Five District 6 residents filed on Tuesday to run in the Jan. 15 special election to replace Ken Miyagishima, who was elected mayor of
Those candidates are former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran; Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band; Berchard Ray Shipley; Sharon Thomas, former head of the Quality Growth Alliance; and Karen Trujillo, a real-estate broker and president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces.
The city clerk plans to certify their candidacies on Tuesday by checking to ensure they met the requirement of gathering 25 signatures of voters living in the district. The candidates will draw for ballot position at 5:01 p.m. on Tuesday.
Absentee voting by mail begins Dec. 19. In-person early voting begins Dec. 26 and will be held at the City Clerk’s office, located in the basement of City Hall, 200 North Church Street. Early voting will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on three Saturdays – Dec. 29, Jan. 5 and Jan. 12 – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Precincts 67 and 102 will vote at Camino Real Middle School, 2961 Roadrunner Parkway. Precincts 103 and 106 will vote at Desert Hills Elementary, 280 Roadrunner Parkway. Precincts 68, 69 and 70 will vote at Hillrise Elementary, 1400 S. Curnutt Street. Precincts 71 and 73 will vote at Good Samaritan, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Precinct 26 will vote at American Legion Post No. 10, 1185 E. Madrid Ave.
A candidate must receive 40 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election.