Councilman running away in Rio Rancho mayoral runoff
Paul Wymer showed strong lead over Alexandria Piland in Tuesday night results
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RIO RANCHO 鈥� Rio Rancho Councilman Paul Wymer appears likely to become Rio Rancho鈥檚 next mayor.
Wymer had 64% of the vote (9,913 votes) against Alexandria Piland, a ward chair for the Sandoval County Democratic Party, who had 36% (5,575 votes), according to unofficial election results posted on the Secretary of State鈥檚 website around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday.
The SOS website showed around the same time that 15,488 ballots had been cast out of 83,751 eligible voters with 110 of the total precincts partially reporting.
Wymer said he felt confident and proud to be the 鈥減rojected winner鈥� of the race.
鈥�(I) look forward to representing the citizens of Rio Rancho, as I have done for my District 4 constituents,鈥� he said at Turtle Mountain Brewing Company-South, where he held a watch party with supporters. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to being the representative for all of the citizens of the city, including those who did not vote for me. I know my competitor had some strong support behind her, and I will also be in their corner, too.鈥�
Reached at her watch party, Piland said she had no comment at this time.
Wymer had been locked in a runoff contest with Piland since they were declared the top two voter-getters in the March 3 municipal election, in which Wymer earned 6,240 votes and Piland earned 3,672. Previously, they had faced off in the municipal election against four other mayoral candidates, including Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek (1,552 votes), self-described conservationist Zachary Darden (1,191 votes), homemaker and former teacher Corrine Rios (916 votes), and local businesswoman Aleitress Owens-Smith (189 votes).
If elected, Wymer 鈥� a member of the City Council since 2020 who also spent six years on the Planning and Zoning Board 鈥� would succeed Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who decided not to run for an unprecedented fourth term and focus on a run for governor.
Wymer said his campaign was about keeping the city on a consistent path.
鈥淢y platform has been that our city has been running fantastically and I want to continue to see it in the same direction,鈥� said Wymer, a licensed architect and certified planner who has lived in Rio Rancho since 1982. 鈥淢y competitor had different thoughts 鈥� right or wrong. I think the citizens of our city agreed more so with me, based on the results that we鈥檙e seeing so far.鈥�
The next mayor鈥檚 swearing-in date is to be determined, according to Rio Rancho spokesperson Ludella Awad.
