By Anna Padilla and Andrea Solis
Valencia County consists of Adelino, Belen, Bosque Farms, Los Lunas, Los Trujillos, Peralta, and Valencia, which also falls under the Metro area.
Valencia County Sheriff Primaries were held on June 5 where Denise Romero Democratic Sheriff won with a total of 2,637 out of 4,906 votes, Republican opposition Jeffery Noah by 982 out of 3,350. Given these totals Denise Romero is projected to win.
Having been in the police force over 27 years, Jeffery Noah is a U.S. Army Veteran, and military police officer, he was a former police officer and Chief of Police in Mountainair, N.M. and has been a resident in Valencia County for 19 years.
If elected, Noah’s top three priorities, according to a Q&A done by The Valencia County News Bulletin, are working with the community to reduce crime rate, hold employees at a high standard of integrity and trust, and work with the other law enforcement in the surrounding areas.
Noah is endorsed by the current Valencia County Sheriff Louis Burkard.
“I have complete confidence in Jeff. He will continue the policies of trust, integrity, and high standard of service that make Valencia County a great place to work, live, and raise a family,” Burkard says on one of Noah’s campaign flyers.
Denise Romero, Professional Standards Deputy for the Valencia County Sheriff’s office, was born and raised in Taos, New Mexico. Having lived there for 13 years, she moved, along with her family, to Colorado.
In 1993, Romero moved to Albuquerque, and in 1996 she relocated to Los Lunas where she was given the opportunity to make her dream a possibility.
Romero’s 11 year career consists of mostly detective work, in Los Lunas and in Belen.
“I have not been in a position to make decisions. While I was with the Los Lunas Police Dept. I was considered part of the command staff, therefore, I was able to make changes, make plans, have discussion about how we were gonna combat crimes in certain neighborhoods. With Valencia County, because I am not in any rank there, I have not been able to be participating in any part of that for the department” Romero says.
This has given Romero the incentive to run for Sheriff and be able to make a change in her own community.
Anna Lisa Padilla 