Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller officially announced his run for reelection on Thursday, March 13, 2025. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, KOAT’s Faith Egbuonu spoke with Mayor Keller in a remarkable extended one-on-one “sit down interview” on why he is running for a third term. She asked Mayor Keller more than a few uncomfortable questions including:
“What do you say to voters that supported you in the past but now have doubts? Some expressed you’ve had 8 years to tackle issues at top of mind for New Mexicans, but yet nothing has been done?”
KOAT TV ran a very short, abbreviated version of the Keller interview as a news item but published the full transcript on its web page. Below is the transcription of the full interview:
REPORTER EGBUONU: Why a third term?
MAYOR KELLER:
“There’s really two reasons. The first reason is because we’ve been working hard on some decades-old challenges that we’ve had, whether it’s crime or homelessness, even some major projects for our families, and we’re finally breaking through, we’re seeing traction on our crime technology efforts, on the gateway system actually taking thousands of people off the street, and we’ve got to see these through.
So, the primary reason is to make sure that we keep doing these ideas that are working, and that’s really important because we did the real work and the hard work for years to actually fix some of these long-standing challenges. Now, we’ve got to use those fixes and actually make sure they lift up our city every day. Second reason is really because of what’s happening with respect to the turmoil in D.C. and its effect on our city.
I woke up after the election with renewed resolve. I’ve seen the first round of Trump when I was mayor before, and you’ve got to have strong, steady leadership to push back on all the funding cuts, all the division that’s gonna be put upon our city, and that’s already happening. And so I’m resolved to see that through, and that’s why I need another term.”
REPORTER EGBUONU: What do you plan to accomplish if you’re reelected again?
MAYOR KELLER:
“I have two real goals for another term. And the first one is we’ve got to follow through on some of the things that are finally gaining traction in our city. This has to do with like crime technology, which is finally making a difference when it comes to crime fighting, the one-stop shop gateway system, which has taken a thousand people off the streets.
We need it to be two. And it’s also about finishing some incredible projects like the rail trail, the CNM rail yards academy, bringing UNM downtown. These are all things that we’re gaining traction on. but we need a little more time to actually get the job done.”
CRIME
REPORTER EGBUONU: As of today, where do we stand with crime? That’s one of the biggest issues at top of mind for New Mexicans right now.
MAYOR KELLER:
“I’ll give you an example which I think speaks to the general situation for crime in Albuquerque. For almost a decade we were number one in auto theft, we were the worst in the nation. And now we’re like number eighth, the eighth worst. This is a good example because it says the truth, which is that we’ve turned the corner on a lot of these issues, but we’re coming down from all-time highs.
So, we have to keep doing what’s working, and we know we’re going the right direction. That’s what’s changed about two years ago. We saw this across homicide, we saw it across assaults, and a couple of other categories of violent crime. But we’ve got to keep using the crime technology that we’re doing and the techniques that we’re doing around warrant arrests to make sure that that trend continues. But absolutely, a long way to go. I mean, that’s clear. That’s also why I need some more time.”
REPORTER EGBUONU: You’ve talked about crime reduction while you’ve been in office. Elaborate a bit more of what’s been done while you’ve been in office for eight years.
MAYOR KELLER:
“When I came in, what we saw was a department that was literally falling off a cliff. It was in terrible shape. We had officers leaving in droves. The consent decree was bogged down and going nowhere. And also crime numbers continued to go up. This had been happening for a decade. And it took us a while to really get on the right track, especially with COVID in the middle.
So, I mean, we lost several years in general in the city on what we were doing there. But about two years ago, we started to see progress. and it’s really because of two factors. The crime-fighting technology that we’ve invested, the fact that we’re rebuilding the ranks, and actually the other piece is civilians.
We use civilians now more than we ever have so that we free up officers to fight violent crime. So that’s our community safety departments taking 80,000 calls that police didn’t have to. That’s why you see public service aides taking traffic accident reports. It’s so we’re freed up to fight crime, and that’s what’s enabled us to bring some of these numbers finally down. So we literally had to rebuild the department. That’s what we’ve been doing, and now it’s actually in a much, much better position.”
