Albuquerque’s biggest challenges — from rising homelessness to federal immigration enforcement — took center stage Aug. 26, as ten City Council candidates squared off over high-profile policy topics in the city’s contested districts.
The forum at Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown drew candidates from Districts 1, 3, 5, and 9 and was co-hosted by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) New Mexico chapter and 13 other business groups, including the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors and Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico.
The event gave candidates a platform to present their plans to business leaders, who wanted to hear how they would address crime, homelessness and economic development—issues central to Albuquerque’s future. Four council seats are at stake, including an open West Side seat and three incumbents seeking reelection.
The Nov. 4 municipal election will decide control of Albuquerque’s nine-member City Council and whether the current conservative leadership keeps its majority or cedes ground to Democrats.
Conservative Republicans Brook Bassan and Renée Grout serve as council president and vice president, giving the conservative bloc strong influence over decisions, especially when votes are closely contested.
The contested districts
District 1: Current Councilor Louie Sanchez is running for mayor, leaving the seat open. Three candidates participated: Ahren Griego, Daniel Leiva and Joshua Neal.
District 3: Incumbent Councilor Klarissa Peña seeks a fourth term against Christopher Sedillo and Teresa Garcia.
District 5: Incumbent Councilor Dan Lewis faces challenger Athenea Allen.
District 7: Incumbent Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn is running unopposed and did not participate.
District 9: First-term Councilor Renée Grout seeks reelection against Colton Newman.
Where candidates stand
Business leaders pressed candidates on the interconnected challenges facing Albuquerque, revealing clear policy divisions on issues critical to the city’s future:
Housing development
With homelessness up 83% from 2022-2023 and the city facing a shortage of 20,000 housing units, candidates outlined different approaches to increasing supply.
District 1:
Ahren Griego: “We just don’t have enough housing inventory, and our housing inventory is getting caught up in antiquated zoning restrictions.”
Daniel Leiva: “The number one goal is increasing the supply of housing, and the way that I think you do that is we amend the (Integrated Development Ordinance) to allow for more flexibility, especially in mixed-use areas.”
Joshua Neal: “We need a tiered permit process that prioritizes workforce housing and gets them through the city review process in a guaranteed 30 to 45 days.”
District 3:
Teresa Garcia: “We need diverse housing, affordable housing and workforce housing. In District Three, we have a lot of single-family homes.”
Klarissa Peña: “In terms of the (Integrated Development Ordinance), I think we do really need to revisit the idea. I didn’t support when it went through initially.”
Christopher Sedillo: “I will champion public-private partnership for workforce housing progress, incentivize infill development to reduce sprawl.”
District 5:
Athenea Allen: “We need housing. We’re going to work with you to get housing through our public-private partnerships.”
Dan Lewis: “I sponsored and helped pass O-6569, a bill that provided permissive use for corridors to open them up for duplexes and multi-housing.”
District 9:
Renée Grout: “The city owns a lot of land, and donating it for affordable housing is an exception to the anti-donation clause.”
Colton Newman: “We need to move quickly and meet the demand. I’d love to see height restrictions raised in strategic locations.”
Mayor-council relations
Despite Democrats holding a 5-4 majority, tensions between the mayor’s office and council have created challenges for policy implementation.
District 1:
Ahren Griego: “Working together for the benefit of the city is something that cannot be compromised.”
Daniel Leiva: “I’m willing and able to work with everybody, so long as it’s for the betterment of the people of Albuquerque.”
Joshua Neal: “ I think the relationship between the mayor and the city council should be built on mutual respect and common goals. Personally, I think that it’s time for us to put aside the partisanship.”
District 3:
Teresa Garcia: “If elected for City Council District 3, I will make sure to work collaboratively with our mayor.”
Klarissa Peña: “No matter who the mayor is, you have to work with them. That’s what you get things accomplished.”
Christopher Sedillo: “It’s a team effort to get things done, and it’s also important to work with my neighborhood associations to (understand) their concerns and priorities.”
District 5:
Athenea Allen: “Having that partnership, being collaborative versus combative is important.”
Dan Lewis: “This mayor is suing the city council right now. This is a terrible place to do business in, and you know it.”
District 9:
Renée Grout: “The level of trust between Council and this administration is at an all-time low.”
Colton Newman: “There’s not weakness in collaboration. There’s not weakness in compromise.”
Project Labor Agreements
The city requires Project Labor Agreements on construction projects over $10 million, dividing candidates and the business community.
District 1:
Ahren Griego: “When workers get paid more, they have more to invest in the community.”
Daniel Leiva: “I support the standards for the workers and the ability to collectively bargain.”
Joshua Neal: “I do not support the PLA. It gives an unfair advantage and completely shuts out other organizations.”
District 3:
Teresa Garcia: “We need to support our union and make sure we are supporting our local unions and not outsourcing.”
Klarissa Peña: “I’m a very strong union person, and the union felt that they really needed to have the language of the PLA in there.”
Christopher Sedillo: “I support investing in vocational education and expanding apprenticeship opportunities in partnership with unions.”
District 5:
Athenea Allen: “If we have competitive rates and we’re paying these people well, we’re gonna get more people into that industry.”
Dan Lewis: “If you want to get rid of the PLA, elect one more city councilor who will vote with us to override a veto of this mayor.”
District 9:
Renée Grout: “I think it definitely makes the projects much more expensive. Time wasted instead of more development.”
Colton Newman: “I’m against it, I would love to know more and love your input.”
Immigration policy
The city’s “immigrant-friendly” status has drawn federal scrutiny, creating debate about local cooperation with immigration enforcement.
District 1:
Ahren Griego: “I do not believe that local law enforcement should be focused on immigration enforcement.”
Daniel Leiva: “As a first-generation American and as the son of immigrants, I stand with our immigrant choice.”
Joshua Neal: “Those refugees I met were good people, but they were affected by bad policies.”
District 3:
Teresa Garcia: “I believe that we need to protect our immigrant community. We are not criminals.”
Klarissa Peña: “This is really just not using our city resources to help the federal government target Mexican nationals.”
Christopher Sedillo: “Unless you’re Native American, we’re all immigrants somewhere in our ancestors.”
District 5:
Athenea Allen: “Statistics show it is not always illegal immigrants committing crimes. I care about all crime, not just immigrant crime.”
Dan Lewis: “There are some common-sense ways that we can help and sustain people’s civil rights at the same time improve safety.”
District 9:
Renée Grout: “Everybody’s welcome to come to our country, but you need to come the right way.”
Colton Newman: “If ICE starts hunting down people who are undocumented, your businesses will dry up.”
The Nov. 4 municipal election will decide control of the city council and determine which policy approaches guide Albuquerque through its current challenges.
Candidate information is available at the City’s website.