WSCONA MAYORAL CANDIDATES' FORUM

WSCONA 2025 Candidate Questions and Responses

WSCONA has posted all written response received

Housing

ABQ is frequently described as experiencing a “housing crisis” particularly as a prelude to proposing IDO amendments or separate Council actions to amend the IDO. Please discuss in detail your view of housing needs in ABQ including all of the following points:

• Describe the resources you use to define current housing needs and project future needs. Explain any differences across data sources and why you accept the projections you determine to be accurate. Please provide citations for all data. Some examples include: Roots Policy Research, US Census Data and NHILC Annual Gap Report.

  
  

• What has been the rate of new housing construction in ABQ during the past 5 years, particularly on the NW and West mesa. Please include all housing types.

  
  

• Multiple factors contribute to the availability and cost of housing, land and construction costs, the availability of skilled laborers, institutional investors and short-term rentals although ABQ focuses on zoning. Discuss all of those factors which apply to housing in ABQ and strategies you will take to address those.

Growth and Economic Development

Another City and development mantra states that ABQ must grow or die. Some development interests push for growth at all costs. City tax dollars are used to support and underwrite projects defined as supporting economic development. Please summarize your attitude toward growth including all of the following issues:

• Discuss your view of sustainable growth, potential limits on growth in the City and the region and measures to ensure any growth is acceptable and can be maintained. Include population estimates for sustainable growth for the City of Albuquerque and Albuquerque MSA by 2035 and 2050.

  
  

• Discuss your priorities for economic development initiatives including defining the expected outcomes for the City of economic investment including IRBs, LEDA funds and tax incentives. What returns should the City require of the recipient of economic development assistance? What steps should the City take to ensure that economic development projects are viable? When public dollars are invested in private developments, there should be a clear and meaningful public benefit to the people of Albuquerque. How will you ensure investments made with public dollars have a public benefit?

  
  

• Some pro-growth advocates call for eviscerating zoning regulations. Please describe a Western city of roughly ABQ’s size or larger that you think has handled growth and community planning effectively and how their policies and practices should be applied to ABQ.

Public Lands

• Public lands and open space represent a significant asset for the City and ABQ residents. The west side is surrounded by stunning views and sacred lands. How will you ensure quality of life is protected as we seek to grow economically?

  
  

Transparency and Accountability

Multiple polls and sources document a decline in trust in institutions, including the government at all levels. It is not sufficient to claim to be transparent and accountable, one must also be seen that way. Please discuss the ABQ public’s view of transparency and accountability in City government including the following issues:

• Discuss ABQ City policies, practices and resources to ensure transparent government decision making. To what extent do they align with best practices and what changes would you propose and support to strengthen those.

  
  

• In an opinion piece in the NYT, Robert Gordon and Jennifer Pahlka state this about our current political landscape, “Anti-government cynicism helped create this mess in the first place. The best way to fight back is to deliver results.” Discuss your priorities for delivering results for the people of ABQ. Describe the process you consider necessary to deliver results. Discuss how you will handle apparent obstacles to achieving your desired results including public opposition, existing City laws and codes.

  
  

• Discuss the role of public engagement in city governance, especially in ensuring transparency and accountability and crafting proposals which yield results.

Social Challenges

ABQ residents face multiple social challenges and issues; homelessness remains one of the most stubborn and visible. Opioid addiction takes lives and shatters families. Although data show falling crime rates in virtually every category, ABQ residents perceive crime as an issue. West side residents have been particularly vocal about traffic crime including speeding, noisy street racing and red light running. Please discuss in detail the policies, proposals and programs you will support and endorse to address each of these issues including the following:

• Describe the scope of the issue, causes and contributing factors.

  
  

• Support your responses with recent data from recognized and authoritative sources.

  
  

• Cite evidence-based strategies and best practices to support your proposed solutions.

  
  

• Discuss all reasonably anticipated costs and mechanisms to pay for those.

