents or registered voters of Albuquerque. Privately finance candidates now can collect donations from anyone they want and anywhere in the State and Country.
6. Once the allowed number of qualifying donations is collected, the public financing would immediately be made available, but not allowed to be spent until the date of closure of the collection process.
7. Permit campaign spending for both publicly financed and privately financed candidates only from the date of closure of the collection process to the November election day.
8. Return to candidates for their use in their campaign any qualifying donations the candidate has collected when the candidate fails to secure the required number of qualifying donations to get the public financing.
9. Mandate the City Clerk to issue debit card or credit card collection devices to collect the qualifying donations and to issue receipts and eliminate the mandatory use of “paper receipts”. Continue to allow the collection of both nominating petition signature and $5.00 donations “on line.”
10. Increase from $1.00 to $2.50 per registered voter the amount of public financing, which will be approximately $900,000, and allow for incremental increases of 10% every election cycle keeping up with inflation.
11. Allow additional matching public financing available for run offs at the rate of $1.25 per registered voter, or $450,000.
12. Albuquerque should make every effort to make municipal elections partisan elections to be held along with State and Federal elections by seeking a constitutional amendment from the legislature to be voted upon by the public.
13. Any money raised and spent by measured finance committees on behalf a candidate should be required to first be applied to reimburse the City for any taxpayer money advanced to a public finance candidate or deducted from a publicly finance candidates account and returned to the city.
14. City of Albuquerque campaign reporting and finance ordinances and regulations need to define with absolute clarity that strictly prohibit the coordination of expenditures and campaign activities with measured finance committees and individual candidate’s campaigns in municipal elections.
15. A mandatory schedule of fines and penalties for violations of the code of ethics and campaign practices act should be enacted by the City Council.

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. There are a total of 16 candidates  running for the 5 City Council seats with 13 seeking public finance and 3 privately financed.

This  article highlights and provides the information on the candidates as provided by the City Clerk. The information includes stating if the candidates are seeking public finance, their addresses and links to the following on each candidate:

• Campaign email
• Campaign website
• Campaign finance

By clicking on the individual candidate campaign finance links provided below, the candidates disclose the following information:

• Total Contributions
• Total Expenditures
• In-Kind Contributions
• In-Kind Expenditures
• Current Cash Balance
• Current Debt Balance
• Top Contributors

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE CALENDAR DEADLINES

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

The “seed money period” for candidates to collect campaign donations  for City Council is from April 27, 2025 to July 7, 2025.

All Candidates for City Council must gather 500 verified nominating petition signatures from registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent. The nominating petition collection period is from June 2, 2025, at 8:00am to July 7, 2025, at 5:00pm.

The Public Finance qualifying contribution period for city council candidates is from June 2, to July 7, 2025 where candidates are allowed to collect $5.00 donations to qualify for public financing. The number of $5.00 qualifying donations for public finance varies in each council district based upon the number of registered voters.

Applicant candidates for public finance must receive Qualifying Contributions from 1% of the registered voters in the district the candidate wishes to represent. The actual amount of public finance given to a candidate by the city if they qualify for public finance varies in each council district and an amount is given for each registered voter.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1

The District 1 City Council District is currently represented by first term Democrat Louie Sanchez who is not seeking re election and who is running for Mayor.

District 1 City Council District is the centrally located Westside District between City Council District 5 on the North represented by Republican Dan Lewis and  City Council District 3 on the South represented by Democrat Klarissa Pena. The geographical borders  generally include Central Avenue on the South, Coors and the Rio Grande River on the East and “zig zags” on the North to include  Atrisco Dr., Tesuque Dr. and Buterfield Trail  and with the West border  jetting outwards to the city limits and vacant land.

According to the 2023 redistricting report, the following are the demographics of the district:

• Total Population:   65,323
• HISPANIC:  37,135  (56.8% )  
• WHITE: 19,659  (30.1%)
• NATIVE AMERICAN  2,970  (4.5%)  
• BLACK 1,948  (3.0%)  
• ASIAN 1,441  (2.2%)
• OTHER 2,170 3.3%

The seed money contribution limits that can be collected by each candidate in District 1 is $250 from individuals and an aggregate of $11,262.25.

The number of qualifying $5.00 contributions to secure public finance in District 1 is 450.

The amount of public finance and spending cap for District 1 is $56,311.25.

CANDIDATES LISTED

There are four candidates running for District 1 City Council.  The links to the candidate campaign web pages and financial disclosure information are here:

DANIEL GILBER LEIVA

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: PO Box 7238, Albuquerque, NM 87194
• Campaign phone number: 505-363-4871
• Campaign email: info@votedaneilleiva.com
• Campaign website: votedanielleiva.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: KENNETH EDWARD SCOTT

STEPHANIE TELLES

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 7200 Settlement Way NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
• Campaign phone number: 505-225-8942
• Campaign email: stephanieforabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: stephanieforabq.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: SARAH R. NEWMAN

JOSHUA TAYLOR NEAL

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 4320 Spanish Broom Avenue NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
• Campaign phone number: 505-457-8142
• Campaign email: nealfornm@gmail.com
• Campaign website: N/A
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: MICHAELA CHAVEZ

AHREN GRIEGO

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 4612 Marbella Drive NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120
• Campaign phone number: 505-288-2312
• Campaign email: griegoforabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: N/A
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: TYA WATTS

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3

District 3 is currently represented by Klarissa Peña and she is running for a fourth term. The district is considered safe democrat. The 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, the following are the demographics of the district:

• TOTAL POPULATION:  65,343   
• 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%)

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 number of qualifying $5.00 contributions to secure public finance in District 3 is 335.

