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Thursday, Mar 28th

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Becenti-Aguilar running for PRC seat

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COYOTE CANYON, N.M. — Theresa Becenti-Aguilar wants to become a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, which, if successful, would make it the second time around for the Coyote Canyon native.

Becenti-Aguilar made the announcement to run last month.

“I believe that I can serve the people and I have proven that I am capable of serving the people,” Becenti-Aguilar said. “I am again ready to start the PRC job.”

Becenti-Aguilar grew up in Coyote Canyon, on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, without electricity or running water, and was appointed to PRC in July 2010 by then Gov. Bill Richardson. She served out the remainder of a term that was started by Carol Sloan.

She outright won the PRC election the following year and ended up making history as the first PRC panel that included three women in the history of the agency.

As far as platform, Becenti-Aguilar said she’d like to concentrate on improving wireless telephone line service in places like Bread Springs, N.M. She said she doesn’t believe District 4 is in “a right sense of ethics.”

“I feel that there is more structure needed with respect to what the District 4 commissioner should be doing,” Becenti-Aguilar said.

The election is June 5. Becenti-Aguilar is a Democrat and the District 4 seat is currently occupied by Lynda Lovejoy of Crownpoint.

Lovejoy is a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives (Democrat) and first attained a PRC seat 11 years ago with former state rep Sandra Jeff as a staff assistant. Becenti-Aguilar has also served as a state Senate floor worker at the state legislature a few years ago.

Becenti-Aguilar ran for a Navajo Nation Council Delegate 14 seat two years ago, losing to Steven Begay of Naschitti. She filed a grievance after the contest, alleging Begay wasn’t eligible to run and eventually won the case.

The District 4 PRC includes McKinley, Cibola, San Juan, Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, Socorro, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties. PRC commissioners earn an annual salary of $90,000.

By Bernie Dotson

For the Sun


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