11 Candidates to Seek Santa Fe Govt Seats

Nearly a dozen candidates will vie for a seat in Santa Fe city government in the municipal election next March.

Santa Fe City Clerk Office Yolanda Vigil said Monday she’s certified the nominating petitions of ten City Council hopefuls – spread over Santa Fe’s four districts – and one contender for municipal judge.

Candidates have until Dec. 13 to formally declare their intention to run for office.

The only sitting city councilor to run for re-election is District 1’s Patti Bushee. Bushee, who works for the Water Use and Conservation Bureau of the state Engineer’s Office, garnered 553 valid nominating signatures. She’ll compete against college graduate Houston Johansen, who turned in 149 valid signatures.

Three candidates will run in District 2: Santa Fe Southern Railway board member and retired businessman Bob Sarr, who turned in 117 signatures; Trust for Public Land attorney Peter Ives, who collected 204; and Elizabeth Dolly Lujan, a nurse and union official, with 127.

Three candidates also made the cut in District 3. They are former city Fire Chief Chris Rivera, with 161 valid signatures; Marie Campos, a businesswoman and social justice activist, who collected 67; and Gilbert Martinez, with 183. District 3 required 37 signatures.

In District 4, retired Magistrate Judge and coach Bill Dimas, who collected 303 signatures, will face off against Carol Robertson-Lopez, a retired state employee who now serves as executive director of the New Mexico Children’s Foundation, who turned in 363. Robertson-Lopez served on the City Council earlier this decade.

Municipal Judge Ann Yalman turned in 779 qualifying signatures and will run unopposed for re-election.

Monday also marked the deadline for those wishing to participate in a first-time ever public campaign financing option. To collect $15,000, City Council and municipal judge candidates needed to collect at least 150 contributions of $5 each from voters.

Bushee, Johansen, Ives, Sarr, Rivera and Robertson-Lopez are seeking public money, Vigil said. The Clerk’s Office plans to check and certify their contributions by next week.

Yalman and Campos also turned in contributions, but didn’t apply for certification, Vigil said.