Three men are campaigning to fill the void that will be left when Socorro municipal Judge Frances Cases retires at the end of the year.

Voters can cast their ballots in support of Valentin Anaya, Joseph E Gutierrez or Joseph M Gonzales in the Nov. 2 election.

Valentin Anaya

All three candidates said that as a municipal judge they would make decisions based on legal standards and the evidence in front of them regardless of their personal beliefs.

Anaya

Valentin Anaya is a stay at home dad who has previously served two terms as Socorro County Assessor.

“Any elected official is supposed to be an advocate for the community,” said Anaya.

He believes his involvement in community organizations sets him apart from the other two candidates. Anaya was appointed to the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Council in 2019 and has previously been a court appointed advocate for kids in foster care.

Anaya said during his time as county assessor he implemented a computerized system. He also believes he demonstrated his ability to make fair decisions in that role.

Joseph Gutierrez

“You’re given the evidence, you weigh the evidence, you apply what’s on the books and you can go home and cry and be sad about the decision you had to make, but you make it based on the evidence and try to apply what’s on the books.”

Gutierrez

Joseph E Gutierrez works for the Albuquerque Police Department Aviation Division and has previously worked for New Mexico State Police and the Socorro Police Department.

“If you’ve been through my court the first time then I’m going to be a little lenient, depending on the statute and the traffic violation, compared to somebody that’s been there repeatedly over and over and over again. There’s an issue there that has to be addressed in another avenue.”

He believes his law enforcement experience gives him familiarity with statutes and the courtroom. He also thinks having the experience of sending people to prison before makes him familiar with the weight of that decision.

“The first time I sent somebody to prison for nine years, my stomach was turning and I was like man, I’m taking nine years out of this guy’s life you know, but he did what he did. The criminal issue that he did, was against a child, which I didn’t like,” he said.

Joseph Gonzales

Gonzales

Joseph M Gonzales is a server at El Camino and a US Army veteran.

“I want to be the listening judge. Before I make a snap judgment, I want to listen and see what went wrong and how I can correct it,” said Gonzales.

Gonzales believes his military service taught him how to listen well. Gonzales said he thinks the pandemic has pushed some people financially to resort to theft and he does not expect people to live perfect lives.

“With the environment like it is, we have to learn that things happen. I’m not going to cut off their feet or cut off a hand because you committed a crime. It’s just something has to be done and I’m going to work with the people who are being found guilty or who are coming to my court, why, why? What can we do to make it better for you to go down the road?”

 

Cathy Cook, Editor, El Defensor Chieftain