District 2 -- Retired city planner, hydrologist and filmmaker compete to replace longtime Councilor Isaac Benton

Three people are racing to replace the longest-tenured councilor in Albuquerque.

Isaac Benton was first elected to represent the old District 3 in 2005 and later became the current District 2 representative — a district which now makes up Downtown, Old Town and parts of the North Valley.

Across his years as councilor, Benton championed Downtown redevelopment and economic development as a whole. He also tackled housing and homelessness issues, including advocating for changes to the zoning code to increase housing production.

All three of the candidates vying to replace the licensed architect and building contractor, who announced earlier this year he would not be running for reelection, have at some point crossed paths with local government.

Loretta Naranjo Lopez is a retired city planner. Joaquín Baca, the son of a retired city bus driver and Transit employee, was elected to the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District in 2017. Documentary filmmaker and former teacher Moisés González served as a commissioner on the city’s Environmental Planning Commission.

Both Naranjo Lopez and Baca are Democrats, like outgoing Councilor Benton, and opted for public financing, giving them a $40,000 spending limit. González is a registered Independent and withdrew from the public financing process. According to his annual campaign finance reports, he’s raised $19,074 and spent $15,469.

In a campaign email, González wrote, “District 2 City elections are, by law, nonpartisan … and they should be. Unfortunately, they are not treated that way. We should be working together as a community, not walking lockstep with, or making decisions based on, partisan politicking.”

The three candidates are all involved with neighborhood associations in their district. Naranjo Lopez is president of the Santa Barbara Martineztown Neighborhood Association; Baca helped found the ABQCore Downtown Neighborhood Association; and González is the vice president of the Huning Highland Neighborhood Association and serves on the board of the East Downtown Neighborhood Association.

As president of the association, Naranjo Lopez urged the city to buy the Santa Barbara Park and fought against a proposed safe outdoor space that would have been located near the neighborhood.

Although all the candidates have a shared interest in increasing housing stock and decreasing the number of people experiencing homelessness, they all have specific issues shaping their respective campaigns.

Baca, a hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service, frequently highlighted conservation issues on the campaign trail. In a candidate questionnaire from the Journal, Naranjo Lopez called for more funding for community policing and crime prevention programs. González, who sat on the Greater Albuquerque Bicycling Advisory Committee, focused on Downtown walkability and improving infrastructure for bicyclists.