Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

City council candidates clash over housing, immigration, labor policy

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 […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

City Council candidate Buchanan Farmer withdraws from Albuquerque District 9 race

City Council candidate Melani Buchanan Farmer announced Monday she is withdrawing from the District 9 race, citing personal and family circumstances that require her full attention. “After much thought and reflection, I have made the very difficult decision to step out of the race for Albuquerque City Council District 9,” Buchanan Farmer said in an […]

Posted inSandoval County

Candidates prepare for Tuesday’s filing day in New Mexico local elections

Prospective candidates across New Mexico must file their declarations of candidacy for the state’s 2025 Regular Local Election on Tuesday. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced that candidates must file their Declaration of Candidacy between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at their respective county clerk’s offices. The filing window applies […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

Bernalillo County opens candidate filing Tuesday for November elections

Candidates seeking office in Bernalillo County’s 2025 Regular Local Election must file their declarations of candidacy in person on Tuesday, marking the start of the formal election process for dozens of municipal and school board positions. Filing will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Ken Sanchez Commission Chambers at 415 Silver […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

Albuquerque Ethics Board approves expanded fraud investigation into city council candidate’s public financing donations

The Albuquerque Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices on Aug. 20 approved City Clerk Ethan Watson’s request to expand an investigation into fraud allegations against District 1 City Council candidate Daniel Gilbert Leiva. The board voted 6-0 to allow the city’s inspector general to audit an additional 5% of Leiva’s qualifying contributions and review who […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

Bernalillo County GOP responds to mayoral candidate controversy

The Republican Party of Bernalillo County issued a statement Monday defending its handling of candidates following a news report that exposed false claims made by Albuquerque mayoral hopeful Patrick Sais. The party said it cannot prevent candidates from running for office and emphasized that campaign materials are solely the responsibility of individual candidates. “As a […]

Less than 90 days until election day, challengers post weak fundraising numbers in bid to oust Keller

Donations large and small from family members, real estate developers and cannabis companies helped the leading challengers to incumbent Mayor Tim Keller raise a combined $170,000 in just under 30 days, but all of that effort was dwarfed by Keller’s single contribution: a $733,000 contribution from the city’s public financing account. Candidates for all city […]

Sanchez calls for APD to cooperate with federal agents after voting to preserve anti-cooperation law

City Councilor Louie Sanchez says he will require Albuquerque police to cooperate with federal immigration officers if he is elected mayor, despite casting the deciding vote last year on legislation prohibiting police from doing just that. In May of last year, the former Albuquerque police officer turned city councilor surprised many city politics watchers when […]

Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County

Six candidates qualify for public financing in Albuquerque City Council election

The Office of the City Clerk certified the publicly financed candidates Monday, with four incumbents and two newcomers earning the right to receive lump-sum grants from the city’s Open and Ethical Elections Fund to run their campaigns through November’s election. City Clerk Ethan Watson’s office announced that the following candidates qualified for public financing: Ahren […]