Candidate Spotlight: Martin Hicks

Martin “Modey” Hicks (GOP) spent many years as mayor of the City of Grants, before he announced that he would not be running again in 2022. A new mayor, Erik Garcia, has taken his place, and now Hicks has moved on to new endeavors — his newest being to run for District Three County Commissioner. Currently, Democrat Ralph Lucero holds the seat, and both Lucero and Hicks, running unopposed within their respective political parties, will be moving forward in the primaries to face off against each other in general elections in the fall.

Hicks has lived in Cibola County his entire life, minus the years he served in the Marine Corps, and he has lived in District Three for 18 years now. The thing Hicks says he has enjoyed most about living in Cibola County is the mountains, which he says are what brought him back after leaving the Marine Corps. Some extra information about Hicks is that he has five kids, six grandkids, and also works a night job in San Mateo. “I love my dogs, I love my wife, I love my country, and I love my state. And I’m tired of watching it get destroyed. And that’s why I’m running again,” said Hicks.

Most know that Hicks was a proclaimed democrat for years, up until 2020, when he says “all the democrats came after me for following my oath of office and standing for the constitution of this country.” Hicks continued, “And that’s why I left the party. Okay, the party has just been dragged further and further and further left. I’m still the same Modey Hicks, I haven’t changed not one bit. But my party has gone so far left, they are almost communists now. And look what they’re doing to our country.” Hicks referenced rising gas prices, inflation, the oil and gas industry, and the sanctity of life in the womb as areas that have been negatively impacted by his former party.

Ideals and principles that are important to Hicks are constitutional rights, civil liberties, freedom, and self-determination. Worried about the direction the Cibola community, state of New Mexico, and country will go in if leadership continues in the direction he says they are going, Hicks wants to continue doing something about it.

Hicks emphasizes standing up for what’s right, even if it means not being liked, which is something Hicks said his opponent and others are lacking. Hicks gave the example of the Energy Transition Act, and said that his opponent and others supported it, but were quiet once it killed hundreds of jobs in the community. “They just go along, why doesn’t anybody speak up? I will always stand for these people’s rights, I will always stand for the constitution, and I’ll stand for jobs, for families, not for democrat policies that just kill us.”

Hicks also put an emphasis on his Catholic faith, and how he trusts the outcome of the upcoming elections regardless. “If God wants me to win this election, then I’m gonna be the next commissioner for District Three, and if He doesn’t, He’s got something else for me to do.”

Some qualities that Hicks believes make him prepared for the commissioner position are that he is a “proven leader,” knows how to get things done, and has financial knowledge of where the funding is at the statelevel. Hicks said voters could look to his record as mayor and the fact that he rebuilt all of the town’s bridges as proof.

“I know what I’m doing, I’m not gonna miss a beat. I don’t have to learn, I’ve already learned for 16 years,” affirmed Hicks.

When asked if he thought it would be an adjustment going from mayor in the city government environment to commissioner in the county government environment, Hicks said no; that it was basically the same and that he didn’t anticipate too much of a difference between the two.

Hicks talked about plans to continue putting emphasis on the City of Grants, because he said the county gets the most of its money from Grants via property taxes — something he said he doesn’t think most of the current commissioners understand.

Hicks also talked about how when he hears that the county cannot help the city with a street because of Anti-Donation Clauses, that he does not buy it because “the county gets all of its money from the city.” Hicks elaborated, “That’s how they built up their reserves and everything… but yet they tell us that they can’t help us do a street, and that’s all a lie, because I’ve signed so many intergovernmental agreements since I was the mayor… Don’t tell me we can’t do something when I know we can.”

When asked if he still had plans to sue the City of Grants, Hicks responded that he and his lawyers were still discussing it to see if it is worth it or not, or if they should just put their focus on his cases with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, largely surrounding COVID-19 policies and Hicks’ government practices during the pandemic. Hicks said the aftermath of his decision to open up the city and taking an unpopular stance on COVID-19 involved a total of 37 death threats towards him and his family.

Regarding possible instances where he might disagree with his fellow commissioners, Hicks said he would simply vote against them, that there is no need to argue, and that he would just tell them why he doesn’t agree and then vote against it. Hicks said that one of the ways that his experience as mayor will benefit him as a commissioner is that he can turn to his statelevel contacts in Santa Fe, because he knows how to talk to them, and he knows how to get money into the community.

When asked if there was anything that he did or didn’t do during his time as mayor that he would do differently as commissioner, Hicks quickly responded that he would “never, ever hire Laura Jaramillo for any position.”

Two individuals that Hicks did credit as being great at their jobs are County Manager Kate Fletcher and Financial Director Paul Ludi, whom Hicks said “do a fantastic job.”

Hicks also gave credit to two of the current commissioners: “I’ve gotta give Mrs. Lowery and Martha Garcia credit. I mean, they get all the money, even though it’s all generated in Grants. Why? Because they work for it! While the other ones go ‘Shh! Just go along to get along.’ We should be getting our share of that money just like they are, especially when we’re the ones giving it all up.”

Hicks continued, “That’s one of the main reasons I’m running, I am going to give the people a clear choice: someone that’s gonna stand with them and their businesses and their families and their individual civil liberties or someone that says ‘Shh, don’t say nothing, just go along.’”

Finally, Hicks acknowledged the importance of the commission as being that they control the direction that the county goes in, and he believes he would be a good fit in the commission because he would get things done. Hicks wants the voters to know, “I will always stand up for their individual freedoms, and I will never go along to get along.”

Hicks says that everybody has his phone number and knows where he lives, and he welcomes them to reach out and have a conversation with him anytime.