De La Cruz dethrones Cordova in Bernalillo County Commission race

He will face C de Baca in general election

While several state Senate races were altering South Valley and West Side politics, the Bernalillo County Commission race also lost an incumbent.

 

South Valley native Art De La Cruz dethroned incumbent Teresa Cordova in District 2, which covers the South Valley, Country Club, Mountainview and even Tohajillee neighborhoods. De La Cruz, who narrowly lost to Cordova four years ago in a five-person race, said he had an aggressive strategy in this primary.

He will face Republican candidate Cecilia C de Baca in the general election in November. She ran unopposed. 

"We started with a universe of 8,000 voters," he said. "We went after the absentee voters, about 450 of them, and I contacted each of them personally at some point in this campaign. I wanted to hear what they had to say and I wanted them to know what I was about too."

 

De La Cruz said he also concentrated his campaigning on what he called the "premium voters," those people had shown a track record of voting in the last four or five primaries.

 

"It was a lot of walking, knocking on doors and really talking to the people of this district," he said. "We did it, and it was the strong team of people who helped support me who really get the credit for this victory."

 

De La Cruz said he was particularly invigorated for this campaign.

 

"We canvassed on Mother's Day," De La Cruz said. "I give a lot of credit to my wife, Annette, because she was out there knocking on doors with me on Mother's Day. I didn't want to rest."

 

Priorities for District 2 start with the "cleaning up" of the area, De La Cruz said.

 

"There's too much graffiti and litter in this district," he said. "When I take office in January, that's one of the first priorities we need to tackle."

 

He said other priorities will be to bring better paying jobs to the area by concentrating on economic development that for too long has eluded District 2.

 

 Cordova, originally from Colorado, was facing an uphill battle in this election as De La Cruz campaigned as the local candidate who claimed to understand the South Valley better than his opponents. However, she was endorsed by many organizations and the local media for her work in the county during her time on the commission. One of her most recognizable successes was the creation of the South Valley Economic Development Center and for moving growth strategies for the area forward.

De La Cruz is no stranger to government work. He retired in 2003 after a 25-year career with Bernalillo County, serving as the Director of Parks and Recreation.

 

Several years ago, De La Cruz was appointed by Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez as the Deputy Director for the City of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Management Department. He left the city earlier this year to pursue the County Commission seat.

 

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'08 Election, Politics