REPORTER EGBUONU: Would you agree there’s still more work to be done?
MAYOR KELLER:
“Absolutely and that’s why I’m actually interested in a few more years because we know what to do now. We’ve done the hard work to actually fix the broken department but now we actually have to use it fully to fight crime each and every day.”
DOUBTERS
REPORTER EGBUONU: What do you say to voters that supported you in the past but now have doubts? Some expressed you’ve had 8 years to tackle issues at top of mind for New Mexicans, but yet nothing has been done?”
MAYOR KELLER:
“First off, I see what you see, right? I have, whether it’s being in the community with my kids or whether it’s walking to work, I literally understand as well like how challenged these times are. But now is not the time to change.
And the reason is because we’re finally gaining traction. We’re breaking through after years of investment in the really hard things, whether it’s rebuilding a homelessness system or it’s salvaging a police department from falling apart, we’ve done that hard work.
And so now, I didn’t want a few more years, I didn’t want another term, but I need another term because I know that we can’t change direction. That is going to be especially dangerous with what’s going on in D.C. right now. We need strong, steady leadership, and I’m here for that duration and for those reasons, and that’s why I think folks should give us a chance, I think, to finish the job.”
HOMELESS CRISIS
REPORTER EGBUONU: Where do we stand right now with homelessness?
MAYOR KELLER:
“When we came in, for decades, this is the same situation as crime in a sense that our city had never faced homelessness head-on. We’d never done the actual work to say, how do you get someone off the street into services, and where does that all happen? And we took the time to actually fix those issues.
We built the community safety department to do transportation. Then we created the Gateway, a one-stop shop, which is finally open. It just opened in September with its 24-7 drop-off and medical sobering. So now we have a one place for folks to go that’s 24-7. And now we’re building out the other places like a youth shelter and recovery where people can finally get addiction and treatment.
Those are all online to be open and helping people either this year or next year. And so now we’re seeing the fruits of all that hard work but we’ve got to see it through. And if we do that, we’re going to move from when I started to taking zero people, every night in Albuquerque to a place where they can get help. That’s what we used to do.
And now we’re actually taking care of a thousand people every night. And if we finish what we’ve planned, we’re going to be able to take care of two thousand every night. Two thousand people off our street. That’s what people want, and that’s what we can deliver on.”
MAYORAL CANDIDATES
REPORTER EGBUONU: There are five candidates now. All of them have shared the same sentiments in making Albuquerque safer, right? And some are challenging your eight years in office. What’s your take?
MAYOR KELLER:
“I expect a lot of challengers. I would actually expect much more. I think we’re going to have probably a dozen candidates at the end of the day. And we should because these are tough times. And all I’m saying is look at the answers that they can actually deliver on. And I don’t see them saying anything different besides talking about the problem. We’re saying we actually know the answers.
We just need some more time to make sure that we see them through. And we have these proof points to look at. Whether it’s a thousand people, we’re taking care of every night, whether it’s crime numbers finally going down. Or it’s things like the C&M Film Academy finally coming into the rail yards. I think that’s in sharp contrast to everyone who’s continuing to talk about the problem and someone who’s actually offering solutions. That’s what we offer. That’s why I’m running again.”
REGRETS
REPORTER EGBUONU: Do you have any regrets in your eight years of office?
MAYOR KELLER:
Almost every week, I have things I would have done differently.
REPORTER EGBUONU: Really?
MAYOR KELLER:
“Oh yeah, because this job— It’s like, I used to play football, and there was a drill that we do called Bull in the Ring, which is like you stand in the center and everyone’s around you, and they just call your name, and they just hit you from the side and that’s the drill. And that’s what being mayor, that’s what it’s like because every day there’s another challenge.
