On October 16, Mayor Tim Keller lost his cool during the Mayoral forum sponsored by the Greater Albuquerque Realtors Association. All five of his opponents appeared with Keller at the forum. Not surprisingly, throughout the forum, his opponents call out the Mayor for his failures and severely criticized him. The biggest criticisms were Keller’s failure to effectively deal with the city’s homeless crises.
City Councilor Louie Sanchez and Darren White aggressively challenged and pointed out Mayor Keller’s failure to remove and clean up homeless encampments and allowing them to proliferate the city. Alex Uaballez in particular criticized Mayor Keller for not removing the homeless encampments from public spaces in a humane manner and aggressively displacing people with sweeps from city streets and open public spaces by throwing away personal belongings, including identification. In the Channel 7 debate, Uballez called the sweeps “cruel” and alleged that city solid waste department workers have disposed of personal belongings including personal identification and, in one case, cremated remains.
The criticism regarding the removal of homeless encampments prompted an angry rebuke of the audience by Mayor Keller who was visibly upset. Gesturing with an aggressive outward wave of his right hand to show disgust, and then followed by gesturing with left hand closed with his thumb extended pointing to the 4 opponents to his left and tilting his head, Mayor Keller in a raised voice said this:
“… and also, you can’t do it. So if you just want to believe all the red meat everyone is throwing out here, vote for them, I don’t want your vote.”
The body language and the reactions by Keller’s 5 opponents to Mayor Keller’s remarks are worth noting. Sitting to Keller’s left were City Councilor Louie Sanchez and Alex Uballez looking down at notes, shuffling papers, with pens in hand and with their arms and hands on the table. Eddie Varela had his hand on the table as he stared at the audience. All three showed no expressions on their faces. Darren White is shown writing on paper at first, then glancing briefly over to Keller and then crossing his arms as Keller speaks as he then sits back with his head moving and his eyes darting nervously back and forth ostensibly looking for audience reaction. Mayling Armijo was sitting to Mayor Keller’s right, she had her hands clasped at first and as Keller spoke she shook her head slightly, ostensibly expressing dissatisfaction. She turned her head away and looks downward with a slight smirk appearing on her face as she sat back. No audible reaction from the audience can be heard to Mayor Keller’s remarks.
The link to review on a Louie Sanchez for Mayor Commercial on a FACEBOOK post of Mayor Keller’s rebuke is here:
KELLER AND THE UNHOUSED
Mayor Tim Keller’s handling of the city’s unhoused has become the single biggest issue in the 2025 Mayor’s race. It’s obvious, based on Mayor Keller’s outburst, he knows how very venerable he is on the issue and he is extremely sensitive to any criticism relating to his policies addressing the homeless.
On October 2, the Albuquerque Journal published a poll that found the vast majority of voters do not think the city is doing a good job addressing the homeless. Of likely and proven voters, the poll found a whopping 92% of voters were somewhat or very concerned about homelessness. Of likely and proven voters, 63% think the city is doing a poor or very poor job addressing homelessness, 30% a fair job and only 7% a good or excellent job.
THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
The Point-In-Time (PIT) count is the annual survey of identifying and counting individuals and families experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness as defined by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD). The PIT count is taken each year on a designated day in January.
The 2024 PIT survey found that the total count of PERSONS experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque was 2,740 broken down in 3 categories.
- Emergency Shelters: 1,289
- Transitional Housing: 220
- Unsheltered: 1,231
The 2,740 figure was an 18% increase of the number of the unhoused from the previous year. City officials and unhoused charitable providers always argue the PIT is below the actual number and that the city has upwards of 5,000 unhoused.
According to the 2024 PIT report, the historical totals of PEOPLE counted during the Albuquerque Point-in-Time counts from 2017 when Keller was first elected to 2024 during he tenure as Mayor is as follows:
- 2017: 1,318
- 2019: 1,524
- 2021: 1,567
- 2022: 1,311
- 2023: 2,394
- 2024: 2,740
Note the number of unhoused has more than doubled during Keller’s two terms in office and the number is still climbing.
