{"id":437994,"date":"2017-10-04T08:59:39","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T14:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=437994"},"modified":"2017-10-05T11:53:22","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T17:53:22","slug":"keller-will-try-to-ride-tuesdays-high-voter-turnout-to-november-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/10\/keller-will-try-to-ride-tuesdays-high-voter-turnout-to-november-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Keller will try to ride Tuesday’s high voter turnout to November victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Craft beer, snacks, smiles and blue t-shirts flowed like a river to City Hall in downtown Albuquerque on Tuesday evening. Packed into the Red Door Brewing Company, supporters of mayoral candidate Tim Keller were upbeat as election night returns trickled in, showing their man with about 39 percent of the vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was significantly higher than the polls suggested — and more than enough to ensure Keller the frontrunner spot in the Nov.\u00a014 run-off with the number two vote-getter in the race, City Councilor Dan Lewis, who garnered nearly 23 percent of the ballots.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tim

Courtesy photo<\/p>

Albuquerque mayoral candidate\u00a0Tim Keller<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cKeller, Keller, Keller,\u201d chanted a diverse crowd of burque\u00f1os\u00a0<\/span>illuminated with many millennial faces as the ten o\u2019clock hour approached. \u201cTim will win, Tim will win.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Electrifying the jammed back space of the trendy tap room, the New Mexico state auditor turned mayoral hopeful strode up to the stage attired in a gray suit, blue shirt and red neck-tie. He was all smiles. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow about that voter turnout today?\u201d Democrat Keller proclaimed, whipping up more cheers. \u201cI\u2019m so proud and humbled to be chosen by Albuquerque tonight to be on that path to mayor.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Surrounded by his family, campaign volunteers, firemen, cops and other backers, Keller credited a \u201csmall army\u201d for conducting a \u201cblock by block campaign\u201d that netted his first-place showing. He attributed a ground game executed \u201cthe old fashioned way\u201d for his advance into round two of the mayoral race, and thanked multiple forces for making it possible, including \u201cfront-line” Albuquerque police officers, teachers, carpenters, city workers, union members, and neighborhood activists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turnout in the election was surprisingly high — at 29 percent<\/a>, or almost\u00a0100,000 votes cast. Four years ago, the last time the mayor’s office was up for grabs, turnout was 20 percent.<\/p>\n

Some attributed high turnout to Keller’s ground game. Others attributed it to the controversial proposal that would have required employers in Albuquerque to provide paid sick leave to workers. Voters narrowly rejected that proposal, 50.39 percent to 49.61 percent, unofficial returns showed.<\/p>\n

Keller traced his rising political fortunes to a stint as state senator for Albuquerque\u2019s International District and an enlightening experience as New Mexico\u2019s state auditor, a job he said has taught him\u00a0many lessons about functioning and non-functioning governments. Keller has pledged to resign from the auditor job<\/a> if elected mayor. Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, would appoint someone to serve out the remainder of his term, which continues through the end of 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his comments to scores of ecstatic supporters on Tuesday, Keller said\u00a0it was time for Albuquerque to \u201cown up\u201d to its many challenges, combat crime and create jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re going to invest in local business right here in Albuquerque,\u201d he vowed, sparking more applause. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be a safe, inclusive city that works for all of us\u2026 we\u2019re going to be a multicultural role model for the rest of the country.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Isabella Del Frate is part of the \u201csmall army\u201d that Keller praises for getting him this far. She\u2019s also a member of an emerging generation of idealistic and politically-active millennials that came of age in the 2017 Albuquerque municipal election. A tall and thoughtful young woman, Del Frate has served as an intern for the Keller campaign, knocking on doors and dialoguing with residents about local problems and what it will take to solve them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Albuquerque native said she learned about negative campaigning when dubious ads aired on television<\/a> that likened Keller, who many regard as an advocate for sexual violence victims, to a protector of pedophiles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Del Frate\u2019s book, crime, jobs and inequality rank as burning issues awaiting solutions in the Duke City. Except for her own family, \u201cevery single person on our block has gotten (burglarized) more than once,\u201d she said. For the 20-year-old UNM student, paying for college is another outstanding matter, especially at a time when lottery scholarships have been cut and tuition increased. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make this city a good place to live,\u201d Del Frate said of the deep aspirations of her millennial friends. \u201cOur city has so much potential. That\u2019s what my life experience has taught me. Albuquerque is so special.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>Eight candidates were on the ballot for the mayor\u2019s job. Brian Col\u00f3n, a Democrat who outraised all others in the race, got 16.38 percent of the vote; Republican Wayne Johnson had 9.63 percent; Gus Pedrotty had 6.85 percent; Michelle Garcia Holmes had 3.87 percent; Susan Wheeler-Deichsel had 0.51 percent; and Ricardo Chaves — who stopped campaigning and backed Lewis but remained on the ballot — got 0.49 percent, according to unofficial results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three write-in candidates were also running.\u00a0The city clerk\u2019s office said their votes\u00a0will only be counted as part of the official canvass.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>Gaining more votes than the polls predicted, Pedrotty emerged as an example of how a new generation in Albuquerque — and New Mexico — is plunging into politics. <\/span><\/p>\n

