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Mayer
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mayer Announces Move to Chicago
By Dan McKay
Journal Staff Writer
City Councilor Sally Mayer shocked her colleagues Monday afternoon by halting her bid for re-election and announcing plans to move to Chicago.
Mayer, a Republican who has represented the Uptown area since 2001, said she is moving to help care for her two grandchildren. Mayer said her son-in-law intends to launch a business, and the family needs help with the kids in the meantime.
Mayer
"I love Albuquerque, and I'll be back unless I become mayor of Chicago," Mayer joked in a telephone interview before Monday's council meeting.
She said she doesn't plan to endorse either of her opponents — Mike Cook, a financial planner whose name will appear on the ballot, and David Green, a baker who's running as a write-in candidate. She said she has already called Cook and will soon call Green to offer help with the transition.
"I think we have a great track record of helping people," Mayer said of her tenure. "That's the thing I've liked the most — getting to know the people and solving problems, even little problems like speed humps and barking dogs."
She's been a colorful member of the council: Mayer often starts council meetings in her Texas twang with a pitch for someone to adopt a homeless dog or cat brought from the city shelters. She used to work in real estate, then took a temporary job at Kmart and has admitted having trouble paying a credit card bill, which landed her in court.
Mayer is the council's vice president, meaning she runs the meetings when the president is absent. She is almost certainly best known for her animal advocacy, which her opponents have repeatedly tried to use against her.
She helped author one of Albuquerque's most controversial laws over the last decade — the HEART ordinance, which stands for Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment. A key provision in the bill requires pet owners to sterilize their animals unless they buy a permit, a move intended to curb the number of unwanted animals who end up euthanized at city shelters.
The measure went through 16 drafts and survived a court challenge. She even faced a recall effort afterward, though opponents couldn't muster enough signatures to force an election.
Mayer has been an advocate for improved operations at the city shelters. But disagreements over who ought to run them triggered a major falling out with Mayor Martin Chávez.
Mayer and Chávez worked well together and often teamed up during Mayer's first six years on the council. In 2007, however, Mayer was furious after the administration transferred out the shelter director and hired a new one. She became one of the mayor's fiercest critics over what she called his "confrontational approach."
Councilor Brad Winter, the longest-tenured council member, said he was shocked to hear that Mayer is leaving.
"She works very, very hard," he said.
Councilor Ken Sanchez said Mayer has "a great deal of integrity and served her district well."
Election Day this year is Oct. 6. Mayer's term ends the following month.
"I'm going to miss doing this," Mayer said.
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