Geno Zamora speaks with resident Stacy Weber while campaigning in the Casa Solana neighborhood in September 2023. Zamora, an unsuccessful candidate for a Santa Fe City Council District 1 seat in the 2023 municipal election, announced Sunday he will not run again this year.
Geno Zamora speaks with resident Stacy Weber while campaigning in the Casa Solana neighborhood in September 2023. Zamora, an unsuccessful candidate for a Santa Fe City Council District 1 seat in the 2023 municipal election, announced Sunday he will not run again this year.
Santa Fe attorney Geno Zamora, who made an unsuccessful bid for a City Council District 1 seat in 2023, announced this week he has decided not to run for the office again this year but will "continue to search for suitable ways to serve the community that raised me."
Zamora shared his decision with The New Mexican in a statement, saying the 2025 municipal election "needs to bring community healing and develop a positive path forward by recognizing diverse viewpoints for addressing our housing and cost of living crises."
Zamora said in 2023 housing was his No. 1 campaign issue, and it appears likely to be top of mind during the current election cycle, with several candidates decrying the city's high housing costs.
The District 1 race will not have an incumbent, as Councilor Signe Lindell is not seeking a fourth term. Zamora spoke highly of the two candidates who have entered the race so far, Katherine Rivera and David Montoya.
"District 1 is fortunate to have two declared candidates who come from good local families," Zamora wrote in his statement. "They are both my friends, they are both qualified, and they are both capable of representing our precious history. Most importantly, they are both strong enough to stand up to the next mayor and demand the following: respect all perspectives, help those that are struggling, and unify our community."
Rivera also ran in the 2023 election, finishing third, and has been active in the community as a volunteer since then. Montoya is an Air Force veteran and serves on the Santa Fe Fiesta Council.
A lawyer who previously served as Santa Fe's city attorney, Zamora finished second in a four-way race for the District 1 council seat in 2023, losing to Alma Castro.
He raised by far the most money out of any City Council candidate in 2023, with more than $82,000 in private funds, but may have been hurt by what some residents perceived as a connection to Mayor Alan Webber. Zamora was the only candidate to receive a donation from the mayor, though he said at the time he had not sought, nor received, Webber's endorsement.
Webber has yet to announce whether he intends to seek a third term as mayor.
