This story has been updated from its originally published version to include candidate Athenea Allen, who was able to be reached for an interview after the time of original publication.
Incumbent councilor Dan Lewis and challenger Athenea Allen are running to represent district five of the Albuquerque City Council. The district represents the northwest side of Albuquerque, located west of the Rio Grande river.
Athenea Allen
Originally from Las Vegas, New Mexico, and an Albuquerque resident for 24 years, Allen said she has about 23 years of experience with national security and counterintelligence.
Allen is the wife of the Bernalillo County sheriff, John Allen.
“Crime and homelessness is really important to me, so that is something that I've dealt with in my everyday life for over 26 years as a law enforcement wife,” Allen said.
Allen said she values good working relationships with University of New Mexico students and administration and acknowledges that students are engaged in activism.
“It is my job, I believe, to listen, support and hear their concerns, and that is something that I will do,” she said.
For a smoothly run government, collaboration over combativeness with the mayor and other city councilors is Allen’s priority.
“We have real issues in this city and being combative with our mayor or other council members doesn't do me any good,” Allen said. “I can still push back on things I don't agree with, but I also need to know how to put my pride away.”
In district five, the $1.5 million in funding typically allocated to each councilor would be used to prioritize “infrastructure” and “crime initiatives” including support for law enforcement and city employees, she said.
“There's several roads that are still not completed, we have not met the growth,” Allen said. “From a law enforcement perspective, (Albuquerque Police Department) is understaffed, and we need to supplement it with tools, resources, and technology.”
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When it comes to addressing homelessness, Allen said she would focus on addressing root causes.
“We can't arrest our way out of homelessness, and homelessness in general is not a crime, but it can bring crime with it in time,” Allen said. “We need to make sure that we're addressing homelessness with compassion, consequences and counseling as well as resources.”
Dan Lewis
Lewis is an Albuquerque small business owner and public servant who was first elected to city council in 2009. He took a break from city council in 2017, later returning in 2021.
The most pressing issue Albuquerque is facing is public safety, Lewis said, emphasizing the transition of power in the mayor’s office as a solution.
“We have a failed mayor who’s done nothing to make our city safer,” Lewis said. “We need a new mayor because this mayor coddles criminals and welcomes crime into our city.”
Lewis said the city council will never have a “great relationship” with the mayor’s office until there is a new mayor, citing Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s legal action against the city council in regards to staffing authority.
“(Keller) is suing the city council and the fire department and the fire union,” Lewis said.
Keller filed a legal complaint in March, accusing the council of overstepping their authority after passing a bill that would codify the current staffing requirement of having two paramedics on Albuquerque Fire Rescue units. The Intragovernmental Conference Committee sided with Keller on the dispute, according to the City of Albuquerque.
Lewis’ achievements from his previous term include the widening of Paseo del Norte and Unser Boulevard which is currently underway, and the new under-construction Northwest Multigenerational Center, he said.
For University of New Mexico students living in district five, Lewis said he would work on ensuring the city has “good transportation” from the west side of Albuquerque to UNM.
In district five, the $1.5 million in funding typically allocated to each councilor would be used to prioritize “roadways and parks,” including park refurbishing, he said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