The amount of public finance and spending cap for District 3 is $41,865.00.

CANDIDATES LISTED

There are 4 candidates running for District 3 City Council. The links to the candidate campaign web pages and financial disclosure information are here:

CHRISTOPHER R. SEDILLO

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 605 Shire Street SW Albuquerque, NM 87121
• Campaign phone number: 505-677-1913
• Campaign email: votechrissedillo@gmail.com
• Campaign website: votechrissedillo.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: WANDA HARRISON

KLARISSA PEÑA (Incumbent)

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 6525 Sunset Gardens Road SW Albuquerque, NM 87121
• Campaign phone number: 505-503-5490
• Campaign email: klarissapenacabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: klarissapena.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: VIVIAN WEIDNER

NATALIA SALDANA

• Privately Financed (withdrew from public financing)
• Campaign address: 1408 Dona Luisa Street SW Albuquerque, NM 87121
• Campaign phone number: 505-504-3874
• Campaign email: vote4saldana@gmail.com
• Campaign website: N/A
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: MARIA G CARRASCO

TERESA GARCIA

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 3030 Erratic St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87121
• Campaign phone number: 505-903-2570
• Campaign email: teresa@teresafordistrict3.com
• Campaign website: teresafordistrict3.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: CYNTHIA LIZZETTE CANUQUEO

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 5

District 5 is the city’s northwest quadrant council district which is currently represented by Dan Lewis who is seeking a fourth term on the city council.

According to the 2023 redistricting report, the following are the demographics of the district:

• TOTAL POPULATION:  63,144    
• HISPANIC:  28,967 (45.9%)
• WHITE: 24,506 ( 38.8%)
• NATIVE AMERICAN   2,799 (4.4%)  
• BLACK 2,079 (3.3%)
• ASIAN 1,958 (3.1%) OTHER 2,835 (4.5%)

The seed money contribution limits that can be collected by each candidate in District 5 is $250 from individuals and an aggregate of $11,143.75.

The number of qualifying $5.00 contributions to secure public finance in District 5 is 446.

The amount of public finance and spending cap for District 5 is $55,718.75.

CANDIDATES LISTED

There are two candidates running for District 5 City Council.  The links to the candidate campaign web pages and financial disclosure information are here:

ATHENEA ALLEN

• Privately Financed
• Campaign address: 10415 Venticello Drive NW Albuquerque, NM 87114
• Campaign phone number: 505-720-9804
• Campaign email: atheneaforabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: atheneaforabq.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: KENNETH SCOTT

DAN LEWIS  (Incumbent)

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 10423 La Canada Drive NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114
• Campaign phone number: 505-615-6507
• Campaign email: lewisabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: lewis4abq.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: ELLIS MCMATH

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 7

District 7  is the mid heights city council district currently represented by first term city councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn and she is unopposed.  The district includes the uptown retail business district including the Commons, Winrock and Coronado Shopping Center. The District boundaries are generally Montgomery Boulevard on the North, I-25 on the West, Lomas on the South and Eubank on the East.

According to the 2023 redistricting report, the following are the demographics of the district:

• TOTAL POPULATION:  64,847     
• HISPANIC:  25,198  (38.9%)  
• WHITE: 29,506 (45.5%)  
• NATIVE AMERICAN  3,424  (5.3%)  
• BLACK 1,836  (2.8%)
• ASIAN 1,953 (3.0%)
• OTHER 2,930 (4.5%)

The seed money contribution limits that can be collected by each candidate in District 7 is $250 from individuals and an aggregate of $11,641.00

The number of qualifying $5.00 contributions to secure public finance in District 7 is 466.

The amount of public finance and spending cap for District 7 is $58,205.00.

CANDIDATES LISTED

City Councilor Tammy Feibelkorn is the only incumbent who is running unopposed.

The links to the City Clerk’s information on City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn’ campaign web pages and financial disclosure information are here:

TAMMY FIEBELKORN (Incumbent)

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 1445 Adams Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
• Campaign phone number: 505-410-3884
• Campaign email: tammyforabq@gmail.com
• Campaign website: tammyforalbuquerque.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: NANCY ARENAS

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 9

City Council District 9 is often referred to as the Four Hills area city council district and is currently represented by first term Republican City Councilor Renee Grout who is seeking as second term. Grout has 4 opponents. The District is very condensed and safe Republican. The Northern border is Menaul, the West border is Eubank, the Southern border is Dennis Ave, SE and the East border is the Sandia foothills federal land.

According to the 2023 redistricting report, the following are the demographics of the district:

• Total Population:  60,748    
• HISPANIC:  22,351  (36.8%) 
• WHITE: 27,685 (45.6%)
• NATIVE AMERICAN  2,902 (4.8%)  
• BLACK 2,080  (3.4%)
• ASIAN 2,876 (4.7%)
• OTHER 2,854 (4.7%)

The seed money contribution limits that can be collected by each candidate in District 9 is $250 from individuals and an aggregate of $10,391.50

The number of qualifying $5.00 contributions to secure public finance in District 9 is 416.

The amount of public finance and spending cap for District 9 is $51,957.50.