  
  

• Explain how you will ensure accountability for timely completion of projects and provide ongoing and objective evaluation of all programs.

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Mayoral Candidate Answers

Louie Sanchez – WSCONA Candidate Forum Responses

Housing

Albuquerque’s housing crisis is real, but the debate has been hijacked by zoning arguments while ignoring harder truths. According to Roots Policy Research, Albuquerque’s housing shortage is roughly 15,500 units across income levels, with the greatest gap in workforce and affordable housing. Census data shows that despite growth on the Westside, housing construction citywide has lagged population needs. Between 2018–2023, only about 1,500–1,800 new units came online per year, far below demand.The real barriers aren’t just zoning, they’re rising land costs, material prices, lack of skilled trades, and speculative buyers turning homes into investments or short-term rentals. As Mayor, I’ll address this on multiple fronts:- Scattered-site housing development: Partner with developers to build 10–20 unit projects across neighborhoods, then purchase them into city housing stock, ensuring affordability without concentrating poverty.- Workforce pipelines: Expand apprenticeship programs for trades so construction projects don’t stall for lack of labor.- Short-term rental accountability: Enforce registration, cap investor bulk purchases, and prioritize homes for local buyers.- Land and infrastructure prep: Invest in shovel-ready sites, especially on the Westside, so new housing doesn’t take a decade to deliver.Bottom line: zoning reform is only one piece. If families can’t find or afford homes, Albuquerque will lose the next generation of workers and young families.

Growth & Economic Development

Albuquerque must grow, but growth must be smart and sustainable, not growth at any cost. By 2035, the city population is projected near 680,000; by 2050, nearly 750,000 in the metro area. If we don’t plan infrastructure and industry now, we’ll drown in traffic, sprawl, and underemployment.

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Tim Keller's – WSCONA Candidate Forum Responses

Housing

ABQ is frequently described as experiencing a “housing crisis” particularly as a prelude to proposing IDO amendments or separate Council actions to amend the IDO. Please discuss in detail your view of housing needs in ABQ including all of the following points:

• Describe the resources you use to define current housing needs and project future needs. Explain any differences across data sources and why you accept the projections you determine to be accurate. Please provide citations for all data. Some examples include: Roots Policy Research, US Census Data and NHILC Annual Gap Report.

  
  

The city uses local, regional, and national data to guide housing policy. Initially, in 2019-2020 I commissioned the Urban Institute to conduct an analysis of affordable housing needs for renters at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI).  In addition, the 2018-2022 Consolidated Plan includes a housing needs assessment and market which is further analysis that provides a foundation for how the City uses its affordable housing funding.The Root Policy Research Albuquerque Housing Needs Assessment (2024) offers detailed neighborhood-level projections, highlighting the need for infill and corridor housing instead of solely West Side growth. We track U.S. Census data and building permits to monitor trends in real time, and the NLIHC Annual Gap Report confirms a severe shortage of deeply affordable homes, with over 52% of renters cost-burdened. These combined sources drive Housing Now investments, ensuring we focus resources where they’ll have the most impact.  Also, I”m happy to simply have the housing division simply present all of this data to you directly. 

What has been the rate of new housing construction in ABQ during the past 5 years, particularly on the NW and West mesa. Please include all housing types.

Over the past five years, Albuquerque has added thousands of new homes across all housing types, with building permits averaging 200–450 units per month since 2021. Most growth has been on the West Side and NW Mesa, where nearly all remaining vacant residential land is located. That’s why my administration is prioritizing balanced growth—financing nearly 2,500 affordable units, accelerating hotel and office building conversions (like the Wells Fargo downtown and old Bank of the West on Central and San Mateo), and supporting infill and multifamily projects near jobs and transit. This approach preserves neighborhood character while meeting demand citywide. 

• Multiple factors contribute to the availability and cost of housing, land and construction costs, the availability of skilled laborers, institutional investors and short-term rentals although ABQ focuses on zoning. Discuss all of those factors which apply to housing in ABQ and strategies you will take to address those.

