Santa Fe City Councilor Joseph Maestas
POLITICAL News:
SANTA FE — Santa Fe City Councilor Joseph Maestas announced today that he met with the Santa Fe City Clerk to formally begin a campaign to seek the Office of Mayor in lieu of a bid for re-election of his City Council District 2 position.
Councilor Maestas released the following statement:
“I’ve devoted my entire adult life to public service as a Federal civil servant and municipal elected official. Since being elected as a District 2 city councilor, I have worked tirelessly to serve my constituents with commitment, honor, and humility and have used my problem-solving, pragmatic skill set as a professional engineer to highlight shortcomings, increase transparency, and address constituents’ concerns. I also believe that the breadth and depth of my policy actions have revealed my values and priorities of leadership in responsible financial management, affordable housing, economic development, infrastructure asset management and investment; and social justice.
“Mayor Gonzales’ decision not to seek re-election has only intensified my calling to, my birthplace, the City of Santa Fe. We are at a tipping point in our City’s history and a new kind of leadership will be critical in the Mayor’s office if we want to expand investments in economic development and infrastructure; create affordable housing, restore community trust in city hall, and unite our community. We can no longer afford to elect leaders that politicize city hall, divide our community, and look past the basic functions of city government.
“That is why I have decided to run for Mayor of Santa Fe. If elected, I will focus our priorities on creating jobs through business retention and expansion; fixing our parks and streets; and achieving excellence in providing the public services our community relies on. As Mayor, I will continue my commitment to creating an accountable, effective, and open government, which has never wavered in over 13 years of service as a municipal elected official. It has truly been an honor serving as a District 2 City Councilor and I look forward to engaging the voters of Santa Fe as a mayoral candidate to move our community forward together.”
Councilor Maestas has also decided that he will not be seeking city public campaign finance funds. Councilor Maestas noted, “It’s an unfortunate situation that our public campaign finance system is ineffective in preventing the creation of political action committees (PACs) and limits the competitiveness of publicly-funded candidates. Although I have sought the funding in the past, I believe we have wasted enough taxpayer dollars with pet projects and special elections. Therefore, I will not seek public financing. Unlike PACs, city rules require full disclosure of contributions with limits and stringent conflict of interest requirements on elected officials that further limit contributions from individuals and organizations that want to do business with the city.”
About Councilor Joseph Maestas
Councilor Maestas was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and grew up in Santa Cruz, NM in Santa Fe County. His family goes back generations in Northern New Mexico and Santa Fe. Councilor Maestas is a registered professional engineer in the State of New Mexico and a business development manager with a private engineering firm, Souder, Miller & Associates. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Arizona State University. He has almost 33 years of engineering experience with the federal government and almost 14 years of experience as a local elected official. Councilor Maestas has held leadership positions at the national, statewide, regional, and community levels. Most notably, Councilor Maestas served as the President of the New Mexico Municipal League and President of the Hispanic Local Elected Officials, the Hispanic constituency group of the National League of Cities.
Maestas has served as Chair of the Buckman Direct Diversion Board and Chair of the Santa Fe Solidwaste Management Agency’s Joint Powers Board. He currently serves as Chair of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board and Chair of the City’s Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee. Maestas also serves as the City of Santa Fe’s sole representative on the Northcentral Regional Transit District’s Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the city’s Public Works and Public Utilities Committees.