CANDIDATES LISTED

There are  five candidates running for District 9 City Council. The links to the candidate campaign web pages and financial disclosure information are here:

RENEE GROUT (Incumbent)

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 1512 Stagecoach Road SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123
• Campaign phone number: 505-440-2550
• Campaign email: reneefordistrict9@gmail.com
• Campaign website: vote.reneegrout.com
• Campaign Finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: ROBIN SCHRITTER

ANAMI DASS

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: PO Box 53134, Albuquerque, NM 87153
• Campaign phone number: 505-585-9057
• Campaign email: vote@anamidass.com
• Campaign website: vote.anamidass.com 
• Campaign Finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed. Treasurer: JULIE BETTENCOURT

MELANI BUCHANAN FARMER

• Privately Financed
• Campaign address: 1012 Matia Court NE Albuquerque, NM 87123
• Campaign phone number: 505-379-4817
• Campaign email: melaniforcitycouncil@gmail.com
• Campaign website: melaniforcitycouncil.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: ROYCE FARMER

BYRON K. POWDRELL

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 12845 Eastridge Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112
• Campaign phone number: 505-304-8809
• Campaign email: powdrell4dist9@gmail.com
• Campaign website: byronpowdrell.com
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: Joan Day Baker

COLTON ALAN NEWMAN

• Publicly Financed
• Campaign address: 1315 Kirby Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112
• Campaign phone number: 505-506-3701
• Campaign email: coltonnewman001@gmail.com
• Campaign website: N/A
• Campaign finance: View Candidate Disclosure

Chairperson: No one listed.  Treasurer: Madison Spratto

The link to the City Clerk candidate information web site is here:

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

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

A total of 16 Candidates are running for 5 city council Seats. The only incumbent city council who is running unopposed is Democrat first term  District 7 City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn.

13 candidates are seeking public finance, including all four incumbents, and  3 candidates are privately financed candidates.

It is interesting to note that all the candidates do not have a chairperson listed yet list a named Treasurer for their campaigns. This is likely due to the fact the candidates are likely managing their campaigns themselves with some having paid political consultants assisting them.

Best wishes to all the candidates as they seek nominating petition signatures and the $5.00 qualifying donations.

There are 11 candidates who have registered with the City Clerk as candidates running for Mayor. The candidates listed in order by the City Clerk on the candidate web page are:

1. Mayling Armijo
2. Eddie Varela
3. Patrick Sais
4. Darren White
5. Timothy Keller
6. Louie Sanchez
7. Alpana Adair
8. Brian Fejer
9. Alexander M. M. Uballez
10. Daniel Chavez
11. Adeo Herrick

Only three candidates for Mayor initially declared that they are privately financed candidates: Daniel Chavez, Mayling Armijo and Brian Feger .

Originally, 8 candidates declared as  public finance candidates. Now there are 2 with 6 withdrawing their applications for public finance with those 6 now private financed candidates.

Public finance candidates must collect 3,780 donations of $5.00 to the city from registered voters to qualify for the city to give them $755,946 in city financing for their campaigns. The time frame to collect both nominating petition signatures and $5.00 qualifying contributions is the same and it is from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025, a mere 64 days.

The 8 orginal candidates who declared themselves  to be “public finance” candidates are Alpana Adair, Alexander Uballez, Darren White, Tim Keller, Louis Sanchez, Edie Varella, Patrick Sais and Adeo Herrick.  Six candidates have now withdrawn their application for public finance and the only two candidates who are still declared public financed candidates are Tim Keller  and Adeo Henrick.  

As of June 6, Keller has collected 3,040 verified qualifying $5.00 donations or 80% and he still needs 740  donations to qualify for public finance or another 20%. With 15  days left in the collection period, Keller must collect an average of 49 donations per day, plus an additional number to take into account disqualifications. The odds are high that Mayor Keller will be the only candidate who will qualify for public finance given the number of house parties his campaign has scheduled for that very purpose as well as public events scheduled for June.

Adeo Herrick has collected 0% of the qualifying donations and 1% of the required nominating petition signatures and it is safe to assume that Herrick is not a serious candidate and has likely dropped out of the race.

DROPPING LIKE FLIES

Alpana Adair withdrew from public finance  after collecting only seven verified $5.00 contributions. Patrick Sais withdrew after collecting only two.

Eddie Varela withdrew after collecting 95 of the 3,685 donations or 3%. Varela had this to say:

“I was of the belief that [public finance] would help just a regular guy or gal run for office and would be a great benefit to everybody. … I don’t believe that anymore. I believe it’s flawed, and it needs to be revisited.”

On May 30, former United States Attorney Alexander Uballez abruptly ended his efforts to seek public finance. Uballez said this:

“I’m the fourth candidate to make this decision. When the only candidate who appears on track to qualify for public financing is the incumbent, it’s a clear sign that this isn’t working as it should. 

On June 2, City Councilor Louie Sanchez became the fifth candidate to withdraw from public finance and become a private financed candidate. 

https://www.cabq.gov/clerk/documents/sanchez-withdrawal-as-an-applicant-candida

Sanchez said this of his withdrawal from public finance:

“One of the things that I’ve found out about public finance is that it’s extremely difficult. When you get into the realm of public financing, there is a lot of things that play in. We’re noticing that in this day and age, not everybody has a five-dollar bill, our volunteers don’t have change. … Since it’s online, or the online link, it takes several times or several tries to get the cumbersome process going.”

