Government of Bernalillo County, New Mexico
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| Seat: Albuquerque |
| Population (2020): 676,444 |
| County Commissioners: 5 |
| County Website: Official website |
The county government of Bernalillo County is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The county was first established in 1852 as one of the original counties in the New Mexico Territory. It covers a total of 1,167 square miles in central New Mexico.
Elections
2025
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, Central New Mexico Community College, the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, and public improvement district boards on November 4, 2025. The filing deadline for this election was August 26, 2025. Write-in candidates had to file by September 2, 2025.
2024
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for clerk, treasurer, county commissioners, district attorney, and metropolitan court judge on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for June 4, 2024. The filing deadline for this election was March 12, 2024. The filing deadline for judicial retention races was June 27, 2024.
2023
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for flood control board, community college board, conservation district board, and public improvement district boards on November 7, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was August 29, 2023.
2022
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for assessor, sheriff, county commissioners, district court judges, county court judges, and probate court judges on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was March 8, 2022.
2021
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority board, the Central New Mexico Community College board, the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District board, and public improvement district boards on November 2, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was August 24, 2021.
2020
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for county commissioner Districts 2, 3, and 4, county clerk, treasurer, district attorney, 2nd Judicial Court judgeships, and metropolitan court judgeships on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline for this election was March 10, 2020.
2019
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for two of five seats on the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority board, three of seven seats on the Central New Mexico Community College board, three of the five seats on the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District board, and four of the five seats on the Ventana West Public Improvement District board on November 5, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was August 27, 2019.
Elections were also held on March 5, 2019, for the boards of Lower Petroglyphs Public Improvement District, Saltillo Public Improvement District, The Boulders Public Improvement District, and Volterra Public Improvement District. Candidates wishing to serve on one of the boards needed to notify the Director of Council Services by January 1, 2019.[1]
2018
Bernalillo County, New Mexico, held general elections for county commissioner, county assessor, probate judge, and county sheriff on November 6, 2018. If a race had multiple candidates for a party nomination, a primary was held on June 5, 2018.
2017
Bernalillo County held elections for five seats on the Central New Mexico Community College Governing Board on February 7, 2017. Candidates had to file for this election between 9am and 5pm on December 20, 2016.[2]
2016
Bernalillo County held elections for county commission, special district, and two other elected officials in 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline for this election was on August 1, 2016.
Elected officials
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If any officeholder information below is no longer accurate, please contact us with any updates. |
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County commissioners
- See also: County commission
The board of commissioners functions as the county's primary legislative and policy-making body. Most boards also control county land usage, oversee environmental issues, and possess executive powers, meaning they have the authority to appoint or remove departmental heads. Bernalillo County has five commissioners who are elected by district to four-year terms with a limit of two terms in office.[3]
The table below provides information on each of the county commissioners:
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County Commission District 1 | Barbara Baca | January 1, 2023 |
| Bernalillo County Commission District 2 | Frank Baca | January 1, 2025 |
| Bernalillo County Commission District 3 | Adriann Barboa | January 1, 2021 |
| Bernalillo County Commission District 4 | Walt Benson | January 1, 2021 |
| Bernalillo County Commission District 5 | Eric Olivas | January 1, 2023 |
The widget below automatically displays information about their meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Other elected officials
Bernalillo County residents also elect the following public officials:
| Office | Name | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County Assessor | Damian Lara | January 1, 2023 |
| Bernalillo County Clerk | Michelle Kavanaugh | January 1, 2025 |
| Bernalillo County District Attorney | Sam Bregman | 2023 |
| Bernalillo County Probate Court | Cristy Jo Carbon-Gaul | 2019 |
| Bernalillo County Sheriff | John D. Allen | January 1, 2023 |
| Bernalillo County Treasurer | Tim Eichenberg | January 1, 2025 |
Special districts
- See also: Special districts
Special districts are a form of local government that exist to fulfill a specific purpose within a certain geographic area. This region can be as large as a county or smaller than a city block. Special districts have the power to tax their local residents in order to fund operational expenditures. Although a special district may be formed for any stated purpose, the most common examples include library, hospital, transportation, airport, utility, conservation, sanitation, fire control, and flood control districts.
Flood control
The Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA) was created in 1963 by the New Mexico State Legislature to manage and eliminate flood-related issues in the Albuquerque area. AMAFCA's purpose as stated on its website is "to prevent injury or loss of life, and to eliminate or minimize property damage. AMAFCA does this by building and maintaining flood control structures throughout the Albuquerque area."[4]
The AMAFCA Board of Directors has five members who each represent a specific district. Each director is elected to a six-year term and there are no term limits for board service. Terms run from January 1 following the election to December 31 of the year when that seat is next up for election.
On March 7, 2018, Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed House Bill 98, which consolidates local elections. Because of this bill, the terms of all AMAFCA board members were extended by one year. For example, the terms of Tim Eichenberg and Ronald Brown were expected to expire in 2018. The bill extended their terms until 2019.[5]
The table below provides information on each of the board members:[6]
Community college
The Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) was authorized by the New Mexico Legislature in 1963 and approved by district voters in 1964. It was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1978 and given degree-granting power by the state legislature in 1986. The community college's mission is "to provide adults with the skills necessary to gain employment and succeed in the workforce."[7]
The CNM Governing Board is composed of seven members that each represent a district and are elected to four-year terms. In addition to Bernalillo County, the seven districts cover Corrales and Rio Rancho in Sandoval County.[8]
The table below provides information on each of the board members:[8]
Public improvement district boards
Soil & Water
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bernalillo County New Mexico. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bernalillo County, New Mexico | New Mexico | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
- Bernalillo County website
- Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority
- Central New Mexico Community College
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Albuquerque, "Nominations for Public Improvement District (PID) Board Elections," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ Bernalillo County, New Mexico, "2017 APS/CNM Election," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Bernalillo County, "Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ AMAFCA, "About AMAFCA," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Passage of Local Election Act a Victory for New Mexico Voters," accessed March 19, 2018
- ↑ AMAFCA, "Board of Directors," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ Central New Mexico Community College, "About CNM," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Central New Mexico Community College, "Board Members," accessed December 19, 2016
