Today we're looking at the five
ABQ City Council seats up for election next Tuesday. Let's begin with the most heated one.
That would be the race in District 5 on the city's northwest side where Republican Dan Lewis, current Council President and executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Association of NM, is seeking another term. He is getting a stiff challenge from Democrat Athenea Allen, a program security representative for General Dynamics Information Technology at KAFB
As seen in the piece posted, Allen is the wife of Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen which has critics asking is this power couple making too much of a power play?
Allen tells us "there is no conflict of interest with her husband, that they represent a "collaboration" and not a conflict:
The county and city are two separate governments with two separate budgets There is no conflict.
During a debate Allen addressed concerns about her independence. Asked whether she would defer to Sheriff Allen's views on public safety or immigration, she said:
I am a strong, independent woman who makes up her own mind on issues.
Meanwhile, Lewis is hitting Allen hard in the mail, coming with a piece that attacks her for being "soft on crime" and in support of "catch and release."
That prompted Sheriff Allen to take the unusual step of going on the socials to defend his wife and himself even though she says he was not mentioned in the hit piece. He said:
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| Lewis hit piece |
There's no way that we are soft on crime and that we support catch and release. I have fought this ad nauseam--to get rid of the system where we see criminals released and never held accountable. My wife holds to the same value. If you commit a crime in the city or county you will be held accountable. The rhetoric from my wife's opponent is just someone who is intimidated by somebody that can do a better job and is for the change we have not seen in District 5 for 12 years. In fact, the crime has become worse and I have had to have my deputies come into the district to get rid of the crime. . . I need someone on the council that can not only support the strong polices we have but be a representative for you to cure the crime problem.It will be interesting to see how voters see Allen's involvement in the race--as necessary to clarify the record or an overstep into city politics?
Dem consultant Sisto Abeyta continues to rank the district "lean Republican" but is anticipating a competitive race.
DISTRICT ONE
We have heard little about the three way race for the westside council seat being vacated by conservative Dem Councilor
Louie Sanchez. That's because the race has appeared to quickly lean toward Dem
Ahern Griego, a retired city firefighter who Abeyta says is "deep in the grassroots" of the district.
Griego also has the strong support of city unions, important in a district heavy on blue collar workers.
Daniel Leiva, a relative of BernCo Assessor Damian Lara, has raised over $80,000 but at 29 and only freed to campaign full-time after getting his law degree from UNM in May, Abeyta says he has been at a disadvantage.
A third candidate, progressive Dem
Stephanie Telles, saw most her early campaign consumed by efforts to get on the ballot. She prevailed but it slowed her fund-raising to only $10,000 and that hurt.
If Griego, who qualified for public financing, wins his race along with Mayor Keller, the victory would take some sting out of Keller's council opposition. Sanchez has repeatedly sided with the Republicans.
Abeyta, who believes Griego will take the race with 50 percent or more and avoid a runoff, says Greigo would be an independent councilor but not a knee-jerk opponent of Keller.
DISTRICT THREE
Is Democrat Klarissa Peña the forever councilor for this ABQ Valley district?
It seems so as she seeks a fourth four year term on the nine member council and without substantive opposition. Back to Abeyta:
The district has taken to her, especially the many old line families. Criticism of her handing of the Route 66 visitation center build out have not taken hold but her record improving neighborhoods and infrastructure is appreciated.
Peña, the current council vice-president and a native of her district, has two opponents.
Christopher Sedillo says:
I know how to bring people together and how to challenge entrenched
interests when they fail us. That’s the kind of leadership district
three deserves.
Teresa Garcia is a first-generation U.S. citizen and bilingual advocate with over 14 years living in the district. Her campaign emphasizes community voices, public safety, health equity, and progressive policies like immigrant rights and union support.
Abeyta says neither of Peña's opponents have raised sufficient funds to mount a serious challenge and he expects the councilor, who qualified for public financing, to capture the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a runoff.
DISTRICT SEVEN
Some odd happenings in
District 7, the
Mid-Heights district that includes
Uptown and where progressive Dem Councilor
Tammy Fiebelkorn is seeking a second term unopposed.
Well, unopposed on the ballot but a write in candidate, Jaemes Shanley has qualified and has been given a $2,000 donation from the Apartment Association of NM and another $2,000 from the real estate GAAR PAC. Fiebelkorn has has qualified for over $57,000 in public financing.
