Election Day '23 Arrives; Cities And Towns Across The State To Decide on An Array Of Candidates And Issues; Our Live Election Night Coverage Begins at 6:45 On KANW 89.1 FM; Plus: Some Questions To Be Answered Tonight, And: This Year's Most Annoying Race

Election Day arrived across new Mexico today with cities, towns and villages deciding a plethora of political offices in this off-year election. 

We'll start our exclusive, continuous Election Night coverage on KANW 891. FM at 6:45. (LIVE STREAM HERE).  

The polls close at 7 p.m. and results of the big early vote in ABQ and Santa Fe should be released shortly after. 

The Secretary of State's website will report unofficial results from across the state tonight. Unofficial results for Bernalillo County will be posted here by County Clerk Linda Stover's office. Santa Fe County results here.

Those early returns alone will likely decide many of the contests. with Election Day voting now representing a minority of the votes cast. 

These off year elections feature low turnout but they make up for it in the volume of decision making. Here's just a partial list of what's to be decided in Bernalilo County today: 

Albuquerque City Council; Mayor--Village of Los Rancho de Albuquerque; Village of Tijeras Mayor and Councilors; Albuquerque Public School  Board; Moriarty-Edgewood Public School Board; Central New Mexico Community College; Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA); Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District; Edgewood Soil & Water Conservation District; Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District; Paradise Hills Special Zoning District

Now that's a mouthful. But our panel of experts won't be intimidated. They include ABQ state Sen. Moe Maestas, City Councilor Pat Davis, former City Councilor and County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley, attorney David Buchholtz and consultant Sisto Abeyta.

Debbie O'Malley

We profiled our radio team members Monday with the exception of community leader Debbie O'Malley. She has been a fixture in city politics and a popular one, serving nine years on the City Council and 10 years on the BernCo Commission representing downtown and the North Valley. An ABQ native, she now works for the city administration as the Associate Chief of Staff for Policy. That's experience we will lean on.

ANSWERED TONIGHT

Among the questions to be answered tonight: 

Will ABQ Mayor Tim Keller bolster his veto power He very likely will if Dem Abby Foster pulls off an upset and beats GOP Councilor Brook Bassan in NE Heights District 4. The race is expected to be close as is Keller's margin for error at the Council. It takes six votes to override him and the Council has tried but has been unable to get there. With Foster on the panel an override would be even more difficult. But it won't be easy for her to bring home the win. Defeating a city councilor seeking re-election is a rare event.

Gandara 

Will Las Cruces gets its first woman mayor in City Councilor Kassandra Gandara? She appears to be at the top of the heap in the seven way race to succeed 16 year Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima who is stepping down. (Congrats, Ken.) 

Gandara, 55, is a longtime social worker retired from state government. She's getting some astute political help from her husband, Dem state Senator Bill Soules.

Will Santa Fe attorney and former Big Bill aide Geno Zamora re-enter politics as a City Councilor? He's spent some $80,000 and secured the backing of First Endorser and US Sen. Martin Heinrich and kept his distance from Mayor Webber who is enduring a popularity slump. If all that doesn't do the trick in this four way race to be settled by ranked-choice voting, Geno is in for some serious navel-gazing.

FIRST ENDORSER 

We don't call Sen. Martin Heinrich the First Endorser for nothing, a title that may irritate his backers but seems quite appropriate when you look at the sheer number of candidates and issues he publicly backs. No previous US Senator for New Mexico has gone there. 

While his endorsements can upset the losers in races he endorses--especially Dem primaries--Heinrich's supporters say he is exercising badly needed leadership within the Democratic Party. 

He did not back off this cycle as you can see by clicking on the graphic listing all of Heinrich's favorites. Meanwhile, the Senator remains the heavy favorite to secure a third term for himself next year. With less than a year to go until that election Heinrich still has no major Republican opponent.

MOST ANNOYING

There's already a winner for the most annoying race on the ballot this year. That would be the four way contest for mayor of the affluent village of Los Ranchos in the northern part of BernCo. The candidates have ceaselessly whined about a big apartment building being constructed on 4th street that has drawn controversy in the village and has the four candidates blaming one another, including current Mayor Don Lopez. And guess what? Nothing can be done to stop the building from being completed--no matter who is elected. Now that's what is known as much ado about nothing. . .

See you on the radio tonight. 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023