By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
District 4 residents are one vote away from getting a new voice on the Governing Body. Mayor Paul Wymer says David Mann, a Rio Rancho Public Schools lawyer, is his pick to fill the council seat Wymer left empty when he became mayor.
Wymer announced the nomination at the June 25 Governing Body meeting, capping a process that started with nine eligible applicants. Two rounds of interviews — the second run with help from the deputy mayor and a district councilor — narrowed the field to three finalists before Wymer settled on Mann. “Good luck, Mr. Mann. Looking forward to the next step,” Wymer said.
The city charter gives Wymer 60 days from the May 1 vacancy to name a replacement, a deadline that lands at the end of this month. It’s a scenario Rio Rancho has never faced in its 45-year history — a sitting mayor filling the very council seat he just left. Wymer’s pick still needs sign-off from the full Governing Body on July 23. If members reject Mann, Wymer gets 45 more days to name someone else, and the cycle repeats until a nominee is confirmed.
In his own words
Mann says his path to Rio Rancho started early, and family brought him the rest of the way. He grew up in England but holds dual citizenship through his mother, a Kansas native. After a two-year mission to Berlin, Germany for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and law school at the University of Tulsa, he and his wife chose Rio Rancho as home.
“We’ve now lived here for twelve years, where we’ve raised our four boys and become deeply invested in this community,” Mann said.
Public service, not politics, drove the application, he said. Mann has worked as general counsel for several state agencies, as deputy county attorney for Sandoval County, and for the past four and a half years as general counsel for Rio Rancho Public Schools.
“I would be honored to help shape our city’s future, and I would strive to serve with humility, integrity, and a commitment to making a positive difference,” Mann said.
More details:
- Mann has lived in District 4 for more than 12 years.
- He earned his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University and his law degree at the University of Tulsa.
- He’s a former bishop in his church congregation.
- Whoever fills the seat serves through the 2028 municipal election, when Wymer’s original council term would have ended.
Governing Body meeting — vote on David Mann’s confirmation
Date: July 23
Location: Rio Rancho Governing Body Chambers