GRANTS, N.M. — The 2025 Regular Local Election will decide who represents Districts 1 and 3 on the Grants City Council — two of the four geographic districts that divide the city’s local government.
Each councilor serves a four-year term on the fivemember board, which also includes the mayor elected “at-large” from the entire city instead of a specific district.
The Grants City Council functions as both a legislative and executive body, responsible for local ordinances, infrastructure decisions, and policy direction for the City of Grants. District boundaries determine which neighborhoods each councilor represents, while the mayor presides over meetings and votes only in the case of a tie.
Understanding the Districts
District 1, which covers the city’s northern and eastern neighborhoods around Roosevelt Avenue, Sakelares Boulevard, and North Hills, has drawn three candidates this year: Bob Tenequer, Dolores Vallejos, and Zach Gutierrez the incumbent District 3, encompassing southern and southeastern portions of Grants near Golf Course Road and George Hanosh Boulevard, features a single candidate — Fred Rodarte — seeking to retain his seat.
The two remaining district seats (Districts 2 and 4) and the mayor’s office are not up for election this year but will return to the ballot in 2026.
The Charter Controversy
The council’s structure — four district representatives and a mayor — was established under the Grants City Charter, which serves as the city’s local constitution. While state law provides a framework for municipal government, the charter dictates how The City of Grants elects its leaders and sets local rules for governance.
This year’s election falls just months before the 10th anniversary of the city’s first charter violation, an event that continues to shape local political discussion.
In March 2016, the city allowed a municipal judge to serve a term a third-term under state law despite the charter’s stricter provisions — an action that some legal experts and residents viewed as a breach of the charter’s authority despite others claiming the charter itself was wrong. The preamble of the Grants City Charter states that any change to its terms must be enacted through a vote of the people, which never occurred.
More recently, in 2024, the city again bypassed a direct public vote when the council adopted the Secretary of State’s recommendation to move municipal elections from March to November. This decision aligned Grants with the statewide Regular Local Election cycle, but critics note it effectively altered a core part of the charter without voter consent.
As a result, the current council’s terms were extended to match the new schedule, meaning the other three seats — including the mayor’s — will now appear on the 2026 General Election ballot.
What’s at Stake
Beyond the legal nuances, this year’s election will determine the leadership that guides Grants into a new decade of governance.
Those elected in November will serve during the 10-year mark of the charter dispute and may face renewed calls for reform, restoration, or clarification of the city’s governing document.
At the same time, the city continues to grapple with practical issues — infrastructure, economic development, and public trust — that depend on stable leadership.
Editor’s Note: Residents of Grants will have a difficult time accessing an unedited, approved-by-voters version of the Grants City Charter. The version currently posted on the City of Grants website was never approved by voters.