Contrator joins District 1 County Commission race
By Phaedra Haywood | The New MexicanPosted: 2/8/2010, 8:09 PM Mountain time
Nambé native Seferino Valdez, 50, has announced he'll campaign for the District 1 Santa Fe County Commission seat being vacated next year by Harry Montoya.
Valdez said he became interested in politics after attending public meetings held in the Pojoaque area.
"A lot of times the commissioners, they vote the way they feel they want to vote," Valdez said. "And I notice that the people in the community wanted things to happen that weren't happening. I decided to run so I can make things happen for the community and be a voice for the community."
Valdez was raised in Nambé, where two generations of his family have lived before him, but now lives in Pojoaque. He has owned Kokopelli General Contractors Inc. for 16 years.
Valdez graduated from Pojoaque High School in 1978. He attended one year of classes at Northern New Mexico Community College, where he became a certified welder but did not earn a degree.
If elected, Valdez said, he will focus on land-use issues, including permitting, garbage and sewer. He said he'd also like to make the county land use and permitting department a "friendlier place for county residents. A lot of them go in there and get frustrated with the permit process and some of the land codes," Valdez said.
Valdez has been married to Ruby Ann Roman-Valdez for 16 years. The couple have three children — two of whom are adults — and are guardians of a minor relative.
Valdez said he was been arrested once in 2002 or 2004 — he couldn't remember which — after failing to pay a $200 speeding ticket.
Valdez said he "plain forgot" to pay the ticket. "Then later I was speeding a little, and I was stopped and I got arrested." According to court records, Valdez was cited for speeding in 2002 and in 2004.
The official filing date for the county office is March 16, but Valdez is one of five people who have announced intentions to try to capture the District 1 seat.
Contractor Jon Paul Romero; state Public Regulation Commission Chief of Staff Daniel Mayfield; community organizer Paul White; and basketball coach Lenny Roybal also have said they are seeking the post.
District 1 is the northern most commission district in the county. It includes the communities of Nambé, Pojoaque and Tesuque.
Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.
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