Chávez quietly vacates mayor's office

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - After a tumultuous election campaign Albuquerque's longest-serving mayor of modern times left office without fanfare Monday making way for the incoming administration of Mayor-elect Richard Berry.

Three-term Mayor Martin Chávez has removed most of his belongings from his 11th-floor office in the Albuquerque/Bernalillo Count Government Center.

There was no going-away party, no cake or balloons and little of the mayor himself as Chávez spent most of today away from City Hall.

Cleaning crews were busy preparing the 11th-floor offices for Berry and his staff.

Berry and City Councilors Ken Sanchez, Isaac Benton, Dan Lewis, Michael Cook and Don Harris are scheduled to take their oaths of office in ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Chávez, a Democratic state senator at the time, was first elected mayor in 1993 when he defeated former Gov. David Cargo in a run-off election by just 600 votes.

After a failed bid for governor in 1997 when he lost to Republican Gary Johnson, Chávez ran for mayor in 2001 and won. He was re-elected in 2005.

Among his accomplishments in his first term: the construction of the Montaño bridge over the Rio Grande and leadership of the region's effort to keep Kirtland Air Force Base open.

Chávez listed many quality-of-life and business surveys conducted during his second and third terms that ranked Albuquerque at or near the top of the nation.

Energy and water conservation were also among his top priorities.

One other legacy spending entire days at City Hall was Dukes, the official dog of the mayor’s office Chávez rescued from a shelter.

During his tenure Chávez pushed for the city's animal shelters to be changed to no-kill shelters although that hasn't happened yet.

Among some of the mayor's other unfinished business are his push for a new downtown arena and a Central Avenue trolley linking downtown with the university area.

Those do not appear to be priorities for Berry or members of the city council especially in a time tight city budgets.

Chávez said he plans to write a book on how cities can promote environmentally friendly green initiatives.