Historic preservation official announces bid for Santa Fe County Commission

Maya Hilty, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Feb. 13—At least two candidates will face off in the June 4 Democratic primary race for the Santa Fe County Commission's District 4 seat.

Adam Fulton Johnson, 39, joined local business owner Stephen Chiulli, 62, in recently announcing his bid for the office.

The winner of the November general election will replace District 4 Commissioner Anna Hamilton, who will have reached her two-term limit. Hamilton was elected unopposed in 2016 and reelected, also unopposed, in 2020.

District 4 stretches east and south from the city of Santa Fe, including the communities of Cañada de los Alamos, Cañoncito and Glorieta.

Johnson grew up in Santa Fe, attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and received a master's degree in architectural history from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also received a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan in 2018. At both MIT and the University of Michigan, he studied topics related to Northern New Mexico, he said.

Johnson returned to Santa Fe after a "short stint" as a history professor and became the executive director of the Old Santa Fe Association, a nonprofit historic preservation organization, in June 2022.

The position has engaged him in not only building and cultural heritage-related issues but also "livability" and environmental concerns in the county because the Old Santa Fe Association aims to maintain Santa Fe as a "distinct place," he said.

As a commissioner, Johnson said he would focus on issues including sustainable water use, wildfire risk mitigation, cultural heritage preservation and workforce and affordable housing, he said.

Attorney Scott Fuqua, 48, has announced he will run in the Democratic primary for District 2, a seat being vacated by Democrat Anna Hansen, who also is term-limited. Commission Chairman Hank Hughes, a 66-year-old Democratic who represents District 5, has announced he will run for reelection.

So far, no Republican contender has announced plans to run for a commission seat.

People intending to run in state and county primary elections will file declarations of candidacy March 12.