Newcomers vie for seats on the District 9 city council

Copyright © 2021 Albuquerque Journal

Voters in Southeast Albuquerque will pick a fresh political newcomer to join the next month

City council.

Don Harris, a four-term Republican who has represented the district since 2005, is not seeking re-election in District 9. Two registered Democrats and one Republican – neither of whom have ever held public office – have emerged as contenders for the seat representing Eastern Albuquerque from Menaul and Eubank, south to Kirtland Air Force Base and east to Tramway.

Although city races are impartial, Harris is one of three Republicans on the nine-seat panel.

The election is on November 2nd. If none of the candidates receives more than 50% of the votes, the two first-placed candidates will run against each other in a runoff.

Rob Grilley Jr.

Grilley, 37, said driving on Route 66 in the district shows why he’s running.

This section of Central could be a gem that welcomes travelers to the city, he said. Instead, many shops stand empty in the malls along the iconic street.

“District 9 is where Route 66 leads to Albuquerque … and what are the first things you see? A motel with police officers parked in front of it and a park that is not maintained, ”he said. “I’m not saying we need a huge Las Vegas style neon sign or anything, but I want to try and restore some pride in our community.”

Grilley is from Connecticut and has lived in Albuquerque for about 10 years.

“I had a lot of good volunteers who helped me. But I think I knocked on over 1,200 doors myself, ”said Grilley, who has campaigning experience for Councilor Pat Davis and current Home Secretary Deb Haaland.

Grilley is the chairman of the board of directors of Common Bond New Mexico advocating LGBTQ youth and has served as an advisor during the last legislature. His husband is a scientist at Sandia National Laboratories and they live in the Juan Tabo Hills neighborhood.

Grilley, a registered Democrat, said he wanted to raise funds for the Albuquerque Police Department and increase the pay of officers. He said he disagreed with calls to disappoint the police.

However, Grilley said he was also concerned by the Albuquerque Police Officers Association’s “Crime Matters More” campaign, which, according to Grilley, appeared to be a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement.

“All it did is stir the pot and make a lot more people angry,” Grilley said. “It makes it harder for me to say, ‘I don’t want to disappoint the police. I want to be accountable in our department, but we have to support our officials. ‘”

Renee Grout

Grout, 60, has lived in the Four Hills neighborhood since she was 16 – so she is a 43-year-old resident of the district.

She said she was running to address two issues – crime and homelessness.

The Republican first-time candidate said she would campaign for strict enforcement of all laws, including arresting the homeless for minor violations such as drug possession, loitering, panhandling and vagrancy.

“I love this city, I was born and raised here. I raised children here. We have grandchildren here. And I don’t like the crime and homelessness that plague it, ”she said. “If you make the urban environment good or suitable for the homeless, they will come. Because they will not be held accountable. They can live their lifestyle the way they want because we allow it. We have to stop that. “

Grout suggested that the city renegotiate the deals the city reached with the Justice Department or on a detention condition lawsuit, both of which have spurred years of reform efforts by the Albuquerque Police Department.

“Small crimes become big crimes,” she said. “If I get away with shoplifting, I’ll move on to something bigger, period. It has to be tackled. “

Grout and her husband are co-owners of The Auto Clinic, which they bought from Grout’s parents in 1989. Grout said she and her husband are active in their Hope in Christ Church. She is also a member of the National Rifle Association and the Music Guild of New Mexico.

She said she usually supports Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump.

“I have a lot of friends and have always lived in this area,” she said. “We went and knocked on doors and we worked hard” to earn support.

Byron Powdrell

Powdrell, 54, makes another offer.

After unsuccessfully challenging Harris four years ago, Powdrell makes another attempt to represent the district.

Powdrell, a Democrat, is the general manager of a low-power radio station that he operates from his home in the Eastridge neighborhood. He said his uncle worked in the radio business and from childhood he dreamed of owning a transmitter.

Powdrell said he had experience co-chairing a community police council for the Albuquerque Police Department’s Foothills Area Command. These councils were created as part of an agreement between the city and the DOJ aimed at correcting patterns of police misconduct, including shootings.

They aim to improve relations and understanding between the police and the public. And Powdrell said he gained insight into the job of a police officer and the challenges he would face if he was elected to the city council.

He said as a councilor he would advocate more investment in head-start programs because he believes early childhood education can ultimately reduce crime.

“Children must have structure by the age of 5,” he said. “When a child starts playing cops and robbers, hopefully their structures are in place by then.”

Court records show that Powdrell was arrested seven times between 1989 and 1994 on suspicion of domestic violence. Powdrell said the charges were the result of a poor relationship he was in at the time.

He and his current girlfriend have been together for almost 20 years and are raising four children together.

“It was different in my previous life. And God forgives me for the things that (I) have done. And the judicial system did what the judicial system did, ”he said, pointing out that he was not convicted of any crime in any of the domestic violence cases. “What I learned made me a better person.”