Keller appoints city's director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency to be his chief of staff

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has appointed a new chief of staff, his third in three years.

Terry Brunner, who served most recently as the city’s director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, has been selected for the role.

“I think what MRA has helped me with is to understand project work at the city. So at MRA, we’ve been taking on some major projects like the Rail Trail and and Downtown, and those have required a lot of work interdepartmentally at the city. So it’s given me a view into what all the different departments do and how to get them working towards a goal,” Brunner told the Journal on Tuesday.

Brunner added that he will stay on as the interim director for the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency for the time being.

“Terry has been instrumental in driving key projects for the City like the Rail Trail and Downtown revitalization. I’m grateful he will continue to push big ideas forward as chief of staff, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team,” Keller said in a statement Tuesday.

Brunner said he thinks his tenure on former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman‘s staff gives him the best experience for the position. He also served as former President Barack Obama’s appointee for New Mexico State Director for USDA Rural Development from 2009 to 2016. He joined the Keller administration two years ago with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency.

“My favorite part of working in this administration is the mayor is not afraid to take on big things and try to do big things and give his staff and departments the ability to pursue projects that are ambitious,” Brunner said.

Despite the position’s high turnover in recent years — there have been six chiefs of staff since Keller took office in 2017 — Brunner said he’s ready for the job.

“I think it’s a challenging position. No doubt there’s a lot happening in the city,” Brunner said. “I look at it as a city going under a transformation in a lot of ways, and so riding that bucking bronco can be tough. But I think I’m up to the challenge.”