Dapson debuts on city council, Lenentine selected to be deputy mayor

The May 9 Rio Rancho Governing Body featured a new face and a familiar one returning to a familiar role.

The meeting was the first for District 1 councilor Deb Dapson, who was elected in April via a runoff election to a four-year term.

Dapson and her husband have lived in Rio Rancho for 15 years. She is a mother to three grown children and grandmother to three. She owns Copper Moon Media, a small business in Rio Rancho that specializes in graphic design and digital marketing. She is also a past president of the Kiwanis Club and the chair of Association of Women in Communications Program Committee.

Dapson led the Governing Body in the Pledge of Allegiance to begin the meeting and was officially welcomed to the council by Mayor Gregg Hull.

Later in the meeting, District 2 City Councilor Jeremy Lenentine was once again selected to serve as deputy mayor, a role he was also selected for in 2022.

"Thank you Council for the opportunity," Lenentine said. "I appreciate all the city staff; you guys are great and it's good to work in a city like this with all the different things that we get to do together. So I appreciate the nomination."

District 4 councilor Paul Wymer nominated Lenentine and District 6 councilor Nicole List seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Lenentine was appointed by Hull and confirmed by the city council in 2019 to fill a vacated District 2 seat. He was elected to office in March 2020 four a two-year term and was elected to a four-year term in March 2022.

Lenentine has lived in Rio Rancho since 1988. All of his immediate family, including his wife and their three foster children, call Rio Rancho home and have been deeply tied to the community for a number of years. He has worked with Rio Rancho residents for about 10 years through his local church, organizing community events and helping residents with resources they need.