On June 8,  former Bernalillo County Sherriff Darren White became the sixth candidate to withdraw from public finance by filing with the city clerk a withdrawal notice. White said this:

“Despite our tireless grassroots efforts, it became clear that we would not be able to meet the remaining 1,800 qualifying $5 donations within the two-week deadline. … The only person who has qualified for [public finance]  in the past two elections is Tim Keller. And so what does that tell you? It tells you that the system is, as I said, it’s an incumbent protection plan.”

https://www.cabq.gov/clerk/documents/white-withdrawal-as-an-applicant-candidate.pdf

https://www.koat.com/article/white-withdraws-from-public-financing-in-mayoral-race-calls-system-an-incumbent-protection-plan/65027647

KELLER RESPONDS TO CRITICS

The Keller campaign said qualifying for public financing isn’t supposed to be easy. In a statement, Keller took issue with all  his opponents’ claims that the public finance rules favor incumbents. Keller said this in a statement:

“Complaining that public financing doesn’t work is like blaming the ref because you can’t hit your free throws — it’s not the system’s fault you’re falling short. The real issue isn’t the rules; it’s a lack of grassroots support, campaign credibility, and the organizational strength to lead.

KELLER PERFECTS WINNING STATEGY WARPING PUBLIC FINANCE WITH NO CONDEMNATION OF MEASURED FINANCE COMMITEES

Keller was first elected Mayor in 2017 when he was a very popular New Mexico State Auditor. It was during this election cycle that Mayor Keller and his politcal enablers perfected the strategy of first qualifying for public finance and then relying on measured finance committees to raise more and spend even more to get elected.

In 2017 originally there were 16 candidates for Mayor, with only 8 candidates who secured the number of qualifying nominating signatures to be placed on the ballot. Under the election code ordinance at the time, all candidates for Mayor were given three months to collect nominating petition signatures from registered voters, but only six (6) weeks to secure the 3,000 required number of $5.00 qualifying donations for public finance.

It was a crowded field of 8 candidates who qualified for the ballot by collecting the required number of signatures. Keller was the only candidate in 2017 election that qualified for public finance. The Keller campaign collected the needed qualifying cash donations of $5 to the City of Albuquerque from registered voters over a six-week period.

Keller proclaimed he was “walking the talk” to keep big money out of the Mayor’s race by qualifying for public finance. Once qualified, the Keller for Mayor campaign was given a total of $506,254 in public financing allowed at the time, which included financing for the first election and separate financing for the runoff. As a condition to receive public financing from the City, Tim Keller agreed in writing to a spending cap not to exceed the amount given and agree not to raise and spend any more cash to finance his campaign.

Although Keller proclaimed he was “walking the talk” by being a public finance candidate to keep big donors as arm’s length, it was a false narrative and a political facade. Keller supporters realized that more would be needed to elect Keller. Supporters formed three (3) measured finance committees that either raised money directly to spend on his behalf or indirectly spent money and supported Keller’s candidacy for Mayor financially. No other candidate for Mayor in 2017 had a measured finance committee raising or spending on their behalf.

ABQ Forward Together was a measured finance committee that was formed specifically to raise money to promote Tim Keller for Mayor in 2017. The measured finance committee raised over $663,000 for Keller. ABQ Forward Together was chaired by longtime political consultant Nerie Holguin a former campaign consultant for Mr. Keller when he ran successfully for New Mexico State Senate. $67,000 was raised and spent by the Firefighters political action committee known as ABQFIREPAC for Tim Keller. $122,000 was raised and spent by ABQ Working Families on Tim Keller’s behalf.

In 2017, a whopping $1,358,254 was spent on Tim Keller’s successful campaign for Mayor. ($506,254 public finance money + $663,000 ABQ Forward + $67,000 ABQFIREPAC + $122,000 ABQ Working Families = $1,358,254.)

In the 2017 Mayor’s race, there was no other candidate that had measured finance committees that raised and spent money on their behalf. Republican City Councilor Dan Lewis, who made it into the runoff with Tim Keller, raised more than $847,000 combined in cash and in-kind contributions for the October election and the November Mayoral runoff election.

Democrat Brian Colón raised and spent nearly $824,000 for his unsuccessful mayoral run and came in third. Republican Wayne Johnson privately raised and spent approximately $250,000. Republican Ricardo Chavez financed his own campaign by contributing and loaning his campaign $1 million dollars, but when he dropped out of the race, all of the money was repaid to him after he spent approximately $200,000. The remaining three (3) candidates for Mayor raised and spent less than $50,000 combined after failing to qualify for public financing.

2021 MAYOR’S RACE RECALLED

In 2021, Mayor Keller ran against former Bernalillo County Sherriff Manny Gonzales and Republican Radio Talk Show host Eddie Aragon. It was Keller’s long time politcal consultant Neri Olguin who managed Keller’s 2021 campaign. Mayor Tim Keller easily collected more than the then required 3,779 qualifying $5.00 donations collecting 3,945 and his campaign was given $661,309.25  in public financing.

In 2021, Keller was the only candidate to receive public financing after the city clerk rejected Manny Gonzales’ public financing bid. It was Neri Holguin who spearheaded the challenge to the Gonzales $5.00 public finance donations. The City Clerk’s office eventually found that Gonzales forged voter signatures and donations, something Gonzales denied having a personal connection to. Keller’s other challenger, Eddy Aragon, relied on private financing.

