Gregory Z. Smith
Following news that Las Cruces District 2 City Councilor Dolores Connor is giving up her seat to run for mayor, Gregory Z. Smith is the first to enter the race to replace her.
Smith, 57, announced his candidacy for the council seat late last week.
“I am proud to call Las Cruces home,” Smith said. “I want to help this community achieve its potential and be a place in which we can all take pride.”
Smith is president of the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership, past president of the Paleozoic Trackways Foundation, vice president of Mesilla Valley Preservation, Inc., and chair of the Mesilla Valley Centennial Planning Committee. He’s also the son-in-law of state Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces.
Smith said in a news release that he plans to “help Las Cruces remain a safe and healthy community and will work hard to encourage small business development.” During his tenure as president of the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership, activity downtown has included new restaurants opening and the starting of a project to reopen the north end of Main Street.