Three of the six candidates vying to become Rio Rancho’s next mayor outlined their visions for the city’s future at a forum Feb. 5 hosted by the Commercial Real Estate Development Association of New Mexico.
The roundtable came two days after a spirited forum featuring five mayoral candidates.
District 4 City Councilor Paul Wymer, Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek and retired educator Corrine Rios addressed questions about economic development, housing, public safety and infrastructure at the NAIOP Rio Rancho Roundtable event held at Rust Medical Center.
The topics of conversation with residents were literally a roll of the dice as candidates moved to a different table every 10 minutes and a question was asked based on what number came up after rolling a die.
Wymer, who has served on the City Council since 2020, emphasized continuity with current policies, calling consistency his top priority.
“We have a city that’s working fantastic,” Wymer said. “I am the consistency because I’ve been a part of the council now for six years.”
He highlighted road improvements as a major accomplishment, noting the city has repaired 51% of its roads and spent over $200 million on repairs. He also pointed to quality-of-life projects including Campus Park and the Broadmoor Senior Center.
Wymer acknowledged concerns about police morale after meeting with the police union, which expressed frustration over compensation compared to surrounding communities despite the city administration’s claim that benefits packages make up the difference.
“What keeps this city safe and what makes Rio Rancho one of the safest cities in the southwest? We’ve got to keep them happy,” Wymer said.
Meek, currently serving on the Sandoval County Commission after 25 years working for the city including as fire chief, focused on economic development and inter-agency cooperation.
He criticized the city for not making the city center a focal point for business development and called for more collaboration with state and county officials to attract employers.
“We need to have more business, and we need to encourage it,” Meek said. “You can’t just get engaged and say, ‘Well, I want to develop this when we want it.’ We have to be partners with others.”
Meek also addressed concerns about transparency in city government, saying he would work to make the city more open and welcoming to businesses.
Rios, who taught in public schools and homeschooled her children for 27 years, talked about public safety and education workforce development.
She proposed increasing police pay to retain officers trained in Rio Rancho who leave for higher-paying positions elsewhere. On education, she advocated for promoting technical training over a singular focus on college preparation.
“My husband manages the biggest data center in Albuquerque, and he tells me over and over again, we don’t have skilled workers in the area,” Rios said.
Regarding housing, Rios questioned whether Rio Rancho faces a shortage, citing vacant apartments she observes, and called for tax incentives for landlords.
The forum also drew candidates for City Council seats. District 5 candidates Karissa Culbreath and Calvin Ward attended, as did Bob Tyler, who is running unopposed in District 3.
Early voting began on Feb. 2 for Rio Rancho’s municipal election, which is scheduled for March 3.
“Consistency vs. change” is the perfect headline, because Paul Wymer openly admits he is the consistency. The problem is, consistency with what? District 4 under Wymer has seen visible decline: blight, empty storefronts, weak code enforcement, rising homelessness, and cleanup that only shows up during election season. That’s the record he’s calling “working fantastic.” If District 4 is the proof of concept, then voters need to ask a hard question: Is consistency really what we want or is it just four more years of the same problems, citywide? I remember what everyone was saying when they first heard Wymer was running, “Wymer? You can’t be serious?”