Architect Tyson Parker is the new Village councillor, appointed to fill the vacancy left when Dave Dornburg resigned from his Council District 4 position. He was selected by Mayor Jo Anne Roake from among eight villagers who stepped forward to serve out the term until March 2022. Her selection was confirmed by the council at its January 12 session. Others who volunteered were: Drew Burr, Jonathan Martinez, Rob Black, John Alsobrook, Mike Hanna, Chris Allen and Mary Chappelle. Allen and Alsobrook have previously served on the council. Parker joins Bill Woldman, Stu Murray, Zach Burkett, Kevin Lucero and Mel Knight on the council.
“Raising a young family with three generations living together on our ‘compound’ has allowed me to see Corrales through the eyes of each group,â€â€ˆParker explained in his December 29 letter to the mayor offering to serve out Dornburg’s term. He referred to coaching youngsters in basketball and swimming at the recreation center, participating in focus groups for Albuquerque Public Schools and other involvement “as well as frequent sit-downs with the Village matriarch, Evelyn Curtis Losack, before her passing, learning what it means to be a Corraleño.â€
Parker is owner of two architecture and design firms, Studio 151 LLC and Tyson Parker Design which he started in 2012. Prior to striking out on his own, he was a senior associate with the Edward Fitzgerald Architects firm where he started in 2002. He holds a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning (2003). He served on the Corrales Parks and Recreation Commission from 2013 to 2016; served on the board of directors for Corrales Arts Center 2012- 2015. He was District 4 commissioner on the N.M. Public Education Commission from 2013 to 2015.
Parker studied wild monkeys in Costa Rica in 1996 while working on his degree in psychology at the University of Redlands, California. It was not clear whether that entry on his submitted resume was a deciding factor in the mayor’s decision. After citing his range of experience in the December letter to Mayor Roake, Parker suggested “this background creates a unique perspective that touches on many of the realities that Corrales and its residents face, and would be of benefit in the search for solutions and compromises to current and future issues needing to be addressed†by the council.