Home-grown incumbents Mayor Jack Torres and Town Councilors Vincent Montoya and Gerred Prairie shared their visions for the future of the town they were born and raised in during a candidate forum on Feb. 15 at Bernalillo High School.
Torres, seeking a fifth term in the March 3 election, told about 40 residents at Bernalillo High School that partnerships with state legislators have brought unprecedented resources to the town of 10,000.
“We’ve been able to come up with $8 million to build a new fire station,” Torres said, citing capital outlay funding secured through relationships with lawmakers. “That’s never happened in Bernalillo, and it doesn’t happen in small communities very often.”
Mayoral challenger James Baca did not attend the forum hosted by the Democratic Party of Sandoval County. In a social media post, he invoked presidential term limits as inspiration for his campaign and pledged to broaden the town’s tax base through economic development.
“Our forefathers showed great wisdom when they limited the presidency to two terms. They understood that with new leadership comes new ideas,” Baca wrote. “I am running to build upon and improve what we already cherish.”
Infrastructure, public safety highlighted
Torres, who first took office in 2010, detailed ongoing and planned projects during the 90-minute forum. Construction has started on a $1 million streetscape project along Camino del Pueblo that will add ADA-compliant sidewalks and decorative lighting, he said.
The town recently secured an $835,000 federal grant to help senior citizens with energy efficiency improvements and received $1 million from U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s office for wastewater plant upgrades, Torres said.
Torres said his administration inherited a town “in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons” with fiscal problems and a $5 million arsenic treatment facility that never worked. The town has since received clean financial audits annually since 2022.
“We’ve had what they call unmodified or clean opinions. That’s the best opinion you can get,” Torres said. “It doesn’t happen by accident.”
The mayor said police and fire department staffing remains a challenge, noting that one firefighter position costs about $104,000 annually. The town is fully staffed with police officers after raising salaries several years ago to compete with state police and Albuquerque, he said.
Water conservation, immigration
Residents questioned Torres and council candidates Montoya and Prairie — both running unopposed — about water supply and immigration enforcement.
Torres said the town monitors high-volume commercial water users and requires businesses using more than 1.5 acre-feet annually to purchase water rights. The town raised rates on the highest users to discourage excessive consumption.
“For us as residents, our consumption on average is really low,” Torres said. “But for these businesses, it was over the top.”
On immigration, Torres said Bernalillo is “an immigrant friendly community” where police are instructed not to participate in deportation activities unless appropriate documentation is provided for a specific crime.
“Someone’s immigration status should not interfere with their feelings of whether they can call the police in case of an emergency,” Torres said.
Tax increase on ballot
The election includes a referendum on a quarter-cent gross receipts tax for economic development.
Torres said the town doesn’t yet have specific plans for the revenue, which must be used for economic development or cultural activities under state law.
Montoya, completing his first term on the council, said maintaining the town’s small-town character while managing growth is a priority.
Early voting continues through Feb. 28 at Town Hall, 829 Camino del Pueblo. Voting hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with one Saturday session Feb. 28. Election day is March 3.