Featured
Who鈥檚 running for sa国际传媒官网网页入口 mayor? Here鈥檚 what we know.
Clockwise, from top left, Mayling Armijo, Eddie Aragon, Tim Keller and Eddie Varela have announced plans to run for mayor. Armijo is the first to file.
Published
Modified
There are 270 days until the mayoral election, and so far one person has filed to run.
Mayling Armijo, former deputy county manager for Sandoval County, is the first candidate listed on the City Clerk鈥檚 website. If elected, she would become the first female mayor of the city.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a politician. I want the job. I want to fix this, I want to do this. I鈥檓 very passionate about the city,鈥� Armijo told the Journal on Thursday. 鈥淢oving away is not an option. Fixing it is.鈥�
While the mayor鈥檚 race is technically nonpartisan, Armijo said she identifies as a moderate Democrat.
Armijo worked as director of economic development for Bernalillo County and served in the Navy Reserve for 14 years with one deployment.
She will challenge incumbent Tim Keller, who is vying to become the first sa国际传媒官网网页入口 mayor elected to three consecutive terms. Keller has not filed yet.
鈥淢ayor Keller is focused on running the city and will likely get to filing in March,鈥� Staci Drangmeister, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement.
Like Keller, Eddie Aragon is planning to file in March.
The local conservative radio show host ran for the city鈥檚 highest office in 2021, coming in third with 18% of the vote, as Keller cruised to reelection with 56%.
Aragon told the Journal that he only got 18% of the vote because he entered the race so late and wasn鈥檛 taken seriously by the media.
鈥淚 brought a lot of energy. There were lines out the door. I believe that I got way more than 20%,鈥� Aragon said, adding that his vision for the city is the same as it was in 2021.
Aragon won鈥檛 be the only Republican-leaning candidate in the race. Eddie Varela, a 72-year-old retired firefighter who served as a deputy chief and union president, told the Journal he is running for the job.
鈥淚 was born and raised here. It鈥檚 been good to me, and I remember the days when it was a beautiful city, and I think we can do that again,鈥� Varela said in an interview last month. He also has yet to file.
The Regular Local Election, which also includes the seats in City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, is slated for Nov. 4. The deadline for candidates to file is Aug. 26.
