A Few Questions To Ask All Candidates For Mayor; Early Voting Starts October 18; Election Day Is November 4; Please Vote!

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The Bernalillo County Clerk has qualified the following  7 candidates running for Mayor who will appear on the November 4 ballot:

  1. Incumbent Mayor Tim Keller.
  2. Eddie Varela, a retired Albuquerque firefighter and former California fire chief.
  3. Alex Uballez, the former U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico.
  4. Louie Sanchez, a retired APD police officer and current city councilor.
  5. Darren White, the former sheriff of Bernalillo County and former CEO of medcal cannabis company PurLife.
  6. Daniel Chavez, president of Parking Company of America was the very first to qualify for the ballot.
  7. Mayling Armijo, the former director of Economic Development for Bernalillo County and deputy county manager for Sandoval County.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_300f4829-e579-427d-b59e-a5d884e1d114.html#tncms-source=home-featured-7-block

More than a few candidate forums have already occurred with business organizations as well as neighborhood associations. With that in mind, following are a few questions that are suggested for city voters and candidate forum sponsors to consider asking the candidates for Mayor:

EDITORS NOTE: Many of the same questions can be modified and asked of all the candidates running for City Council.

ELECTION AND CAMPAIGN FINANCING

  • Albuquerque’s municipal election is officially classified as nonpartisan where candidate’s party affiliations on not identified on the ballot. It is common knowledge that the major parties get involved with the races for Mayor and City Council. Should the city seek to change the law and have its municipal elections become partisan elections?
  • Candidates for Mayor are given 64 days to collect 3,000 qualifying nominating petition signatures from Albuquerque registered to secure a ballot position. 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 64 day time period. Mayor Tim Keller was the only candidate for Mayor who qualified for public finance.  Should more time be given to collect nominating petitions signatures and the number of qualifying donations?
  • Should the City’s public finance system be abolished?
  • Should the city abolish collecting nominating petition signatures and simply require a declaration of candidacy to be placed on the ballot as is the case for county elected officials?
  • Should public finance just be given to those who qualify for ballot with nominating petition signatures and get rid of the $5.00 donations to the city?

IMMIGRATION

  • Should the City of Albuquerque be a sanctuary city, immigrant friendly city or neither?
  • Should the Albuquerque Police Department APD dedicate resources to assist in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and enforce immigration laws?

HOMELESSNESS

 “Safe Outdoor Spaces” are organized, managed homeless encampments. Current zoning law allows two homeless encampments for upward of 50 people in all the nine City Council districts with regulations mandating hand-washing stations, toilets and showers, 6-foot fencing and require 24/7 security.

  • Should the city relax or eliminate regulations to allow expansion of the Safe Outdoor Spaces program with the goal of increasing the number?
  • Should the city allow for smaller Safe Outdoor Spaces without restrictions such as security for encampments of 10 to 15 persons?
  • Should there be any limit to the number of sanctioned safe outdoor spaces throughout the city and should they be allowed in residential neighborhoods?

According to the City budgets for the years 2021 to 2024, the Keller administration has already spent  $300,000,000, to operate shelters and provide homeless services. The $300 million has been used  to implement an integrated homeless shelter system of 5 shelters as follow:

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

 The city is also spending upwards of $56 million a year for service contracts to assist the homeless.

  • Should the city accept the unhoused from other New Mexico cities and towns in order to provide them with services?
  • Do you feel the city needs to do more or less to deal with homeless?

HOUSEING AND ZONING

  • Please explain your experience with city planning and if you expect to be involved with the nuts and bolts of city planning work?
  • In what way do you see your role as a Mayor interfacing with the Planning Department?
  • Please express your knowledge of the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO), which is the city’s zoning laws with a biannual update process. Can you give examples of what you consider successes and failures of this process?
  • What do you know about Albuquerque Neighborhood Associations and Neighborhood Coalitions? How have you been involved with these groups before running for office? How do you see the Neighborhood Association Recognition Ordinance affecting neighborhood associations?
  • What is your understanding of the city’s “housing crisis”? Do you define it in terms of a shortage of “affordable housing” or a need for “government subsidized” housing and to what extent should the city be required to provide eather?
  • Please define the term Transitional Housing as you see it and to what extent should the city provide such housing?
  • Do you feel city should acquire motels and commercial office space and convert to “low-income” housing?
  • What is your position on Mayor Keller’s Housing Forward Plan and increasing density in all neighborhoods with zoning changes giving Planning Department exclusive authority to authorize casitas, duplexes and town home developments?
  • What is your position on “Opt In Zoning” which is where the city would establish a process allowing property owners to opt-in to changing the zoning of their properties to allow zoning for higher-density housing options on their residential properties citywide and mixed-used development without affording adjacent property owners the right to object or appeal the zoning change?
  • What is your position on CASITA and duplex development, and should it be allowed in all parts of the city to increase density?
  • Are you in favor of the city adopting renter’s empowerment ordinance where restrictions are placed on property owners and landlords preventing them from conducting background checks, credit checks, dictating the manner rent is paid, prevent requiring tenants to acquire renters’ insurance, preventing tenants from having pets and placing limitations on rent deposits?

