Five candidates seeking to become Rio Rancho’s next mayor outlined starkly different visions for the city’s future during a Feb. 3 forum that touched on public safety, development, transparency and quality of life issues.

The forum, hosted by the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Rio Rancho Observer at Rio Rancho Public Schools Training Center, featured Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek, City Councilor Paul Wymer, and residents Corrine Rios, Zach Darden and Alexandria Piland. Candidate Aleitress Owens-Smith did not attend.

The race comes as early voting begins for the March 3 election to succeed Mayor Gregg Hull, who is running for governor.

Public Safety and Staffing

All five candidates emphasized maintaining Rio Rancho’s 97% safety rating while addressing officer retention challenges.

Darden proposed focusing on the “broken windows” concept, cleaning up abandoned buildings to deter crime, and building trust between Rio Rancho Police, Sandoval County Sheriff’s deputies and Santa Ana Pueblo officers. “We have to be giving them the support and the resources that’s necessary,” he said.

Wymer, noting that 50% of the city’s budget goes to public safety, said he met with the police union about compensation concerns. “I think that’s an area that we need to work on,” he said. Wymer highlighted his votes for new equipment, upgraded facilities and the upcoming Fire Station 8 near Unser and Southern boulevards.

Rios emphasized putting more officers on patrol rather than camera boxes and supporting higher pay to compete with other cities. “We need police on the streets because they act as a deterrent to crime,” she said.

Meek tied public safety funding to economic development, citing the recent Castelion project bringing 300 jobs paying around $100,000 annually. “We cannot always be behind,” he said, warning of difficult budget choices ahead without increased revenue.

Piland criticized the city’s retention issues, noting trained officers leave for higher-paying positions elsewhere. “We need to pay a decent union wage to our firefighters and our police officers,” she said, adding that emergency equipment means nothing without staff to use it.

Development Process Manual

The city’s development process manual, last updated in 2012 before recent revisions, drew sharp criticism and defense from candidates.

Wymer, a registered architect and certified planner, defended the recent update that took two and a half years and included 33 public meetings with stakeholders. He called it “a living document” that can be tweaked based on feedback from developers and homebuilders.

Rios countered that the city’s comprehensive plan hasn’t been updated in 15 years and lacks requirements for traffic and water studies before development approval. “Who buys a house and doesn’t get an inspection?” she asked.

Meek criticized the lack of coordination in the approval process, citing a constituent building a house who couldn’t determine who was responsible for next steps. He also questioned regulations requiring a shed to match a home’s brick exterior even when invisible from the street.

Piland proposed a “concierge service” for businesses to navigate the 502-page manual. She complained about waiting two full days for an HVAC inspection, calling it “ridiculous.”

Darden said 80-90% of residents he surveyed didn’t know the development process manual exists. He proposed QR codes around the city explaining the manual and training sessions for residents. “The City Council shouldn’t just be coming up with ideas based upon engineers,” he said. “We need to be involving y’all, because we have a lot of talent in the city, and it’s time that we stop acting like the City Council is above the common folk of Rio Rancho.”

Government Transparency

Transparency emerged as a contentious issue, with candidates split on whether improvements are needed.

Rios said she didn’t know about the development process manual committee until the day of the forum. “It’s not transparent. It’s not on the website,” she said. 

She proposed implementing an online bill tracker system like Albuquerque, the state and federal government use. “When you go look for an ordinance and who sponsored it, you have to go to the meeting, then you have to go to the agenda, then you have to go to the minutes,” she said. “It is absolutely mind boggling how we are not transparent with our ordinances that affect residents every day.”

Meek questioned city management’s transparency, referencing a summer incident when someone from city management allegedly called the local newspaper from a city-issued phone during a council meeting to discuss his mayoral candidacy.

Piland said transparency “isn’t optional. It’s how trust is built,” promising an open-door policy and better website navigation to help citizens track city activities.

Darden said governing body meetings use professional language difficult for newcomers to understand and proposed making information more accessible.

Wymer defended current practices, noting the city requires two readings of ordinances, publishes meeting agendas seven days in advance, issues a quarterly newsletter and hosts annual council meet-and-greets at parks.

Economic Development and GRT Leakage

Approximately 62% of Rio Rancho residents leave the city daily to work elsewhere, candidates noted, resulting in lost gross receipts tax revenue.

Meek emphasized building infrastructure like Paseo del Volcán with industrial lanes to attract businesses and support the coming transnational transportation line.

Piland said she’s “tired of driving into Albuquerque” and was the only candidate who bought campaign materials from a union shop in Rio Rancho. She emphasized supporting existing businesses through campaign “Business Fridays” highlighting local establishments.

Darden proposed creating a city website list of local businesses and asking residents what they want. “About 90% of people I’ve talked to over the past month have said Rio Rancho is a sleepy or boring city,” he said, suggesting zoos, museums and art galleries.

Wymer noted retail sales represent about 20% of the city’s GRT, generating approximately $70 million in 2025. He highlighted the city’s new business development manager focused on attracting businesses and helping existing ones expand.

