30-05-2025
Santa Fe County commissioner mum on potential mayoral run
An online survey asking city voters to rank a growing field of mayoral candidates lists Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene as a seventh potential candidate, raising even more speculation Greene is getting ready to announce.
Greene, a businessman and a Democrat elected to the County Commission in 2022, said Friday he was unaware of the survey and would neither confirm nor deny a possible mayoral bid.
Greene acknowledged speculation around his potential candidacy but remained noncommittal about his intentions.
"Yeah, there's a lot of speculation," he said. "I've heard it, too."
Asked directly whether or not he planned to run for mayor, Greene took a long pause.
"Difficult question right now," he said. "I don't know if I have an affirmative or other answer other than it is interesting to hear that my name is attached to this race and that people are already polling this question. I would love to see the results of the poll."
If Greene decided to throw his hat into the ring, his candidacy would shake up an already intriguing race among a hodgepodge of candidates aiming to succeed Mayor Alan Webber, who announced May 16 he would not be running for a third term — particularly with Santa Fe's ranked-choice voting system.
All six candidates who have so far announced their bid in the November city election have been positioning themselves as anti-Webber, who has faced harsh criticism during his tenure on numerous fronts, including his handling of crime and homelessness and the controversy over the Soldiers' Monument. They include one sitting city councilor, Michael Garcia; two former councilors and past mayoral candidates, Ronald Trujillo and JoAnne Vigil Coppler; a past city finance director and current chief financial officer for the New Mexico Finance Authority, Oscar Rodriguez; deputy state land commissioner of public affairs, Tarin Nix; and perennial candidate Letitia Montoya.
Greene could have an automatic advantage if he jumps into the race. He lives in City Council District 1, where voting is much higher than the rest of the city.
Greene indicated he's been encouraged to run.
"I've had a good number of people approach me," he said.
It's unclear who is behind the 14-question survey, though it states at the bottom, "Paid for by Friends of Joe Geller." Searches of court, campaign finance, property and other public records available online Friday afternoon did not turn up a Joe Geller in the Santa Fe area.
The survey includes a mix of questions, starting with who voters voted for in the 2024 presidential election. It then asks respondents to rate the six announced mayoral candidates and Greene, as well as Webber, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and President Donald Trump. The ratings range from "very favorable" to "very unfavorable."
The survey also asks whether voters think the city is heading in the right or wrong direction and whether they approve or disapprove of the job the mayor and City Council are doing right now.
The fifth question notes a mayoral election will be held this year and asks respondents which candidate is their top choice. The next question notes the election will utilize ranked-choice voting and asks respondents to rank the mayoral candidates in order of their preference.
The survey also asks respondents to rank various issues in order of importance. They include housing affordability, crime and public safety, traffic and infrastructure, improving city services, homelessness, protecting taxpayer dollars and reducing taxes and fees.
Finally, the survey asks voters to disclose their ethnicity, gender, age group, party affiliation, education level, religion and whether they own or rent their home.
