Former Rio Rancho mayor running for mayor of Elephant Butte

ELEPHANT BUTTE — A former Rio Rancho interim mayor and city councilor who went on to lose against Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull is running for mayor of his new home in southeastern New Mexico.

Michael Williams, a city councilor in Elephant Butte who served as District 1 councilor on the Rio Rancho Governing Body from 2000-12 and interim mayor from August 2007 to spring 2008, declared his candidacy for mayor of Elephant Butte in a Facebook post.

In it, Williams wrote that he “(represents) the best interests of the city of Elephant Butte with a focus on you!”

Williams ran against Hull, a business owner, in March 2014 but lost in a landslide, according to previous news reports.

Williams, a retired deputy sheriff with Bernalillo County, lived in Rio Rancho for three decades. He served on the city’s labor management board and planning and zoning commission before being elected city councilor in 2000, according to a campaign flyer.

Williams was appointed mayor by the governing body on Aug. 7, 2007, to fill the remainder of Rio Rancho Mayor Kevin Jackson’s term. Williams declined to run for a full term in March 2008 and instead sought his former council seat.

In 2019, Williams was appointed Elephant Butte city councilor by the governing body following the mayor pro tempore’s ascent to mayor. Williams was on the council for two years before being elected to a full term in 2021.