It could be a particular homicide. It could be windstorms that knock out everyone’s power. And I’m battle-tested. I’ve been through those. And now, especially with what’s happening in D.C. and the turmoil, I think we need somebody who’s ready for that on day one. We do not have the luxury because these are tough times to try someone new or to change directions.
And so, for me, there’s mistakes every day that you learn from. And of course, as everyone says, that’s the key, is how you learn from that. But there are a lot of things I would have done sooner, that’s for sure, including things like our technology and crime fighting. And then a lot of things around, even the consent decree, we’re 99% done with that. But if I had to go back, you know, first time around, of course, there’s all sorts of things you learn. And that’s really important during tough times.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
REPORTER EGBUONU: You’ve had a pretty extensive career. Former member of the New Mexico State Senate, you served as New Mexico State Auditor, you served as Mayor for eight years. If you lose, what’s next for you?
MAYOR KELLER:
I’m raising my family here, and I dedicated essentially my professional career to government and public service way back when I was 27 years old and I was first elected. And so I first ran, I should say. And so that’s not going to change. I’m going to keep trying to find a way to help our community.
For me, it’s a vocational calling. It’s something that even my friends will tell you as early as like fifth grade. I was talking about working in government in one form or another. So, I’ll look at that, but I think for right now, it’s not necessarily by choice for me. I wish I could have gotten everything done in two years, but we need more time to finish the job. And so for me, that’s the calling, and that’s what I’m here for now.
POLICE CHIEF
REPORTER EGBUONU: Is there still possibility of a new police chief still? You’ve answered this in so many ways, but I also feel like the idea is still being toyed with. Is it official that if you are re-elected, you are getting a new police chief?
MAYOR KELLER:
“I know that with another term, you always get a wonderful gift, and the gift is you have your team that got you there and that you’ve had before, and then you have time to actually bring in fresh folks and also to build for the longer term, and we’re positioned for that right now at the police department.
There’s a wonderful bench strength there, and we know that we’re going to need new leadership, and that’s something that I’ve been through before, and I think that’s something that we can make smooth, and also we’re not starting from ground zero. We know folks who know the job and know what to do and they’ll be good candidates and so it’s something that I expect to actually be really beneficial for everyone.
If you look at the deputy chiefs, that’s an obvious place to look, and we have some excellent deputy chiefs, and so that’s the first place I’d look at. Certainly, you want to look outside the department. I think you owe it to the community to do that. But particularly because of the positive changes because APD has been rebuilt and reinvigorated by this leadership team, you’ve got to look to that team in the first place, and so that’s the first place I’d look at.”
REPORTER EGBUONU: What do you believe is a major issue plaguing New Mexico that needs immediate tension or continuous attention as of now?
MAYOR KELLER:
“In general, of course, it’s crime and homelessness. But unfortunately, during these times, I think there are two flavors of that that have even become more urgent. One is defending our city from being destroyed by some of these things that are happening in Washington. I mean, if they actually cut certain programs, like we won’t have a bus system, we won’t have a police department because they’ll have no crime lab, which is federally funded.”
JUVENILE CRIME
So, all of a sudden, those are becoming more urgent. I think that’s also why we need strong and experienced leadership. The second thing is our juvenile criminal justice system. This is something that no one, frankly, wanted to ever have to admit or deal with because these are young kids. Like what happened this morning, what folks are hearing about is the combination of guns and social media and then a youth system that is incapable of dealing with an 11-year-old who commits murder.
That’s where we’re at. And that’s the country, but it’s also us. And so we’ve got to look at every step in that system and see what we can do to, unfortunately, adjust to these times when you have middle schoolers with weapons. That’s a dangerous combination.
REPORTER EGBUONU: Juvenile crime that’s a serious issue in our state right now. It’s been talked among lawmakers at the session. There’s some bills that have not made it— the Children’s Code, nothing went down with that. But what do you feel? I believe there’s many underlying factors, but just hearing from you, what do you feel it’s going to take for us to get back on track with juvenile crime? Because it just keeps growing and growing and growing. Juveniles specifically, when you check the youth detention center, some of them get checked in and then they’re checked right back out because there’s not enough space, then they’re sent back to their guardians or whomever and then they’re turned back out to the streets to do the same thing over and over again.
