Elections in Hatch, Mesilla, Anthony and SP
LAS CRUCES - It has been fairly quiet in three of the four Doña Ana County municipalities where elections will be conducted Tuesday.
There hasn't been any substantial mud-slinging or name calling in Hatch, Mesilla or Sunland Park. But there has been contentiousness in Anthony, where claims and counterclaims of some city officials removing campaign signs from private properties and public rights of way have upset candidates and their supporters.
"Twelve people running. I guess everybody is looking for an edge," said Anthony resident Gregorio Ponce. "It's gotten a little heated here. Some of us pay attention to that stuff, some of us don't. I don't. Either way, it's probably going to be interesting how it turns out."
Five of the 12 candidates in Anthony are running for mayor, and four of them have political experience. Incumbent Arnulfo Castañeda is facing challenges from former city trustee Juan Acevedo, current trustee Diana Trujillo and outgoing municipal judge Peggy Scott. The fifth mayoral candidate is Raymundo Aguirre.
In early February, city of Anthony personnel removed numerous campaign signs from streets and apparently private properties. They said the signs were taken down because their placements violated city codes.
But some residents criticized city personnel, particularly Castañeda, for not being consistent in enforcing city codes. Angered residents, including Trustee James Scott, the husband of mayoral candidate Peggy Scott, accused Castañeda of directing city employees to remove campaign signs, at an Anthony board of trustees meeting in early February. Scott, whose four-year term is about to expire, is not seeking re-election.
However, Trustee Pilar Madrid is seeking another four-year term. Madrid, Erik Gomez, Fernando Herrera, Daniel Barreras and Gloria Gameros will vie for the two trustee seats. The two candidates who receive the most votes will be elected .
Maria Carter and Nellie Soriano are running for municipal judge in Anthony.
Anthony City Clerk Christy Sifuentes said 87 registered voters had cast ballots in early voting, which ended Friday. There are approximately 2,900 registered voters in Anthony. Early voting noticeably increased in Anthony the last two days before its deadline. As of Wednesday, 45 voters had cast ballots.
"I spoke to (Doña Ana) County's Bureau of Elections and they told me those numbers were really good," said Sifuentes, of early voters in Anthony.
Early voting also appeared strong in Mesilla and Sunland Park.
"We had 96 early voters," said Mesilla Town Clerk Cynthia Stoehner-Hernandez, in an email sent Friday to the Sun-News. "We had predicted about 100, so we had a fairly good turnout. Looking forward to Tuesday's election."
Mesilla voters will elect two at-large seats to the town's board of trustees and municipal judge. Only two candidates, incumbent Carlos Arzabal and former trustee Jesus Caro are running unopposed for the two trustees positions.
Yolanda Lucero, who currently serves on Mesilla's Planning, Zoning and Historical Appropriateness Commission, is challenging incumbent Mesilla Municipal Judge Lionel Frietze, who seeks a fourth four-year term.
A large field of candidates in Sunland Park is running for mayor and four city council seats. Sergio Carrillo and Javier Perea will face off in the mayoral election. Carrillo currently serves as mayor pro tem, and has been the city councilor representing Sunland Park's District 4 the past four years. Perea has served as mayor since 2012.
Ken Giove, who was appointed two years ago, will face Jesus Nuñez. The winner will serve a two-year term.
R. Carolina Renteria and Elizabeth Gamez are running for Sunland Park's District 4 city council seat. Olga Arguelles will face Maria E. Santos for the District 5 council seat, and Fernando Clemente and Donald McBride are running for the District 6 seat.
There are an estimated 4,200 registered voters in Sunland Park.
"As of midday Friday about 125 people had participated in early voting," Perea said. "That's a pretty good number for Sunland Park."
Five candidates are running for four elected positions in Hatch. Three of them, Robert D. Martinez, G. Dennis Torres and incumbent James Lynn Whitlock, are running for two seats on the village's board of trustees. Like Mesilla, the positions will be decided by the two candidates who get the most votes.
Also, Noel E. McConnell, a Hatch trustee since 2010, is running for a two-year position on the board.
Incumbent Hatch Municipal Judge Shirley L. Rice is running unopposed for another four-year term.
What: Municipal elections in Anthony, Hatch, Mesilla and Sunland Park
When: Polls in those municipalities will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: In Anthony, voting will be in Board Chambers at the city's Municipal Complex, 820 Highway 478. Voting in Hatch will be in Council Chambers at the village of Hatch municipal offices, 133 N. Franklin St. Mesilla voters can cast ballots at Mesilla Town Hall, 2231 Avenida de Mesilla. In Sunland Park, voting will be at Doña Ana Community College, 3365 McNutt Road; Sunland Park Fire Station No. 2, 5650 McNutt Road; and City Hall Bank Building, 950 McNutt Road.
Information: Anthony, 575-882-2983; Hatch, 575-267-5216; Mesilla, 575-524-3262; Sunland Park, 575-589-7565