County Commissioner Greene announces bid for Santa Fe mayor; third candidate joins District 1 council race

Yahoo

2 days ago

Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene announced Wednesday he is running for Santa Fe mayor, making him the seventh candidate in a crowded race with no clear front-runner.
"We've heard too many empty promises. ... I'm ready to lead on day one, and I'm going to do this as your next mayor," Greene said during a brief speech outside City Hall, where he described the city as being "at a crossroads."
Greene is the only mayoral candidate to announce a bid following Mayor Alan Webber's announcement in May he will not seek a third term.
Attorney and urban planner Pat Feghali also announced Wednesday she will be running for a City Council District 1 seat, making her the third candidate in the race and ensuring there will be at least two contests in the municipal election in which the city's ranked-choice voting system comes into play.
The number of council candidates on Santa Fe voters' ballots will differ by district. While the races in Districts 1 and 2 are competitive — with multiple candidates seeking seats being vacated by incumbents — neither of the incumbents running for a second term in Districts 3 and 4 have challengers.
'Next generation'
Originally from New York City, Greene has lived in Santa Fe since 1993, and in 2003 founded the Dashing Delivery food delivery service with his wife, Sandra Greene. He was elected in 2022 to the District 1 seat on the Santa Fe County Commission, representing an area that includes portions of the cities of Santa Fe and Española, as well as the community of Chimayó and the pueblos of Tesuque, Pojoaque and Nambé.
Greene said his success in county government is evidence he would make a good mayor. He noted the county's development of electric vehicle infrastructure, more than 700 affordable homes in the pipeline and the reopening of the Tesuque Solid Waste Convenience Center.
'Looking at the needs of Santa Fe ... and the lack of trust and respect of City Hall, I know that I can help rebuild that trust and show the respect for all the communities and neighborhoods that cross Santa Fe, and I've done that as a county commissioner,' he said in an interview Tuesday.
While he said he believes all the other candidates' hearts 'are in the right place,' he doesn't believe any of them have the expertise he has.
'Some of them just don't have the experience. Some of them are retired, and they're just past their due date,' said Greene, 56. 'We need to find somebody that is next generation, full of knowledge, skills, relationships and energy to get things done right now.'
He said his campaign would focus on fixing neglected city infrastructure, tackling the housing crisis 'so teachers, nurses and working families can afford to live here,' addressing homelessness by creating a 'one door' facility with wraparound services, improving public safety and 'modernizing' City Hall.
He also described a 'south-side investment plan' that would include the creation of a new Plaza, mercado, performing arts hub, transit facility and senior center: 'everything the south side deserves and has waited way too long for,' Greene said.
Asked in an interview Tuesday how he would find the money for such an ambitious plan, he said he envisioned some of it being created through public-private partnerships or state grants, with a potential bond for a new senior center. Greene would like to implement a liaison program for city councilors, he said, similar to one the county commissioners have, in which each council district would have a full-time staff member to help with constituent needs.
Greene will be running a privately financed campaign; his campaign manager is Sergio Mata-Cisneros.
He was joined at his news conference by about 50 supporters, including Nambé Pueblo Gov. Nathaniel Porter, unsuccessful state Senate District 24 candidate Veronica Krupnick, Española police Chief Mizel Garcia and Escondido chef Fernando Ruiz, who said Greene is the only person he would be willing to wade into politics for.
Greene said he believes he is the only mayoral candidate who speaks Spanish.
'Focus on the basics'
Several of Greene's campaign planks are shared by council District 1 candidate Feghali, who recently departed the city of Santa Fe after working as an assistant city attorney for four years
'I believe Santa Fe can and should be a city that works for everyone,' Feghali said in a news release Wednesday announcing her campaign. 'We need to focus on the basics — roads, parks, permitting — while also planning intelligently for our future with housing, transportation, and sustainable growth that reflects the values of our community.'
Originally from Cincinnati, Feghali moved to Santa Fe full time in 2019. She has a law degree from the University of Minnesota and served as a legislative analyst for the New Mexico House of Representatives before joining the City Attorney's Office.
Her campaign will be focused on safe and efficient non-car transportation, affordable housing and homeless services, sustainability and basic city services, the news release said.
She is seeking public financing, according to her campaign.