Maestas trending ahead in PRC District 3 seat
Slow Santa Fe vote count delays final results
Former Española Mayor Joseph Maestas had a substantial lead over lawyer Brian Harris in the race for the Democratic Party nomination to the Public Regulation Commission’s District 3 seat in northern New Mexico Tuesday evening. But slow voting results from Santa Fe made the outcome too early to call.
As of 10 p.m., Maestas had 69% of the votes cast, based on partial results from 249 of the 434 precincts in the district, with complete results from just 43 precincts.
“The trend is very encouraging, but it’s much too preliminary to draw any conclusions,” Maestas told the Journal.
Secretary of State spokesman Alex Curtas said a “massive influx” of absentee ballots was slowing precinct reporting in Santa Fe.
“It’s unprecedented, and they (local authorities) want to be methodical in how they count the results,” Curtas said.
The winner in the District 3 race will compete against Libertarian Party candidate Chris Luchini in November, since the Republican Party had no candidates on the primary ballot.
The candidates are seeking to replace Commissioner Valerie Espinoza, who will complete her second term as District 3 representative in December, making her ineligible for reelection.
In the PRC District 1 race in central New Mexico, first-term Democratic incumbent Cynthia Hall will seek reelection in November against Republican Janice Arnold Jones. Neither candidate faced opposition in Tuesday’s primaries.
There are some big issues at stake in this year’s election for the PRC, a five-member body that regulates everything from utilities and telecommunications to transportation companies and the pipeline safety bureau.
The outcome could influence PRC implementation of the state’s new Energy Transition Act, which requires public utilities to convert the grid to 80% renewable energy
by 2040 and to completely carbon-free generation by 2045. The PRC must oversee much of the transition, including the shutdown of fossil fuel facilities, choosing energy resources to replace them, and balancing consumer and utility interests when setting rates.
Meanwhile, voters will decide in November on a constitutional amendment that would transform the commission from a five-member elected body into a three-member regulatory entity appointed by the governor.
If the amendment is passed by a simple majority, the appointed commissioners would begin serving their terms in 2023, with the new incoming commissioners for Districts 1 and 3 limited to two-year terms ending in 2022, rather than the usual four years for elected commissioners.
The terms for commissioners now representing the PRC’s other three districts are already set to expire in 2022.