District 4 residents are one vote away from getting a new voice on the Governing Body. Mayor Paul Wymer says David Mann, a Rio Rancho Public Schools lawyer, is his pick to fill the council seat Wymer left empty when he became mayor.
Wymer announced the nomination at the June 25 Governing Body meeting, capping a process that started with nine eligible applicants. Two rounds of interviews — the second run with help from the deputy mayor and a district councilor — narrowed the field to three finalists before Wymer settled on Mann. “Good luck, Mr. Mann. Looking forward to the next step,” Wymer said.
The city charter gives Wymer 60 days from the May 1 vacancy to name a replacement, a deadline that lands at the end of this month. It’s a scenario Rio Rancho has never faced in its 45-year history — a sitting mayor filling the very council seat he just left. Wymer’s pick still needs sign-off from the full Governing Body on July 23. If members reject Mann, Wymer gets 45 more days to name someone else, and the cycle repeats until a nominee is confirmed…