Mayor won’t seek second term
Announcement stuns many; Gonzales says full-time position would strain his life as parent
“I can’t reconcile being a good full-time mayor and a good full-time single father, and those two jobs are far too important to compromise either one.” Mayor Javier Gonzales
Mayor Javier Gonzales told his supporters Wednesday he will not seek a second term in 2018, an announcement that took many in Santa Fe’s political corridors by surprise and shook up the burgeoning race for mayor.
In a lengthy statement announcing his decision, the mayor cited his commitment as a father of two daughters as a reason not to seek re-election. Gonzales called his decision to leave Santa Fe’s top office “bittersweet” and said he is proud of what he and the community have accomplished since he won a three-way race in 2014.
Viewed by supporters as a forward-thinking leader who has advocated for lofty progressive causes — sometimes at the expense of basic city services, critics have argued — Gonzales has been something of a polarizing figure, though a recent poll showed a slight majority of voters approve of his performance.
Still, both allies and detractors alike generally expected Gonzales to run again. Friends, city councilors and even the man who might have been Gonzales’ leading mayoral opponent expressed surprise after his announcement.
The mayor’s position will become full time after the 2018 elections through a charter change approved by voters. The salary for the job will more than triple, to $110,000 annually, and the new mayor will have authority to unilaterally fire the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
Gonzales cited that change in his statement, saying the “24-hour-aday, 7-day-a-week job” would strain his life as a father.
“As many of you know, I’ve been blessed with two incredible daughters who inspire me every day,” Gonzales wrote. “With one girl starting college and one in middle school, I can’t reconcile being a good full-time mayor and a good full-time single father, and those two jobs are far too important to compromise either one.”
But Gonzales’ explanation for not seeking another term raised suspicions because he is already a handson mayor with a constant presence
at City Hall. He has been known to put in more than 40 hours of work a week and has traveled around the country in his capacity as mayor.
The mayor’s partner, Brad Furry, declined to comment for this article but said on Twitter, “It is a sad day on one level and a blessing in so many others!!!”
Former Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, who endorsed Gonzales in the 2014 mayoral election, said he was stunned by Gonzales’ decision.
“I thought a campaign was coming together,” Coss said. “I just presumed he would [seek another term as mayor] when he decided not to run for governor.”
In his announcement, Gonzales touted his accomplishments, from helping erase a projected $15 million budget deficit to launching the Verde Fund, an initiative to fight poverty and climate change. He mentioned efforts to enhance the city’s tourism and film industry and entrepreneurship, saying “we got it done.”
Gonzales touched on what was perhaps his biggest defeat as mayor, a proposal to tax sodas and other sugary beverages to fund early childhood education programs in the city. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed tax during a special election in May.
“We didn’t win every battle we fought, but we never walked away from a task because it was too hard, including the challenge of funding early childhood education for our most vulnerable children and families,” he wrote. “Voters didn’t back our idea for funding, but that’s okay: we started a critical conversation, one that showed that funding for [early childhood education] needs to come from the state. Fear of losing, or of losing popularity, isn’t a reason not to try to build something better.”
In addition to losing the support of some voters, Gonzales also lost favor among some city employees, especially after he promised them a 5 percent raise this year that never materialized. During his State of the City address in February, the mayor proposed giving “the entire workforce a well-earned 5 percent raise.” But Gonzales’ proposal immediately started to fall apart when the city’s budget wonks acknowledged they had underestimated the annual cost of the raises by more than $3 million.
Coss said his initial thought about the mayor’s proposal was that it “seemed kind of generous.”
“But I was pleased that a leader was thinking in generous terms,” he said. “Then his staff just turned around and [proposed] performance-based pay. We go from generous to kind of meanspirited in a heartbeat there.”
Simon Brackley, president and chief executive officer of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, said Gonzales is “regarded positively” in the business community, though there are some who believe that problems such as weed removal and pothole repairs should have received more attention.
“Perhaps he’s spread himself a little thin and got involved in a lot of different things rather than being clearly focused,” Brackley said. “But I think he’s done a very good job for business in Santa Fe.”
Gonzales’ announcement could open up the field to more candidates with an eye on the mayor’s office and serve as a boost to Councilor Ron Trujillo, the only other serious announced candidate to date. Trujillo emerged as a critic of Gonzales in the debate over the sugary-drinks tax.