MEASURED FINANCE COMMITEES FOR 2025 MUNICIPAL ELECTION

Under the City of Albuquerque’s campaign finance laws, a Measure Finance Committee (MFC) is a political action committee (PAC), person or group that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure within the City of Albuquerque. Measure Finance Committees are required to register with the City Clerk. Measure finance committees are not bound by the individual contribution limits and business bans like candidates. No Measure Finance Committee is supposed to coordinate their activities with the individual candidates running for office, but this is a very gray area as to what constitutes coordination of activities, and it is difficult to enforce.

The fact that measure finance committees are not bound by the individual contribution limits and business bans like candidates is what makes them a major threat to warping and influencing our municipal elections and the outcome. Any Measure Finance Committee can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money and can produce negative ads to destroy any candidate’s reputation and candidacy.

All Measure Finance Committees must register with the Albuquerque City Clerk, regardless of the group’s registration as a political action committee (PAC) with another governmental entity, county, state or federal. Measure finance committees must also file financial “Campaign Finance Reports” reporting monetary contributions, loans, in kind donations and expenditures. Under existing law, it is illegal for any candidate for office or their campaign committee to coordinate their campaign efforts with any measured finance committee.

In the 2025 municipal election, four measured finance Committees have been formed thus far and are registered with the City Clerk. They are:

1. SAFER ALBUQUERQUE COMMITTEE (SAFER ABQ) formed for the purpose “To advocate for Mayling Armijo’s candidacy for mayor during the Albuquerque 2025 mayoral race and align with values that reduce crime, reduce homelessness, and promote job growth.”

This measured finance committee thus far has raised  $120,080 in total contributions and has made $36,224.29 in total expenditures and has a  cash balance of $83,855.71.  Chairperson:  CHARLES M. ROLISON  Treasurer: KATRINA TRACY.  The top Contributors listed in the financial disclosure for the SAFER ALBUQUERQUE COMMITTEE (SAFER ABQ) are:

1. Chauling Mary Armijo                                 $40,000
2. Katrina Tracy                                              $40,000
3. Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC Inc         $40,000
4. Charles Rolison                                           $80.00

Chauling Mary Armijo is believed to be  the owner and chief executive officer of Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC and she is the sister of candidate Mayling Armijo.

The lion’s share of the 53 individual expenditures totaling $36,224 is listed for “advertising” without explanation.

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/M3FjOgNU2Z3h9u5VXBTrEgpRrh19RviUIoO4CmCWDAE1/null/null/2/2025

2. ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE formed for the purpose “To support the election of Tim Keller as Mayor of Albuquerque.”

This measured finance committee thus far has raised $8,500 in total contributions and has made $4,027.96 in total expenditures and has  a cash balance of $4,472.04.  CHAIRPERSON: Michelle Mayorga. TREASURER: Sean Marcus.

Top Contributors to ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE listed are:

1. Paul Wynn                  $5,000
2. Randi McGinn             $2,500
3. James C. Akins           $1,000

According to ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE  financial expenditures report, the following expenditures have been made:

On April 15, $759 was paid to Blue Print Public Affairs of Salt Lake, Utah  for “fundraising.”

On May 1, $277 was paid to “ACT Blue” for “Information”

On May 2,  $3,000 was paid to Blue Print Public Affairs of Salt Lake, Utah  for “fundraising.”

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/VMQvJiHXaP1z-Iz2eL_papP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

3. ABQ For All formed for the purpose “To educate and advocate for or against candidates for City Council”

This measured finance committee thus far has raised  $-0- in total contributions and has made $-0- in total expenditures and has  a cash balance of $-0-. CHAIRPERSON: Mark Trujillo  TREASURER:  Eli Il Yong Lee

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/kfkMONlVQnqqDLwSKTLYnJP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

4. CIPGAW: Committee to Elect Eddie Varela Mayor of Albuquerque formed for the purpose to “Elect Eddie Varela Mayor of Albuquerque.”

This measured finance committee thus far has raised $5,000  in total contributions and has made $24.83 in total expenditures and has a cash balance of $4,975.17. CHAIRPERSON: Bradley William Day  TREASURER: Amanda Baca

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreCommitteeDetail/feXJuXAYkFJVGJBhl95rMZP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/null/null/2/2025

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The purpose and intent of the city’s public financing system is to reduce the influence of large donors in local elections. Simply put, its a FALSE narrative with the existence of measured finance committees that can and will raise unlimited amounts of money and spend it on promoting a candidate.

The measured finance committee ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE  was formed for the sole purpose “To support the election of Tim Keller as Mayor of Albuquerque,”  and it will likely raise thousands of dollars to promote Keller on top of the $755,946 he will get if he in fact qualifies for public finance. This follows the identical strategy Keller and his handlers have used in the past to get him elected.

The chairperson for ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE is well known progressive Democrat and politcal consultant Michelle Mayorga who  is a partner with GBOA, a public opinion research, political strategy and consulting firm based out of  Washington, DC.

“Mayorga is a leading expert in Latino public opinion, and has spent two decades in progressive politics — recruiting, managing, and training candidates and organizers at all levels. Her clients have included Democratic candidates around the country, such as Senator Ben Ray Luján (NM), Reps. Colin Allred (TX-32), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), and Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-3) as well as Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

 [Mayorga] has worked with advocacy and nonprofit groups like Equis Research, Progressive Caucus PAC, Sierra Club, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC. Prior to joining GBAO, Michelle Mayorga worked on the ground organizing voters around the country. She served as the National Field Director of Planned Parenthood, and had national field organizing roles at the AFL-CIO, DCCC, The Democratic Party of New Mexico, and the DNC.

