Rio Rancho candidates participate in NAIOP roundtable

RIO RANCHO — Six candidates in Rio Rancho's upcoming municipal election were subject to the roll of a dice Thursday in answering six questions for industry professionals during a monthly breakfast meeting.

Rio Rancho mayoral candidates Paul Wymer, Corrine Rios, Michael Meek, as well as council candidates Karissa Culbreath (District 5, incumbent), Calvin Ward (District 5) and  Bob Tyler (District 3, incumbent) all sat down with NAIOP members at the "meet 'n' greet" event ahead of the March 3 election.

Most of the candidates, who just days earlier participated in an evening forum, answered NAIOP questions, which were delivered to them after members rolled dice.

But not everyone stuck to the script, and candidates fielded numerous inquiries posed spontaneously by NAIOP members.

The event came the same week as the start of early voting, which began Feb. 3. 

This story offers a sampling of the candidates' responses and was edited for brevity.

District 2 Councilor Jeremy Lenentine and mayoral candidate Aleitress Franshaun Owens-Smith did not participate.

Karissa Culbreath 

Culbreath, appointed by Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull in 2020 before being elected in 2022, was mistaken as a mayoral candidate by one NAIOP member, but the councilwoman took it in stride. 

"There is no way I am running for mayor!" Culbreath said with a laugh. 

Asked about home development, Culbreath referred to the Rio Rancho Governing Body's recently revised development process manual.

"It was old, outdated and it really didn't provide the support for what developers need to do and what the city expects," Culbreath said, "so that when they come in with a plan, the expectations are laid out and there is less back-and-forth."

The updated DPM is aside from the city's "expedited process" for other types of development. 

"Hopefully, many of those activities will help get us into a place where we start doing smart development," Culbreath said. 

Calvin Ward

Ward, a military veteran and retired businessman, is running for council because he not only has time but also enjoys the quality of life in Rio Rancho and wants to keep it that way.

"I have the energy to listen, implement and learn," Ward said.

NAIOP members asked him when it would be appropriate to rezone property in Rio Rancho. Ward initially said he wasn't sure but later said it should be done "in rare instances."

"It should be specific to the situation, and you need to have some evidence-based data and research," he said, "and you also need to be able to take input from the constituents as well as the business and consider the whole economic situation for the city." 

Bob Tyler

Tyler, twice elected to the governing body in 2018 and 2022, touted his previous law enforcement background as a reason voters should trust him to keep more police officers on the streets.

"I know public safety — I know what we should be doing to try to recruit and retain," he said.

The topic is of concern to Tyler, who said Rio Rancho police officers trail Albuquerque police in pay. That dynamic, Tyler said, was a topic addressed during a meeting of the New Mexico Municipal League the day before.

The key to funding law enforcement, said Tyler, is having reoccurring funds as opposed to one-time funding.

Additionally, Tyler said he would like to take the Safelite Solutions building on Safelite Boulevard and make it the new Rio Rancho Police Department headquarters — an idea which some NAIOP members agreed with.

Corrine Rios

Rios, who is suing the city for allegedly not following its own rules of procedure, echoed Tyler's proposal for more police and increasing their compensation as a way to address crime

"There are police who are trained here, and they leave because the pay is higher ... that's a concern," Rios said. 

In response to one NAIOP member's question on education, Rios said if elected mayor, she would not be able to direct Rio Rancho Public Schools, but she could work to ensure a stronger relationship between the city and the school district.

"I am an educator — I can facilitate good communication through that and maybe give my vision for what I think is needed," Rios said. 

Her husband, who works at a data center, has told Rios his workplace is in need of highly skilled workers. Rios believes students need to consider not only college but also a career in a technical field.

Paul Wymer

For Wymer, a twice-elected councilman running for mayor, it's easy to imagine, if elected, what would be his biggest priority: consistency.

Wymer, elected to represent District 4, is running for mayor on the record of Gregg Hull, who led the city for 12 years before launching a campaign for governor.

"We have a city that is working fantastically; we have good goals, and we have achieved a lot of good things in the city — and I want to continue with that," Wymer said. 

The accomplishments, he said, include 51% road repair competition, which is also a general obligation bond question in the March 3 election. Meanwhile, Rio Rancho has improved its quality of life through amenities like Campus Park and Broadmoor Senior Center.

But when it comes to new priorities, Wymer wants to invest in a multigenerational center, located at Northern and Rockaway boulevards. Funding is still needed, he said, but he would like to get the first phase of the project started.

Michael Meek

Meek, a Sandoval County commissioner and former chair, was asked when he thinks commercial and residential development will come to the City Center area and what else should be built there. 

NAIOP members noted the "phenomenal expansion and new roads" of the area, which includes Campus Park, City Hall, a University of New Mexico Health Sciences facility, the Rio Rancho Events Center, Sandoval Regional Medical Center and a branch campus of Central New Mexico Community College. 

Despite these institutions, Meek believes City Center has become a hub for recreation, not for "meaningful" business, like a "research park."

"When people drive out there, they see five buildings; it's sparse, it's like a wasteland," Meek said. "We need to have more business, and we need to encourage it — and to do that, we have to work with other people."

By that, Meek means stakeholders other than government officials.

"We need to have everybody engaged in what's coming into that area," Meek said.