Jesse Jones, Author at City Desk ABQ

What’s in a name? City Council blocks administration from rebranding Juniper Flats apartments as “Gateway”

The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved Resolution R-25-201 Nov. 5, preserving the “Juniper Flats” name for the 204-unit, 55-and-older senior apartment complex under renovation at 25 Hotel Circle NE in District 9. Though part of the city’s Gateway Network, the measure ensures Juniper Flats remains distinct from the Gateway shelter system, providing permanent, affordable housing […]

Everything Albuquerque voters need to know about the December runoff

Albuquerque voters will head back to the polls Dec. 9 to decide the mayoral race between the incumbent Democrat Tim Keller and the Republican challenger Darren White and two city council races in Districts 1 and 3. The city charter required a runoff because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote in the […]

A mom’s mission: After losing her daughter in a cycling crash, ABQ mom convinced city council to make traffic laws better for bikes, pedestrians

Days after 19-year-old Kayla Vanlandingham was struck and killed while cycling across Carlisle Boulevard in July, her mother, Melinda Montoya, met with District 7 City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn to ask, “How do we make things better for others?” That question sparked a four-month push that ended Wednesday, Nov. 5, when the Albuquerque City Council unanimously […]

The runoff strategy: Keller plans bipartisan outreach in runoff — while linking White to Trump

Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. On Thursday, we shared responses from Darren White. Today, we feature Mayor […]

White trails in polls and money—but says 65% of Albuquerque voted for change

Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. Today, we share responses from Darren White. On Friday, we will include […]

And then there were two: Keller, White head to December runoff for mayor

Mayor Tim Keller and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White are headed to a December runoff after no candidate secured the majority needed to win outright Tuesday. Keller led at 36% and White at 31% with a majority of votes counted at 10 p.m. Since Albuquerque adopted its current mayoral system in the mid-1970s, no […]

Union-backed candidates win 2 of 4 APS board seats, shifting board balance

Teacher union-backed candidates won two of four Albuquerque Public Schools board races Tuesday, with Rebecca Betzen defeating board president Danielle Gonzales and Warigia Bowman winning in District 6. Business-backed candidates held onto seats in Districts 5 and 7, capping the most expensive school board election in district history. The results shift the balance of power […]

Dem. Telles and GOP Neal headed to runoff for Westside council seat

Voters in Albuquerque’s Westside District 1 can keep their campaign yard signs up for another few weeks. Dem. Stephanie Telles and GOP’s Joshua Neal will face off in a December runoff for the District 1 City Council seat after no candidate won a majority Tuesday in the four-way race for the central Westside district. With […]

Lewis wins re-elect, dampening Dem plans for council pickup

City Councilor Dan Lewis held his District 5 seat Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Athenea Allen in a contest Democrats had hoped would help flip control of the council’s conservative majority. With all 687 precincts partially reporting in District 5, Dan Lewis led with 5,869 votes, or 53%. Athenea Allen had 5,143 votes, or 47%. Lewis, […]

Fiebelkorn, Grout easily win council re-election

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 […]