Editor’s Note: This article only has the names of candidates who filed for office by 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. More candidates than are listed in this article may be running for office, a full list of candidates will be available in the September 3 edition of the Cibola Citizen.
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — Candidate Filing Day has come and gone in Cibola County, and the 2025 Regular Local Election season is officially underway. While all filings must now undergo formal review by the Cibola County Clerk’s Office to confirm eligibility, the Citizen was able to obtain a preliminary list of some candidates by press deadline on Tuesday, August 26.
According to Clerk staff, all declarations of candidacy were required to be filed in person between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Tuesday.
Once the clerk's office certifies eligibility and voter registration status, the final list of approved candidates will appear on the November 5 ballot. The list below reflects candidate filings received as of 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday and may be updated in next week’s edition as the full roster is confirmed.
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT THE COMPLETE LIST OF CANDIDATES, IT WAS THE CITIZEN HAD AVAILABLE BY PRESS TIME: City of Grants Council
In the City of Grants, three candidates have filed for District 1 City Councilor: Bob Tenaquer, Dolores Vallejos (currently serving as Cibola County Assessor), and incumbent Councilor Zachary Gutierrez.
As of press time, no candidates had filed for District 3, leaving that race temporarily vacant pending further updates or potential write-in declarations.
GCCS Board of Education Candidates
In the Grants-Cibola County Schools Board of Education, the race for District 2 has drawn two candidates: current board member Walter T. Jaramillo and challenger Ronald Calvert.
Districts 1 and 3, also up for election this year, had not received confirmed filings by deadline.
Village of Milan Mayor and Trustees
In the Village of Milan, current Mayor Felix Gonzales has filed to seek re-election. As of press time, he was the only name on the list.
For the Village of Milan Trustees, unlike the Grants City Council, there are no specific districts. Instead, trustees are elected at-large, meaning the two candidates with the greatest number of votes will win. As there are two trustee positions up for election.
The race for two Trustee seats has drawn three names as of press deadline: James Mercer, an incumbent, along with George E. Knotts and Jared Windhorst.
Windhorst is the brother of current County Commissioner Tanner Windhorst and the son of former Commissioner Robert Windhorst.
The Milan Municipal Judge position drew one candidate by press time: William Cunningham.
What’s Next?
All candidates must now be reviewed for eligibility under state statute.
To qualify for the ballot, candidates must have been registered to vote and actually live in the district they are running to represent as of the date the election proclamation was filed. Declarations of candidacy may not be amended, and each candidate may only file for one office per local government, though they are allowed to run in more than one jurisdiction.
The Cibola Citizen will provide a full list of certified candidates for all races in next week’s edition.
In addition to choosing new leaders in November, voters across Cibola County will also be asked to weigh in on a Capital Improvements Tax Question submitted by the Grants-Cibola County Schools Board. If approved, the measure would continue—not raise—a $2 per $1,000 property tax currently used to fund school maintenance, technology, and equipment across the district. The full language of the ballot question was published in a prior edition and is available at cibolacitizen. com.
Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2025. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and early voting options will be detailed in an upcoming issue For more information about voter registration or ballot access, visit NMVote.org or contact the Cibola County Clerk’s Office at (505) 285-2541.