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THE NEW MEXICAN Thursday, May 15, 2014
Challenge: District 1 is among most diverse in Santa Fe County Kenneth T. Borrego
Continued from Page A-1 The district that the three men are vying to represent is among the most diverse in the county. District 1, which spans northern Santa Fe County, includes slices of the cities of Santa Fe and Española, as well as five pueblos and numerous villages, including Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambé and Chimayó. Roybal said he intended to run for the seat in the future but moved up his plans after people who felt their concerns were falling on deaf ears urged him to get involved now. “I’ve been the type of person who has stepped up to the plate if I’m asked to do something,” said Roybal, 44. “I’ve been approached by people in the community who asked me to.” Borrego said Mayfield is doing a fine job but that he brings a different skill set to the job. “I can be a tool,” said Borrego, 53. “I’m not saying I’m the most perfect, you know, tool in the tool kit or have ever been, but I think that I bring a great deal to the county of Santa Fe.” Mayfield, who left his job as chief of staff for the Public Regulation Commission in 2010 before running for election to the commission four years ago, said he brings the “perfect blend” to the position because of his experience as a government administrator and his current service as a county commissioner. “I was responsible for budgets, big budgets. I was responsible for employees,” he said, referring to his five years as chief of staff at the PRC. “I know the difference in my role as an administrator and as an elected official, and I know my difference in what I should be telling my county administrator and what I shouldn’t because I’ve already experienced that.” Mayfield, 47, has lived in Nambé for about two decades. The son of an airman, Mayfield was born at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland but grew up in Santa Fe. His family, including two older siblings, moved to Santa Fe to live in his grandparents’ home on Alto Street. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1985 and has taken courses at Santa Fe Community College but does not have a college degree, something he said he hopes to change in the future. Still, he insists his life experiences have proven invaluable. “I have a degree in my work ethic and my work history and my work principle,” he said. Mayfield started his government career “in a little annex” as a duplicating technician at the New Mexico Department of Transportation in 1985. From there, he moved to the now-defunct Corporation Commission, where he worked various jobs in the Insurance Division, including as a financial specialist. From 1995 to 2004, he worked as the executive administrative assistant to then Public Regulation Commission member Jerome Block. In 2005, he became the executive administrative assistant to then PRC member Ben Ray Luján before the commission appointed him chief of staff later that year. Five years later, Mayfield decided to run for county commissioner. He said he planned to give up his $100,000-a-year job at the PRC if he won election but was forced to resign because of the Hatch Act, which restricts the political activities of public employees whose job duties are connected to federally funded programs. Before his election, it was reported that Mayfield had his wages garnished for child support and also that he was in arrears on payments owed for his daughter. Despite the revelation, Mayfield emerged the winner in a four-way race, by just a 94-vote margin over his nearest competitor. On the campaign trail, Mayfield promised fiscal responsibility and the posting of county contracts online, among other things. Mayfield said he lived up to his campaign promises. Although he didn’t initiate the proposals, Mayfield counts among his biggest accomplishments the county’s recent adoption of a minimum-wage law similar to the one passed years ago by the city of Santa Fe, as well as
Chimayó
Age: 53 Education: Graduated from Española High School in 1978; associate degree in electrical science from Northern New Mexico College; numerous certificates
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502
Occupation: General and electrical contractor and owner of Classic Motor Co., a small automobile dealership in Española; previously worked as a guard at the Penitentiary of New Mexico and was a member of the SWAT team for the Los Alamos National Laboratory
District 1
Pojoaque
Experience: Former president and vice president of the Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees; 3rd Degree Knights of Columbus; member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed officials; Central Committee member for the state Democratic Party
84 285
Personal: Single; has a son, 24, and two daughters, 18 and 11; enjoys ranching, hunting, fishing and working on classic cars Campaign information: votekennyb@gmail.com
District 2
Daniel “Danny” Mayfield Santa Fe
District 5
25
Age: 47
District 4
25
Education: Graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1985; attended classes at Santa Fe Community College; completed training program for government executives at Harvard university Glorieta
Eldorado
Lamy
14
Madrid
