New candidate enters race for District 5 as one exits
There are still six candidates vying for Albuquerque’s District 5 City Council seat, just not all the same ones. Retired firefighter Ronnie Martinez has dropped out of the race, citing family issues. And Cynthia Borrego, a retired city planner who currently serves on the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority Board, has jumped into the race.
Borrego, a self-described conservative Democrat, was a planner for Albuquerque and Bernalillo County for 28 years. She has since opened her own business, Cyba’s & Associates LLC, a land development consulting company.
“I’m not really happy with the direction that our city has been going in,”
Borrego told the Journal on Monday. “I think that I can make a difference because of my experience and my background.”
Borrego retired from the city in 2010. She previously served as chairwoman of the New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association and currently serves on the board of directors of Rio Grande Credit Union.
Lewis releases ad
Mayoral candidate Dan Lewis unveiled a new internet ad during a campaign rally Sunday attended by several hundred supporters.
Lewis, a Republican, speaks throughout the two-minute, 11-second ad about the opportunities Albuquerque gave him and the challenges the city now faces.
“Right now, Albuquerque isn’t defined by opportunity,” he says in the ad. “It’s defined by crime, by a stagnant economy and by failing schools. It’s tough to hear, but it’s also the truth. I believe our city can change, and if it can change, then we should rise to that challenge.”
Among those speaking at the rally was Eddy Aragon, a conservative talk show host of “The Rock of Talk” on 95.9 FM. Aragon had planned to launch his own mayoral run but withdrew.
“Dan can turn things around,” Aragon said.
Lewis, a two-term city councilor from the West Side, again pledged to put 1,200 officers on the streets if elected.
“We’re going to put about $15 million in recurring funds directly into our police department and ensure that we have 1,200 police officers, that we pay them well, that we train them and that we have their back and we ensure that they come home safe every night,” he said.
Lewis also said he would hold criminal judges in Albuquerque accountable to keep habitual criminals in jail.
Lewis’ rally was held at Main Event, an entertainment venue, attracting families and many young children.
Lewis is one of nine mayoral candidates who submitted enough signatures to get on the Oct. 3 ballot.
Union backs Keller
The municipal election is still nearly five months away, but mayoral candidates are already getting endorsements.
The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters announced last week that it has endorsed state Auditor Tim Keller, a Democrat, in the Albuquerque mayor’s race.
“Tim Keller has always fought on behalf of families like mine, and we’re standing with Tim because of his plans that will raise the quality of life and make investments in our neglected neighborhoods,” David Ortiz of Carpenters Local 1505 said in a news release.
In April, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., endorsed former County Commissioner Deanna Archuleta.
“Deanna Archuleta is without question the mostqualified candidate to be our next mayor,” Lujan Grisham said in an email to Albuquerque voters. “Deanna has done it all. From a single mom and PTA president to two-term county commissioner and chair of the Albuquerque Bernalillo Water Utility Authority, Deanna has never backed away from a problem.”