Four hopefuls vie for open District 1 seat on the Albuquerque City Council

West Side voters will have four diverse candidates to choose from Nov. 4 to fill an open District 1 seat on the Albuquerque City Council.

The crowded field includes Ahren Griego, a retired Albuquerque firefighter; Joshua Neal, a civil engineer; Stephanie Telles, a forensic accountant and fraud examiner; and Daniel Leiva, a lawyer, city employee and small business owner.

Griego, Telles and Leiva identify as Democrats. Neal did not identify a party affiliation.

The four hopefuls are vying to succeed Councilor Louie Sanchez, who is vacating the post to run for mayor. The sprawling district lies north of Central Avenue and nearly as far north as Paseo del Norte.

Stephanie Telles

Telles, 41, said her professional experience as a forensic accountant and a certified fraud examiner distinguishes her from other candidates.

Telles worked for former New Mexico State Auditor Brian Colón from 2019 to 2022 as director of the Government Accountability Office and previously as an internal auditor for Wells Fargo & Co. from 2013 to 2019.

In 2023, she founded Otoño Consulting, which specializes in fraud risk management and fraud examination and prevention, according to her campaign website. She also teaches fraud examination and forensic accounting as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, where she earned her MBA.

“I’m a budget expert,” Telles said. “I bring a real expertise in budgeting and understanding risk management. I know how to identify those gaps where there may be some waste or abuse within our system.”

Telles said her experience with budgets would allow her to identify funding sources to address root causes of crime such as homelessness and substance abuse.

Telles also wants to reclassify 911 operators, who now are considered clerical workers, as first responders and increase pay accordingly to shorten response times and improve the experience of callers.

Daniel Leiva

Daniel Leiva, 29, said the exodus of young people seeking out-of-state opportunities ranks as the most important issue facing the city. The remaining three identify crime as the city’s top problem.

“I talk about youth leaving our city,” said Leiva, who has lived most of his life on the West Side. “And one of the biggest reasons why is because they see better job opportunities somewhere else.”

One solution is “targeting our youth, making sure that they know that there are great opportunities for them here in the city, and then, of course, getting them trained in those opportunities by providing apprenticeships and internships.”

Leiva has lived most of his life on the West Side. He graduated in May from the University of New Mexico School of Law and has worked nearly four years for the city’s Economic Development Department, according to his campaign website.

The city can help encourage the development of more affordable housing by amending the Albuquerque’s Integrated Development Ordinance, allowing a greater variety of housing, including dorm-style apartments for young people, Leiva said. The West Side also needs more “cool stuff” — cultural and recreational activities that appeal to young people, he said.

Joshua Neal

Neal, 29, is a civil engineer and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology graduate who said he helped design projects such as subdivisions, commercial centers and large industrial sites, including the Netflix studios.

Neal said he has helped companies apply for building permits and site plans, and he wants to make the process more efficient. He has helped bring housing developments to New Mexico communities, according to his campaign website.

“It’s a painful process for sure,” he said. Difficulties building in Albuquerque cause some developers to walk away from the city.

“I think that’s a huge detriment to Albuquerque, specifically, because we have such a housing crisis here,” Neal said. “The last thing that we want is for the bureaucracy to get in the way of good development projects.”

The City Council can help fully staff the Albuquerque Police Department by ensuring that police officers are well paid and receive bonuses and other incentives to get them on board, Neal said. He also suggested an ROTC-type program to help recruit and train officers while they are in high school.

Neal ran as a Republican in the 2024 general election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17 but lost to Rep. Cynthia Borrego, D-Albuquerque.

Ahren Griego

Ahren Griego, 55, who served 24 years as an Albuquerque firefighter and emergency medical technician, identified public safety as the biggest issue facing the city.

“I’m the only candidate that can say that I’ve had experience as a first responder, responding to this homelessness, this drug addiction crisis,” he said. Griego was a captain and station commander at the time of his retirement, according to his campaign website.

He would seek more funding for police and firefighters and target recruitment at schools at all levels.

“I think in order to be successful, that we have to begin with positive engagement at the local school level, with our kids,” he said. “We should have police officers, first responders, people that do emergency services, essential services, recruiting in our schools on a regular basis.”

During his career as a firefighter and EMT, Griego said he encountered homeless people who were “thrown on a bus and shipped to Albuquerque from different parts of the state.” Albuquerque needs to encourage the state to invest in mental health and substance abuse treatment in rural areas, he said.

Albuquerque needs to increase housing density as a means of addressing the housing shortage, including allowing casitas more widely throughout the city, Griego said.