Victor Williams sworn in as new Rio Communities municipal judge

RIO COMMUNITIES — Rio Communities has a new municipal judge — Victor Williams.

Williams was appointed by Mayor Joshua Ramsell during a special meeting on July 14 after he broke a tie vote. Councilors Lawrence Gordon and Art Apodaca voted to approve the appointment, while Councilors Tom Nelson and Matthew Marquez voted against it. Ramsell broke the tie vote in approval of the appointment.

Williams, who was sworn into office on Wednesday, July 30, retired from the U.S. Army in 1992 after serving as an instructor, drill and platoon sergeant and platform instructor. After retirement, Williams moved to New Mexico, where he’s worked as a sales associate at Walmart in the electronics department and has worked at 505 Computer Works since 2000. He is also a deacon at Belen Missionary Baptist Church.

Before a motion was made to appoint Williams as the new judge, Nelson and Marquez questioned if he would be running for the position in November.

“If appointed, will you run in November?” Nelson asked Williams.

“Possibly,” Williams answered. “I’m going to see where it takes me. If I can handle it, I will. If not, I won’t. If I can’t handle it, why set myself up for failure? I have the time to do the training because I’m at home most of the time.”

Marquez said he thinks it’s too close to the election to put someone in the position.

“I think it would be a good idea to postpone (the appointment) until after we see if anyone else is going to run for municipal judge,” Marquez said. “That’s just to make sure we’re spending money for training.

“I give you credit for standing up and saying you want to do it,” he told Williams.

Marquez made a motion to table the appointment until after candidates declare their intent to run on Aug. 26. Nelson made the second, and Gordon and Apodaca voted no. Ramsell broke the tie and also voted no.

“I’m not doing this for me,” Williams told the council. “I’m doing it for the community. If I could help the community, then that’s what I want to do.”

Apodaca said he didn’t think it would be a problem if Williams started and got his “feet wet” before the election.

“I don’t think there’s any harm in it,” Apodaca said.

“I’m like Councilman Apodaca,” Gordon said. “You’re resumé was very impressive and you’re a person who wants to help the community.

Gordon then made the motion to approve the mayor’s nomination and Apodaca made the second. Nelson and Marquez voted against it. Ramsell once again broke the tie by voting in the affirmative.

Williams replaces Helen Smith who resigned in November 2024, only eight months after being sworn into office. Earlier that month, a former court employee, Chanelle Sandoval, filed a lawsuit against the judge and the city of Rio Communities for religious discrimination and retaliation.

The lawsuit was dismissed in February after the plaintiff and the city settled the suit, saying in a joint motion to dismiss, “all issues between the parties have been resolved, with each party to bear their own costs and attorneys’ fees.”