Candidate Spotlight: Ralph Lucero

Ralph Lucero, the current District Three County Commissioner, was elected in 2018, and is currently serving the term of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2022. In the upcoming primary elections, Lucero is running unopposed for re-election within the Democratic political party, and he will go on to face the sole republican candidate for District Three, former Grants mayor Martin Hicks, in the fall.

Lucero has lived in Cibola County since 1984 and specifically in District Three since 1992. Lucero attended Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he is originally from, and he joined the military after graduating. After the military, Lucero both worked in and helped open prisons in Santa Fe, Los Lunas, Grants, and Milan, accumulating a total of 37 years of experience in the prison system. Lucero says the things he has enjoyed most about living in Cibola County are the slow pace, the people, and the terrain, and that it reminds him of his time in Las Vegas, NM.

When explaining why he has decided to run for re-election for the District Three County Commissioner seat, Lucero said, “Well, you know, I think that we have done some progress. When I started, we didn’t have very much money in our budget, and I think, according to [Financial Director] Paul [Ludi], we’re gonna close out this year at probably 10 million dollars. From less than a million dollars to about 10 million this year — so I think we’ve done some good. The other thing that I think we’ve done well is that during the pandemic, we never had to lay anybody off… This commission has done great, I think. I mean we all get along — we disagree, but we agree to disagree.”

Lucero explained that he votes the way he believes is right, even if it goes against all of the other commissioners. Lucero mentioned the example of when the commission voted to give themselves a pay raise and Lucero was the only one who voted against it. However, Lucero said that the commissioners have not held his voting against him and that they continue to work together.

Some qualities that Lucero says have benefitted him in the position thus far are that he is not a “political person,” and that even though he identifies and runs as a democrat, he tries to always listen to both sides of the aisle. “I look at what is best for the community and the people of this county, I don’t care about politics… Now, with this new city council and new mayor, maybe we can all peace out and work together with them, Milan, and everybody. We all have to work together, including Acoma, Laguna, you know, and all the surrounding little communities,” expressed Lucero. Lucero also explained how he believes working and problem solving with others is a strongpoint of his, adding, “I’m willing to work with anybody to get from point A to point B. I don’t have all the answers — I wish I did, but I don’t.”

When given the opportunity to reflect on what he has learned in the current term that he thinks will help him moving forward, Lucero said that he has developed a knowledge of how governments works. According to Lucero, stepping into the position the first time was a bit of an adjustment because it was much different than he thought it would be. For example, Lucero thought he would easily be able to request that a road be worked on for a community member, but he realized that it was a lot more complicated than that and that there are many steps and processes in government that one has to go through. “It turned out not to be as easy as I thought it was going to be,” Lucero recalled.

Lucero also had a chance to talk about some of the things he wasn’t able to do and would like to focus on more heading into the next term. Lucero says he was not able to get as much done on the infrastructure side of things as he would have liked for his district. Lucero said this was because there are polices and processes that dictate how the county can help certain areas. According to Lucero, the commission and the commissioners rely heavily on the attorneys, and Manager Kate Fletcher often takes many issues and requests to them and has to carefully sift through what they can do, what they can help with, and what they can’t.

One thing Lucero said he is looking forward to, should he be able to continue in his role as county commissioner, is meeting and talking with the people of the new parts of his district. Since the commission went through the process of redistricting, Lucero’s District Three has welcomed a few new communities, such as Cubero, San Fidel, and San Mateo. Lucero said that he wants to see what the needs of these areas are, and that he is always available to his constituents.

“I’ll help anybody,” said Lucero. “Like I say, there’s a lot of things that we need to go and find out if it’s legal to help, and sometimes I have to tell them yes and sometimes I have to tell them no.” Lucero also added that the current Board of Commissioners does a good job at getting together to help each other with the outstanding issues of each other’s districts.

When asked what some of his priorities and focuses would be next term, Lucero mentioned familiarizing himself with the needs of the new communities in his district, economic development, and employee retainment. One thing Lucero says he sees the county struggling with is how many young people are leaving and not coming back. “We need to have something to keep them here,” stated Lucero.

Finally, Lucero touched on the importance of the work of the Board of Commissioners. “Without the commission, I don’t think there would be anything done…” Lucero added that only the county is able to have the kind of revenue they have in this area — the kind of revenue that can be used to help Grants, Milan, and surrounding communities. Lucero explained that the county is much larger than people think and that there are many people living not just in the inner areas of the county, but the outer areas as well, and that the commission works to promote success for the county as a whole. Lucero concluded, “Right now, that’s my biggest wish, is that we can all work together.”