Edgewood — Mike Raridan says he is still Edgewood’s mayor after announcing, then withdrawing, his resignation from his commission seat and the appointed office of mayor last month. The town’s commissioners, however, have scheduled a vote on Tuesday night’s agenda to appoint a new commissioner and elect a new mayor anyway.
On April 29, Raridan announced his sudden resignation from his town commission seat “effective the week of May 4 – 8, 2026” saying he first needed to secure approval of a new joint powers agreement with Santa Fe County to restore fire and EMS service for the town. The new JPA won approval on May 1 but not without some dissent, including from Commissioner Murillo who raised concerns that the agreement would effectively create new long-term debt for the town which could require future tax increases. He cast the lone vote against approving the JPA.
But in emails with the Route 66 Independent this week, Raridan says he withdrew his resignation on May 6. “The Town did not recognize my retirement extension that was submitted on May 6, 2026,” he told us. Raridan’s reconsideration comes just as commissioners seem timed to reconsider the JPA, again. Some commissioners, sources have confirmed, have inquired about how quickly the town could set up it’s own fire department instead. In the meantime, the town has lost several key employees including the community liaison and fiscal staff.
Raridan says he intends to attend Tuesday night’s meeting and remain in elected office until the JPA is implemented. Tt is not clear what will happen if Raridan is denied a seat by other commissioners.
If the commission moves forward without Raridan, they would have to select a new commissioner in District 5 and select a new mayor from existing commissioners. A new commissioner would be the third person to serve in that office in just over a year. Commissioner Sterling Donner resigned the seat in early 2025 and Rariden was appointed to fill the term. He ran unopposed for the seat in the November 2025 elections and was selected in January by other councilors to serve as mayor.
The Edgewood Town Commission meeting starts at 6:00 P.M. in the Edgewood Town Hall Commission Chambers.