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Mayoral candidates talk big issues in debate as election nears
Candidates take their seats for the 2025 NAIOP mayoral debate at Sheraton Albuquerque on Tuesday.
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Albuquerque鈥檚 six mayoral candidates took to the debate stage Tuesday to tell voters how they would address hot-button issues like crime, homelessness and economic development if elected in November.
Incumbent Mayor Tim Keller is currently the highest polling candidate at 29%, according to a new Journal Poll. However, a greater share of projected voters are undecided at 37%.
Tuesday鈥檚 debate gave candidates an opportunity to win over those key undecided voters.
All but one of the ballot-qualified candidates debated live in front of the business community at the Sheraton Uptown as a part of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) event.
Before the event, candidate Daniel Chavez said in a statement that he was suspending his campaign after drawing 1% of projected voters in a Journal Poll.
Crime
The biggest problem facing Albuquerque is crime, at least according to the majority of polled voters.
Keller said using technology and civilian support staff, as the Albuquerque Police Department has done during his term, is the best way to fight crime.
鈥淲e know what to do and we just have to keep doing it,鈥� Keller said.
Opponent and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White disagreed. White said he would cut down on what he called the 鈥渂loated鈥� executive rank of the Albuquerque Police Department to free up funds to hire more boots-on-the-ground officers. White said he would cap higher-ups in the department at 15 officers.
White also said he would open up the prisoner transport center to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, standing in stark contrast to the mayor鈥檚 current 鈥渋mmigrant-friendly city鈥� policy.
The prisoner transport center oversees the transport of those accused of crimes from APD custody to the Metropolitan Detention Center or other destinations. White said that giving ICE access to the center would stop those already in the country illegally from committing more crimes.
Other candidates, such as Navy reservist Mayling Armijo and City Councilor Louie Sanchez, said if elected they would hire a new police chief.
Former U.S. attorney and candidate Alex Uballez said more effective police investigations, a unified county dispatch center and proactive policing were paramount to lowering crime.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if you catch 90% of the people who do something wrong (if) you can鈥檛 detain them and sentence them,鈥� Uballez said.
Moreover, former Albuquerque firefighter and candidate Eddie Varela decried juvenile violence and vowed to put in place a citywide curfew for minors beginning at 11 p.m. if elected.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the youth of yesterday 鈥� where they were just out there having a good time. We have killers and murderers out there,鈥� Varela said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to put a stop to it and we鈥檙e going to hold parents responsible.鈥�
Homelessness
With the number of people living on the streets doubling since the pandemic, concern about the issue is growing among Albuquerque voters.
A Journal Poll indicates that 47% of voters see homelessness as the city鈥檚 biggest problem.
All six candidates agreed that the city is struggling with its homeless population, , but that鈥檚 where consensus stopped.
Keller touted the Gateway Network, a system of city-run shelters and services for homeless people. If reelected, Keller said he would open hundreds more beds at the facilities.
His opponents called the Gateway鈥檚 price tag and efficacy into question.
Most candidates, including Varela, Armijo, Sanchez and White said they would direct APD to enforce an ordinance that bans camping in public spaces, something they said is not happening under Keller.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need reform, it鈥檚 already there. We just need to enforce,鈥� Armijo said.
White criticized more than just the Gateway Center and enforcement, saying that infrastructure changes like installing new bus stops along Central to decrease loitering is a waste of taxpayer dollars.
鈥淢ayor, it鈥檚 the homeless, not the furniture,鈥� White said.
Uballez said he would focus on behavioral health and transitional housing like that offered at the Gateway, although he said he did not agree with how the shelter system was being managed.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to choose between who鈥檚 ineffective and who鈥檚 cruel,鈥� Uballez said.
Economic development
In front of a ballroom jammed with Albuquerque鈥檚 business leaders, candidates debated the city鈥檚 economy and how to improve it.
Keller looked back over his tenure as mayor, citing key partnerships he forged between local government, higher education and private industry.
He pointed to the University of New Mexico鈥檚 interest in opening a Downtown campus and Central New Mexico Community College stationing its film school at the Railyards. That鈥檚 just the beginning, Keller said.
Keller said he will work to position Albuquerque as a national leader in future technologies such as quantum computing and nuclear fusion.
Some of those industries are already choosing Albuquerque. Last week, Pacific Fusion announced plans to put a $1 billion research and development facility at Mesa del Sol on the city鈥檚 south side.
Conversely, multiple candidates said the plight of small business owners is being ignored by the city.
Sanchez said that the city needs to 鈥減rioritize existing businesses.鈥�
鈥淲hen you drive up and down Central with the 100th-year anniversary approaching, all we see is boarded-up buildings, no left turns,鈥� Sanchez said.
Though businesses closing is problematic, Armijo said the biggest issue is businesses inability to open or expand in Albuquerque due to a lack of efficiency in the city鈥檚 planning and zoning department. As a former director of economic development at Bernalillo County, Armijo said she has the expertise to reorganize and maximize efficiency.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 the kind of words I don鈥檛 appreciate: 鈥榃e鈥檙e working on it. It鈥檚 getting better. We鈥檒l get there. I need more time,鈥欌�� Armijo said. 鈥淓very time you don鈥檛 have a permit, somebody鈥檚 not working, (gross receipts tax) is not going into the economy. That鈥檚 how the city should be thinking about making money 鈥� is you spending it.鈥�
In response, Keller said he was handed an outdated system and his staff have managed to lower permitting wait times since April. This year, the average wait time for commercial permits is 37 days, down from an average of 98 days last year, according to a city news release.
Multiple candidates, including Varela, White and Sanchez also said that crime was a major deterrent for prospective businesses and said the best way to push the economy forward was to address public safety.
To close out the debate, Keller criticized his opponents鈥� platforms, which he said were based on complaints and not solutions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to blame the problem,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to talk about what we want to do and how bad our city is. It鈥檚 hard to actually try and problem solve and fix it. That鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been doing every day.鈥�
