Don Harris (New Mexico)

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Don Harris

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Albuquerque City Council District 9

Successor: Renee Grout

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Education

Bachelor's

University of Hartford

Law

University of Connecticut School of Law

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal website

Don Harris was a member of the Albuquerque City Council in New Mexico, representing District 9. Harris assumed office in 2005. Harris left office on December 31, 2021.

Harris ran for re-election to the Albuquerque City Council to represent District 9 in New Mexico. Harris won in the general election on October 3, 2017.

Biography

Harris received a music degree from the University of Hartford and a J.D. from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney in private practice, an assistant city attorney for two years, and a special assistant attorney general for 10 years.

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2017)

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, held elections for mayor and city council on October 3, 2017. The filing deadline for mayoral candidates was March 31, 2017, and the filing deadline for city council candidates was May 31, 2017.

Incumbent Don Harris defeated Byron Powdrell and Paul McKenney in the Albuquerque City Council District 9 general election.

Albuquerque City Council, District 9 General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Don Harris Incumbent	57.29%	5,621
Byron Powdrell	26.49%	2,599
Paul McKenney	16.23%	1,592
Total Votes		9,812
Source: City of Albuquerque, "Municipal Election Official Results," October 13, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Harris participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	Increasing the size of the police force so we can have community policing.	”
—Don Harris (July 16, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Crime reduction/prevention	7	Transportation
2	Unemployment	8	Housing
3	Homelessness	9	K-12 education
4	Government transparency	10	Environment
5	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)	11	Civil rights
6	Recreational opportunities	12	Public pensions/retirement funds

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Federal
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Increased police presence/activity. Improving the economy will also help.
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on small business development
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	Sense of community and open space and parks.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Increase police and make people feel safer.

Endorsements

2017

Harris received the following endorsements in 2017:

• Albuquerque Police Officers Association
• Albuquerque Area Firefighters Association
• Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #1
• Albuquerque Journal

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Don Harris Albuquerque City Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Don Harris (New Mexico) - Google News

See also

Albuquerque, New Mexico	New Mexico	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Personal

Website

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Albuquerque City Council District 9 2005-2021	Succeeded by Renee Grout