Albuquerque mayoral candidates gather for last public roundtable ahead of election

Immigration, President Donald Trump and the New Mexico State Fair were all topics that surfaced during a roundtable discussion among Albuquerque’s six mayoral candidates at an event hosted by the Journal on Wednesday.

With Election Day in less than two weeks, the Journal roundtable marked what may be the last opportunity for the public to see all the mayoral candidates in one room.

Though crime and homelessness took center stage as Albuquerque’s biggest problems, at least according to polled voters, during this discussion candidates also talked about issues bubbling to the forefront of national politics.

To resist, or not to resist

Candidates were divided on whether Albuquerque should remain a sanctuary city and if going toe to toe with the Trump administration is worth the risk of losing federal funding.

“I think we’re being asked at this moment to give up our values for money,” said former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Alex Uballez. “And I will never give up my neighbor for money.”

Uballez pointed to the state’s $64 billion in permanent funds as a remedy to federal budget cuts he sees as a certainty with the current administration.

The incumbent, Tim Keller, struck a similarly defiant tone toward an administration that has already clawed back funding from the city.

In September, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced in a letter that it would withdraw an $11.5 million grant for the Albuquerque Rail Trail, a loop for pedestrians and cyclists around the city’s core.

“If any president from any party is going to try and divide our families, I will resist,” Keller said. “If any president is going to try and take our land, I will push back. If any president is going to try and tell us what is best for us, I will say they are wrong and they need to respect us as our own city, with our own history and our own governments.”

Other candidates said the pain isn’t worth the price.

Former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said that collaboration is “critically important” regardless of who’s in office. Beyond budget cuts, White feared retaliation might also include a base realignment and closure directive from the Pentagon, similar to what was attempted and failed in the ’90s, which he said could shutter Kirtland Air Force Base and cripple the city economically.

Mayling Armijo, a Navy veteran and former Bernalillo County Economic Development director, said her priority is making Albuquerque safer and if that requires collaborating with the federal government, she would be willing to compromise.

Outgoing City Councilor Louie Sanchez declined to comment on how he would approach the currently tenuous relationship, stating that the mayoral race was intended to be “nonpartisan.”

Former firefighter Eddie Varela also emphasized the race’s intended nonpartisan nature, but went on to talk about his own political leanings.

“Sure, I’m a Republican,” Varela said. “I don’t know Donald Trump — never met the guy — I watch world news, I watch national news and I see what he’s doing. I agree with a lot. I disagree with a lot.”

Keller and Uballez are both supportive of the city’s currently codified “immigrant friendly” policies, though Uballez said that it does not go far enough to protect residents.

Armijo, Varela, Sanchez and White all opposed the measure, stating that it gets in the way of law enforcement.

“We have enough criminals of our own,” White said.

If elected, White said he would re-establish a policy piloted by then-President George W. Bush and expanded upon by President Barack Obama that facilitated information sharing between local and federal law enforcement. Obama later axed the policy, called “Secure Communities,” in his second term.

Common ground

There was one thing all six candidates agreed on — their love for New Mexico’s State Fair.

In December, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced plans to put mixed-use development and affordable housing on the state-owned land where the annual State Fair has been held since 1934. The announcement drew criticism from fairgoers and surrounding neighborhood associations.

The governor’s plan was also unpopular with candidates.

“I actually love the State Fair being where it’s at and it should be held in Albuquerque and left alone,” Sanchez said.

Armijo added that state spending on the project was fiscally irresponsible.

“What burns me about this whole process is they did hire an out-of-state company and they’re paying them thousands of dollars to tell us something we already know — that it needs to stay there,” Armijo said.

The state paid Stantec Consulting Service Inc., a global firm, $850,000 to develop a master plan to make suggestions for the land’s use.

Uballez said he’d like the State Fair to stay put, though he said the decision is largely up to the governor. He welcomed an “intentional” redevelopment, if it comes to that, he said.

“It doesn’t have to be either or, it can be both,” Keller said of the redevelopment.

Keller opposed moving the fair, but said that there was opportunity for redevelopment in empty or underutilized areas around the property’s fringes.

Though Varela also opposed the governor’s plan, he said the decision should be put to the voters to decide.

Where they stand

In a recent Journal poll, Keller leads at 29% followed by White at 16%. Both Sanchez and Uballez secured 6% of voters, while Armijo and Varela polled at 1% to 2% respectively. The greatest chunk of voters, however, are undecided at 39%.