Santa Fe County Commissioner Henry Roybal. Photo by Daniel Quat
ROYBAL CAMPAIGN NEWS RELEASE
Longtime Santa Fe County Commissioner Henry Roybal of El Rancho has announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination to the State House of Representatives District 46 representing the area from the northern part of the City of Santa Fe to Southern Espanola.
“After serving 8 years on the Santa Fe County Commission, I would like to continue my work at the state level to ensure we properly invest in our children’s education, diversify our economy so that good paying jobs are available, promote healthy communities, invest in broadband infrastructure and make our communities safe by addressing drug addiction and mental illness,” Roybal said.
A life-long resident of District 46, he has been married to Marlene Naranjo for more than 30 years and they have raised three adult children and are currently raising a four year-old son. Roybal has dedicated his life to mentoring and helping the youth of his community by coaching youth sports programs as well participating in the foster parent program helping kids in need of a good home over the past 14 years.
A graduate of Pojoaque Valley High School, Roybal earned his degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering design from Northern New Mexico College. He went on to work in the private sector and local government and has been employed for 21 years by Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“My family has lived in the Pojoaque Valley for more than 13 generations. We still practice our traditions of ranching, planting and harvesting our own crops. We live in a very culturally rich and diverse area, which has afforded me the opportunity to participate in mariachis celebrations, and Hispanic traditions and in Pueblo Feast days and dances,” Roybal said.
As a Santa Fe County Commissioner, Roybal has served as Chair and Vice Chair for the County Commission three different times for a total of 6 years. He was also elected by his peers twice to serve as the Santa Fe County representative on the executive board for the New Mexico Association of Counties. He is currently the Lead Certified Elected Official on the Northern New Mexico Workforce Development Board, having been elected and appointed by all the city and county elected officials in Northern New Mexico.
Roybal has also served on the Buckman Direct Diversion Board as chair and vice chair, the Metropolitan Planning Organization as chair and vice chair, Solid Waste Management A gency, and the Santa Fe County Investment Committee.
He will term out December 31 after eight years on the Santa Fe County Commission.