Occupation: Former government administrator who retired as chief of staff for the New Mexico Public regulation Commission Experience: Serving first term as District 1 county commissioner Personal: Married 22 years to Nanette Trujillo Mayfield; has a daughter, 26, a son, 8, and two grandchildren; enjoys fishing, boating and other outdoor activities Campaign information: www.daniel-mayfield.com; www.facebook/dannyforcommissioner
Henry P. Roybal
Galisteo 285
Age: 44 Education: Graduated from Pojoaque High School in 1988; associate degrees in electrical/mechanical design drafting and electronic packaging and design technology from Northern New Mexico College
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Occupation: Design/drafter at Los Alamos National Laboratory; previously worked as a draftsman for Santa Fe County government and as a real estate title examiner for Santa Fe Abstract
District 3
Experience: President of the Pojoaque Valley Little League and young American Football League; athletic coordinator for Pojoaque Intermediate School; coached junior high and high school athletics; no prior runs for public office
Edgewood 40
Santa Fe County Commission districts Incorporated areas SOURCE: SANTA COUNTY SourCE: SANTA FEFE CouNTy
his support of a resolution in favor of same-sex marriage in New Mexico. The new “living wage” was approved in February. The County Commission’s support for marriage equality came only after a wave of support for same-sex marriage emerged in the state. When asked why the county hadn’t taken a leadership role in those matters, Mayfield said he didn’t have an answer. In person, Mayfield is outgoing and talkative. But in private, say government insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, Mayfield sometimes “belittles” county employees. At commission meetings, Mayfield peppers presenters with questions, irking some of his colleagues for dragging out meetings and drawing accusations that he shows up unprepared. Mayfield insists he does his homework. “It’s not like staff gives me a book report on everything and says, ‘Here is a summary on everything,’ ” he said. “I’m here serving the people, and I’ll tell you what, these are the questions people are asking me. Sometimes they ask me to ask these questions.” Mayfield denies that he doesn’t make himself available to constituents or that he doesn’t listen to their concerns. During Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, Mayfield, who currently is serving as chairman, gave speakers unlimited amounts of time to talk about a proposed joint powers agreement between the county and four pueblos to create a water authority in northern Santa Fe County as part of the proposed settlement of a water-rights adjudication to determine Indian and non-Indian water rights. He told the audience that his home and cellphone number were available and that
he would always get back to them, though he said he hears that people can’t leave messages because his mailbox is always full. Mayfield describes himself as a champion of the environment and water conservation. He said he sponsored a resolution making recycling mandatory for county government. Until that point, recycling was voluntary. Mayfield also notes that he was the only commissioner to vote against an agreement to sell up to 600 acrefeet of raw water to the Las Campanas subdivision for irrigation of its private golf courses. Howard Gershon, president of the Tano Road Association, which is opposing the city’s application to use the Northwest Water Well as a production well in perpetuity, said Mayfield has attended the group’s meetings and has been “very responsive.” “I don’t know that you can ask for a lot more from elected officials,” he said. Roybal offers a different perspective on Mayfield, saying constituents have complained to him that Mayfield is inaccessible and doesn’t keep constituents in the loop. He cites the Aamodt water-rights settlement reached by the state, city and county of Santa Fe, four pueblos and federal officials in a case that stretches back more than half a century. “A lot of people didn’t know about it early enough and didn’t know it was getting to the point where it was closing,” he said. Roybal said he has been involved in the community for more than a decade in youth athletics, including as president of the Pojoaque Valley Little League. “I’ve always made the time to talk to the people and make sure they
Personal: He and wife Marlene, his high school sweetheart, have three children, ages 20, 19 and 15; they have been foster parents to more than 40 children in the past eight years; he enjoys fishing, hiking and spending time with his family, who have dogs, a cat and raise sheep, rabbits and chickens
understand and are comfortable with the situation,” he said. “I always take that time.” Roybal, who worked as a draftsman for county government and then as a real estate title examiner for a private company before getting a design/ drafting job at Los Alamos National Laboratory, is the only candidate who has received a contribution from one of the pueblos in the district. Roybal said the $2,400 contribution from Pojoaque Pueblo came with no strings attached and that it’s rooted in his longtime friendship with Lt. Gov. Joseph Talachy. The two have known each other for “numerous years” and have coached junior high school football together, he said. “Like I told everybody, there was never any kind of discussion or anything about getting, having decisions made or anything like that. It was just a contribution,” said Roybal, who was endorsed by the Sierra Club Northern New Mexico Group. A two-thirds