SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe’s incumbent entrepreneur-turned-mayor defended his handling of conflicts over historical monuments and stewardship of a COVID-battered economy at a candidate forum Monday amid stinging criticism from two Latina challengers.
Mayor Alan Webber was vying against Democratic City Councilor Joanne Vigil Coppler and Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson. Webber is seeking a second term after leading New Mexico’s fastest growing major city through the pandemic and state emergency health orders that all but shut down the crucial hospitality and tourism industries. Vigil Coppler says the mayor has neglected city finances and bedrock parks-and-recreation obligations. Webber has embraced vanguard progressive initiatives such as universal basic income.