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Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller shakes hands with a supporter at his election night watch party at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town after winning reelection on Nov. 2.

Keller reelected as mayor

$50 million sports stadium bond fails

 

Incumbent Tim Keller was reelected as Albuquerque’s mayor on Nov. 2 after receiving 56% of votes and the highly contentious multi-purpose sports stadium bond failed with  65% of voters against it. Keller will start his second term on Jan. 1, 2022.

“Albuquerque, tonight you made it clear that we will not face our challenges with fear tactics or false promises,” Keller said in his victory speech. “We will do it with grit and determination, and bold decisions — from the Gateway Center and the Metro Crime Initiative, to the new Community Safety department to being 100% renewable in just five years. Now in the next months and years we are going to dig deep to build the future of Albuquerque.”

Keller ran the most progressive campaign compared to his opponents Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzalez and conservative talk show host Eddy Aragon, though the race is nonpartisan. Keller supports the Albuquerque Community Safety Department that aids with mental health-related 911 calls, hiring more Albuquerque Police Department officers, the development of the Gateway Center for the unhoused population and getting more COVID-19 vaccinations distributed.

“Our supporters are really excited about continuing to build on the foundation that we've constructed over the last four years to work on our long-standing systematic challenges, whether it's crime or the unsheltered or even climate change,” Keller said.

Keller knows all of his constituents may not be in favor of every policy he supports, but hopes that overall, people trust him to continue to push the city in what he sees as the correct direction.

”Whether or not (constituents) agree with all of the things that (the Keller administration is) doing in the city, folks just want to make sure that there's steady leadership and that we're making the right decision as we move along in a big way,” Keller said. “And that's I think, really what this is a fundamental choice about.”

Keller was in support of the $50 million multi-purpose stadium bond, which failed. The bond, whose stadium would have primarily been used by the United soccer team, had garnered opposing public opinions, with the supporting side appreciating the economy it would bring to Albuquerque and the opposing side fearing the potential gentrification effects.

“The stadium bond was a clear attempt aimed at replacing working-class Albuquerque residents with more affluent people, all in the interest of profit. Tonight, Albuquerque voted against gentrification,” read an emailed statement from the Stop the Stadium organization, a group of community members against the bond. 

Eleven other bonds, the odd-numbered city council district members and Albuquerque Public Schools board members that were voted on can be found here.

Madeline Pukite is a beat reporter at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @madelinepukite

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