Local Government

Cecily Barker, named Albuquerque’s first woman interim police chief on New Year’s Eve, follows a familiar pattern: Her two predecessors served as interim chief for about six months before being permanently appointed. The pattern is clear: Michael Geier served 6.5 months as interim chief before the City Council confirmed him 9-0 in June 2018. Harold […]

Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquín Baca has two more years left to serve in his council term, but he could be leaving sooner than that, City Desk has learned. Baca has interviewed with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration to fill the governor’s vacant cabinet position for secretary overseeing the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources […]

The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday committing $5.75 million in public funds to launch a global business accelerator expected to create 1,200 high-paying jobs in Mesa del Sol. The ordinance authorizes the city to serve as fiscal agent for $5 million in state economic development funds and invest $750,000 in local resources […]

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller calling federal immigration policies “dangerous” following a fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. “This incident raises serious questions and reflects a dangerous pattern that we are seeing across the country because of the president’s divisive policies,” Keller said in the statement posted on social media. “My […]

The City Council on Monday deferred a vote on a rental protections ordinance as officials pointed to an enforcement gap that leaves renters facing hidden fees despite state laws meant to cap them. The proposed Rental Practices Ordinance, O-25-102, would fold state tenant protections into the city’s Housing Code to give local enforcement real authority. […]

Albuquerque’s push for more budget transparency collapsed Monday night as the City Council voted 1-8 against overriding Mayor Tim Keller’s veto of an ordinance that had passed 8-1 just three weeks earlier. The failed override leaves the city’s $1.5 billion budget process largely unchanged. The administration will not have to share detailed vacancy data, drop […]

A month after nearly losing her Albuquerque City Council seat, Klarissa Peña is back at the helm. The council elected Peña president in a 5-4 vote over Joaquín Baca. The same five councilors — Peña, Dan Champine, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis and outgoing President Brook Bassan — voted to install the new leadership. In separate […]

Albuquerque’s newest city councilor is starting with a simple idea: setting up an office in the district she represents. Stephanie Telles, the new councilor for the city’s Westside District 1, said she asked for office space in her district to make herself more accessible to constituents who struggle to get downtown to City Hall. When […]