MAYOR KELLER:
When we think about this, my only analogy is what we’ve done actually with 9-1-1 response. So for example, we had all these challenges with response times and how we respond and we had the consent decree because we’re using too much force. And my team turned around and we created an entirely different department, the community safety department. And that department has taken 80,000 calls and there’s social workers who are doing that through the 9-1-1 system 24-7.
So that was a brand new idea that no one else in America had done, and we’ve delivered on it, and I think we’ve seen how helpful it is. We have to have a similar type of innovation on the juvenile justice side. The combination of everyone involved, and that’s from schools to families to CYFD to APD and everything in between, it’s just not adequate to deal with the problem with social media, guns, and drugs in middle schools.
So, to me, it’s something that’s more, whether it’s a governor something like that would really put it together but if you’re asking me the question we have to have an innovative response that is different like the current model is totally ill-equipped to deal with what’s happening to our kids and I have a middle schooler in public school so I get it to a certain extent.
I think the system is ill-equipped to deal with what our kids are going through with right now and so we have to look at it starting from that place there’s investment in everything. There’s changes that need to be made. But there’s also a different way to deal with this. And there’s different things we can look at, like case workers in middle schools that are actually more sort of family aides. Violence intervention is the biggest one.
I started this program in West Mesa and we’ve seen recidivism completely drop. We’ve seen grades go up for everyone who’s involved in that. We should have that in every high school. We should probably also have it in every middle school, which is terrible to say. But that’s a third way, that’s a different way. So the very long answer to your question is, we should have violence intervention programs at every school in New Mexico.
PUBLIC FINANCING
REPORTER EGBUONU: Any words you want to part with?
MAYOR KELLER:
“I’m going to be doing public financing again, that’s this process where you have to get all these five-dollar contributions, but it allows you to really be independent, and it allows you, as I have been, whether you like me or not, I think it’s clear that at least I’m my own person and you kind of know what you’re getting and that is in a huge way because we’re publicly financed.
So, I’m doing that process again and it’s something to see what the other candidates do, who gets through that process, who’s privately financed. That’s going to be a dynamic that’s also uniquely Albuquerque. And so we’ll see how that all plays out, but I know the route I’m taking there and it’s going to be public financing again.
REPORTER EGBUONU: Thank you.
Click here to review the entire interview:
https://www.koat.com/article/mayor-tim-keller-albuquerque-reelection/64224388
OTHER CANDIDATES
At least 4 other candidates have announced they are running against Keller for Mayor and they are listed as candidates with the City Clerk. They are:
- Mayling Armijo, Democrat and former deputy county manager for Sandoval County. Albuquerque native Mayling Armijo is focused on tackling crime. Her experience consists of working as economic development director for Bernalillo County, the deputy county manager for Sandoval County and with the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
- Eddie Varela (72) a Republican retired firefighter. Varela said he wants to restore public safety, rebuild trust in the government and revitalize the economy.
- Republican Patrick Sais, (57) is listed on the City Clerks web site as running, but he has yet to formally announce. He ran for election to the New Mexico House of Representatives to represent District 26 in 2024 and lost in the general election on November 5, 2024. He is a small business owner, retired truck driver and school bus driver and he went to Albuquerque High School.
- Republican Darren White, the controversial former Bernalillo County Sheriff and former City Chief Public Safety Officer who “retired” from the city after he interfered with an APD investigation of his wife involved in an accident.
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2025-candidates-and-committees-1
THREE OTHER LIKELY CANDIDATES
Confidential sources have confirmed that at least three other candidates will announce their candidacies for Mayor. They are:
- Democrat first term, West side Albuquerque City Councilor Louie Sanchez who is a retired APD Officer and is now an insurance salesman. During his term as city councilor, Sanchez has been a consistent critic of Mayor Keller and has often voted with all 4 of the Republicans on City Council. Sanchez is up for election to city council and must giving up his council seat to run for Mayor.
- Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez who was fired by President Trump on Valentines Day February 14. Uballez is among more than 20 other U.S. Attorneys who were asked to step down and who were appointed by President Joe Biden. Uballez singular biggest claim to fame is bringing federal charges against law enforcement and the ring leaders involved in the DWI bribery and conspiracy scandal to dismiss hundreds of DWI cases.
- Daniel Chavez, President of Parking Company of New Mexico.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The most revealing answers to questions Mayor Keller made in his extended interview with KOAT TV was when he was asked and answered the following questions:
Why a third term? What do you say to voters that supported you in the past but now have doubts? Some expressed you’ve had 8 years to tackle issues at top of mind for New Mexicans, but yet nothing has been done?”
Mayor Keller answered the questions as follows:
“There’s really two reasons [for a third term]:
The first reason is because we’ve been working hard on some decades-old challenges that we’ve had, whether it’s crime or homelessness, even some major projects for our families, and we’re finally breaking through, we’re seeing traction on our crime technology efforts, on the gateway system actually taking thousands of people off the street, and we’ve got to see these through.
The [second] primary reason is to make sure that we keep doing these ideas that are working, now is not the time to change. … And the reason is because we’re finally gaining traction. We’re breaking through after years of investment in the really hard things, whether it’s rebuilding a homelessness system or it’s salvaging a police department from falling apart, we’ve done that hard work. … .”
Keller saying the city is finally “gaining traction” after two terms is simply false. Keller saying his ideas are working is also false. His policies and programs have failed and we are no better off today than 8 years ago. “Gaining traction” with no tangible results is not much of a justification for 4 more years of doing the same thing. Doing the same thing over, and over, and over again expecting different results is the very definition of insanity.
Keller misleads and spins his record of failure on the homeless saying “thousands have been taken off the streets” only as the crisis worsens and as he throws millions of dollars at the crisis each year as other city services suffer.
Keller says falsely he is “salvaging a police department from falling apart.” The truth is APD has already fallen apart, it is as corrupt as it gets under his leadership and it’s a train wreck.
KELLER’S RECORD OF FAILURE
Mayor Tim Keller has been a major failure if not an outright disaster when it comes to city management, policy and addressing the city’s complex problems. His failure as Mayor is the likely reason there are at least 4 candidates running against him. Thus far the candidates running against Keller state the obvious problems the city is facing such as crime is out of control and the homeless have taken over the city. They offer no real solutions. Keller did the exact same thing when he ran for mayor the first time seven years ago, but now he must run on his own record.
Seven years ago when Keller first ran and became Mayor, he proclaimed violent crime was out of control, that he could get it down and that he would increase APD sworn from the 850 to 1,200. Violent crime continues to spike and is out of control seven years later with APD currently at 750 sworn officers. The city’s ongoing homicide and violent crime rates continue to be at historical highs and people simply do not feel safe in their homes as the fentanyl crisis surges. APD ranks number one in police killings of citizens in the top 50 largest cities in the country.
In his KOAT TV interview Keller said this:
When I came in, what we saw was a department that was literally falling off a cliff. It was in terrible shape. We had officers leaving in droves.
APD did fall off the cliff under Keller’s leadership. Mayor Keller and Chief Harold Medina have seriously mismanaged the ongoing train wreck known as the Albuquerque Police Department with the department still dangerously understaffed at about 750 to 800 cops despite seven years of increased budgets, salary increases and lucrative bonus pay. Keller has literally thrown money at the problem, yet the department continues to languish. This coming from the Mayor who promised 1,200 cops during his first term. During a recent APD Academy graduation, Keller promised 1,000 cops by the end of the year which is not at all likely given expected retirements.
Then there is the largest bribery and corruption case in APD’s history with 14 APD Officers implicated and 3 who have been federally charged and who have plead guilty to federal bribery and conspiracy charges involving the dismissal of hundreds of DWI cases for bribes. The former APD officers face up to 130 years in prison. Both Keller and Chief Medina have failed to take any responsibility for what happened under their watch as they deflect and blame others. They both have blamed the Court’s, the DAs Office and the Public Defenders for the DWI dismissals.
