Title
Approval of Recommended Name to the Governor to Fill the Unexpired Term of State Senator Carlos Cisneros, deceased.
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the process set out below for the selection of a citizen to be recommended to the Governor to fill the unexpired term of State Senator Carlos Cisneros, deceased.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Body
With the recent death of State Senator Carlos Cisneros, the Los Alamos County Council has the responsibility of providing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham with recommendations of qualified individuals to fill the unexpired term. The request from the governor is shown in Attachment A. The qualifications for this position are as follows:
". . . and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election." "If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains no residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary."
In conducting public outreach to solicit letters of interest, the PIO placed paid ads announcing the vacancy in local or Northern NM newspapers covering Espanola, Rio Arriba County, Town of Taos, Taos County, City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County and Los Alamos County, along paid ads on local radio station KRSN. Ads ran in these venues over a variety of times/dates spanning three weeks beginning the second week of October. The PIO issued a press release to all regional media, which included radio, television and newspapers in Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque in early October with a reminder press release about the deadline for letters in early November. The call for letters of interest was advertised through social media (Facebook, Next Door), the County’s website, and in October and November issues of the County Line Friday e-mail newsletter.
The purpose of this agenda item is to interview the individuals that have expressed interest in the unexpired term of State Senator Carlos Cisneros and select the individual that will be recommended to the Governor. The following individuals have submitted letters of interest, which are shown in Attachments B-E, and are expected to be in attendance to answer Council quesitons:
Gabriel Montoya
Roberto "Bobby" Gonzales
Daniel Barrone
Kristina Ortez
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
The cost of advertising was approximately $4,000, paid in part by the PIO and Council’s budget.
Attachments
A - Letter from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
B - Letter of Interest from Gabriel Montoya
C - Letter of Interest from Roberto Gonzales
D - Letter of Interest from Daniel Barrone
E - Letter of Interest from Kristina Ortez