majority of the group’s political committee and executive committee have to approve any endorsement. Roybal has a drunken-driving arrest on his record. He said he was 21 at the time of the arrest and that he learned his lesson. “I was young at the time,” he said. “I realized pretty young that it was something that wasn’t acceptable.” The run for county commissioner is Roybal’s first attempt at public office. Not so for Borrego, who suffered a crushing defeat in his 2013 re-election campaign for the District 6 seat on the Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative’s board of trustees. Borrego, who had served as president, finished last in that race. His defeat came after the board of the state’s largest rural electric cooperative approved easement settlements with several pueblos, along with a plan that passes the costs on to customers. Borrego said the co-op had no choice but to settle because it was facing fines of $5,000 a day and litigation. “Some of these decisions that we
had to deal with at the cooperative haven’t been touched in 30 years,” he said. “It was a big hot potato, and some very unpopular decisions had to be made.” When asked why he had finished third in the co-op race, Borrego initially said he needed to think about his answer. “I’d have to put something together on that one because I don’t want that comment to cost me this election, either,” he said. But then Borrego said he and another candidate, Leroy Lopez, had divided the votes that didn’t go to the winner. “If you add my votes and Leroy Lopez’s votes, we would’ve beat [John] Tapia,” he said. “That’s a good answer for you.” Borrego said his time at the co-op would prove valuable to him as a county commissioner because he would be able to make hard decisions. “I’ve been there, done that already,” he said. Borrego said economic development would be among his top priorities if elected. He said one way to stimulate the economy is to reduce or eliminate development impact fees, which the county collects to help cover the costs of roads and police and fire protection. Borrego acknowledged he would benefit from such a move, since he’s a general contractor, but said he was taking the greater community into consideration. “It’s just a line of business that we’ve been in,” he said. “It’s not that I’m doing this for myself.” Santa Fe County jail records show Borrego in 2004 was booked on charges of DWI, reckless driving and fleeing an officer. However, Borrego said it was a “false arrest,” and no court record of a conviction could be found. Borrego declined to discuss details of the incident. Contact Daniel J. Chacón at 986-3089 or dchacon@ sfnewmexican.com. Follow him on Twitter at @danieljchacon.
Slash: U.S. Education Department to mull decision, waiver request Continued from Page A-1 and language services included in Individualized Education Programs for many of the state’s 46,500 specialeducation students. “New Mexico children with special needs face a very unfortunate situation because of this discrepancy,” U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, said via email Wednesday. He said he is working within the Senate to ensure the state does not lose future special-education money over its past violations. The state has requested waivers from the federal spending require-
ments for 2010 and 2011, when it is accused of reducing its special education funding to a level below the federal standard. The state blamed the decrease in funding on the recession and the fact that some school districts spent less than they were allocated. The federal Education Department granted New Mexico a waiver for 2010 but not for 2011. The state appealed that denial. While awaiting news on the waiver requests, the state’s Public Education Department requested permission to lower its base level of special education funding, thereby eliminating the
need for a waiver. But O’Hair’s opinion notes that states must meet a base level of funding support and that this base “can never decrease; it can only increase.” Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, chairwoman of the House Education Committee, said Wednesday that Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera’s effort to decrease funding for special education in order to dodge the waiver problem equates to an attitude of, “Oh well, we don’t need as much funding. We want to lower the amount we put into special education and we are fine with getting less
money from the federal government.” Stewart said it’s time for the department to admit its mistake and put more money into special education. In an email Wednesday, Public Education Department spokesperson Larry Behrens said O’Hair’s decision now goes to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to decide, and the state may still have the right to appeal in federal court. Dan Moya, chief financial officer for Albuquerque Public Schools, said by phone Tuesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if the state chooses to do nothing and accepts the future federal
cuts, given the state’s “disdain” for education. He said if that happens, the cuts could be devastating for school districts. Moya said it seems to him the Public Education Department is “looking for a way to get out of” the situation with the waiver denial. It is still unclear whether the state will need to seek waivers for its 2012 and 2013 special-education funding requirements. Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.