Keller has spent over $300 million in the last 4 years on homeless shelters, programs, and the city purchasing and remodeling motels for low-income housing. The recent annual Point-In-Time homeless survey count found an 18% increase in the homeless with upwards of 3,000 chronic homeless. It was reported 75% refuse city services. Despite Keller’s spending efforts to assist the unhoused, the city’s homeless numbers continue to spike as the crisis worsens, as the unhoused refuse services and as they take over our streets.
The $300 million spent to help 3,000 to 5,000 homeless with 75% refusing services would have gone a long way to finance community centers, senior citizen centers, police and fire substations, preschool or after school programs, senior citizen programs, and police and fire programs. Keller has allowed the unhoused to proliferate city streets, parks and open space declining to aggressively enforce city and state vagrant laws and make arrests. Keller allowed Coronado Park to become the city’s de facto city sanction homeless encampment before he declared it to be the most dangerous place in the state forgetting it was he who sanctioned it and then he was forced to close it down because of out-of-control violent crime and illicit drug use.
Keller’s “ABQ Housing Forward Plan” to increase affordable housing was nothing more than a politcal rues relying on the city’s housing shortage. His original announced goal was for the city to have 5,000 additional affordable housing units to be added to the market by 2025 but he fell short by 3,000. Keller pushed mandating “safe outdoor spaces” approved exclusively by the planning department for the unhoused in all 9 city council districts over objections of neighborhoods. Keller wanted to double or triple the city’s density by allowing casitas and duplex development in existing neighborhoods by eliminating the rights of appeal by objecting neighborhood associations and adjoining property owners.
Keller’s “Housing Forward Plan” makes gentrification an official city policy that caters to developers and the NAIOP crowd at the expense of neighborhoods and property rights. It will not increase affordable housing. It will allow developers and investors to destroy existing neighborhoods for the sake of making a development buck and increasing density in established neighborhoods and destroying their original character.
Keller also supports recent amendments to the city’s zoning laws know as the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO). Those changes reduce or totally eliminate Neighborhood Associations and adjoining property owners’ rights of standing to appeal developments. In the limited instances where they can appeal a development and they lose the appeal, the changes require them to pay the attorney’s fees of the defending developer when before both sides would assume their own attorney fees and costs.
Keller has also refused to hold Chief Medina accountable for a vehicle crash where Medina negligently plowed into another driver putting the driver in the hospital in critical condition. Medina admitted to violating state law when he failed to have his body camera on during an incident that preceded the crash.
After the crash, Keller called Medina “arguably the most important person right now in these times in our city.” Medina’s appointed crash review board declared the crash as “non avoidable” even after Medina admitted to causing the crash. Medina was given a slap on the wrist with letters of reprimand. The City and Medina have been sued by the other driver and the case is still pending and will likely result in a significant judgement being paid for Medina’s negligent driving and his running of a red light.
Medina claims he will retire in December and Keller claims he will find a new Chief, but don’t believe them. They are tied to the hip. Keller failed in his extended interview with KOAT TV to state in no uncertain terms that he will ask Medina to step aside and replace him with a new chief.
KELLER’S LOW APPROVAL RATINGS
Keller is favored to win a third term despite having a disapproval rating of 40% and an approval rating of 33% as found by an Albuquerque Journal poll. The City’s Citizens Satisfaction survey released in August last year found that 63% of city residents reported do not feel the city is going in the right direction with only 31% say they are hopeful about the direction the city is going.
The same survey found 61% “disagree” and 35% “agree” that “the Albuquerque City Government is responsive to our community needs.” The Citizens Satisfaction survey found that 60% of the city residents “disagree” and 35% “agree” that the APD is doing a good job addressing property crime. The survey also found that 56% of city residents “disagree” and 39% “agree” that APD is doing a good job of addressing violent crime.
