The Belen City Council voted 2-1 to appoint Lorenzo Carrillo as the city's new city councilor.

Carrillo, 51, has gained experience as both an elected official and as an athletics coach, and said he will take on the new challenge and bring his expertise back to the city where he grew up.

Carrillo was appointed to the council seat that was vacated by Rudy Jaramillo, who was elected mayor earlier this month.

"I feel as the mayor, I have chosen Lorenzo because I think he will do a good job," Jaramillo said. "He is an individual that is knowledgeable. I think we can all get together (as a council), and work for betterment of the community."

Carrillo, who ran for a council seat in 2002, said he was asked by Jaramillo on March 6 if he would be interested in joining the council. He said he was excited about the opportunity.

"I want to look at the root causes that is stifling our growth in the city," Carrillo said. "That's one of the things I'm interested in finding out."

The Belen native is a former member of the Belen Board of Education, and has coached wrestling at the local middle and high schools. He currently works for the Department of Energy, and is the head wrestling coach at St. Pius High School in Albuquerque.

Councilor Wayne Gallegos said Carrillo is a welcomed addition to the council.

"To me, the more experience, the better," Gallegos said. "There is a big learning curve."

Newly elected Councilor Jerah Cordova said Carrillo should help slow the learning curve, and called the councilor "very capable" of his new position.

He said Carrillo's experience on the school board should help, since the makeup is similar to that of a city council.

"He has vast knowledge of government, and will be an asset to the city council and the people of Belen," Cordova said.

Mary Aragon, another newcomer to the council, congratulated Carrillo, but voted against his appointment to the council. She said that she thought former councilor David Lopez would be a better fit to fill the vacant seat.

"I felt the position should have went to David Lopez," Aragon said. "He should have been asked. He did the door to door and he did the walking."

But Aragon said she is confident she will be able to work together with Carrillo to solve problems.

"I think we will be able to work together," Aragon said. "I don't think there will be any animosity."

Carrillo and is wife, Barbara, have three children.

"I think he has a lot to offer," Barbara Carrillo said of her husband. "His heart is in the right place for the good of the community."

Carrillo said he wants to explore new ideas to benefit the community as a whole during his tenure as councilor.

"I tend to believe that the past few years have benefited few, and not the community at large," Carrillo said. "I hope to change that."

The council also appointed Mary Lucy Baca as the acting city manager to temporarily fill the position vacated by Sally Garley, who retired last week.

Baca, who expects to be in the position for only a few months, will assume the duties as city manager until someone is hired to fill a more permanent role.

Baca will continue with her duties as manager of human resources while being in the role of acting city manager. She said that she agreed to accept the position only on a temporary basis because she didn't want to spend extensive time at work.

She said Garley often worked weekends and holidays as the city's top clerk.

"I will do it as long as I have to," Baca said of the position. "I think the council wants to be thorough in who they hire. It's not something they are going to rush into."

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