Vacant New Mexico House District 3 seat on track to be filled by April 2. Here's how to apply.

Members of the San Juan County Commission set a deadline of April 1 for anyone interested in applying for the vacant District 3 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives during a special meeting on Wednesday, March 20.

Commissioners will appoint someone to the seat during their meeting on Tuesday, April 2. The position became vacant when state Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, resigned on March 14.

Applicants will be asked to submit a letter of interest and any supporting documents they feel may bolster their case — a résumé, references, etc. — to the county manager’s office by 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 1.

Commissioner John Beckstead noted that would give potential applicants nearly two weeks to make a decision about seeking the seat, then compile and submit their materials.

“I don’t think that’s too unreasonable,” he said.

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County Manager Mike Stark said the last time the County Commission was responsible for nominating someone to fill the unexpired term of a state legislator was in 2019, when longtime state Sen. John Pinto of District 3 died in the middle of his term. Since the District 3 Senate seat straddles San Juan and McKinley counties, each of those county commissions was allowed to nominate an individual to fill the seat with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham making the final choice.

San Juan County chose former county commissioner Wallace Charley, while McKinley County commissioners chose former county commissioner Carol Bowman-Muskett. The governor bypassed both those nominees and chose Pinto’s granddaughter, Shannon Pinto, to fill the seat on July 25, 2019. She was elected to a full term in November 2020 and continues to hold the seat now.

After going into executive session to discuss the applicants, San Juan County commissioners will vote on selecting a replacement for Lane during their April 2 meeting. But applicants first will have the opportunity to speak to the commission if they wish.

Applicants are asked to email their materials to Stark at mstark@sjcounty.net, fax them to 505-334-3168 or deliver them to County Executive Office, 100 S. Oliver Drive, Aztec, NM 87410.

The individual appointed to the seat will serve through Dec. 31. The District 3 House seat includes most of the northeast corner of San Juan County, stretching from Aztec and Bloomfield on the west side to Navajo Lake on the east side and the Colorado border on the north side.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.