  
  

Housing costs in Albuquerque are shaped by multiple forces, not just zoning. Land availability is concentrated on the West Side, which drives sprawl and strains infrastructure, so we’re focusing on infill and corridor housing to bring homes closer to jobs and services. Construction and labor costs remain high, especially for smaller-scale projects, which is why we’re expanding gap financing, streamlining permitting, and using city-owned land to lower barriers.  I have cut the 30+ wait list at the planning department to functional zero and halved the average wait time for development review, while still protecting neighborhood input along the way.

We’re also addressing the age of our housing stock—41% of rentals are older—by launching the PATCH Program to help low-income homeowners make critical repairs and stay in their homes. While institutional investors and short-term rentals reduce long-term rental supply, we’re pairing production with tenant protections to keep homes available for residents. Housing Now takes a comprehensive approach: building deeply affordable units, preserving existing homes, and reforming zoning so that every neighborhood has real housing choices.

Growth and Economic Development

Another City and development mantra states that ABQ must grow or die. Some development interests push for growth at all costs. City tax dollars are used to support and underwrite projects defined as supporting economic development. Please summarize your attitude toward growth including all of the following issues:

• Discuss your view of sustainable growth, potential limits on growth in the City and the region and measures to ensure any growth is acceptable and can be maintained.  Include population estimates for sustainable growth for the City of Albuquerque and Albuquerque MSA by 2035 and 2050.

  
  

Albuquerque should grow, but not at all costs. We’re prioritizing infill and corridor housing near jobs and transit over sprawl that strains infrastructure and river crossings, guided by the Root Policy Research Housing Needs Assessment and MRCOG/UNM-GPS projections. Those projections show flat population growth — about 571,000 city residents in 2035 and 568,000 by 2050 — so we’re planning for stability, not unchecked expansion. Sustainable growth means every project is fiscally responsible, improves access, and adds affordable housing without displacing families.  Westside growth should also be based on providing more workplace options, and services along major corridors to alleviate the need for westsiders to ‘always’ have to go across the river for services, amenities and work.

• Discuss your priorities for economic development initiatives including defining the expected outcomes for the City of economic investment including IRBs, LEDA funds and tax incentives. What returns should the City require of the recipient of economic development assistance? What steps should the City take to ensure that economic development projects are viable? When public dollars are invested in private developments, there should be a clear and meaningful public benefit to the people of Albuquerque. How will you ensure investments made with public dollars have a public benefit?

  
  

My priority is to ensure every public dollar invested in private development delivers clear benefits: good-paying jobs, stronger local businesses, and lasting economic impact. Incentives like IRBs and LEDA funds include strict job creation and wage standards, financial vetting, and clawback provisions to hold recipients accountable. We focus support on industries with long-term growth potential—like film, aerospace, and clean energy—and small businesses that keep dollars local. This year I have tasked our economic development department to focus on two goals: one laser focused locally, and one that is as bold as it gets. The first is to get 100 local businesses to create 10 new jobs, that’s 1,000 homegrown new hire opportunities. The second is our chance to move from chasing ‘technology’ to creating ‘source’ technology, by becoming a global leader in Quantum computing.  But regardless of the specific strategy, as the former State Auditor, I will always strive to make public investments create a public return through jobs, housing, and redevelopment that strengthens communities.

• Some pro-growth advocates call for eviscerating zoning regulations. Please describe a Western city of roughly ABQ’s size or larger that you think has handled growth and community planning effectively and how their policies and practices should be applied to ABQ.

