New mayor pro tem will be selected for las Cruces council in 2024
Mayor Elect Eric Enriquez will conduct his first City Council meeting on Jan. 2 as William "Bill" Mattiace and Cassie McClure sit for their first council meeting after winning municipal elections in November.
One of the first orders of business will be the election of a new mayor pro tempore and Enriquez will appoint council members to various committees.
Kasandra Gandara was elected to City Council in District 1 in 2015 and was elected mayor pro tem in 2021. Gandara forfeited her seat to run for mayor, a race she lost to Enriquez in November.
"(Gandara) has been invaluable in my personal life," said councilor Yvonne Flores during the final council meeting of 2023. "We have a lot of programs that wouldn't exist without her. She has really been a mentor for me and I will miss her terribly."
Flores, who was first elected to City Council in 2017, and District 4 Councilor Johana Bencomo, who was re-elected to a second term in November, will be the senior members among the district representatives.
"I will always be incredibly honored to have been part of making history with all of you and that is something no one will be able to take away from us," said Bencomo, who served on the first City Council comprised of all women for the past two years.
In the city's council-manager form of government, the mayor sets the agenda for meetings and has a vote on all matters that come before council. The mayor acts as the city's and community's first representative to the outside world. The mayor pro tem is a prestigious position that performs the duties of the mayor in the absence or disability of the mayor.
"The tradition has been by seniority, but I think the important part about it is your colleagues vote for you to be in that position," Bencomo said. "When the mayor is absent, the mayor pro tem fills that role, whether it's in a meeting or in public spaces."
Mattiace said former councilor Dolores Archuleta stood out as a mayor pro tem while he was mayor from 2003 to 2007.
"She was a great statesman and a good ambassador for the city," Mattiace said. "She was very involved with the veterans.
"The mayor position itself is a ceremonial position. The city manager is the caretaker of the policies that we set and the mayor pro tem is mainly the ceremonial head of the city in the absence of the mayor."
Mattiace defeated incumbent Tessa Abeyta in a close race to return to City Council as a representative for District 2.
"I think it is a very intelligent and professional council who has the best ideas for the city," he said. "We just have to review those and vote accordingly."
District 5 councilor Becky Corran said her vote for mayor pro tem will go to someone "with experience and someone who is thoughtful and that narrows it down to a few."
Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @jpgroves.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces council will select new mayor pro tem in 2024
