Two more seeking re-election

PNT senior writer

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Two Portales City Council incumbents will join the mayor and municipal judge in seeking re-election this March.

The constituents of wards A and B can expect councilors Antonio Salguero and Oscar Robinson to file for candidacy for another term today at City Hall.

Today is the only day people can file for the March 4 municipal election to have their name on the ballot.

The other two councilors whose seats are up for re-election are Ward C’s Ronald Jackson and Ward D’s Dianne Parker.

Parker didn’t respond to telephone calls Monday while Jackson, who has served on the council since 2002, said he remained undecided.

Salguero and Robinson said there are problems the city faces that need to be addressed and they want to stick with the council to make sure those problems are solved.

For Salguero, a retired educator, he has a vision for a cleaner city and better streets.

“I think we still got a lot to do in this town and the people here in Portales deserve a lot more,” said Salguero, who was appointed to the council in 2009 and then ran in 2010 to retain his seat.

Salguero said when he worked at Portales Junior High School, he’d bring his wife’s popular red chile dish to the school’s festivities. It was transporting the chile from the north side of town to the junior high he noticed bad street conditions.

“I’d put (the chile) in my car, sometimes I would spill half of it before I got there because of the streets,” Salguero said. “It used to make me so angry. I’ve lived here since 1953 and I know we can do better than this. People pay taxes to get this done.”

Salguero also hopes to recruit private enterprise to open a movie theater in Portales and provide more recreation for residents.

“We need a lot of our citizens to get involved,” Salguero said. “The community is only as good as the people who live here.”

Robinson joined the council in 2002 and served two consecutive terms before he took a break.

The Portales schools bus driver wants to improve the city’s streets, parks and swimming pool.

“I feel like my work is undone and I feel there are some things I’d like to work on,” Robinson said. “I made a commitment to my constituents and groups in my district.”

Robinson said he also want to improve employee relations for the city.

Municipal Judge Barbara George was appointed to the municipal judge seat in June by the City Council to replace retired Judge Fred Arnold. Though she’s never served as municipal judge before, George has been an alternate.

Mayor Sharon King announced her re-election campaign in October, a few months after she was diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells.

King has expressed her desire to remain mayor to see projects, such as the city’s new wastewater treatment plant and the Ute Pipeline Project, through the next four years.

Important election dates to remember

• Filing day is between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., today at the city clerk’s office.

• Filing day for write-in candidates is Jan. 14, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the city clerk’s office.

• Absentee voting begins Jan. 28.

• Early voting begins Feb. 12 at the city clerk’s office during regular business hours.

• Election day is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 4.