  
  

Denver shows how a Western city can grow while protecting neighborhood character through transit-oriented development, small-scale housing, and strong design standards. Phoenix and Houston show extreme examples that do not balance ‘gentle and bold’ strategies that promote housing but also respecting neighborhood identity.  My administration is taking this approach with Housing Now, adding casitas, cottage courts, and corridor housing instead of sprawl and without damaging core R-1 property rights. We’re also learning from Minneapolis, which carefully expanded zoning flexibility to create affordable options without erasing community input. Balanced growth means planning, infrastructure investment, and neighborhood engagement—not eliminating zoning altogether.  But to be clear, neighborhood character, view shed, public spaces, and identity must be respected and ensured.  Recent Council initiatives over the last few years have been scattershot, and even inconsistent with each other.  The IDO, which I have opposed for years, needs much reform, as does NARO and ONC.

Public Lands

• Public lands and open space represent a significant asset for the City and ABQ residents. The west side is surrounded by stunning views and sacred lands.  How will you ensure quality of life is protected as we seek to grow economically?

Our open spaces, sacred lands, and views are part of what makes Albuquerque home, and growth should never come at their expense. That’s why I’ve prioritized responsible, balanced development—focusing new housing along transit corridors and on infill sites while protecting natural and cultural resources. We’ll keep investing in open space preservation - like my landmark purchase of the Poole Property, trail systems, and park upgrades to ensure quality of life grows with the city. Economic growth is only sustainable if it honors our land, heritage, and sense of place.

Transparency and Accountability

Multiple polls and sources document a decline in trust in institutions, including the government at all levels. It is not sufficient to claim to be transparent and accountable, one must also be seen that way. Please discuss the ABQ public’s view of transparency and accountability in City government including the following issues:

• Discuss ABQ City policies, practices and resources to ensure transparent government decision making. To what extent do they align with best practices and what changes would you propose and support to strengthen those.

  
  

Transparency has been a priority of my administration. We’ve expanded public dashboards tracking crime, housing, and capital projects, and we publish all contracts, agendas, and meetings online, aligning with best practices from national transparency initiatives. We’ve also strengthened whistleblower protections, invested in the Office of Inspector General, and created community advisory boards to guide policy. Going forward, I support more interactive budget tools and expanded language access to ensure every resident can engage in decision-making.

• In an opinion piece in the NYT, Robert Gordon and Jennifer Pahlka state this about our current political landscape, “Anti-government cynicism helped create this mess in the first place. The best way to fight back is to deliver results.” Discuss your priorities for delivering results for the people of ABQ. Describe the process you consider necessary to deliver results. Discuss how you will handle apparent obstacles to achieving your desired results including public opposition, existing City laws and codes.

  
  

I believe the best way to fight cynicism is to deliver results people can feel—safer streets, more housing, and a stronger quality of life. We’ve built 2,500 affordable units, launched the nation’s first social-worker-led 911 response, and created Albuquerque’s first coordinated homelessness system. My approach is to set measurable goals, publish data dashboards, and engage residents so progress is transparent. When laws or opposition slow solutions, I lead with openness and collaboration, while staying focused on long-term benefits for the city. Also, consider what we have done for the Westside:  after decades of waiting, I have added or have under construction two new community centers (Cibola loop, and Westgate), finally started the Paseo widening, Purchased Poole property for open space preservation, landscape ALL of Coors medians and have in motion the state’s largest Indoor sports facility, in addition to adding westside branches of ACS, Gunshot detection and soon to be opened new APD substation at the Bluffs shopping center.  We have also repaved dozens of neighborhoods and added speed cameras and dozens speed bumps all over the Westside. 

• Discuss the role of public engagement in city governance, especially in ensuring transparency and accountability and crafting proposals which yield results.

  
  

Public engagement is essential to making city government transparent, accountable, and effective. We’ve expanded opportunities for residents to shape decisions through neighborhood meetings, advisory boards, multilingual outreach, and online feedback tools. Major initiatives like Housing Now and the Gateway Center were shaped by extensive community input, which built trust and improved results. I believe residents deserve clear data, open processes, and a real voice in policymaking—because solutions work best when they’re created with the people they serve.  In the past two years, I have hosted over two dozen town halls and personally attended more than 100 neighborhood association meetings, with my administration represented at nearly every WSCONA meeting —something no previous Mayor has done.

