In council race, links to top city officials
One is sister to city manager; both campaigns are run by finance director’s husband
Santa Fe is a city of nearly 84,000 people, but it can sometimes feel like a small town, especially in the world of local politics.
Just consider this year’s municipal election.
Two candidates running for a seat on the Santa Fe City Council have ties to high-level officials in the administration of Mayor Alan Webber, generating whispers about their independence and whether they will be reliable supporters of the mayor’s policies should they be elected.
The campaign manager for both District 2 council candidate Michael J. Garcia and District 4 council candidate Jamie CassuttSanchez is Daniel “Danny” Maki, who is married to city Finance Director Mary McCoy.
That’s not the only connection. Cassutt-Sanchez’s treasurer is Elizabeth LaPan Kamara, who is the sister of interim City Manager Jarel LaPan Hill.
Cassutt-Sanchez said her connections to high-ranking employees in the Webber administration doesn’t mean she will be a puppet of the mayor.
“I’m my own person, and I have my own opinions and own policies I would like to push through,” she said, adding the district’s needs may not always be in lockstep with the mayor.
“I’m sure there are things that I agree with the mayor on,” Cassutt-Sanchez said. “There will be things that I inevitably disagree with the mayor on, and I’m sure there are things that I will agree
with every council member on and things I will disagree with every council member on.”
Cassutt-Sanchez said a friend recommended she team up with Maki on her campaign.
“At that time, I actually didn’t even know that Danny had a connection with City Hall,” she said. “I just heard that he was a very intelligent, on-it campaign manager and that he would be a great resource, and I met with him and we fit well together.”
Cassutt-Sanchez said she’s known LaPan Kamara since they were babies.
“We met in diapers,” she said, laughing. “We have been friends for a very long time. I grew up with her. She’s the same age as I am. Jarel is the same age as my older brother, so Elizabeth and I have been friends since we were young, young, young, young.”
Garcia said in a recent interview that he’s known Maki since high school.
“He’s been a longtime friend, and I definitely value his expertise in the political arena, so we will be using him to help guide and advise,” he said.
The fact that he’s married to the city’s finance director is only a coincidence.
“Mine and Danny’s relationship predates even Mary and Danny,” he said.
The connections don’t end with Webber.
Maki is the son of Butch Maki, a well-known lobbyist and close associate of former Gov. Bill Richardson.
Maki, who has a degree in political science and economics from American University and has taken campaign and issue management courses, said he’s worked on multiple political campaigns, including Richardson’s presidential race. He also worked in several capacities for U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, including as field representative, legislative assistant and national outreach director.
Maki said he’s been part of the Democratic Party since he was 3 years old.
“My father did campaigns. My mother worked with the Democratic Party. I remember all the way back to the King-Luna campaign,” he said, referring to late Gov. Bruce King and his lieutenant governor, Casey Luna.
“I’m just grateful that both Jamie and Mike have trusted me with their campaigns,” he added.
Maki said political consulting is a side gig.
“My father and I have a company where we recycle food waste for the military,” he said.
Though he has been around politics for decades, Maki also has first-hand experience as a candidate. In 2012, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission, where he worked as office manager when Luján was a PRC member.
Maki also has ties to City Councilor Roman “Tiger” Abeyta, who is a close ally of the mayor’s. He used to be director of development at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Fe, where Abeyta is the chief professional officer.
Abeyta said in an interview Friday he met Maki “a really long time ago” through his brother, Buddy, who was close friends with Maki, Luján and Estevan Gonzales, who is the brother of former Mayor Javier Gonzales.
“They all hung out either in high school or after high school,” Abeyta said.
Abeyta said he never hung out with the four friends because he was married and started raising a family at age 18, though he got to know Estevan Gonzales better later in life after he married Abeyta’s sister.
When Abeyta was hired at the Boys and Girls Clubs, which he said was in disarray when he took over, his brother suggested he recruit Maki, who his brother said had the skills to help him get the organization back in order.
“He helped me get the club back on good, sound footing,” he said, adding Maki planned to work for the organization only on a temporary basis.
Abeyta said Maki got engaged to McCoy after leaving the Boys and Girls Clubs.
“He introduced me to her maybe once,” he said about McCoy, an Albuquerque native with experience at the state Department of Finance and Legislative Finance Committee.
Before joining the city, McCoy worked as revenue manager in the Administration and Finance Cabinet of the city of Boston, which has an annual operating budget of $3.3 billion. Her duties in Boston included oversight of citywide revenue maximization, developing legislation to fund universal prekindergarten and the implementation of a $20 million annual fund for affordable housing, open space and preservation, according to a city news release and her résumé.
When Webber was elected mayor and Abeyta to the City Council, Abeyta said Maki reached out to him for more information about the finance director job. Around the same time, Webber asked Abeyta, a former county manager, if he knew of anyone he could consider for the position. Abeyta mentioned McCoy but said he didn’t know her well and never worked with her.
“I really can’t vouch for her,” Abeyta recalled telling the mayor.
As Webber went through the hiring process, he told Abeyta he had met with McCoy and was “really impressed” with her abilities.
Abeyta, chairman of the city Finance Committee, said he’s been impressed with McCoy’s job performance.
With the exception of mentioning McCoy to Webber, Abeyta said he had no say in her hiring.
“The mayor’s the type that if you don’t cut the mustard with him,” he’ll pass people over, Abeyta said.
“You will get a fair shot,” he said. “I will tell you that.”