City Councilor Paul Wymer and former Sandoval County Democratic Party chair Alexandria Piland will square off April 14 in a runoff election to determine who will succeed Mayor Gregg Hull, with the two candidates presenting voters a clear choice between continuity and change.
Wymer led the six-candidate March 3 field with 6,240 votes, or 45%, while Piland finished second with 3,670 votes, or 27%, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office. Under Rio Rancho city election rules, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the total votes cast to win outright. Total votes cast in the mayoral race were 13,757, out of 88,761 eligible voters in the city — a turnout of about 15.6%.
Wymer said the margin surprised him. He had expected the race to be tighter given the presence of former Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek, who finished third with 1,552 votes, or 11%.
“If you just do simple math and say it was 45 and his 11, I would have guessed we probably would have been more like 30-26,” Wymer told The 528. “But it does make me feel a lot better heading into the runoff.”
Despite the comfortable lead, Wymer said he is not taking the result for granted.
“My competitor is very strong. I can’t let my guard down,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the team focused.”
The central contrast between the two candidates has emerged clearly: Wymer frames himself as the candidate for voters satisfied with Rio Rancho’s direction under Hull, who is finishing up his third term as mayor as he eyes the governor’s office, while Piland argues the city is overdue for a course correction.
“If you think things are going well in the city, then I’m the person that you should put in the seat,” Wymer said. “If you think things need to be fixed, then perhaps Alex is your candidate.”
Piland pushed back on that framing, arguing that the city’s official satisfaction surveys don’t reflect what she hears on the doorstep.
“The people that I’ve spoken with are not happy,” Piland told The 528. “The two things that come up the most are roads and water — water rates and infrastructure and the possibility of having to ration it in the future because of all the growth we’ve seen.”
Piland, whose campaign relied heavily on volunteer door-knocking, said the ground game drove her March 3 performance and will remain central to her runoff strategy.
“We saw better Democratic turnout in the areas where we knocked doors,” she said. “That is what, according to the data, got us where we are.”
Wymer has served six years on the City Council and six years on the Planning and Zoning Board, and ran on his nearly four decades of private development experience. He championed infrastructure investment, public safety pay increases and supported the city’s 2024 Affordable Housing Plan.
Piland emphasized fiscal responsibility and a “growth must pay for growth” approach to development, calling for requiring developers to meet clear infrastructure standards — particularly for roads, water capacity and utilities — before new housing receives approval.
Among the few areas where Wymer acknowledged room for change is police and fire compensation. He said he wants to better understand how Rio Rancho’s salaries compare to Albuquerque and other municipalities, noting that retaining officers is essential to keeping the city among the state’s safest.
“We can’t stay that way if we don’t keep the police — and for that matter, the fire — happy,” he said.
Piland leveled a more pointed critique of Wymer’s record, saying he had wavered on issues during the campaign and that his alignment with Hull and the political establishment is a liability. She also argued that the city’s decision to hold its elections in March is itself a policy failure.
In May, the Governing Body voted down an ordinance that would have eliminated March municipal elections and voter identification requirements, with Wymer being one of three councilors who voted in favor of moving the elections to November and getting rid of Voter ID.
Deputy City Manager Peter Wells said the proposed change to Rio Rancho’s municipal election schedule would have saved taxpayers nearly half a million dollars and increased voter participation by moving local elections from March to November.
“[The election] is going to cost us a million dollars,” Piland said. “That’ll do half a mile of road.”
The two candidates also differ on immigration. Wymer has said he supports ICE being allowed to do its job while opposing overreach. Piland is the only candidate in the race who did not oppose making Rio Rancho a sanctuary city, framing the position in terms of her values while acknowledging a mayor alone could not enact such a policy.
Both candidates identified low voter turnout as a decisive factor heading into the runoff. Historical patterns suggest runoff participation tends to fall even lower than the roughly 15.6% recorded March 3.
“Vote — low voter turnout could result in the candidate you don’t support winning,” Wymer said, describing the message on his mailers and door hangers. “That’s all I can do, is try to get the message across that it’s really important that they get out and vote.”
Piland said her campaign has not slowed since election night.
“We know that we just have to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” she said. “My team is the heart, and the volunteers are the soul.”
Early Voting Locations and Hours
Early voting for Rio Rancho’s runoff election for mayor begins March 31 and runs through April 11, with Election Day set for Tuesday, April 14.
The Broadmoor Senior Center/Clerk’s Annex, 3421 Broadmoor Blvd., will serve as the primary early voting site. Hours there are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, April 4 and April 11.
Three additional locations will also accept early ballots Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., from March 31 through April 11:
- Loma Colorado Main Library, 755 Loma Colorado Blvd.
- Sabana Grande, 4114 Sabana Grande Ave. SE
- The Hub @ Enchanted Hills, 7845 Enchanted Hills Blvd.
- Southern Blvd., 2345 Southern Blvd., Suite C2
Same-day voter registration is available at all early voting locations.
Voters who wish to cast an absentee ballot must submit an application no later than March 31. Applications are available on the city’s website.For more information about the 2026 Runoff Municipal Election, visit rrnm.gov/rrvotes or contact the City Clerk’s office at (505) 891-5004.
Change is scary, but almost all change is good.