Mayor to run for old council seat

By Eric Maddy
The Score

Mayor Mike Williams formally announced Wednesday night he will seek reelection to the District 1 city council seat he held before moving up after the resignation of Kevin Jackson.

“I look forward to continuing the efforts I’ve had to make my district a better place to live,” Williams said. “That’s all that my career, my entire life, has been – helping people. I’ve always been a public servant. My heart’s always been in it, and I’d like to continue.”

In his time as mayor, Williams said he “learned to appreciate the office of the mayor” and that “you need to take care of things at home before you go outside for any assistance.”

“I didn’t go gallivanting all over the country,” Williams said.

Among the accomplishments Williams is proud of during his second term, including his time as mayor, are the “upcoming grand opening and pool in Cabezon, added amenities to the three parks in District 1, especially Rainbow Park and the resurfacing of roads. I’d guess we’ve spent $5 million in the district on those three projects alone.”

Williams was first elected councilor from District 1 in 2000 and reelected in 2004. The council itself chooses a deputy mayor, and Williams has served in that capacity for 3½ years during his two terms in office.

He was in that role when Jackson resigned in July and was already performing mayoral duties before that as Jackson stayed away from City Hall while being investigated for alleged misappropriation of funds. After serving as acting mayor for about a month, he was appointed mayor by the council on August 8.

Williams spent more than 30 years in law enforcement before retiring. He served two terms each on the city’s Labor Management Board and Planning and Zoning Board before being elected to the council.

He is a past president of the New Mexico Coalition of Public Safety Officers and spent 25 years in labor relations, mostly while working as a deputy in the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. He is also a division captain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a member of American Legion Post 118 and past governor of the Rio Rancho Lodge of the Loyal Order of Moose.

Williams is also the only city official who has completed the Certified Municipal Official  training offered by the New Mexico Municipal League.

 “In the position I’m in right now as mayor, I’m working on quite a few projects on behalf of the city. I would like to see them through,” he said. “What a novel idea – having an outgoing mayor and an incoming mayor on the council (at the same time). It would be history.”

Williams said he would not launch a campaign web site. “If anybody has any questions for me, they can call me on my personal cell phone (980-8844) or send me an e-mail on my city account (mwilliams@ci.rio-rancho.nm.us).“
 
Williams is the first candidate to announce for District 1. Former Mayor Jim Owen, a longtime political foe of Williams’, and Glen Walters, a former candidate for N.M. House District 60, have been mentioned as possible opponents for Williams.

Filing day for city offices is Tuesday. The election is March 4.

So far, four candidates have announced plans to run for mayor: state Rep. Tom Swisstack, who also served as Rio Rancho mayor from 1994-98 and as a Sandoval County commissioner from 1988-94; call center employee Stephen Meyer; and small business owners Kimberly Rytter and  John McKinney.

Owen has also been mentioned as a candidate for mayor, but has repeatedly said he will not make up his mind until filing day.