Rios proposed a small convention center to host conferences, weddings and events like Comic-Con, questioning why Rio Rancho doesn’t capitalize on Balloon Fiesta visitors.

Charter Structure

All candidates opposed changing from the current council-manager form of government to a strong mayor system like Albuquerque.

Rios said the mayor can introduce and sponsor ordinances, making it “not a weak mayor” system. “I will sponsor ordinances and resolutions, and I will stand behind them,” she said.

Wymer noted any charter change requires voter approval, with the next opportunity in 2027 for the 2028 ballot. “We’ve got a good thing going here. We’re not going to change that,” he said.

Darden proposed clarifying roles and limits of power between mayor, city council and city manager “so residents always know who is responsible for the decisions and outcomes.”

Road Improvements

Candidates debated funding mechanisms for road repairs, with all opposing tax increases.

Wymer noted that in 2014 zero dollars were allocated for road repair, changing when Mayor Gregg Hull was elected. He said 51% of residential roads have been repaired and 43 major roadway projects completed at $200 million, including replacing utilities beneath roads.

Darden noted only 9% of the general fund goes to roads and proposed increasing it to 11%. He also suggested pursuing New Mexico Department of Transportation grants. “It’s time for us to start seeking these state grants in order to repair our roads permanently, not patches,” he said.

Piland, who lives in the 49% of the city with unrepaired roads, opposed raising taxes and called for streamlining processes and cutting costs. 

Meek emphasized relationships with senators and state representatives to secure funding, citing Project Ranger as an example of successful collaboration with the governor and state agencies.

Rios acknowledged roads “are horrendous,” noting she fell in a crack while door-knocking, but said she needs to learn more about repair schedules.

Mayoral Salary and Availability

The new mayor’s salary of $97,765 prompted questions about availability.

Darden said simply, “I work for y’all,” promising to be available whenever needed. “I’ve lived on $12 an hour for many hours. So as mayor, one of those things about it is that I want to work for you.”

Piland pledged availability between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday plus weekends.

Meek, a retired Sandoval County commissioner, said he already maintains such availability and noted the job description requires it.

Rios took a different approach, saying she has “a family, a life” and couldn’t promise availability at midnight. “I am willing to put in 8-10 hour days to work for you and have an open door policy, because I am not a career politician,” she said.

Wymer promised to return all calls and emails from constituents, adding, “You may not like the answer that I give you, but we will have a conversation.”

Recreation Facilities

All candidates supported expanding quality-of-life amenities.

Piland strongly endorsed the proposed multigenerational center and called for more walking paths, noting she sees many residents walking daily in neighborhoods with poor road conditions.

Wymer highlighted recent projects including the Enchanted Hills recreation center, Broadmoor Senior Center expansion, Campus Park completion, playground structure replacements and new lighting at High Resort Boulevard ball fields. He said the multigenerational facility near Rockaway and Northern will be built in phases with state and federal funding.

Darden, who works for Bernalillo County’s Open Space department, proposed creating a Rio Rancho open space department to preserve West Mesa lands while offering outdoor programs. “We have a huge open West Mesa with a ton of land out there that’s not being protected right now,” he said.

Rios simply answered “yes” when asked if more facilities were needed.

Meek advocated utilizing facilities through partnerships with other agencies and hosting tournaments like those at Santa Ana soccer fields.

The forum was livestreamed by the Rio Rancho Observer and broadcast on KDSK Rio Rancho 92.9FM.

Early Voting 

Early voting for the municipal election began Feb. 3 at the Broadmoor Senior Center, 3241 Broadmoor Blvd., which will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Feb. 27. The location will also operate three Saturdays — Feb. 14, 21 and 28 — from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Four additional early voting sites open Feb. 14 and will operate Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Feb. 28: Loma Colorado Main Library, 755 Loma Colorado Blvd.; Sabana Grande, 4114 Sabana Grande Ave. SE; The Hub @ Enchanted Hills, 7845 Enchanted Hills Blvd.; and a voting center at 2345 Southern Blvd., Suite C2.

On Election Day, 14 Voting Convenience Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout Rio Rancho. Voters must present photo identification under the city’s local voter ID requirement.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of votes, a runoff election between the top two vote-getters will be held April 14.

What’s next

The March 3 ballot will also include City Council races in three districts. Incumbents Jeremy Lenentine in District 2 and Bob Tyler in District 3 are running unopposed, while District 5 features a contested race between incumbent Karissa Culbreath and challenger Calvin Ward. Robert Cook is the sole candidate for municipal judge.

All positions carry four-year terms. If no mayoral candidate receives more than 50% of votes, a runoff election between the top two vote-getters will be held April 14.

Voters will also decide on $18 million in bond questions for roads, public safety equipment and community facilities.

Candidates will appear at another forum Feb. 5 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Rust Medical Center’s main conference room, hosted by Rio Rancho Round Table and NAIOP New Mexico Chapter.