County district realignmment alters maps

CLOVIS — Look out. You may be in a new county commission district. And your elected official just might have won an additional two years on the job.

That’s the case for Roosevelt County Commissioner Shane Lee and Probate Judge Michelle Bargas, who saw their terms extended following a state-wide voting district realignment Monday in Santa Fe.

The one-time realignment, mandated by House Bill 407, was organized by the secretary of state’s office in order to create a system going forward where all odd-numbered districts appear on presidential election ballots and all even-numbered districts appear on the gubernatorial election ballot.

The commissioners’ representation areas do not change, and in most cases commission districts simply switched from an even to odd number.

To accommodate the new system, a limited amount of elected officials received two-year term extensions — either from 2020 to 2022 or from 2022 to 2024. Alex Curtas, director of communications for the secretary of state’s office, said lots were drawn as to which elected officials received term extensions and who simply received a different district number.

The meeting was held at the state capitol building in Santa Fe and livestreamed on the New Mexico Legislature website.

“The process we used to complete the legislatively-mandated realignment of districts today was transparent and fair and we made sure it affected the smallest number of districts and terms possible,” Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said in a release. “I want to thank my staff for their diligent work on completing this realignment as well as the public officials who worked with us throughout the process and the many who attended today’s public meeting or followed along online.”

In Roosevelt County, commission members now have the following designations:

• Dennis Lopez, District 1 (unchanged)

• Paul Grider, District 2 (previously District 5)

• Matt Hunton, District 3 (previously District 2)

• Tina Dixon, District 4 (unchanged)

• Shane Lee, District 5 (previously District 3)

Lee won a second term last November, and was expected to part ways with the commission following the 2022 election given his term-limited status. Instead, he’ll serve 10 years on the commission if he completes his current term.

Bargas was elected in 2016, but her office was one of three probate judge positions ruled by the secretary of state’s office to be running during the wrong cycle. The others are Catron and Lincoln counties. All three will now receive an additional two years and be up for election in 2022.

Curry County was not subject to as many changes. Its commission members have the following designations:

• Ben McDaniel, District 1 (previously District 2)

• Bobby Sandoval, District 2 (previously District 1)

• Seth Martin, District 3 (previously District 4)

• Chet Spear, District 4 (previously District 3)

• Robert Thornton, District 5 (unchanged)

One change affecting eastern New Mexico is a two-year extension of Jeff Byrd’s term as New Mexico Public Regulation District 5 commissioner.

Term extensions are possible for district attorneys and district court judges, but those matters are undetermined as writs from DAs and judges are pending with the state supreme court.