3 City Council Seats, 3 School Board Seats + Mayor on Nov Election
Dear Las Crucens,
The November 2023 local election will be an important one for Las Cruces. There will be 3 City Council seats, 3 School Board seats, Municipal Judge, and Mayor on the November 2023 ballot.
Are you interested in running for any of these positions, or do you know anyone who would be? 👇👇👇
City Council and Mayor
The City Council determines local policies and laws related to crime, homelessness, drugs, and infrastructure. The following positions will be up for election in November:
Mayor - Mayor Miyagishima is NOT seeking re-election. Thus far, Kassandra Gandara (City Councilor for District 1) has announced she is running for Mayor.
District 1 - No incumbent since Councilor Gandara is running for Mayor.
District 2 - Currently held by Councilor Tessa Abeyta.
District 4 - Currently held by Councilor Johanna Bencomo.
You can view the City Council District Map here:
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=19f66e403373475ab0cd6e794a7a748b
The Mayoral race tends to attract many candidates. The Mayor has no veto power in Las Cruces, but acts as one more vote on the Council (and also sets the meeting agendas). The City Council positions are generally won by only a few hundred votes.
School Board
The school board determines local school policies that effect the learning environment, curriculum, school calendar, etc. Recent policies passed by the Las Cruces school board include allowing transgender students to use whichever bathroom and locker room they choose and to compete in intramural sports with whichever gender they choose. The following School Board districts will be up for election in November:
District 1 - Currently held by Patrick Nolan (husband of City Councilor Johanna Bencomo.
District 4 - Currently held by Teresa Tenorio (wife of Doña Ana County Commissioner Manny Sanchez). There is already one other candidate for this school board position.
District 5 - Currently held by Carol Cooper, who has not announced whether she will be running for re-election.
You can see the district maps for school board here: https://www.lcps.net/page/district-maps
Municipal Judge
Las Cruces Municipal Judge will be up for election this year as well. Currently, Judge Joy Goldbaum holds this position. She has been criticized for her ongoing catch-and-release of repeat offenders in Las Cruces.
The future of our City is hanging in the balance in this year's election. If you or anyone you know is interested in running for these offices, please let me know! Standing with you in solidarity, Sarah Smith Free People of the Southwest New Mexico Freedoms Alliance
