District 5 County Commissioner

Cristobal Duran

Age: 50

Occupation: Kit Carson Electric board of directors, vice chair; retired military service-member

Education: Vicennes University, Bachelor’s in business administration

Previous political experience:

18 years Kit Carson Electric Cooperative board of directors

Party affiliation: Democrat

Charged or convicted of a crime (more serious than a traffic ticket): No Social media: facebook.com/CristobalM-Duran-106999518686590

Cristobal Duran believes his experience as a native Peñascoan and longtime elected commissioner on the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Board has prepared him to serve Commission District 5, a large portion of which he said feels “disconnected” from the rest of Taos County.

“Peñasco gets left out and doesn’t have a voice. There’s a disconnect on this side of U.S. Hill,” he said. “Let’s bring it closer. I’m trying to unite people and make that connection.”

He said Peñasco needs affordable housing, just like the rest of Taos County.

“If you bring the developers in and bring Kit Carson into it, that could help,” he said. “Land is expensive, but for affordable housing — if you bring Los Alamos National Labs and Sandia National Labs in with their energy efficiency projects — the more people you bring to the table, the better.”

If elected, Duran said he would like to see a Sheriff’s Office substation in Peñasco, the budgeting of which he envisions as a collaborative effort between commissioners and whomever is elected Sheriff.

“The response times here aren’t good,” he said. The sheriff’s office recently came to an agreement to transfer calls for Peñasco to New Mexico State Police to improve coverage.

Duran said his military service gave him an understanding of human nature and the way the world works.

“I’ve seen the worst things people do, and the best humanity can do,” he said, adding that he is very proud of his accomplishments as a member of the Kit Carson board of trustees, on which he currently serves as vice president. In 2016, Duran was accused of becoming involved in a fight with fellow board member Virgil Martinez. Both men were charged with a petty misdemeanor count of public affray, but the charges were dismissed. While some news outlets reported that charges for petty misdemeanor battery and assault were also filed against the two men, Duran said those charges weren’t part of the cases.

“Thinking outside the box has gotten us very far,” he said. “With Kit Carson true fiber broadband, we could rebrand and make Taos a destination for other things besides tourism and skiing — we have faster speeds here than some places in Albuquerque.

“We should create new jobs by bringing in more companies that want to be involved with renewable energy,” he continued, adding that what’s good for Kit Carson customers is good for Taos County: “The rate payer and tax payer are the same person.”

Duran said he is mostly inclined to stay out of the affairs of Holy Cross Medical Center.

“I don’t want to micromanage someone in the medical field, but I understand there needs to be oversight on the financial side of it,” he said of the hospital, which operates out of a county-owned building and collects substantial public funding from county taxpayers.

Duran said he supports recycling, but believes the service should pay for itself if the county is to be involved.

The Picuris Pueblo Tribal Council endorsed Duran for the position of District 5 commissioner. If elected, Duran said he would “facilitate” discussions that aim to alleviate issues between the tribe, area property owners and the county, and lending institutions.

“lf we bring the right people to the table then we could make those introductions so they get the issue resolved,” he said.