GRANTS, N.M. – The Grants City Council will hold a public hearing today, Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 4:00 p.m. to decide whether councilor-elect Dolores P. Vallejos meets the Grants City Charter’s District 1 residency requirement.
The hearing, noticed by legal advertisement on Dec. 10 and scheduled for the council chamber at 600 W. Santa Fe Ave., will determine whether Vallejos, who was certified the 2025 election winner on Dec. 2, can take office following one of the closest contests of the cycle: 133 votes (39 percent) for Vallejos, 130 (38 percent) for incumbent Zachery T. Gutierrez, and 81 (24 percent) for Bob W. Tenequer, a three-vote margin out of 344 ballots.
The question reached the council after Mayor Erik Garcia, in the days following the election, raised concerns about whether Vallejos resides at the address tied to her District 1 voter registration.
Vallejos told the Citizen she updated her registration to her mother’s home on Del Norte Blvd. this past July for medical caregiving reasons and confirmed her district status at the polls.
Public records reviewed by the Citizen show Vallejos maintains multiple properties in Grants and changed her registration from Kabrico Dr. to Del Norte Blvd. on July 28, 2025.
The council has placed the eligibility issue on its agenda several times this fall; members most recently tabled action on Nov. 19 after being presented with decision options, and a previously noticed special meeting was canceled to allow more due process, according to the mayor.
Tonight’s proceeding is not an election contest about vote counts; it is a charter review focused squarely on residency at the time of filing and residency now.
Three Provisions of the Charter Frame the Council’s Work:
Section 2.02(B) requires a councilor to be a resident of the district on, and after, the candidate filing date and to continue residing there throughout the term.
Section 2.05 provides that a councilor automatically forfeits office if they fail to possess required qualifications during the term, and clarifies that redistricting alone does not create a vacancy.
Section 2.07 makes the council the judge of its members’ qualifications and authorizes a public hearing with the power to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and require documents.
A Q&A sheet prepared for councilors by City Attorney Dan Gershon sets expectations for the hearing. “Residency” will be evaluated as New Mexico understands the legal term “domicile” – where a person actually lives with an intent to remain – based only on evidence introduced into the record during the meeting. City documents show either side may present documents and testimony.
Each party will have up to ten minutes to make its case; testimony may be sworn if requested or if the mayor, as presiding officer, decides it is necessary; and council questions must be directed through the chair and limited to residency.
As a matter of fairness, the paperwork before city council notes, a duly elected candidate is generally presumed qualified unless evidence shows otherwise. The charter does not assign a formal burden of proof, and councilors are instructed to act as neutral fact-finders.
At the close of the hearing, the council is expected to choose one of four outcomes listed on the agenda: Find Vallejos eligible (met residency at filing and now) Find her ineligible due to lack of residency at filing Determine that residency was once met but is not met now, resulting in forfeiture Or continue the matter for additional proceedings if the record is incomplete. Before and after the hearing, the council will attend to regular business, including service recognitions, board appointments, presentations, and several resolutions.
Residents may attend in person at 600 W. Santa Fe Ave. The Citizen will report the council’s decision, how each member voted, and the evidence cited in any findings once those materials are available.