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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A heated City Council debate over mayoral power and legislative control erupted into personal sparring Nov. 2 before councilors narrowly approved a permanent task force to review Albuquerque’s city charter.
During its Nov. 2 meeting, the City Council narrowly approved Ordinance O-26-66 on a 5–4 vote, with Vice President Dan Champine and Councilors Joaquín Baca, Renée Grout and Nichole Rogers voting against it. The ordinance creates a permanent task force to review Albuquerque’s 1974 charter every 10 years, starting in January 2027. Champine, Grout, Rogers and Councilor Stephanie Telles cosponsored the original measure. The original proposal called for 11 voting members — one appointed by each of the nine councilors and two by the mayor — before Telles amended the measure to expand the group to 15 voting members. Under the amendment, councilors would appoint nine members and the mayor would appoint five, with those 14 members selecting a 15th member to serve as chair. The amendment also added a nonvoting consultant hired through the City Clerk’s Office to assist the group. The amendment set a two-year waiting period for people who recently held certain city positions or ran for city office, and it required a two-thirds vote to approve final recommendations.
The changes sparked a debate over the balance of power, pitting councilors who typically find themselves on the same side against one another. Baca and Champine said the charter review falls within the Council’s legislative authority and that the amendment gave the mayor too much influence. Baca questioned Telles’ experience, saying, “If you put together a giant amendment, you probably should have had the job for longer than a year before you try to make legacy ordinances.” Telles pushed back, saying, “Seniority isn’t an argument. Mansplaining isn’t an argument. I was voted to represent my district from day one, not after a waiting period of a year.” Rogers said the amendment substantially changed the original proposal and declined to close the debate, saying, “My mom says if you don’t have nothing nice to say, don’t say nothing.”
Telles said she had contacted her cosponsors before the meeting, spoken with two of them to apologize if she had acted out of turn, and tried to reach Rogers, who did not return her call. Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn questioned the claim that the amendment gave the mayor control, pointing out that the mayor would appoint five members while councilors would appoint nine.
The mayor and City Council members will begin selecting task force members ahead of the group’s January 2027 start. Burqueños can also apply for appointment through the City Clerk’s Office. The task force must complete its work in time for the City Council to review the proposals and decide whether any charter changes will go before voters on the Nov. 2, 2027, ballot.
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