No write-in candidate has ever won a city election and Fiebelkorn remains popular in the area, attracting a following of dedicated progressives as did her predecessor Diane Gibson. It's a major reason why she is unopposed.
That the real estate community did not come up with a candidate for the ballot speaks to the symbolic nature of their opposition but also their deep disdain for Fiebelkorn. Her campaign platform includes "building more affordable housing especially for renters," more tenant protections and "fighting corporate price-gouging from the grocery store to the gas pump."
Write-in hopeful Shanley, a retired jewelry maker, criticizes the councilor for her support of the expensive Gateway Center for the homeless and says he wants more "transitional housing." He leaves the rest of the sticky problem to a committee to resolve:
It is past time for our elected City leaders to convene a “summit of everyone”
in the community whose efforts connect or can connect in some way to
this crisis and to work through their ideas and perspectives until an executable plan is defined. And then, to fix this mess.
Fiebelkorn is all-in on progressive solutions for the homeless. She supports safe spaces, rent control. and tenant protections. She has passed several bills involving those issues.
The apartment association has obvious reasons to oppose her but consultant Abeyta says Fiebelkorn is not going to be evicted.
DISTRICT 9
A potentially close contest for GOP Councilor Renee Grout went away with the withdrawal of candidate Melani Buchanan Farmer. Now up to bat is Dem
Colton Newman but he's under financed so this race in the far NE Heights that includes
Four Hills has been calm.
Homelessness has been a major issue in the district since it includes a stretch of East Central where many homeless congregate.
Grout, who owns and operates an auto repair shop, has advocated for reallocating funds to shelters for vulnerable groups (youth, women/children), bans on enabling "safe outdoor spaces," and transparency via spending audits to ensure effective outcomes over visible encampments.
Newman, a business manager at the UNM Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions, supports community-led solutions and program transparency. He frames it within broader affordability and youth investment in youth to address root causes like rising costs.
The district has been growing more Democratic. Grout took the seat in 2021 in a runoff election where she scored 52 percent but Abeyta says the Dems will have to wait another four years to make the play again.
EARLY VOTE
As usual there is some confusion and some panic among some of the campaigns over the early vote and what it means. We reported on a segment of the ABQ Journal's coverage Tuesday featuring longtime pollster Brian Sanderoff. He comes with a further explanation today that points out the usual depressed turnout among independent (decline to state) voters for a city election:
Just to clarify:
Although overall turnout in the municipal election is sluggish, both Democrats and Republicans are turning out at a rate higher than their actual proportion of the registered voter population--- and independents are turning out at a much lower rate than their true proportions.
Through Monday, whereas Democrats comprise 45.3% of the county registered voter population, they represent 55.5% of the voting population. Republicans comprise 27.8% of the county registered voter population, and 30.5% of the voting population. Independent voters (D-T-S) comprise 24.9% of the county registered voter population and only 13.3% of the voting population.
To look at it another way, through Monday, 10.9% of Democrats have voted and 9.7% of Republicans have voted, while only 4.7% of independents have voted.
Okay, we are at the service of the state's math whizzes as well as the political junkies.
ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE
Join us Tuesday November 4 at 6:30 PM KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.org for exclusive, live continuous coverage of the 2025 election featuring the races for mayor in ABQ and Santa Fe and the city council contests.
Dem political consultant Sisto Abeyta will be back crunching the numbers as will GOP consultant Bob Cornelius. So join us for Election Night on KANW as we bring home Campaign '25 in style. NO AUDITOR SARITA
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| Sec. Nair |
We had a spec piece up Tuesday that mentioned state Dept. of Workforce Solutions Secretary
Sarita Nair as a possible '26 Dem primary opponent for
State Auditor Joseph Maestas. She responds that she will not be running:
Hi Joe,
While it's always nice to be thought of, I look forward to finishing out the Governor's term in a job I love and have no intentions to run for anything next year. By the way, readers can hear Auditor Maestas and me discuss that great office in an episode of the Workforce Solutions podcast "Good Job New Mexico," from March of this year.
In an early first draft of that piece we did not have Zack Quintero, who now heads up the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a the Dem primary foe of Joseph Maestas in the 2022 primary.
As for that Maeastas-Nair mutual admiration society, what's next? Are Sam and Deb going to start a book club together?
Often imitated but never duplicated. .
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