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Jim Baca

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Jim Baca
27th Mayor of Albuquerque
In office
December 1, 1997 – November 30, 2001
Preceded byMartin Chávez
Succeeded byMartin Chávez
12th Director of the Bureau of Land Management
In office
May 19, 1993 – February 3, 1994
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byCy Jamison
Succeeded byPatrick Shea
21st and 23rd New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
In office
January 1, 1991 – May 19, 1993
GovernorBruce King
Preceded byW. R. Humphries
Succeeded byRay Powell
In office
January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1987
GovernorToney Anaya
Preceded byAlex J. Armijo
Succeeded byW. R. Humphries
Personal details
Born (1945-09-06) September 6, 1945 (age 79)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

James R. Baca (born September 6, 1945) is an American politician from New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, Baca served twice as New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands from 1983 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1993 and as 27th mayor of Albuquerque from 1997 to 2001.[citation needed]

Career

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Bureau of Land Management

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In 1993, Baca was appointed Director of the Bureau of Land Management in the administration of Bill Clinton, but was fired the next year amidst tensions with United States Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Western state governors.[1][2]

Campaigns

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Baca had run unsuccessfully for mayor of Albuquerque and the United States House of Representatives in 1985 and 1988, respectively.[3] He challenged incumbent Governor Bruce King in the 1994 Democratic gubernatorial primary, but came third behind King and Lieutenant Governor Casey Luna.

Mayor of Albuquerque

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He was elected mayor of Albuquerque in 1997, but in his re-election bid he finished a distant fourth place in the 2001 mayoral election, won by his predecessor Martin Chávez. He ran to reclaim his previous position as Public Lands Commissioner in 2006, narrowly winning the Democratic primary against Ray Powell (who had succeeded him in that office in 1993), but losing the general election to incumbent Republican Lands Commissioner Patrick H. Lyons.[3] He then served as state Natural Resource Trustee until his retirement in 2009.[4]

As Mayor of Albuquerque, Baca also made an effort to lure the Canadian minor league baseball team the Calgary Cannons to Albuquerque with promises of a new $28 million stadium.[5] The effort succeeded and the team was renamed The Albuquerque Isotopes. The move became part of the basis of a 2001 episode of The Simpsons, titled "Hungry, Hungry Homer," which features the owners of the Springfield Isotopes attempted to move their team to Albuquerque.[6][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BLM chief Jim Baca leaves amidst cheers and boos". High Country News. February 21, 1994. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  2. ^ "Jim Baca says the Department of Interior is in deep trouble". High Country News. February 21, 1994. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Our Campaigns - Jim Baca". Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Baca steps down as natural resources trustee". Albuquerque Business First. December 22, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Calgary Cannons readying for move south | CBC Sports".
  6. ^ "ABQjournal: Homer Hits Home in Albuquerque". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
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Party political offices
Preceded by
Alex J. Armijo
Democratic nominee for
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands

1982, 1986, 1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Art Trujillo
Democratic nominee for
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands

2006
Political offices
Preceded by
Alex J. Armijo
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1987
Succeeded by
W. R. Humphries
Preceded by
W. R. Humphries
New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
January 1, 1991 – May 19, 1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Albuquerque
December 1, 1997 – November 30, 2001
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by
Cy Jamison
Director of the Bureau of Land Management
May 19, 1993 – February 3, 1994
Succeeded by