Gina Ortega poised to become next Doña Ana County assessor after primary win
LAS CRUCES — Gina Ortega has finally taken the cake.
After one candidate's conduct toward women was brought to light and another was placed on administrative leave days before Election Day, the bakery owner has become an unlikely winner with a decisive victory in the Democratic primary for Doña Ana County assessor.
Ortega, who is making her fifth run for public office, won overwhelmingly over opponents Ruben Reyes and Daniel Sambrano, according to unofficial election results Tuesday night, with about 10 points between her and the candidate with the second highest number of votes in the three-way race, Reyes.
Ortega is the only candidate without experience working in the county assessor's office. With no major party opponent, she's the favorite to become the next assessor in November.
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Current assessor Leticia Benavidez is not seeking a second term. No Republicans or Libertarians are seeking the position. Independent, minor party and write-in candidates would have until June 30 to file for the general election.
A Sun-News investigation published June 4 revealed Reyes was the subject of multiple complaints and internal investigations while he worked in the assessor's office. One of those complaints found he created a "hostile work environment" based on alleged sexist conduct toward women. Reyes retired from the office in 2019.
Sambrano, a senior appraiser in the office, was placed on administrative leave from the county last week. The county did not say the reason for Sambrano's leave, and Sambrano himself said county policy prevents him from discussing the situation.
Ortega is a born-and-raised Las Crucen who co-owned La Fiesta Bakery, which suffered financially when a state construction project on Valley Drive blocked vehicle access to the business. She has made two prior runs for Las Cruces mayor and two prior runs for Doña Ana County treasurer.
If elected assessor, Ortega told the Sun-News she wished to elevate underrepresented voices in the assessor's office and ensure that all property in the county is assessed fairly.
Ortega said she plans to take courses through the EDGE program — a program through New Mexico State University that educates officials on public sector and local government work — to learn about the role of the assessor more in-depth in the leadup to the November general election.
"Hopefully, I can have the opportunity to just talk more to the people that are in the assessor's office and say hey, you know, it's me and it could be me, and hopefully they'll be willing to meet me with open arms and share whatever they can to help us," Ortega told the Sun-News Tuesday night.
Michael McDevitt is a city and county government reporter for the Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-202-3205, mmcdevitt@lcsun-news.com or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Gina Ortega poised to become next Doña Ana County assessor
