Mayor Tim Keller says ‘Albuquerque is making a comeback’ in speech to prominent business leaders

Albuquerque is in its comeback era.

That was the theme of a speech given by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller at a Tuesday luncheon hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce at Embassy Suites.

“We’ve done the real work. We’ve tried to fix and build systems that will last well beyond myself or folks who are in leadership positions in this room,” Keller told business leaders. “We’ve also weathered pandemics, protests, two governors, two presidents, but through it all, what you see now is we’re tested. We are trusted to hold this together.

“And Albuquerque is making a comeback.”

Keller, currently seeking reelection, reflected on his time in office, going back to 2017 when he initially started working with the business-focused chamber on the major issues affecting companies and families: the economy, crime and homelessness.

The same issues are still present today, Keller acknowledged, but the city has made major strides in addressing all three areas.

He referenced efforts like City Council’s December approval of a Tax Increment Financing District for Downtown and ongoing momentum to create a Business Improvement District — which he said he hopes will go to the council for approval in early fall — as well as projects like the Rail Trail.

Albuquerque is also in the process of two economic development priorities, Keller said: focusing on expanding local businesses and regrouping with Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories in response to federal investments.

“That’s what we need because right now, we can actually control that,” he said. “I can’t control what happens with tariffs and things like this.”

The mayor acknowledged how crime and homelessness have impacted Albuquerque’s businesses but said the city is making progress in those areas. Crime is down in many categories, including property and violent crimes and homicides, for the first time in a decade, he said.

Critics of Keller allege he hasn’t done enough to combat crime, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this year signed off on sending dozens of National Guard troops to Albuquerque to help the city’s police department focus more on fighting crime, declaring it a state of emergency. The troops deployed in June.

“If you think there’s some single white paper on how to make Downtown all of a sudden magically free of these problems, it’s not gonna happen. It takes the real work, and it takes sustained effort on all these fronts,” Keller said.

He also described Albuquerque as a role model when it comes to police reform, moving away from federal oversight, outdated technology and retention issues.

“No problem is solved,” Keller said. “But the difference is, we are working this closer to an answer of some kind than we were 10 years ago.”