Saturday, April 11, 2009

Robert Vialpando chosen as mayor

As Los Lunas says a fond farewell to Louis Huning after 27 years in the village's top job

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas Louis Huning and Robert Vialpando have lived in Los Lunas all their lives and met when they were in the first grade. On Thursday, Huning stepped down as mayor after 27 years of service to the village, and Vialpando was appointed to the position by a 3-0 vote.

Huning, who announced his retirement two weeks ago, was clearly touched by the reception he received as dozens of people stood to applaud him and his longtime dedication to the citizens and to the community. He thanked his family, his peers, the council, village employees for their continued support and the Lord for giving him the gifts of tenacity, patience and wisdom to do the work of mayor.

"I had a lot of comments when I announced my decision to retire," Huning said. "It's been a pleasure to have been with this village as long as I have — it's a little unusual for a mayor to stay this long. I've had the distinct pleasure that the voters have allowed me to be here for 27 years."

Huning first took office in 1982, and voters continued to re-elect him for a total of seven terms. He said he seen the village grow from a population of 2,000 residents to more than 14,000 and a budget that increased from $750,000 to $60 million.

"The village has come a long ways, and it still has a long ways to go," Huning said. "I want again to thank all the people in the village who have continued to have faith in me. In parting, I'd just like to say that I hope I've been able to bring a little improvement to the village."

Before Huning gave his parting comments, mayors from Belen, Bosque Farms and Peralta and the commander of Kirtland Air Force Base presented him with proclamations not only from their areas, but from surrounding cities including Albuquerque, Edgewood, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Tijeras and Bernalillo. All the proclamations proclaimed April 9 as Louis Huning Day.

Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres began his comments by joking that the only reason they all showed up to the meeting to "see how a real city should be run.

"You've always joked that the day you leave people would say, 'Louis who?'" Torres said. "But how can you forget the man who took a small village to become one of the most envied places in New Mexico with state-of-the-art facilities and one of the most technologically advanced communities in our state.

"No, Louis, we will never say 'Louis who?' You will always be remembered as a mayor who would, could and did — the king of the hill — the Luna Hill, that is," Torres said. "The mayor, man, father, husband that we've all admired and look up to."

Bosque Farms Mayor Wayne Ake thanked Huning for being a great mentor to him and said, "You are my idol — and that comes from the heart.

"As we take these jobs on, a lot of it is very pleasant and some not so pleasant, but I can truthfully say that by having you cross my path, it's been a blessing," Ake said. "We wish you godspeed."

Col. Mike Duvall, commander of Kirtland Air Force Base, thanked Huning on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces, for all the support he's given them.

"Most people think of patriots generally think of military members and first responders, but in my eyes, you're a true patriots — not just to your local community, but to the country and the men and women of the armed forces," Duvall said as he presented Huning with a plaque with the Air Force core values, which are "integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all you do."

Peralta Mayor Bryan Olguin said he's been able to get to know Huning in the 13 months he's been mayor of the newest municipality in the county.

"You've really helped me personally," Olguin said. "I wish you all the best in everything that you do, and God bless."

Vialpando has been on the village council for a total of 21 years since 1982 — the same year Huning was elected mayor. He called it quits after serving one term, but got back in the game eight years later in 1992.

After he was appointed by the council to fill Huning's term, which ends in March 2010, Vialpando thanked his family, the citizens of Los Lunas and all the employees for their support while he considered his decision to be mayor.

"I was very apprehensive at first," Vialpando said of his decision. "I have some pretty tough shoes to fill. But with the encouragement of my family and the encouragement from a lot of the citizens of Los Lunas, I'm overwhelmed and I'm just looking forward to continue on with the progress and taking care of the Village of Los Lunas and its citizens."

On Friday, Vialpando said, while taking his daily three-mile bike ride around the village, he prayed while thinking "What did I get myself into?" He said he just remembered some advice that his wife gave him — to follow his heart.

"And that's what I did, and that's what I'm going to do," Vialpando said. "I just felt it was better for me to jump in because I didn't think it was (beneficial) to bring someone in with no experience as mayor."

The new mayor said while there will be changes in the next 11 months while he's mayor, he's not planning anything drastic. He did say that at this time, he does plan to run for mayor in March.

"As for my goals, there will be change, but I'm planning to work really hard with (the administrator) and make sure we're on the same path," he said. "There will be changes as we go along, but I'm sure that everything will work out.

"I've always been concerned with the growth of Los Lunas, and I have to admit that now that it's slowed down a bit, I kind of don't mind," he added. "Although, it has cut down on our budget, our gross receipts and the impact fees we receive on new construction."

Vialpando said the decision to postpone consideration of appointing a new council member to his seat was twofold. One, because the council is still considering several people and that it would be "too much" with Mayor Huning leaving, his own appointment and the appointment of a new clerk-administrator.

The new councilor, who must be a resident of Dist. 4, which Vialpando served, would finish his term, which also ends in March 2010. Vialpando said he has obtained a voter's list from his district and has shared it with others on the council.

"I did call the Municipal League asking if we had a time period to appoint a new council member," Vialpando said. "They informed me that there was no time limit; however it was recommended that we do it in a timely fashion."

Vialpando said the new councilor would be appointed at the next village council meeting.

Vialpando's first official act as mayor was his appointment of Peter Fernandez as the village's clerk-administrator. Fernandez will take over the position from Phillip Jaramillo, who is retiring from the village after 24 years of service. Because Fernandez will serve as the village clerk, administrator and treasurer, Municipal Judge Jeff Aragon had to swear him in three times.

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