Española's March 5 election features two contested council races

Maya Hilty, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read
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Feb. 7—Most New Mexico cities now hold their municipal elections in November, but not Española, where City Council races will dominate the conversation March 5.

Four seats will be decided on the eight-member council, with two of the races contested.

In District 3, incumbent Manuel Martinez will face Felicia Archuleta-Toya. In District 4, Dorothy Valdez is not running for reelection, but two candidates are vying for her seat: Sam LeDoux and Joe Salazar.

District 1 incumbent Dennis Tim Salazar, who has served in the position since 2004, chose not to run for a sixth four-year term. Pedro Valdez is the only candidate on the ballot to succeed him.

In District 2, Peggy Sue Martinez, the mayor pro tem, is running unopposed.

If history is a guide, the two contested races could be decided by only a small chunk of voters in Española.

About 1,540 people voted in the 2022 municipal election, which saw Mayor John Ramon Vigil win the office by a 65-vote margin. Between 290 and 370 people voted in each council district, according to data from the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office.

Española had a population of about 7,840 people above age 18 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Though New Mexico gave cities the option to consolidate local elections into county-run elections to reduce voter confusion and boost turnout in 2019, Española opted to continue holding separate municipal elections during the spring.

This election, outgoing councilor Dennis Tim Salazar said, is important, in part because the city faces many challenges.

Critical of the current administration under Vigil, "At this time, I do feel that we've gone backwards," Salazar said while acknowledged some bright spots, including the hiring of what he said was a qualified finance director in October.

According to election materials posted online, those registered can vote early, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., through March 2 at City Hall, 405 N. Paseo de Oñate. Early voting began Tuesday. The city began mailing out absentee ballots Tuesday, which must be returned by 7 p.m. election day.

People can vote in-person from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 5 at the Richard L. Lucero Center, 313 N. Paseo de Oñate, or the Wise "La Joya" Fire Station, 1110 La Joya St.