Corrales residents will soon be choosing a mayor, and next week will have the opportunity to hear from the two candidates vying for the position.
Incumbent Mayor James Fahey Jr. was elected in 2022 and is seeking a second term. Longtime resident and former Village Councilor Fred Hashimoto is seeking to unseat Fahey, citing a need for change in village leadership.
The two will appear Tuesday at a candidate forum hosted by Sandoval County Indivisible. Fahey told the Sandoval Signpost Thursday the candidates will make opening and closing statements and offer answers to eight to 10 questions during the one-hour assembly.
The forum will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Corrales Fitness Gym, 500 Jones Road.
He said the format is acceptable and that the forum and other events should be useful for voters, especially those who haven’t heard much about the race thus far.
“The more data you get regarding anything, the more it helps you understand what’s going on,” Fahey said.
Sandoval County Indivisible’s Terry Eisenbart said the organization believes every election matters and that voters make better decisions when they get engaged.
She said the forum will be “a civil and respectful discussion about issues of importance to the Village of Corrales.”
Eisenbart said moderator Heather Balas (a longtime policy consultant to the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates) will have sole discretion over which questions are asked. Eisenbart said members of Sandoval County Indivisible have thought up some questions, and those attending the forum will get note cards on which they may write questions.
Hashimoto and Fahey will also appear at separate question-and-answer sessions at Ex Novo Brewing Company, 4895 Corrales Road. Fahey is scheduled to be there at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with Hashimoto going at 6 p.m. Oct. 29.
Fahey said he’s also attending a campaign event Oct. 23 at the Sandia Bar, but wasn’t sure what format it would take.
Another former councilor, Bob Eichhorst, had filed to run, but later withdrew from the race and endorsed Hashimoto.
Expanded early voting in the village itself begins Saturday at the Corrales Community Center, 4324 Corrales Road. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 1.
Early voting will be available at the Sandoval County Clerk’s Office during business hours. Corraleños can also cast their ballots at any voting convenience center in the county.