Trujillo on Wednesday said he, like many councilors, was surprised by Gonzales’ announcement. “That’s the way I’ve always been thinking: We would be running against Mayor Gonzales,” Trujillo said.
Asked if the mayor’s move would affect his strategy, Trujillo said it would not.
“We’re going to continue doing what we’ve done,” he said. “‘Back to basics’ has always been what I want the city to be about — taking care of the streets, our roads, our infrastructure and public safety.”
“Those are what I will run on,” he went on. “Making sure the quality of life here in Santa Fe is A-plus.”
Trujillo declined to “give an evaluation of the mayor.”
Results released last week from a poll of 400 likely Santa Fe voters showed a majority approve of Gonzales’ job performance: Fifty-one percent said Gonzales has done an excellent or good job, while 49 percent viewed his performance as fair or poor. The margin of error was 4.9 percent.
The poll also showed voters, while still happy with their qualify of life, are less optimistic about the direction of the city than they were four years ago.
Councilor Signe Lindell, a frequent ally of the mayor who is seeking re-election in her district on the northeast side, also said Gonzales’ decision shocked her. “I completely expected him to run again,” she said, adding that she would not run for mayor.
“Politics is a very, very tough arena,” Lindell said. “When people don’t stay on issue and it becomes personal, the day-in, day-out grind of that is exhausting.” Lindell said she believed Gonzales received more personal animus as mayor than he deserved.
Vince Kadlubek, chief executive officer of the arts collective Meow Wolf and a friend of the mayor’s, said he had spoken with Gonzales in recent weeks about his re-election decision. Kadlubek said he wanted Gonzales to run again and believed it would be in the city’s interests but also encouraged him to “think about the future as being wide open.”
“When he told me he was not going to run, I was, I guess, not surprised but nervous for our city,” Kadlubek said. “In my mind, we’ve made such great progress. He’s pulled us out of an economic shortfall, he’s added a lot of vibrancy to the city, he’s put us on the world stage when it comes to the progressive issues. I don’t want to see that momentum stop.”
Brackley, though, said at least one of the mayor’s progressive causes, support for so-called sanctuary cities, also sparked backlash.
“We got a lot of negative phone calls and emails from tourists who didn’t agree with his position,” he said. “Santa Fe is a small town, and I’m not sure that we have as much influence that we sometimes think that we do. Sanctuary cities is going to be decided by Los Angeles or Dallas or Houston or New York, not by little old Santa Fe.”
Still, Brackley said Gonzales “cares very deeply about our community.”
“The word around town was that he was going to run again, so I’m a little surprised,” he said.
Councilor Mike Harris said Gonzales’ announcement reminded him of an old adage: “Assume nothing.”
“I, like a lot of people, assumed that Javier Gonzales would run for re-election,” said Harris, who won a seat on the council in 2016.
Harris said he could appreciate the mayor’s concerns about balancing family obligations with a professional and political role.
“I genuinely like the man,” he added. “And, more specific, I appreciate his talents as a leader of our town.”
Councilor Joseph Maestas, who had previously said he would seek re-election in council District 2, said Wednesday after the announcement he is now “strongly considering” a run for mayor.
Messages left for other city councilors, seeking their reactions to the mayor’s decision and whether they would consider a run for mayor, were not immediately returned.
Gloria Mendoza, a community organizer who has been critical of Gonzales and launched a new advocacy group earlier this summer that sought to enlist candidates for city office who would prioritize basic municipal services, said Gonzales’ initiatives did not align with “the local people here.” She mentioned in particular the sugar tax and a recent announcement that he would review the city’s historical events and monuments.
“His whole vision should have been for the people of Santa Fe,” Mendoza said.
Gonzales, in his announcement, said that’s precisely what his vision was. “Everything we’ve fought for has been to make sure the foundation was laid to see our city continue to succeed, and I am so proud of all the incredible things we’ve done together,” he said.
City spokesman Matt Ross said Gonzales would be available to elaborate on his decision and next steps in coming days. “But for now he put what he wants to say in his note to employees and the community,” Ross wrote in an email.
Gonzales, posting his announcement to Twitter on Wednesday, added the comment, “Gracias por todo, Santa Fe!” Contact Daniel J. Chacón at 505-986-3089 or dchacon@ sfnewmexican.com. Contact Tripp Stelnicki at 505-428-7626 or tstelnicki@sfnewmexican.com.