The American Association of Political Consultants recognized Michelle Mayorga with their Democratic Pollster of the year award in 2025 and the 40 under 40 award 2016.”

The links to the quoted information on Michelle Mayorga are here:

https://www.gbaostrategies.com/team/mayorga

https://www.gbaostrategies.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-mayorga-33346625

ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE has already paid Blue Print Public Affairs located in Salt Lake, Utah to commence fundraising efforts to promote Keller. Blue Print Public Affairs is a public relations and communications service that provides political consulting and fundraising services.

https://rocketreach.co/blueprint-public-affairs-profile_b4235d1bfee2844a

KELLER’S KEY POLITICAL ENABLERS

Confidential sources have confirmed that Keller’s 2021 Campaign Manager Neri Holguin is involved with Keller’s 2025 reelection bid for a third term and that Holguin educates Keller volunteers on how to collect the $5.00 donations at Keller campaign events. In the 2017 Mayor’s race where Keller was first elected, Holguin headed up the measured finance committee that raised $663,000 to promote Keller when he ran the first time.

Political Consultant Neri Holguin is the owner and primary principal of Holguin Consulting, Inc. Neri Holguin has an extensive history of successful management of numerous progressive Democrat campaigns including New Mexico House and Senate campaigns, county races such as county commission and Bernalillo County Sherriff and city council races. It is known that Holguin is currently  involved with at least two city council races helping only Progressive Democrats. Holguin managed one of Keller’s state senate races.

Holguin is considered Mayor Tim Keller’s key  political advisor, confidant and politcal consultant on the same level as Republican Political Consultant Jay McCleskey was to former Governor Susana Martinez. Holguin is known for her slash and burn political tactics, similar to that of Republican Political Consultant Jay McCleskey, of making false and inflammatory allegations and smearing any opposing candidate, even Democrats, to ensure her candidates win at all costs. She represents exclusively progressive Democrats. Conservative and moderate democrats need not apply. It’s unknown what Mayor Keller has agreed to pay Neri Holguin out of the public finance funding if he qualifies for the funding. (See article in postscript below for more  on Neri Holguin.)

It is  more likely than not that Mayor Keller’s long-time Democratic  political consultant Alan Packman will be involved in  the Keller reelection campaign. Packman’s political consulting firm’s managed Tim Keller’s successful campaign for New Mexico State Auditor. In August, 2018, it was reported Democratic political consultant Alan Packman had been hired by Mayor Tim Keller to work at the city. The city confirmed Packman would be working in the Department of Technology and Innovation which oversees the 311 citizens call center. 311 is the centralized call center for all non-emergency inquiries and services and logs are maintained on calls responded to and how the calls were resolved.

Packman’s official title was listed as “Integration Specialist” and when hired he was paid a salary of $75,000. City records later reflected that Mr. Packman was being paid $80,329. Packman organized a series of telephonic town halls where thousands were contacted by phone for a conference calls with Mayor Keller and with Packman introducing Mayor Keller and screening his questions. The telephonic town halls were viewed by city hall observers as simply an exercise in self-promotion by Keller and the use of city resources to promote Keller’s political agenda.

(See article in postscript below for more on Packman.)

Now that he is running and on the ballot, Keller is back at it again in full force with the townhalls. On June 10, Keller announced a Telephone Town Hall event on June 11 in an Instagram post. In his post, Keller said this will be an opportunity to discuss “immigration policies, recent ICE roundups, public safety support, and solutions to combat homelessness.”

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

The fact that only one candidate for Mayor will likely qualify for public finance this election year is clear evidence that the system has been set up for candidates to fail and that it favors incumbents, that is why it is highly  likely only Mayor Keller will qualify for public finance. The system favors incumbents such as Mayor Tim Keller who have high name identification and built in campaign organizations including city staff and a Mayor who holds two and three press conferences a day.

Some have argued, especially Mayor Keller and his supporters, such as former Democratic Party State Chair and two term Democratic Lt. Governor Diane Denish, that public finance is a system that is “supposed to be hard.” Denish became yet another Keller public finance enabler when she went out of her way to severely criticize Alexander Uaballez  when he withdrew his bid to qualify for public financing and when Uballez asserted the system favors “entrenched” politicians.

Denish said this on social media about Uballez:

“It’s really strange to hear Uballez complain about public financing and how hard it is to get enough $5 contributions and somehow suggesting that because Keller has built name ID, a volunteer infrastructure and strong support, it’s not fair to him. Is he that naive? If you think qualifying for public financing is hard, try being Mayor. And, yes Alex, you are a politician. You are running for office. Welcome to the world where you have to work hard to get public finance.”

Upon information and belief, Denish is financially well off and capable of financing her own campaigns but despite her wealth she has fundraised when she has run for office. She has never run as a public finance campaign in city elections although she hinted at running for Mayor in 2013. Denish really has no idea how hard it is run a public financed campaign because she has never done so herself.

It’s very difficult to take Denish seriously when she defends Keller and condemns a young, progressive Democrat like Uballez who is a threat to Keller and his progressive base, especially when she knows the advantages of incumbency and being well connected and taking advantage of those connections over so many years. A recent example of Denish taking advantage of her politcal connections was when she contacted Governor Lujan Grisham to veto funding of a playground in a park across the street from her home.

