On Monday several Albuquerque city councilors changed their vote on a resolution the panel approved two weeks ago — which would have given the council more power to influence charter changes — after Mayor Tim Keller vetoed the bill.
The Charter Review Task Force convenes nearly every 10 years to evaluate the city’s charter and identify any needed changes.
Under the current city code, Keller is allowed to choose the task force’s seven members with input from the council. Councilor Dan Champine, however, proposed that the mayor pick one member of an 11-person task force. During the council’s Oct. 7 meeting, councilors approved Champine’s proposal on a 7-2 vote.
Keller vetoed the resolution on Oct. 18 with a message that noted in previous years, the mayor picked more than one task force member. Keller said he is open to revisiting the resolution with councilors and finding a more equal solution.
Keller wrote that he vetoed the proposal “because it doesn’t maintain an appropriate balance between the geographic representation or legislative and executive branch obligations outlined under the current City Charter.”
Champine moved to override Keller’s veto Monday but that motion failed to get the six votes it needed to pass.
[YES: Brook Bassan, Dan Champine, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis, Louie Sanchez
NO: Joaquín Baca, Tammy Fiebelkorn, Klarissa Peña, Nichole Rogers]
“I felt it was a well-rounded approach,” Champine said.
Champine’s proposal would have increased the number of members on the task force and allowed each councilor to pick one. The mayor would appoint one member, then the council as a whole would choose an 11th to serve as the chair.
“I really want to remind people that we did vote on this 7-2,” Champine said. “It does show a good representation of each district of the city and the city as a whole. It isn’t us versus them, it’s one government moving forward.”
Council President Dan Lewis said if the council is open to making some changes and introducing another resolution, he is “certainly willing to do that.” Councilor Nichole Rogers, who tried to pass a similar bill in June, agreed with Lewis.
Read more about the resolution here.