Tim Keller (politician)

Tim Keller
30th Mayor of Albuquerque
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2017
Preceded by	Richard J. Berry
26th Auditor of New Mexico
In office January 5, 2015 – November 30, 2017
Governor	Susana Martinez
Preceded by	Hector Balderas
Succeeded by	Wayne Johnson
Member of the New Mexico Senate from the 17th district
In office January 3, 2009 – January 5, 2015
Preceded by	Shannon Robinson
Succeeded by	Mimi Stewart
Personal details
Born	(1977-11-22) November 22, 1977 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Kistin
Children	2
Education	University of Notre Dame (BA) Harvard University (MBA)
Website	Government website

Timothy M. Keller (born November 22, 1977),^[1] is an American businessman and politician who is 30th and current mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as New Mexico State Auditor before resigning to become mayor on December 1, 2017. He is also a former member of the New Mexico Senate, representing Senate District 17. The district is located in southeast Albuquerque.

Early life and career

Keller was born and raised in Albuquerque, with his two siblings. His father was a founder of Union Savings Bank and his mother was a public school teacher and homemaker. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Catholic schools from kindergarten until his graduation from the University of Notre Dame.^[2] Growing up Keller struggled with dyslexia, though he did not discover he suffered from the learning disability until he was in graduate school. Despite this struggle, he went on to co-found a social enterprise, Digital Divide Data (DDD), which employs and trains disadvantaged persons in Cambodia.^[3] DDD is now also present in Laos and Kenya, and has more than 1000 employees. The organization was ranked by Fast Company magazine as a global Top Innovator and by The Global Journal as one of the Top 100 NGOs worldwide.^[4] Prior to that, Keller worked as an investment banker with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he focused on energy technology corporate finance.

After completing his M.B.A. at the Harvard Business School, he returned to New Mexico. Keller later worked in the community, volunteering for groups that foster economic opportunities in Albuquerque's Southeast Heights. Keller has served on the boards of New Mexico Private Equity Funds, the Open Hands Foundation, the Asian American Association, and Albuquerque Southeast Team for Entrepreneur Development.

New Mexico Senate

Keller was elected in 2008 to represent the people of New Mexico Senate District 17, otherwise known as the International District.^[5][6] In the 49th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 30 pieces of legislation passing 8; 4 of which were signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson.^[7]

In the 2011–12 50th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 55 pieces of legislation,^[8] passed 14 pieces of legislation, and 5 were signed into law by Governor Susana Martinez including reforming the In-State Business Preference that gives local businesses bidding preference on state government procurement. In December 2012, Keller was elected to the New Mexico State Senate leadership as Majority Whip and served two years until resigning after his election to State Auditor.^[9]

Auditor's election

Keller in 2014

Keller announced in spring 2013 that he would seek the office of State Auditor.^[10] He ran on a platform of transparency and good government policies that would stop fraud, waste, and abuse before it occurs.^[11] During the election, Keller released a TV commercial that received national attention for being one of the most innovative and entertaining political ads of this cycle.^[12] On November 4, 2014 Keller was elected State Auditor, defeating Robert Aragon, 54%-46%.^[13]

New Mexico State Auditor

Keller was New Mexico State Auditor from January 5, 2015 to November 30, 2017. He was preceded by Hector Balderas, currently the state Attorney General, and was succeeded upon his election to the mayor's office by Wayne Johnson, a former Bernalillo County Commissioner. During his time as Auditor, Keller initiated several special investigations.

Albuquerque mayoral campaign

In January 2017 Keller announced his intention to run in that year's Albuquerque mayoral election to fight for a safe, inclusive and innovative city. He stated that he would pursue public financing for his campaign by initially raising thousands of five-dollar donations, and pledged to expand the city's Police Department from around 850 officers to 1,200 if elected.^[14] Of the final eight candidates to make the Mayoral ballot, Keller was the only one to receive public financing, collecting nearly 6,000 five-dollar donations from the community, an impressive organizing feat. Keller would receive roughly $380,000 from the city to run his campaign, while his opponents would have no cap to the amount of money they could raise.^[15]

In spite of his monetary disadvantage, Keller still maintained his position as the clear front-runner in the race.^[16]

Throughout the course of the Election, Keller took part in multitudes of debates and forums, ranging from the standard televised debates for local channels, KRQE ^[17] and KOB,^[18] as well as community based such as MIABQ's Forum for Young People, Young Professionals and Young Families,^[19] Dukes Up #RealTalk Forum ^[20] and the Weekly Alibi's candidate Q&A.^[21]

On October 3, Keller topped the ballot with 39 percent of the vote, 16 percentage points ahead of the second-placed candidate, Republican Dan Lewis, whom Keller would face in a runoff election in November.^[22]

Run-off Election: Seen as the front-runner,^[23] Keller continued to garner broad support from across the City, including endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police,^[24] recognition for his bipartisan work as Auditor and Senator,^[25] and his pragmatic vision for the City's future.^[26]

In the Albuquerque mayoral runoff election in November 14, 2017, Keller defeated Lewis with 62% of the vote.^[27] Keller resigned from his position as State Auditor on November 30, 2017.

Mayor of Albuquerque

Personal life

In his personal time, Keller is an avid football fan and played quarterback for the Duke City Gladiators for their 2018 season opener.^[39] A heavy metal enthusiast, Keller can be found at many local music venues and even introducing some of his favorite acts.^[40] Tim is also an advocate for Dyslexia awareness after being diagnosed and re-learning various reading and processing skills as an adult.^[41] He lives in Albuquerque with his wife Liz and their two children, Jack and Maya.

Electoral history

References

External links

• NM State Auditor
• Timothy M. Keller at New Mexico Legislature