Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Fourteen contested races in Curry and Roosevelt counties.
The presidential election season kicked off several weeks ago, but you can’t vote yet. Local election campaigns are under way and voting begins next week.
On the ballots in Curry and Roosevelt counties:
Fourteen contested races, including school boards, municipal seats, a mayor’s race in Grady and hospital board position in Roosevelt County.
Three tax questions, from school districts in Portales, Texico and Dora.
Absentee and early voting begins Tuesday and runs through Nov. 4. Election day is Nov. 7.
Several high-profile races are expected in Clovis and Portales.
In Clovis, two school board races are contested – in District 3 with Catherine Cobb challenging incumbent Paul Cordova and in District 5 with Nathan McCreery challenging incumbent Terry Martin, the board president.
Portales has two school board seats contested – Brent Small challenging incumbent Inez Rodriguez in District 2 and Cade Skinner vs. Doug Pfaffenberger looking to fill the seat being vacated by Rod Savage in District 1. Savage has been on the board since 2002.
Portales City Council also has contested races. In Ward B, incumbent Daniel Boan is being challenged by Rustin Self. In Ward C, Eldon Merrick is challenging incumbent Chadrick Heflin.
Grady has five candidates for mayor including incumbent James Schell and a write-in candidate whose name will not appear on the ballot, Sean Constable. Pattye Austin, Vicki Windham and Kodie Weese have also signed up for the job.
Grady also has four candidates seeking two positions on the city council and five candidates seeking three spots on the school board.
The tax questions all come from local school boards – a $2.3 million general obligation bond question in Dora, a property tax levy issue in Portales and a property tax levy in Texico.
Here’s what you’ll see on ballots when you go to the polls:
CAUSEY
Mayor
Kris King
City Council
(Vote for 4)
Teresa Nance
Jimmy Stokes
Darrell Caviness
Jill Caviness
CLOVIS
School Board District 3
Paul Serafin Cordova, Jr
Catherine F. Cobb
School Board District 4
Shawn L. Hamilton
School Board District 5
Terry Martin
Nathan McCreery
Clovis Community College Board Position 2
Janice S. Bradburn
DORA
City Council
(Vote for 2)
Kendall Manis
Bobbie Victor
School Board
(Vote for 2)
Kyle Burress
Andrea King
Patrick Kircher
Tana Duncan
Billy Cathey
Dallen Skelley
Tax question:
“Shall the Dora Consolidated School District No. 39 be authorized to issue up to $2,300,000 of general obligation bonds?”
(Vote for or against.)
ELIDA
City Council
(Vote for 2)
Tina Dixon
Andres Jasso (write in)
School Board
(Vote for 2)
Chance Bradley
Cody Ferguson
FLOYD
Mayor
Colin Chandler
City Council
Seth Chandler
School Board
(Vote for 4)
James Love
Marvin Nall
Adam Burns
Mary Kropp
Delbert Rector
Charlsea Lee
Tice Love
GRADY
Mayor
Pattye Ann Austin
James Carroll Schell
Vicki K. Windham
Kodie D. Weese
Sean Constable (write-in)
City Council
(Vote for 2)
James M Austin
Jena K Rush
Ruth Qualls Schell
Bobby Gene Windham
School Board
(Vote for 3)
Emory Walon Jones
Kathy D. Edwards
Elnabeth T. Grau
Chantry Robert Borden
John Sublette Croy
MELROSE
Mayor
Meadow Forget
City Council
(Vote for 2)
Alan R. Daugherty
Ron Moore (write-in)
School Board
(Vote for 3)
Barry L. Allen
Cedar C. Rush
Stephen F. Caton
PORTALES
City Council A
Veronica Cordova
City Council B
Daniel Boan
Rustin Self
City Council C
Eldon Merrick
Chadrick Heflin
City Council D
Michael Rackler
Hospital Board District 3
Douglas Stone
Hospital Board District 4
Margaret Davis
Virginia Clemmons
Hospital Board District 5
Paul Benoit
School Board District 1
Cade Skinner
Doug Pfaffenberger
School Board District 2
Inez Rodriguez
Brent Small
School Board District 5
Dustin Cabeldue
Tax question:
“Shall the Portales Municipal School District No.1 continue to impose a property tax levy of $1.25 per each $1,000.00 of net taxable value of property allocated to the Portales Municipal School District No.1 for the property tax years 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 for the purposes of:
(Vote for or against)
TEXICO
City Council
(Vote for 2)
Sharon J Askew
Patricia A. Rojas-Natividad
Kathy Ann Bullington
Dave L. Parmer
School Board
(Vote for 3)
Tyrell Clayton Gonser
Tara G. Bonestroo
Derek Kyle Cain
Steven Ira Dallas
Tax Question
Shall the Board of Education of the Texico Municipal School District No. 2, Counties of Curry and Roosevelt, State of New Mexico, be authorized to impose a property tax of $2.00 on each $1,000.00 of net taxable value of the property allocated to the District under the Property Tax Code for the property tax years 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030 for capital improvements in the District including payments made with respect to lease-purchase arrangements as defined in the Education Technology Equipment Act [Chapter 6, Article 15A NMSA 1978], or the Public School Lease Purchase Act [Chapter 22, Article 26A NMSA 1978], but excluding any other debt service expenses, for:
