Two S.F. employees seeking soon-vacant school board seat

Board plans quick action on selecting Trujillo’s replacement in December

Two longtime Santa Fe County employees are seeking to replace Santa Fe school board member Linda Trujillo in December.

Rudy Garcia, who works as a legislative liaison and project manager for county government, and John Salazar, who works in the county’s Growth Management Department, sent letters of interest to the school district Monday — the deadline for candidates to declare their interest in filling Trujillo’s seat.

Trujillo is resigning from the board in early December so she can focus more heavily on her responsibilities as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. She represents District 4 on the school board, which includes a number of south-side schools, including Capital High, Ortiz Middle and Sweeney Elementary.

The remaining board members will decide who will serve

the remainder of Trujillo’s term.

Garcia, who has worked for the county for 19 years, said in his cover letter, “My years of experience in government at various levels have allowed me to grow and develop professionally and as a leader.” He said his training and experience, “Render me qualified and competent to make an effective and useful contribution to the Santa Fe Public Schools board of education.

Garcia included a résumé detailing his various job duties for the county since 1998, including service as a Project Development Division director, a project manager and a land-use administrator.

He also serves on the school district’s volunteer Citizens Review Committee, a 10-member body that reviews capital projects for the district and advises the board on prioritizing and funding these projects.

He did not return a call seeking comment Monday night.

Salazar, 40, is the father of three sons who attend Santa Fe schools. A graduate of Capital High School and the College of Santa Fe, he has worked in various positions for the county for 16 years. He also served on the city Planning Commission for three years.

Speaking by phone Monday, Salazar said he wants to join the board to do his part to “make this school district one of the best in the state.”

As a parent, he said, he brings “an insider’s view of the system to the school board.”

If the board votes to appoint him to replace Trujillo, he said he would serve out her current term, which ends in March 2019, and then run for election for the seat for a four-year term.

“Having worked at the county and also on the Planning Commission, I know it usually takes an elected official about a year to get their sea legs,” he said. “Everything is coming at you all at once and you are pretty much learning on the fly. A year is just enough time to actually get down to do what you need to do.”

School board members Lorraine Price, Maureen Cashmon, Kate Noble and Steve Carrillo will appoint Trujillo’s successor. The board plans to hold public forums for community members to meet and interview applicants, and board members are scheduled to question the candidates during a public meeting Oct. 30.

The board has 45 days after Trujillo’s last day of service to replace her. If the board fails to do so, the state Public Education Department can appoint a replacement. But board members said they don’t plan to wait that long to pick a successor for Trujillo, who will step down Dec. 5, about 15 months before the end of her term. A day later, the remaining board members plan to choose her successor.

The board might have to undergo this process again in March, and move much more quickly, if Noble, who announced last month that she is running for mayor, is elected to oversee City Hall. Noble has said she will resign from the school board if elected mayor. That election is on March 6, and the new mayor will be sworn in sometime in April, giving the school board less than a month to replace Noble should she become mayor.