A recent UNM graduate, the brainy Pedrotty drew notice for his innovative proposals on a host of issues ranging from economic development to policing.\u00a0<\/span>The 22-year-old is considered politically close to Keller, and cross-over votes from Pedrotty\u2019s camp to Keller\u2019s in the November run-off could give Keller\u00a0another edge in his bid to claim the big desk in City Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incumbents hold on<\/h3>\n

Also Tuesday, four incumbents easily warded off challengers in city council races. In the only open council race\u00a0— for the District 5 seat being vacated by Lewis —\u00a0Robert Aragon and Cynthia Borrego will face each other in a Nov. 14 runoff because no one in that three-way race had 50 percent of the vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Meanwhile, after trouncing her opponent with almost 68 percent of the votes cast, Councilor\u00a0Klarissa Pe\u00f1a told KANW radio one of her priorities will be to finish the memorial park for the women and unborn child who \u201cpassed away\u201d tragically. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pe\u00f1a, of course, was referring to the 11\u00a0female murder victims, one of whom was pregnant, who were discovered buried in a clandestine graveyard on the city\u2019s West Side in February 2009. No one has ever been charged in the crimes or publicly identified as the perpetrator(s). Unless the case is cracked before the next mayor takes office on Dec. 1, the incoming administration will mark the third in which a major debt with justice remains pending.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Albuquerque voters on Tuesday also approved eleven municipal bonds.<\/span><\/p>\n

A lively scene at a voting center<\/span><\/h3>\n

In contrast to the light turnout that\u00a0characterized September\u2019s early voting,\u00a0<\/span>lines and waits were reported on Tuesday’s Election Day.\u00a0<\/span>Among the sites witnessing brisk voting was Daskalos Plaza in the heart of the Duke City. <\/span><\/p>\n

Arriving shortly before 2 p.m., this reporter saw line of more than 50 people waiting outside to enter and vote, with additional people lined up inside for their turn at the several voting booths.\u00a0<\/span>Many lines around the city remained after polls closed at 7 p.m., and those in line were allowed to vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Daskalos Plaza, Elaine Aragon, a volunteer for the Lewis campaign, explained why she supports him. \u201cI like everything he has to say. He\u2019s a righteous man,\u201d Aragon said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Aragon, who said she had worked as a police officer in Santa Fe, spelled out APD and crime as the primary issues at stake. The political activist said APD was \u201cblackballing\u201d military veterans in the hiring process, including a relative and another person she knew who had been rejected for officer positions in a department widely considered understaffed. Like many locals, Aragon reported she had been a crime victim herself, suffering two vehicle break-ins — but, luckily, not the theft of her ride.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 14-year resident of the Duke City was impressed with Lewis\u2019 pledge to sack APD Chief Gorden Eden. \u201cHe\u2019s going to look for a new chief and not going to keep up with the good old boy system like now,\u201d Aragon said. \u201cHow can all these veterans be turned away?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Aragon criticized Keller and Col\u00f3n for supporting Albuquerque as an immigrant \u201csanctuary\u201d city. \u201cAnd I\u2019m Hispanic,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, you come here legally.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking trim and meticulously shaven, Col\u00f3n made a brief appearance at Daskalos Plaza while people were voting. In old-school style, a smiling Col\u00f3n accompanied by several supporters waved from the back of a pickup. The old Survivor song \u201cEye of the Tiger\u201d boomed from a sound system:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s the eye of the tiger
\n<\/span>It’s the thrill of the fight
\n<\/span>Rising up to the challenge of our rival
\n<\/span>And the last known survivor
\n<\/span>Stalks\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Col\u00f3n\u2019s truck led several other pick-ups and trailers plastered with the candidate\u2019s name through the parking lot. But it was the former New Mexico Democratic Party chair\u2019s last growl, at least in the 2017 contest for Albuquerque mayor.<\/span><\/p>\n

On to round two<\/h3>\n

Officially a nonpartisan race, November\u2019s round of the mayoral election is likely to get noticeably partisan now that it’s down to one Democrat and one Republican. The state GOP pledged Tuesday to work hard for Lewis. The Democratic Party pledged to fight for Keller. Super PAC spending could also drag the Keller-Lewis contest\u00a0deep into the mud.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Keller picks up Col\u00f3n and Pedrotty voters, and the voter turnout stays more or less the same, he should win. But Johnson’s voters would give Lewis a boost. And both campaigns are expected to vie for\u00a0Col\u00f3n’s supporters.<\/p>\n

As in round one, crime and APD are almost certain to be the top issues. An initial takeaway from Tuesday’s election\u00a0is that the ground game will again loom large.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aragon pledged she would be back on the streets in November for Lewis. Keller soldier Del Frate will be there too. \u201cIf they need any help, I\u2019ll be there,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kent Paterson<\/a>\u00a0is an independent journalist who covers issues in the U.S.\/Mexico border region.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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