By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. David Mann is Rio Rancho’s newest District 4 councilor. The Governing Body voted 4-2 Thursday to confirm Mayor Paul Wymer’s pick, closing out a monthlong process that turned into a pointed debate over whether Mann’s day job — general counsel for Rio Rancho Public Schools — creates conflicts with a […]
Local Government
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Sandia Pueblo pushes to take control of Sandia Mountain forests, raising alarm from outdoor adventurer seekers
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Hikers, climbers and neighbors who use trails on Sandia Mountain’s west face could see their access change under a land transfer proposal the Sandoval County Commission endorsed last month. Now, a newly formed coalition of residents is urging lawmakers to reject the transfer, saying it could end decades of […]
Posted inMountainair
Mountainair mayor appoints Wayne Jones to fill late wife’s council seat
Mountainair’s Town Council will get a familiar face in a painful moment: Wayne Jones, husband of late Mayor Pro-Tem Gayle Jones, has accepted an appointment to fill her vacant council seat, Mayor Peter Nieto announced on July 23. Nieto said filling the vacancy fell to him under municipal procedure following Gayle Jones’ death, though the […]
Posted inLocal Government, Town of Bernalillo
Bernalillo apartment proposal at center of tug of war
By Rodd Cayton A proposed apartment development in Bernalillo has been touted as key to the town’s future prosperity, and derided as a source of more traffic congestion and a stressor of water availability. The Town Council Monday formally introduced Ordinance 373 establishing a master plan for the roughly 15 acres in the Venada Plaza […]
Posted inBernalillo County
How Bernalillo County plans to add $10 million to infrastructure without raising taxes
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Bernalillo County faces a $400 million backlog of capital projects but plans to ask voters to approve just $45 million in bonds. At that rate, Commissioners Barbara Baca and Eric Olivas said the county will never catch up. To speed up the process, they gained support from the rest […]
Posted inCorrales
Securing Corrales’ water future: A 40-year roadmap
By Rodd Cayton The Village of Corrales is getting closer to protecting its water rights and holding onto any additional rights it might gain in the future. The village’s water team presented a draft 40-year water development plan to the Village Council on July 16, stressing the importance of finishing it and filing it with […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County rejects redistricting ruling, says current maps are legal
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A state judge ordered Sandoval County to redraw its commission district boundaries, ruling the county’s 2021 map failed to consult tribal nations and didn’t give Native American and Hispanic voters an equal say. Now the county says the judge got it wrong — and the maps aren’t changing anytime soon. […]
Posted inRio Rancho
New District 4 councilor, final FY2027 budget approval on tap for Rio Rancho’s Thursday meeting
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho’s District 4 council seat has sat empty since Paul Wymer traded his councilor badge for the mayor’s gavel in May. That changes Thursday, when the Governing Body votes to confirm attorney David Mann as Wymer’s replacement. Who’s getting the seat, and why Mann, a 12-year District 4 resident […]
Posted inCorrales
Traffic code update hits Corrales council
By Rodd Cayton Village councilors in Corrales Thursday will do some heavy lifting on new and returning items. One holdover is an update to the traffic code and penalty schedule. At the July 6 meeting, staff asked councilors to delay discussion of the matter, citing the document’s large size and a need to give themselves […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County commissioners to weigh $34.4M in bond asks, ethics overhaul and a new assessor Wednesday
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County voters could see three General Obligation Bond questions on their November ballot — for libraries, fire training and a beefed-up Bureau of Elections building — after commissioners hear a mill rate study Wednesday night. It’s one of several consequential items packed into a meeting that also tackles who […]