KELLER’S POWER OF INCUMBANCY
Notwithstanding his failures, Mayor Tim Keller is heavily favored for election to a unprecedented third consecutive 4 year term. In Keller’s mind, the more the merrier. He has a core constituency of about 25% or more that should get him into the runoff. However, with at least five to seven candidates running, it’s very likely there will be a runoff if none of the candidates secure 50%, but that’s assuming all make the ballot and collect the required 3,000 qualifying nominating signatures. We can expect a brutal battle between highly progressive Democratic Mayor Tim Keller and right wing Republican Darren White who will try and force a runoff.
To complicate matters for Keller’s opponents, Mayor Keller has a built-in advantage called the power of incumbency with an existing campaign organization consisting of his 27 high paid Department Directors who he pays upwards of $150,000 or more that do not want to lose their jobs, the ability to raise large sums of campaign cash as he did as State Auditor, and a campaign manager who resorts to questionable slash and burn tactics to disparage opposition and win at any and all costs.
Keller will easily qualify for public financing of $755,946 as he has done before and then have measured finance committees raise an equivalent amount or more as he has done in his past two runs for Mayor. Keller also has a strangle hold on progressive Democrats who prefer to look the other way when it comes to his mismanagement of city hall and his and Chief Medina’s mismanagement of APD as Keller and Medina refuse to take any responsibility for what has happened under their tenure.
It’s more likely than not that the 2025 municipal election for Mayor will once again be a very low voter turnout for Mayor with less than 20% of those eligible to vote voting, again something that favors Mayor Keller.
FINAL COMMENTARY
Simply put, Albuquerque needs a new Mayor. Keller is completing 8 years as Mayor and he is still struggling with the very issues he dealt with 8 years ago: high violent crime rates, drugs, the homeless and a corrupt APD. Things have not gotten any better under his leadership and some would say we are even worse off today than we were when he was first elected in 2017.
The problem is those running do not have the credentials, or the gravitas to be Mayor and they are more interested in hyperbole and disruption, much like Donald Trump. Darren White is one such candidates who is more mouth than substance.
Eight years of Tim Keller as Mayor has been more than enough. But those who are running against him now will likely be even worse. Some may not even make it on the ballot by not collecting the 3,000 required nominating signatures and more likely will not secure the required 3,000 five dollar donations for public finance. They do not have the gravitas to be Mayor meaning understanding the seriousness of purpose of being Mayor, background, credentials and the importance of manner causing a feeling of respect and trust from others.
Voters can and must do better. The City will do better with a new Mayor but that will happen only if other more qualified candidates who can mount a successful campaign are recruited to run. The business community, civic organizations, neighborhood associations and concerned citizens in general should go out of their way do what they can to recruit qualified candidates to run. Otherwise, we will have another 4 years of disastrous policies, either under Keller or one of the others now running, and we will only have ourselves to blame.
The Exploratory Period for Mayor began on March 3, 2025 and ends on April 19, 2025 where candidates must first make and appointment and register with the city clerk.
The Qualifying Period for candidates for Mayor to collect 3,780 qualifying donations of $5.00 from Albuquerque registered voters for public financing is from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025.
The Petition Period for candidates for Mayor to collect 3,000 or more signatures from Albuquerque registered voters is from April 19, 2025 to June 21, 2025.
The 2025 municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4 and the offices of Mayor and 5 city council races will also be on the ballot.
Hopefully, better qualified candidates will emerge. __________________________________________
POSTSCRIPT
The links to the City Clerks web pages giving candidate information, candidate calendar, candidate training, candidate information forms and qualifying periods are as follows:
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/election-information
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/election-information/voter-information
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/candidate-information
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/publicly-financed-candidates
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/privately-financed-candidates
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/campaign-forms
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2025-candidates-and-committees-
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/training-videos
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/information-for-measure-finance-committees
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2025-candidates-and-committees-1/
https://www.cabq.gov/clerk/ethics-1/board-of-ethics