Both Keller and Denish are essentially saying public finance is designed  to “weed out” candidates who are incapable of mounting serious campaigns or who have little or no political support. But building political support by newcomers to the political process is what political campaigns are all about and that can only accomplished with adequate funding. Making it so hard that no one qualifies for public finance but incumbents is a mockery of the purpose and intent of public finance which is to encourage qualified people to run who cannot afford to run and who are not independently wealthy and who are not politically connected.

Increases to the amount of public finance over the years were done to allow public finance candidates to compete with private financed candidates. But the problem is the system allows candidates to publicly finance and then allows their supporters to just turn around and set up measured finance committees so they can have the best of both worlds which is something Mayor Tim Keller and his enablers have perfected.

EDITOR’S REMINDER:  The 2013 Mayors race was between Republicans Incumbent Mayor Richard Berry and Paul Heh and Democrats Pete Dinelli and Margret Aragon Chavez. Aragon Chavez did not qualify for the ballot. Mayor Berry was a privately finance candidate. Dinelli was the only candidate who qualified for Public Finance collecting 5,000 qualifying $5.00 donations when he needed only 3,600 and securing $360,000.00 in public financing. The public financing given to Dinelli was totally inadequate to compete against a well funded incumbent. Berry raised $904,623 and in-kind contributions of $5,176 for a total of $909,799. Berry’s 2013 contributors were top heavy with major Republican donors and included the Republican National Committee that made a $10,000 donation, oil and gas companies and Republican elected officials and Republican Party officials. Mayor Berry won reelection in a landslide with 68.12% to Dinelli 28.73% to Heh 3.15%. Berry’s margin of victory was a little over the two to one margin he spent to get re-elected by the lowest municipal voter turnout since 1977, which was 70,473 votes or only 19% of registered voters at the time. Dinelli was the first candidate to ever openly run as a Democrat for Mayor to no avail. Republican voter turnout was very high while many Democrats simply failed to vote.

PROPOSED CHANGES

The deficiencies in the city’s public financing have been repeatedly warned about over the last 14 years, at least by www.PeteDinelli.com, but have been ignored. Some of the changes advocated is reducing the number of qualifying donations to a more realistic number as well as increasing the time to collect the qualifying donations. Simply put, public finance laws should not be set up to make it too difficult to qualify for public financing and should have sufficient safeguards to police and prevent fraud.

The following changes to the City’s public finance system  and election code are in order:

1. Reduce the amount of the qualifying donation from $5.00 to $2.00.
2. Double the amount of time from 64 days to 128 days to collect both the qualifying donations and petition signatures, and private campaign donation collection.
3. Reduce the number of qualifying donations from 3,780 to a flat 2,000. Simply put, many voters loath making political donations of any kind.
4. Strictly prohibit former campaign staff or family members of candidates from being  allowed to run or fund measured finance committees.
5. Allow the collection of the qualifying donations from anyone who wants, and not just residents or registered voters of Albuquerque. Privately finance candidates now can collect donations from anyone they want and anywhere in the State and Country.
6. Once the allowed number of qualifying donations is collected, the public financing would immediately be made available, but not allowed to be spent until the date of closure of the collection process.
7. Permit campaign spending for both publicly financed and privately financed candidates only from the date of closure of the collection process to the November election day.
8. Return to candidates for their use in their campaign any qualifying donations the candidate has collected when the candidate fails to secure the required number of qualifying donations to get the public financing.
9. Mandate the City Clerk to issue debit card or credit card collection devices to collect the qualifying donations and to issue receipts and eliminate the mandatory use of “paper receipts”. Continue to allow the collection of both nominating petition signature and $5.00 donations “on line.”
10. Increase from $1.00 to $2.50 per registered voter the amount of public financing, which will be approximately $900,000, and allow for incremental increases of 10% every election cycle keeping up with inflation.
11. Allow additional matching public financing available for run offs at the rate of $1.25 per registered voter, or $450,000.
12. Albuquerque should make every effort to make municipal elections partisan elections to be held along with State and Federal elections by seeking a constitutional amendment from the legislature to be voted upon by the public.
13. Any money raised and spent by measured finance committees on behalf a candidate should be required to first be applied to reimburse the City for any taxpayer money advanced to a public finance candidate or deducted from a publicly finance candidates account and returned to the city.
14. City of Albuquerque campaign reporting and finance ordinances and regulations need to define with absolute clarity that strictly prohibit the coordination of expenditures and campaign activities with measured finance committees and individual candidate’s campaigns in municipal elections.
15. A mandatory schedule of fines and penalties for violations of the code of ethics and campaign practices act should be enacted by the City Council.

FINAL COMMENTARY

There is little doubt that all of Mayor Tim  Keller’s opponents are now in a state of panic or depression, or perhaps both,  as Keller is on the verge of being the only candidate who will likely qualify for public finance and be given $755,946 in city financing for his campaign.

Some politcal gossip pundits and columnists are already saying that if Keller’s opponents are unable to raise sufficient money to run their campaigns, there is a chance that Keller could actually capture 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff election that would be required between the top two finishers if no one captures 50% plus one of the vote. With at least 6 likely candidates making the ballot, that is probably wishful thinking on the part of gossip pundits and columnist. Frankly, Keller will need every penny of his public finance and then some to deal with his low approval ratings as the campaign drags on over the summer and into winter and his opponents hit him hard on the issues until November 4.

