City Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn and Renée Grout won reelection Tuesday, with Fiebelkorn running unopposed in District 7 and Grout defeating challenger Colton Newman in District 9.
District 7
In District 7, incumbent Fiebelkorn appears to have easily won reelection with 11,853 votes as of 10:00 PM Tuesday, though write-in votes for challenger Jaemes Shanley had not yet been tallied.
Just 8,200 voters cast ballots in the same district in the last council election in 2021.
Fiebelkorn, an environmental economist who qualified for public financing, has served on the council since 2022, representing Northeast Albuquerque. Before her election, she worked on energy efficiency program design and evaluation, including low-income retrofits and updating the city’s Energy Conservation Code.
She chairs the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee, serves on multiple regional boards and faced minimal organized opposition. She is also the founder and president of Positive Links, a nonprofit educating the public on the link between animal abuse and human violence.
Shanley, a retired international sales and marketing executive from the Mark Twain neighborhood, ran as a write-in candidate. He criticized what he called an “unhoused industrial complex” that spent more than $300 million over eight years and focused his campaign on vacant commercial properties, water supply concerns and recent zoning changes he said silenced neighborhood voices in development appeals.
Shanley serves as president of the Mark Twain Neighborhood Association and vice president of the District 7 Coalition of Neighborhood Associations.
District 9
In District 9, Grout won reelection with 5,903 votes, or 55%. Colton Newman received 4,845 votes, or 45%.
Grout, a small business owner, qualified for public financing in her reelection bid. First elected in a December 2021 runoff, she has lived in District 9 for more than 46 years. Grout emphasized support for law enforcement, infrastructure improvements, including roads and parks and fiscal policies focused on meeting the needs of her district.
Newman, business manager at the UNM Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addictions, ran as a privately financed challenger. He emphasized collaborative governance, affordable housing, climate resilience and accountability for Gateway Center spending.
Newman serves on the UNM Staff Council Executive Committee, advocating for staff compensation and benefits. His campaign focused on making life more affordable, improving public safety, supporting mental health and community wellness, empowering residents and creating green jobs, including transitioning city operations to 100% renewable energy.
All council winners will serve four-year terms beginning in January.