The link to review the entire 62-page 2024 PIT report is here:
https://www.nmceh.org/_files/ugd/ad7ad8_4e2a2906787e4ca19853b9c7945a4dc9
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. Keller’s first re election commercial boasts he has provided “shelter with addiction treatment for 1,000 homeless”.
The biggest problem for Keller and the city is that surveys have confirmed upwards of 75% of the chronic, emergency unhoused simply refuse city services, yet Mayor Keller continues to have the city spend millions a year to benefit so few of the many that need assistance.
KELLER’S GATEWAY NEWORK OF SHELTERS
Over the past four years in response to the homeless crisis, Mayor Keller took steps to build a network of support shelters for the unhoused called the Gateway Network System. The Gateway Network consists of 5 shelters costing a staggering $300 Million dollars spent over the last 4 years by the Keller Administration to assist the unhoused. The Gateway system has a yearly operating cost of over $53 million a year including contacts to 115 service providers and charitable organizations.
Since becoming Mayor in 2017, Mayor Tim Keller has made the homeless the top priority perhaps only second to public safety. During Mayor Keller’s tenure, the city has established two 24/7 homeless shelters, including purchasing the Loveless Gibson Medical Center for $15 million to convert it into a homeless shelter and spending upwards of $90 million to renovate it for a shelter. The building being contaminated with asbestos contributed to a delay in the remodeling.
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 operate as an integrated system. Those shelters are:
- Gateway Center (Former Lovelace Hospital on Gibson) – Campus providing medical, behavioral, and social services including overnight beds, first responder intake, medical sobering and respite to assist upwards of 1,000 and to accommodate at least 330 a night.
- Gateway West (Former Westside jail)– Supportive 660-bed facility for individuals experiencing homelessness, offering specialized resources and case management. (Annual Impact: 5,700, open 24/7 Since 2019.)
- 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.)
- Gateway Recovery– 50-resident micro-community offering low-barrier beds, recovery services, and support for 18 – 24 months. (Annual projected Impact: 50 – 100.)
- Gateway Young Adult – Housing and support for young adults ages 15-25 experiencing homelessness, tailored to their unique needs. Annual projected Impact: 120 Individuals, yet to open.
The City Council approved in the 2026 city annual budget for the Health, Housing and Homelessness Department (HHH) 115 contracts negotiated by the Keller administration totaling $53,881,649 to provide housing, emergency shelter and medical and counseling services to the homeless as follows:
- 32 Affordable Housing, Community Development contracts $30,391,436
- 12 Emergency Shelter contracts $6,347,619
- 16 Health and Human Services contracts $1,962.480
- 28 Homeless Support Services contracts $5,746,188
- 5 Gateway Shelter operating contracts $3,864,500
- 11 Mental Health service contracts $2,995,960
- 11 Substance Abuse counseling contracts $2,573,526
115 TOTAL CONTRACTS TOTAL CONRACTS $53,881,649
The link to 2026 City Council approved city budget is here with the HHH budget appearing on pages 209 to 213 listing all service contracts:
Click to access fy26-approved-final.pdf
The problem for Mayor Keller is the City’s unhoused are proliferating all areas of the city, including city streets, intersections, neighborhoods and business alleys, open space and parks and it’s getting worse and worse after spending millions for shelters and services the homeless do not even want or refuse. During the past four years, the unhoused have become more aggressive, camping where they want and for how long as they want.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
You know the pressure and scrutiny is starting to get to Mayor Keller who is running for a third 4 year term when he reacted with emotion and even anger. Such outbursts often derail a candidate’s chances of winning an election, especially when the candidate admonishes an audience for believing other candidates, which is their right, and telling the audience not to vote for themselves.
Simply put, Mayor Keller lost his composure in front of one of the most influential business groups in Albuquerque. His public performance was disappointing and it was just as revealing. Keller’s reaction was a far cry from his Channel 7 debate performance with four of his opponents where identical criticisms were made against him and he kept his composure through out. The difference is that talking to a TV camera without real time fact checking, which is a Keller forte, as opposed to a live audience that may be hostile, tends to bring out far more of a person’s personality and true character.