Social Challenges

ABQ residents face multiple social challenges and issues; homelessness remains one of the most stubborn and visible. Opioid addiction takes lives and shatters families. Although data show falling crime rates in virtually every category, ABQ residents perceive crime as an issue. West side residents have been particularly vocal about traffic crime including speeding, noisy street racing and red light running. Please discuss in detail the policies, proposals and programs you will support and endorse to address each of these issues including the following:

• Describe the scope of the issue, causes and contributing factors.

Homelessness in Albuquerque affects more than 5,000 residents and is driven by a lack of affordable housing, behavioral health needs, and decades of underinvestment. We’ve launched the city’s first coordinated homelessness system, opened the Gateway Center, financed 2,500 affordable units, and created eviction prevention and home repair programs like PATCH to keep families housed. Opioid addiction, particularly fentanyl, is fueling overdoses and property crime, so we’re expanding treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement against traffickers. While crime rates are falling, I’m prioritizing safer streets—through ACS social-worker-led 911 calls, speed enforcement, street racing crackdowns, and Vision Zero investments—especially for growing West Side neighborhoods.

• Support your responses with recent data from recognized and authoritative sources.

  
  

My administration uses trusted data like the 2024 Albuquerque Housing Needs Assessment, NLIHC’s Gap Report, and APD and ACS dashboards to guide investments in housing, homelessness, public safety, and behavioral health. We’re funding Housing Now projects through the $23M Housing Forward Fund, ARPA-backed programs like PATCH, and reinvested Vision Zero revenues, with strict job, unit, and performance targets. All initiatives are tracked through public dashboards, quarterly reports, and contracts with clawbacks, so residents can see and measure progress in real time.  You can find all of these figures at https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/city-accomplishments and 

• Cite evidence-based strategies and best practices to support your proposed solutions.

  
  

Our approach is built on best practices, from dozens of cite visits all over the country.  Additionally we vet best practices through the US Conference of Mayors and National League of Cities.  Programs like the Gateway Center (from San Antonio and Denver and San Diego), hotel conversions into housing, and ACS social-worker-led 911 response (from Durham and Eugene) mirror successful models nationwide and are already showing results. We’re also using Vision Zero (from the vision zero network) traffic strategies and automated enforcement (form the major cities chiefs organization), which early data show reduce speeding by over 7 mph, making our streets safer.

• Discuss all reasonably anticipated costs and mechanisms to pay for those.

We’re funding solutions through the $23M Housing Forward Fund, ARPA-backed PATCH home repair loans, and major state investments, including $120M announced by Governor Lujan Grisham to create over 1,500 affordable units and 1,500 shelter beds statewide. In Albuquerque, this includes $3.6M recently approved to add 141 beds at the Gateway Center, expanding shelter capacity and pairing housing navigation with treatment and case management. Combined with ACS and Vision Zero initiatives funded through the General Fund and speeding tickets from the Automated Speed Enforcement cameras, grants, and reinvested revenues, every project has clear budgets, performance targets, and public dashboards so residents see a return on investment.

• Explain how you will ensure accountability for timely completion of projects and provide ongoing and objective evaluation of all programs.

  
  

I review a dashboard of hundreds of projects every week.  We have sync that with City Council, state and Federal funding. We ensure accountability with public dashboards, quarterly reports, and clear KPIs for every initiative—whether it’s housing units financed, ACS call diversion rates, or Vision Zero traffic safety outcomes. All major contracts include milestone payments, independent audits, and clawback provisions if commitments aren’t met. Unfortunately we cannot control Tariffs, input costs, shortages, and issues beyond the city’s purview that delay and increase cost for most construction projects all across the country.   We also use third-party evaluations and community advisory boards to provide oversight, ensuring every taxpayer dollar delivers measurable results residents can see and trust.