Field of 7
possible for
mayor's race

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

Will he or won’t he?

About the only suspense left for those who follow city government elections and will track today’s candidate filings is whether former mayor Jim Owen will take on former mayor Tom Swisstack once again at the ballot box.

Owen served one four-year term as mayor from 2002-2006, but was defeated in his bid for reelection by Kevin Jackson. He then ran against Swisstack for the District 50 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives, but the incumbent Swisstack earned his third term in the Legislature.

With Jackson long gone after resigning due to charges of financial impropriety, the mayor’s job is open again, but this time for only two years. According to the city charter, Jackson’s vacancy must be filled at the next municipal election.

Beyond Swisstack and possibly Owen, five other canddates have expressed interet in the job. They are, in alphabetical order:

* Former U.S. Navy veteran Tim Crum.

* Call center supervisor Steve Meyer.

* Small business owner John McKinney.

* Small businessowner Kimberly Ritter.

* Retired U.S. Air Force veteran Bill White.

Only White has sought ofice before, losing the District 2 city council race to Patty Thomas in 2006.

That means current mayor Mike Williams’ term of office will be only slightly longer than eight months. He chose not to seek election to the seat, but to attempt to return to his District 1 city councilor’s job against Rosemary Owen, the ex-mayor’s wife.

Apparently at least one more individual took out a petition to run in the District 1 race, but it

Today's headlines

remains to be seen if that declaration of candidacy is filed.

District 4 appears to be a two-man race between two term-plus incumbent Howard Balmer and former interim police chief Steve Shaw. It may be the only race that doesn’t require a runoff election instituted by the voters in 2006.

This year, for the first time, a winning candidate must get 50.1 percent of the vote, either in the March 4 election or the subsequent two-person runoff.

In 2004, the District 6 city council race featured three candidates, and at least two are back to battle it out again. Incumbent Marilyn Salzman defeated Todd Hathorne by one vote in a campaign that didn’t officially end until a court hearing nearly a month after Election Day.

The incumbent in that race, Lonnie Clayton, finished third, but as of Friday was still uncertain if he would run again. He would be the fourth candidate this time - newcomer Kathy Colley has already entered the race.

The ballot will also include at least one other measure, a proposal asking voters to approve a quarter-cent gross receipts tax increase to raise money to build a University of New Mexico campus in Rio Rancho.

Technology permitting, The SCORE hopes to provide updates throughout the day on who has filed for office. Otherwise, look for a story shortly after 5 p.m., the deadline for papers to be filed with the City Clerk’s office.

Monda's headlines

Pro football
coming to
Rio Rancho

AIFA team to start in Star Center in April

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

Football fans will hear lots of growling at the Santa Ana Star Center in April when the New Mexico Wildcats begin play in the American Indoor Football Association.

Rio Rancho has been awarded an expansion franchise in the 16-team league, AIFA co-founder and CEO John Morris said in a news release posted on the league's web site, aifaprofootball.com. The team itself already has a web site: newmexicowildcats.com.

“This was the missing piece in the puzzle to secure the West for the coming season,” Morris said in his statement. “We wanted to make sure this team would have solid ownership and a first class facility. We couldn't be happier with the way things turned out.”

The Wildcats will be owned by husband and wife Steve Mascarenas and Cathy Oliver-Mascarenas. The team will hold an introductory press conference on Friday.

Click here for more of this story.