Notwithstanding, all of Keller’s opponents are now relegated to scrambling for private financing unless they are wealthy enough to self-finance. It’s unknown how they will do with private fundraising but we will soon see as campaign finance reports are required. The only candidate that likely has the ability to private finance his campaign is Parking Company of America CAO Daniel Chavez who has already donated $100,000 of his personal money to finance the collection of the ballot qualifying nominating signatures.

Until there is real reform of public finance laws, we can continue to expect only incumbents to qualify for public financing in elections for Mayor and thereby by giving the incumbent the upper hand and an unfair advantage over all those who run for the office.  If Mayor Tim Keller is really committed to the city public finance  and wants to “Walk The Talk” as he has said, he would go out of his way to distance himself from ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE.  Keller should ask ASCEND ALBUQUERQUE organizers cease any efforts to raise donations to promote his candidacy. Asking Keller to condemn a measured finance committee promoting him is likely way too much to ask of an entrenched politician such as Keller and his greedy enablers and handlers like Holguin and Packman who make lucrative livings off of public finance and the candidates they support.

__________________________

POSTSCRIPT

 ABQ JOURNAL GUEST OPINION COLUMN BY ERIC GRIEGO

Eric Griego is an adjunct professor in political science at the University of New Mexico. He is a former Albuquerque City Councilor and former  New Mexico State Senator. Griego was the original sponsor of the Open and Ethical Elections legislation in Albuquerque. In 2022, Eric Griego was employed by the city and Mayor Tim Keller as Assistant Chief of Staff for Policy for the Mayor Keller where he led the mayor’s policy, government affairs and community outreach efforts.

https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/keller-administration-announces-additions-to-city-leadership. 

On Sunday, June 9, the Albuquerque Journal published the following guest editorial opinion column by Eric Griego:

HEADLINE: Public Finance Rules In ABQ Need Reform

By: Eric Griego

“Much has happened since the Open and Ethical Elections proposal creating public financing was passed overwhelmingly by voters in 2005, but the merits of public financing were as important then as they are now.

First, public financing makes it possible for ordinary people to run for public office. You shouldn’t have to be well-connected, wealthy or a party insider to run a strong race.

Second, instead of being forced to raise money from just a handful of wealthy donors to be competitive, publicly financing candidates can spend more time meeting their constituents and learning about the issues.

Third, under public financing, public policies are likely more reflective of public preferences and less focused on the desires of wealthy special interests.

In the first two elections (2007 and 2009) under the new system, eight out of 10 candidates won their seats using the new public financing system. Overall campaign spending decreased, and because of the required individual $5 contributions, voters had much more personal contact with candidates. More importantly, the outsized influence of large campaign donors was balanced by more participation from average voters. In 2009, all three mayoral candidates, including the incumbent mayor, ran using public financing. That was a huge victory for clean elections and local democracy.

That victory, however, was short lived. In 2010, in what will surely go down in U.S. history as one of the worst judicial decisions for American democracy, the U.S. Supreme Court in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission struck down limits on corporate independent expenditures. That decision not only poisoned our national and state elections but blew a huge whole in Albuquerque’s public financing system.

Thanks to Citizen’s United, independent PACs (called Measure Finance Committees or MFCs in Albuquerque elections) can now spend unlimited amounts of money supporting or opposing candidates. That effectively undermines the original purpose of public financing, which is to provide an alternative to the oversized power of big money in our elections.

My intention when I first started working with advocates and community members on Albuquerque’s Open and Ethical Elections system was to make it so more people could realistically run for local office. Short of a constitutional amendment, we can’t do much to end unlimited outside spending by PACs and MFCs. However, we can and should improve the current public financing system to make it more feasible for all candidates.

Currently, it is difficult for anyone other than incumbents and career politicians with strong partisan ties to qualify. In the 2021 mayor’s race, if the current trend continues, only one candidate — the incumbent — will likely qualify for the more than $750,000 provided by the clean elections fund.

If we want to keep public financing as an option, we must address this barrier as well as make other reasonable reforms to the system.

First, the threshold for qualifying for public financing in mayoral races should be cut in half from the current roughly 4,000 $5 contributions to 2,000.

Second, the time period for collecting qualifying contributions should be extended from the current 64 days to at least 90 days.

Third, oversight and penalties for coordination with MFCs should be improved. Former campaign staff or family members of candidates should not be allowed to run or fund these supposedly independent PACs.

Until we find a solution to the corrosive effects of big money in elections at all levels, we need to make alternatives like the Albuquerque public financing system viable to help change who runs, who they answer to and where their money comes from. It is a small step to improving our democracy, but it matters.

The link to the Journal column by Eric Griego is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/article_dc5a6966-066e-474f-8353-47cf1e914125.html

Links to related articles are here:

Political Consultants Neri Holguin And Jay McCleskey Make “Big Bank” In 2023 City Council Races Charging Candidates Upwards Of 100% Of Taxpayer Public Financing; Holguin Behind “Political Hit Piece” In District 6 City Council Runoff Race; Public Financing Just Another Cash Cow For Political Consultants

Keller’s Political Consultant Packman Working For City Paid Over $80,000; Board Of Ethics And Campaign Practices Called Upon To Investigate If City Personnel and Resources Are Being Used For Keller’s Announced Second Term Bid And Personal Use