APD AND REFORM

  • Would you terminate and replace APD Chief Harold Medina?
  • Should a new chief come from within APD  or should a national search be conducted and outside management recruited to include Chief and Deputy Chiefs?
  • Currently, Chief Medina is paid $200,00O a year. Should a new Chief be paid more or less?
  • Do you feel APD is understaffed and if so what should the staffing levels be?
  • Should all APD’s  brass of Chief, Deputy Chiefs and Commanders  be replaced with management team recruited?
  • Should the police union be allowed to include Lieutenants and Sergeants in its bargaining unit or are they management?
  • Should APD undergo a complete reorganization to include reducing management levels?
  • Currently, APD has upwards of 900 sworn police with 1,000 positions fully funded. What do you feel is the number of APD sworn officers needed and what steps would you take to increase APD ranks?
  • What is your position on APD DWI scandal and what do you feel needs to be done to prevent it from ever happening again?

ALBUQUERQUE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

The Albuquerque Community Safety Division was created 3 years ago. Its primary responsibility is responding to calls for service 24/7 and performing outreach for inebriation, homelessness, addiction, and other issues that do not require police or  emergency medical team response. The enacted  2025  is $19.3 million and includes funding for 131 Full time positions.

Do you feel the Albuquerque Community Safety Division has been a success or failure in dealing with the unhoused?

CRIME

According to APD’s midyear crime statistic for 2025, all major categories of crime are down compared to the same period in 2024. Auto theft has dropped 40%, residential burglary dropped 14%, and commercial burglary has dropped 24%. Major nonviolent crime is down by 25% when shoplifting is added. The three main categories of violent crime of  aggravated assault, sex crimes, and robbery are down 12%. Homicides which are identified as a totally separate category, have declined 28%. Murders went from 47 in the first half of 2024 to 34 the first half of 2025 year  putting the city on track to finish the year below 80 homicides. In 2024, the city recorded 89 total homicides.

  • Do you belief the statistics, and if not why?
  • What specifically would you do to deal with the city’s crime problems?

FIRE AND RESCUE

The city recently changed its policy on requiring at least 2 paramedics to call outs and now requires only one paramedic in order to resources. What is your position on this change?

CITY GOVERNMENT

  • Should Albuquerque abolish the Mayor – Council form of government and return to a city council city manager form of government?
  • Should the size of the city council be increased or decreased?

STATE FAIR GROUNDS

On December 3, 2024 Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, accompanied by Speaker of the House Javier Martinez, Mayor Tim Keller and State Fair Commission Chairman Eric Serna and other officials held a news conference at Expo New Mexico. They announced a plan to move the state fairgrounds to a different location and redevelop the 236 acre State Fair property into a mixed-use development.

On March 21, the New Mexico legislature  passed Senate Bill 481, which creates what is known as the “State Fairgrounds District” with the purpose  decide the future of  the existing State Fair grounds area. It will slightly raise local income taxes and authorizes the state to issue revenue bonds for redevelopment of the property. The bill was signed into law by the governor, and its funding mechanisms are expected to raise $12 million for initial ramp-up efforts.  Among the many ideas suggested for the development of the 236 acres of prime property included low income and affordable housing and demolishing the 60-year-old Tingly Coliseum and building a multipurpose entertainment and sports facility. Recommendations for future land use included commercial retail business development and also keeping the Sate Fair where it is.

  • Do you feel the state fair known as Expo New Mexico should be moved to a different location and if so where?
  • Do you feel that the state fairgrounds redevelopment should include low income housing or affordable housing to any degree?
  • Do you feel the state fairgrounds should be a year round entertainment and recreational district and continue as EXPO New Mexico?
  • Do you feel  the state fair ground redevelopment should include a new multipurpose arena of 15,000 or more to replace Tingly Colisium?

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. The department employs 17 full time employees and that has remained unchanged for the last 3 years.

  • Is the city spending enough for Economic Development Department?
  • What would you do as Mayor to attract more businesses and industries to the city?
  • What industries would you make as priority to attract and what incentives do you feel can be offered?

PLATFORM

  • What do you believe are the cities’ top three problems that need to address by the next Mayor other than reducing crime and dealing with the unhoused?
  • List your top three priorities you want to accomplish by the end of your four year term as Mayor?

FINAL COMMENT

Early voting begins on October 18 and you can vote at the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office and it ends on November 1. October 21 is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot from the Bernalillo County Clerk. Election day is November 4 at polling cites throughout city. A listing of election day voting locations can be found at this links:

 https://www.berncoclerk.gov/elections/election-day-voting/

 

 

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About Pete Dinelli

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