Otero chosen as a replacement on Los Lunas Board of Education

EDITORS NOTE - Clarification: After publication on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Frank A. Otero reached out to the News-Bulletin to clarify that the Los Lunas Board of Education District 1 position he held was not on the ballot in the 2021 election. (Updated 12 pm, 6-26-25)

LOS LUNAS — Former Los Lunas Board of Education Member Frank A. Otero has been appointed to fill the District 1 board seat vacated by Justin Talley earlier in June.

Talley resigned effective June 4, citing a need to physically move out of the district this summer.

Otero was one of three people to answer the district’s call for nominees living in District 1. Otero was added to the board on a vote of 3-1, with board president Dr. Michelle Osowski standing as the lone vote against.

“I put an awful lot of time on the board and, when I left, it was an uncomfortable situation,” Otero said after the meeting. “I had really planned to run in 2023, but I had some issues with my health. I’ve overcome those and I still have work to do. I still have things that I think I can contribute.”

Otero, who previously held the District 1 seat for 11 years and served a stint as board president, was a part of the five-member Los Lunas Board of Education that was permanently suspended by the New Mexico Public Education Department in August 2021. NMPED initially suspended the five board members in May of 2021.

After the suspensions were handed down, it was found by PED that Otero and District 3 board member P. David Vickers “appeared to be innocent bystanders in the crossfire” of the events leading up to the suspension.

Vickers is currently serving as the Los Lunas school board’s District 3 representative, having won election to the seat in November 2021.

Otero, who did not run for a board seat in 2021, said he will likely run for the District 1 seat in November.

All four current board members expressed their gratitude to the prospective board members before emphasizing the board’s need for an experienced person to join the board, due to the board’s upcoming work on board policies and procedures.

“The reason I made this recommendation for a motion (to approve), (Mr. Otero’s) past experience on this board for 10-plus years,” said board secretary Bruce Bennett. “And seeing as how this is just a short span between now and election time … we need someone to step in here and get the school season started and I think it’ll take minimum, maybe no training, to get caught up to where we’re at.”

Local resident and professional photographer Nicole Bradshaw, who was described as a Los Lunas High School graduate and parent of a child attending the Los Lunas Schools, sent in a letter of interest to the district and was present for the meeting.

C’Moya stated for the public record that Los Lunas resident Fred Real also sent a letter of interest for the board opening, but he rescinded his letter of interest.

Inquiries to Los Lunas Schools for copies of the letters of interest received was requested by the News-Bulletin, but at press time the district had not provided access to the letters.

Inquiries to Los Lunas Schools for copies of the letters of interest received was requested by the News-Bulletin. Albert Aragon, the director of personnel and the district’s record’s custodian. Aragon said the newspaper will be able to inspect the records on Friday.