KELLER’S “YOU CAN’T DO THAT” ATTITUDE
It’s common knowledge at city hall and amongst political observers that Mayor Tim Keller is thin skinned and resents criticism of any sorts and simply ignores it with a cold shoulder. For the last 8 years, Keller has had the attitude of “It’s my way or the highway” when it comes to dealing with the homeless, and he only listens to himself and his closest advisors at city hall.
Keller has only made things worse when it comes to the homeless. The city’s unhoused numbers continue to rise and Keller’s approach has made Albuquerque the hub for the state to provide shelter and services to the unhoused. Sant Fe is the capital of New Mexico. Albuquerque is the State’s capitol for the unhoused and the Gateway Center on Gibson is its capitol.
Mayor Keller’s all the above approach to temporary shelter is not sustainable. Given the numbers in the 2024 PIT report and the millions being spent on the homeless crisis it should be manageable. Yet the unhoused crisis has only gotten worse and worse each year of Keller’s tenure as Mayor and it is a continuing major drain on city resources. The blunt reality is that Mayor Keller’s policies on dealing with the homeless have been more of a failure than a success, benefiting more the contract providers as opposed to the unhoused, to the tune of $53,881,649 as approved by the city council for 2025 – 2026 fiscal year and will continue to increase each year if Keller is elected to another 4 year term.
Unhoused who have no interest in any offers of shelter, beds, motel vouchers or alternatives to living on the street force the city to make it totally inconvenient for them to “squat” anywhere they want and must force them to move on. That is what the city sweeps are all about.
After repeated attempts to reason with the unhoused to move on, citations and arrests are in order. However, citations and arrests of the homeless for violations for vagrancy, unauthorized camping and trespassing ordinances and misdemeanor laws is against city and APD policy and something Mayor Keller opposes. That is why the homeless are proliferating every part of the city despite city sweeps. This is why Keller said “you can’t do that” to the Greater Albuquerque Realtors Association.
CIVIL MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENTS
There is a better way to deal with the chronic homeless who refuse services but need them and who pose a danger to themselves or the public.
It is likely that the Albuquerque Police Department and the city Community Safety Department know who the “frequent flyers” are and who need to be taken immediately off the streets because they pose an immediate threat to themselves or others. Both departments could and should assist the District Attorney or the City Attorney with civil mental health commitments of the unhoused and file civil mental commitment actions.
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office and the Albuquerque City Attorney should form a specialized unit to deal exclusively with civil mental commitment actions in the Metropolitan Court’s “Out Reach Court” with the state providing funding and medical services through the Behavioral Health Trust Fund provided for in the Behavioral Health Reform Package both which were passed in January by the 2025 New Mexico legislature and signed into law by Governor Lujan Grisham.
It is understood the Gateway Shelter on Gibson that Keller pushed the city to buy for a 24-7 shelter over neighborhood objections, which is the former Lovelace Medical Center and Hospital, is still largely vacant and has upwards of 200 vacant patient rooms. The Gateway Shelter on Gibson should be utilized for referrals from the Metropolitan Court’s “Out Reach Court” that deals with the unhoused charged with crimes and with the State providing mental health services to those committed for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Civil mental health commitment hearings are in order for those unhoused who are a danger to themselves or others in order to get them into a hospital setting and get them the mental health treatment or drug counseling they need and get them off the streets, but Mayor Keller is reluctant to do that preferring a more subdued approach of “you can’t camp here so move along”.
Until the homeless crisis is resolved, the public perception will be that very little to no progress has been made despite millions spent by Mayor Keller to deal with what Keller has proclaimed as the “challenge of our lifetime.”
Come November 4 election day, voters must decide if they want to give Mayor Keller another 4 years to continue with his same efforts and policies to deal with the homeless or elect a new Mayor and take the city in a different direction to deal with the “challenge of our lifetime. ”
The link to a related blog articles are here: