Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who recently handed the reins to his successor after 12 years in office, said his experience steering the Albuquerque suburb into a spot where it could soon become New Mexico’s second-largest city gave him the tools he’d need to make New Mexico “as business-friendly as possible” if elected governor.
The Rio Rancho Republican has consistently led his two opponents — communications professional Doug Turner and former state cabinet secretary and hospital executive-turned cannabis CEO Duke Rodriguez — in polling ahead of the June 2 primary election. However, those polls have found a sizable chunk of likely Republican voters are undecided.
Drawing a sharp contrast with the contest for the Democratic nomination, in which former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman have consistently sparred with one another, Hull at an Albuquerque Journal town hall event Monday afternoon said he vowed from the outset “not to attack” his fellow Republicans and to campaign more on his past accomplishments and future proposals.
He recalled how, when he was first sworn in as mayor, Rio Rancho’s population was stagnant and one of its largest employers, Intel, had “one foot out the door.” As the suburban city’s population grows and the state’s remains relatively flat, he sees parallels between the Rio Rancho of the 2010s and the New Mexico of the 2020s.
“It started off, really, as a bedroom community. When I took office, it was in full-on stagnation,” he said, adding that he wants to reform the state’s education system and bolster its economy so that “hopefully, we’ll stop exporting our children.”
Hull answered a number of questions at the town hall about economic development, governing during the second Trump administration and how he’d approach controversial projects like data centers.
Economic development
When Hull took office, Rio Rancho had a population of about 93,000 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Today, it has nearly 113,000 residents.
He launched a citizen survey to better understand what residents viewed as the top issues facing the locale. Based on those results, he said he prioritized public safety and affordability — Rio Rancho’s sales tax, for example, did not increase during his 12 years at the helm.
“The vision that I have is making New Mexico as business-friendly as possible,” he said, adding that the state does not “have to give away the farm” when luring large employers, but should use economic development tools, such as tax incentives and industrial revenue bonds.
He said the Legislature’s recent work to adopt medical malpractice reform and join interstate medical compacts are important ingredients for good economic development. Both moves will make it easier to both recruit working professionals in high-paying fields and to keep them here, he said.
“Most companies are just looking for a great place where they can prosper and have really predictable” regulations, he said, adding that Rio Rancho’s Intel plant shrunk from 3,500 employees before he took office. Today, he said, it employs about 3,000. “You’ve got to work with these companies to find out what they need.”
Governing under a Trump administration
Hull has previously rejected labeling himself as MAGA. At Monday’s town hall, he said he believes it’s the governor’s responsibility to find a way to work with the federal government, regardless of who occupies the White House.
“My goal will be to work with the administration to make sure that we’re benefiting New Mexico to the best of its ability,” he said, adding that the state needs federal money for highway, water infrastructure and forestry projects. “We cannot afford to disconnect ourselves from any federal administration.”
Just last week, though, the federal and state governments clashed in court.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday filed a lawsuit against New Mexico and asked a judge to block state officials from enforcing the recently passed Immigrant Safety Act, which bars public bodies in New Mexico from signing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention contracts.
Hull said that he wants to see the federal government adopt a less laborious process for legal immigration. However, he said he believes it’s important to enforce “the laws on the books.”
“Detention facilities unfortunately are a necessary part of doing the entire process,” he said. “I want to make sure people’s rights are being protected but at the same time, the laws on the books are being enforced.”
Data centers
Hull faced a flurry of questions from audience members about whether he supports moratoriums on data center projects across New Mexico and whether independent “microgrid” power plants that sustain the projects should comply with the state’s renewable energy goals.
He said he’s not opposed to data centers, but wants to ensure that they’re responsible when it comes to environmental concerns like water usage. The state should explore requiring data center developers to use alternative water sources — such as brackish water or “produced” water from oil and gas operations — to cool their servers, he said.
“I think there’s some very creative ways we can work with these industries,” he said. “Every time we tell an industry that we don’t want them here or we push them out of the state without coming up with a way that we can actually work with those industries, we’re sending a message out to the rest of the United States that we don’t want those opportunities here.”