(1) erecting, remodeling, making additions to, providing equipment for or furnishing public school buildings, including teacher housing, and pre-kindergarten classroom facilities;
(2) purchasing or improving public school or pre-kindergarten grounds;
(3) maintenance of public school buildings, including teacher housing, or public school or pre-kindergarten grounds, including the purchasing or repairing of maintenance equipment and participating in the facility information management system as required by the Public School Capital Outlay Act and including payments under contracts with regional education cooperatives for maintenance support services and expenditures for technical training and certification for maintenance and facilities management personnel, but excluding salary expenses of District employees;
(4) purchasing activity vehicles for transporting students to extracurricular school activities;
(5) purchasing computer software and hardware for student use in public school classrooms; and
(6) purchasing and installing education technology improvements, excluding salary expenses of District employees, but including tools used in the educational process that constitute learning and administrative resources, and that may also include: (a) satellite, copper and fiber-optic transmission; computer and network connection devices; digital communication equipment, including voice, video and data equipment; servers; switches; portable media devices, such as discs and drives to contain data for electronic storage and playback; and the purchase or lease of software licenses or other technologies and services, maintenance, equipment and computer infrastructure information, techniques and tools used to implement technology in schools and related facilities; and (b) improvements, alterations and modifications to, or expansions of, existing buildings or tangible personal property necessary or advisable to house or otherwise accommodate any of the tools listed in this paragraph?
(Vote for or against)
Border Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Supervisor
Trenton Bilberry
Border Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Landowner
(Vote for 3)
Daniel Curtin
David Craig
Payton Terry
Central Curry Soil and Water Conservation Board
Supervisor
Erik R. Nelson
Central Curry Soil and Water Conservation Board
Landowner
(Vote for 2)
Cory Lynn Allen
Spencer D. Pipkin
Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Supervisor
Mitzi Miller
Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District Board
Landowner
(Vote for 2)
Kendell Buzard
Ricky Ledbetter
Voting information
Curry County
Early Voting
Curry County Administrative Complex - 417 Gidding St, Clovis (Parking and entrance on east side of building located off of Axtell)
Oct. 10 – Nov. 3: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Nov. 4 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
North Plains Mall (Suite 1184) - 2809 N Prince St, Clovis (Parking and entrance on NW side, next to JC Penney)
Oct. 21 – Nov. 4 | Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Closed Sundays & Mondays)
Election Day Voting
Nov. 7
Polls are open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Curry County voters may vote at any election day polling place listed below, regardless of where they live:
La Casa Senior Center - 1120 Cameo St, Clovis
Clovis Community College - 417 Schepps Blvd, Clovis
North Plains Mall - 2809 N Prince St, Clovis
Farmers Electric Cooperative - 3701 N Thornton St, Clovis
Countyline Fire Department (formerly “Road Barn”) - 1006 CR 6, Clovis
Pleasant Hill Fire Department - 304 SR 77, Texico
Grady Senior Center - 104 W Main, Grady
Melrose City Hall - 105 E Avenue B, Melrose
Texico Community Building - 215 N Griffin, Texico
Absentee Voting
(Vote by mail)
To request an absentee ballot, call the Clerk’s Office to have an application mailed to you or submit your application online at http://www.nmvote.org. Ballots will be mailed to voters with accepted applications beginning Oct. 10. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 24. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7.
Roosevelt County
Early Voting
Roosevelt County Clerk’s Office – 109 W. First St., Portales
Oct. 10 – Nov. 3: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Nov. 4 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Alternate site – Jake Lopez Community Center, 705 A E. Lime St., Portales
Tuesdays-Fridays: Noon to 8 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Election Day
Voter Convenience Centers:
Dora Senior Center, 227 Avenue A, Dora
Elida Community Center, 704 State St., Elida
Floyd Community Center, 1572 NM Highway 267, Floyd
Jake Lopez Community Center, 705A E. Lime St., Portales
Memorial Building, 200 E. Seventh St., Portales