Albuquerque City Council candidates square off during first debate of election season

Challengers in the upcoming City Council race argued why they deserve to lead, while incumbents justified why they earned their next term during a candidate forum in front of Albuquerque’s business leaders Tuesday.

Hot-button issues included housing, immigration and cooperation, or lack thereof, with the mayor, who is also up for election this year.

This year the city’s odd-numbered council districts — 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 — are up for grabs during the November election. Incumbents Klarissa Peña, Renée Grout and Dan Lewis are all facing challengers, while District 7 Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn is running unopposed.

Louie Sanchez, the current councilor for District 1, has left his seat open to run for mayor.

The New Mexico Chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) hosted Tuesday’s event at the Sheraton Uptown.

Housing

Across the board, candidates agreed that the city is facing a housing shortage. How to solve that shortage was a fiercer debate.

A recent study by Root Policy Research found that Albuquerque is short tens of thousands of housing units, particularly for low-income renters, and will need to build between 55,100 and 59,850 units by 2045 to keep up with population growth.

Councilor Peña touted the allocation of $83 million in state funds for affordable housing projects across the city as evidence that the council is already working with state leaders and developers to address the shortage.

However, newcomer Joshua Neal, running for District 1, said that money isn’t the issue. He said the city’s laws surrounding construction and development are inefficient and a huge deterrent for prospective developers. If elected, he vowed to shorten the process to jump-start development.

Neal also criticized the city’s requirement for project labor agreements, PLAs, for public infrastructure projects over $10 million. A PLA is an agreement between a contractor and the city that guarantees certain wages, union representation and timelines for workers.

The council attempted to repeal the PLA ordinance in 2022, but Mayor Tim Keller vetoed the action, calling the attempt “premature and imprudent.”

The goal of the agreements, Keller wrote in his veto memorandum, is “to create and retain good-paying jobs” for locals and “ensure accountability and transparency.”

According to Neal, the PLA gives certain companies an “unfair advantage” in competing for bids, quashes competition and prevents new housing development.

Fellow District 1 candidate Ahren Griego disagreed, saying that the PLA was critical for fostering a local workforce by looping in local unions and promoting apprenticeship.

“It’s also a pathway into the building trades,” Griego said.

Immigration

Arguably the most divisive debate surrounded immigration and whether the city should be involved. This comes amid an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in cities across the nation, including in Albuquerque.

In early August, the Department of Homeland Security placed Albuquerque on a list of 18 other cities it deemed as having “policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

According to a Department of Justice release, the named cities could stand to lose millions in federal funding as a result.

For Teresa Garcia, a first-generation U.S. citizen and candidate for District 3, maintaining the city’s status as immigrant-friendly is paramount.

“They are here seeking a better life,” Garcia said. “They add to our economy. Latinas are the leading small business owners, and so I will stand with my immigrant community.”

Garcia also said if elected, she would create legislation demanding that ICE agents stop wearing plain clothes and masks, following in the footsteps of states like California, Massachusetts and Tennessee, which have all introduced similar proposals.

“Unless you’re Native American, we’re all immigrants somewhere in our ancestors and that’s what makes us stronger,” said Christopher Sedillo, candidate for District 3.

Councilor Grout, on the other hand, said Albuquerque has “a huge problem with trafficking” that stems from the state’s border with Mexico. She did not say whether she supported the city’s current policy to not assist ICE, but did say people “need to come through the front door.”

The public perception and the realities of immigration and crime are stark, according to Athenea Allen, candidate for District 5 and wife of Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen.

“The bottom line is, statistics show it is not always illegal immigrants committing crime. As a matter of fact, that actually deters other people from reporting crime,” Allen said.

Fearing deportation, victims of violent crime, especially women facing domestic abuse and assault, may be less likely to report the incident to authorities, Allen said.

Cooperation, checks and balances

The mayor’s office and City Council have frequently butted heads over the past four years.

The current City Council has blocked numerous ordinances and resolutions requested by the mayor’s office, most recently stopping contracts for expanded operating costs at two of the Gateway Center’s shelters.

Most candidates spoke about improving that relationship, no matter who wins the seat in November.

“I’m willing and able to work with everybody and anybody, so long as it’s for the betterment of the people of Albuquerque and for the betterment of our West Side residents,” said District 1 candidate Daniel Leiva.

Other candidates expect an Election Day shakeup to resolve the tension, with a fresh start and new officials to settle any gridlock.

“We are looking at a higher likelihood and probability that there will be an overturn within the mayor’s office,” said District 9 candidate Colton Newman. “There will be overturn within City Council. These are opportunities for refreshed communication.”

To District 5 incumbent Dan Lewis, the council and mayor’s office are, by design, not friends. The executive and legislative bodies act as checks and balances against each other, he said.

With the first debate of the season complete, the mayoral candidates are the next in line. NAIOP will host the mayoral debate on Sept. 30.