By Lauren Lifke
After voters flocked to the polls on Election Day on Nov. 4, state officials got to counting local races. In Edgewood, three town commission seats were up for grabs, with some candidates running unopposed and others just scraping by with enough votes to take office.
Town Commission
District 1: Kenneth Brennan
Incumbent Commissioner Kenneth Donald Brennan was reelected to the Town of Edgewood District 1 seat by just over 100 votes Tuesday, beating Adrian Chavez.
Brennan had 668 votes (54%) to Chavez’s 566 (46%)
Brennan is serving as the current mayor and took office as the District 1 commissioner in 2022. He beat Chavez, with whom he has clashed in recent public meetings over a myriad of issues, including government transparency. The pair recently held a debate about local politics in a video uploaded to the nonprofit Edgewood Connected.
Chavez has served on the Edgewood Planning and Zoning Commission, and he has been an active public commenter during Edgewood town meetings for years.
District 2: Devon Taylor
Taylor was running unopposed for the District 2 councilor position, and he had not previously held office. The incumbent, Commissioner Stephen Murillo, ran for District 4.
District 4: Stephen Murillo
Murillo currently serves as District 2 commissioner — a term that started in 2024. As of Nov. 5, he is on his way to beating District 4 incumbent Filandro Anaya with 62% of the vote, which is good for an almost 300-vote lead.
District 5: Michael Rariden
Incumbent District 5 commissioner Rariden ran unopposed for the District 5 seat. Rariden was appointed to the seat to fill a vacancy in March, when he told The Independent that he has a military and civil service background.
Other races
The town commission wasn’t the only spot with unopposed seats; the municipal judge and school board members won their races by default.
Municipal Judge: William White
Moriarty-Edgewood School Board District 1: Linda Hudson
Moriarty-Edgewood School Board District 3: Jeffery Lossing
Moriarty-Edgewood School Board District 5: Windie Burns
