A retired law-enforcement agent who lives in Las Cruces is the second Republican to confirm that he’s running for land commissioner next year.
Errol Chavez, 60, said in a phone interview that he is running because he has been disappointed with “poor strategy” and “infighting” that has hampered the GOP in recent elections. He considered running for Congress, but ultimately decided that his executive experience in law enforcement made land commissioner a better fit.
“To run the office you need an executive with the experience to control budgets, deal with regulations,” he said.
The other Republican hopeful is former congressional candidate and Bernalillo County GOP executive director Bob Cornelius. Former state Land Commissioner Ray Powell is the only Democrat who has announced his candidacy.
They’re vying to replace current Land Commissioner Pat Lyons, a Republican who is term-limited from seeking re-election.
Chavez, who grew up in Española, spent 31 years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration before moving to Las Cruces in 2004 to be director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program for the state. The program seeks to improve efforts by local, state and federal officials to stop drug trafficking through coordination and providing equipment, technology and other resources.
Chavez has since left that position.
He has served as president of the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association and International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. Chavez said he has been traveling the state since February to meet with people and learn about issues the land office deals with.
Chavez said his lack of political experience means he can “bring some fresh blood into the state land office without the political ties and baggage that’s out there.”
Without being asked, Chavez brought up the controversy Lyons has faced over his dealings with Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou. Lyons agreed to lease thousands of acres in Las Cruces to Philippou in 2006 and, around the same time, received approximately $30,000 in campaign contributions from Philippou and a political committee and lobbyists tied to the developer.
It’s a land deal Attorney General Gary King has said is flawed. The AG’s formal opinion states that the lease agreement’s method of compensating Philippou’s company for developing the land is “not comprehended by and in conflict with” a statute that allows developers who improve land for the state to be compensated only for the appraised value of the improvements.
Chavez said he has discussed the situation with Lyons and others, and while he doesn’t believe anything illegal happened, he thinks Lyons could have handled the situation better.
“People were not properly informed… fairness is a question, as is communication,” Chavez said.
He added that he’s big on transparency and believes his law enforcement experience means he will “be able to handle the issues without a hint of corruption.”