School board elections are running smoothly

The three school board elections in Doña Ana County appear to be running smoothly.

Elections staffers, poll workers and candidates I’ve been able to reach have reported few problems and, at least in the Gadsden Independent School District, an unusually high voter turnout for a school board election.

That isn’t surprising: The south-county community has been very active in its school district since recalling four of five board members a few years ago after they fired popular Superintendent Ron Haugen.

The state appointed new board members, who reinstated Haugen. Those new board members are up for re-election today.

In Sunland Park, more than 50 people had voted before 11 a.m. – not a huge percentage of the 3,367 registered voters who are assigned to that polling place, but a far higher number than in past years.

In that race, District 1 Board Member Manuela Huerta is challenged by Luz Vargas-Troncoso, the recalled former board member Huerta replaced. Huerta is the sister of Doña Ana County Commissioner Dolores Saldaña Caviness, a close ally of Sunland Park Mayor Jesus “Ruben” Segura, who is Vargas’ political enemy.

That means Gadsden’s District 1 race has exposed deep divisions in that community and, though there haven’t been any problems inside the polling place, there were some words exchanged outside it this morning.

I’ll be heading out to polling places in Las Cruces this afternoon to report on turnout. District 5 incumbent Sharon Wooden and Connie Phillips, one of Wooden’s two challengers, said they’ve not heard of any problems today.

District 4 candidate Larry Garcia said the same, but cautioned that he has been in meetings this morning and not paying much attention to the election. He said he’ll be checking on the situation after lunch.