Taos, Santa Fe voters elect new local political leaders

Voters in Santa Fe and Taos elected new mayors, city councilors and school board members to office in Tuesday’s General Election, ushering in a new era in local politics in two of northern New Mexico’s cultural hubs.

Santa Fe

In Santa Fe, voters elected Michael Garcia as the new mayor of the City Different. Garcia won a clear victory with 50 percent of the overall vote by the end of the night.

He will succeed two-term mayor Alan Webber, who announced earlier this year he would not seek a third term to lead the city of roughly 90,000 residents.

Garcia, 46, has served as the city councilor for District 2 for five years and has been an advocate for improving road safety in Santa Fe, succeeding in appropriating over $1 million to purchase new equipment to help enforce traffic laws in the city.

He’s also been one of a growing number of local critics of Webber’s administration, which has faced scrutiny for slow progress addressing other key local issues, including homelessness, affordable housing and the city’s aging infrastructure.

Two new Santa Fe city councilors will also take office next year: Local attorney and urban planner Patricia “Pat” Fegali was elected to District 1, while longtime educator and social worker Elizabeth Barrett was elected to represent District 2.

Incumbent city councilors Lee Garcia and Amanda Chavez ran uncontested in districts 3 and 4, respectively.

Santa Fe voters also elected Juan Blea to the Santa Fe Public Schools District 5 seat. Board Vice President Kate Noble ran unopposed for her seat in District 3.

Santa Feans answered yes on two major bond initiatives for the school district, with 73% of voters approving a 1.5 mill levy property tax and a $150 million general obligation bond that garnered overwhelming support at 79% of the vote.

In the Town of Edgewood, voters elected two new members to their local commission, with Kenneth Donald Brennan joining District 1 and Stephen Murillo filling a seat in District 4.

As of Tuesday night, the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office was reporting a voter turnout of 31.5%.

Taos

To the north, voters in Taos chose former mayor and local business owner Dan Barrone as their new mayor in a race that saw a field of four candidates vying to lead this high-plains community of just under 6,500 residents.

“I want to focus on how we can unify the community,” Barrone told the Journal in a phone interview Tuesday night.

Barrone, who won the 50 percent of the vote required to win the mayoral race, said he’d revisit the controversial return of paid parking in downtown Taos this year.

He also reiterated his opposition to changing the name of Kit Carson Park, a central greensward that a committee has been working to rename for the past year. At a final committee meeting held Oct. 23, a letter presented from the Taos Pueblo Tribal Council asked that the park be renamed "Red Willow Park," a name the tribe initially rejected after it was proposed by the town council in 2014.

Outgoing Mayor Pascual Maestas, who opted not to run for reelection, came under fire during his single term in office for what many voters often saw as a lack of transparency and an unwillingness to contend with public scrutiny.

Some Taos residents, including a large cohort of local business owners, expressed dismay about a stop-start rollout to paid parking in Taos’ central Historic District, which is home to art galleries, restaurants, bars and hotels that form the backbone of local gross receipts tax revenues.

The town also faces its own affordability housing crisis and continues to wrestle with its homeless population as its only local shelter has recently reported staffing shortages and truncated hours, echoing operational woes Española’s Pathways shelter became embroiled in this year.

Marietta Fambro, current town councilor and longtime former town finance director, trailed Barrone in the final tally, with two other entrants in this year's race — Candyce O'Donnell and Judy Cantu — each earned under 200 votes.

“Campaigns end, but commitment doesn’t,” Fambro said in a concession speech. “I love this town and the people who make it special. Congratulations again, Dan. Let’s keep moving forward — together.”

In a phone interview with the Journal Tuesday night, she said she was "disappointed" but "ready for what's next."

Two council seats were also up for grabs in Taos this election cycle.

Local business owner Billy Romero and political newcomer Tetsuro Namba will both join the four-person governing body at the start of the new year.

Taoseños also voted yes on a $50 million general obligation bond. Taos Schools Superintendent Antonio Layton said the public funding will help the district construct a new middle school, provide teacher housing and complete a long list of infrastructural upgrades in the district, which serves around 2,200 students.

While two school board members at Taos Schools ran unopposed to retain their seats, Questa Independent School District Board of Education elected Red River Marshal Jason Rael to an open seat.

Taos Schools is poised to soon release the results of an independent audit into alleged procurement misconduct, kickbacks and bribes. The Journal has filed a public information request for the audit's findings.

County residents also overwhelmingly approved the renewal of a 1 mill levy that brings in roughly $1.5-1.8 million annually for capital projects at Holy Cross Medical Center, a Critical Access hospital serving the Enchanted Circle.

Hospital CEO James Kiser told the Journal this fall that the mill levy was critical to support the hospital's financial stability amid potential cuts to Medicare under the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Taos saw a modest turnout at the polls this year, with Taos County Clerk Valerie Montoya and her staff reporting a roughly 23% turnout Tuesday night.