Governor appoints Susie Kimble as Doña Ana County commissioner

LAS CRUCES — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham filled an empty seat on the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, appointing the candidate who unsuccessfully ran for the position in 2022.

Patricia “Susie” Kimble will complete the final year of former Commissioner Shannon Reynolds' term, after Reynolds resigned from the board in December. Reynolds defeated Kimble by 10 percentage points in the 2022 election, winning his second term on the board.

Although she ran as a Republican, Kimble has subsequently changed her affiliation to “decline to state,” which is how New Mexico officially refers to independents. Kimble told the Journal she made the change so she could vote in Republican or Democratic primary elections.

“Doña Ana County is managing rapid growth in Santa Teresa, addressing infrastructure needs, and ensuring every resident has access to quality services,” the governor said in a written statement. “Susie's track record in collaborative problem-solving makes her the right choice to help the county navigate these opportunities and challenges.”

Kimble is a founding member of the LC3 behavioral health collaborative and a fixture on the New Mexico Behavioral Health Planning Council since 2005, when she was first appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson and subsequently reappointed by governors Susana Martinez and Lujan Grisham. Kimble is also the president of the governor board of the New America School in Las Cruces, a public charter school, and is an administrator at Mesilla Valley Hospital.

“The county is at a pivotal moment,” Kimble stated in a news release. “Continuing economic expansion and development in Santa Teresa brings opportunities and challenges. I look forward to bringing my experience in fiscal oversight and building effective partnerships to help Doña Ana County meet these opportunities head-on."

Reynolds recently announced plans to run for Doña Ana County assessor in 2026, a position currently held by fellow Democrat Eugenia “Gina” Montoya Ortega. Under the New Mexico Constitution, if Reynolds had completed his second four-year term, he would have been required to wait two years before holding another county office. Stepping down in December freed him to seek the assessor’s office.

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.