MEET JOE CAMPOS
Joe Campos announced his candidacy for NM Lt. Governor on August 11, 2009 in Santa Rosa, NM. He is a native of Santa Rosa, and a graduate of NM Military Institute High School and the University of New Mexico.
Joe Campos and his wife, Christina and have been married for 24 years. She has been the administrator of Guadalupe County Hospital in Santa Rosa for 5 years.
They have three grown children. Analisa, 23, is a graduate of the UNM School of Nursing and works at Presbyterian Albuquerque as a Labor & Delivery RN. Andrea, 21, is a make-up artist for Aveda in downtown Denver, CO. Jose, 19, is a graduate of NMMI high school and is a college sophomore there.
Joe took over his family's restaurant, Joseph's, in Santa Rosa, in 1985 and grew it from 8 employees to 34 employees. They also have a lounge and a gift shop.
Joe served as Guadalupe County Commissioner in 1991-1992. His accomplishments while as a commissioner include computerization of the County Courthouse, road department equipment upgrades, and the development of personnel policies and procedures to minimize politics at the county employee level.
As Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa (1998-present) Joe has served the most consecutive terms (3). His accomplishments include economic development and improvement (from the 2nd poorest community in 1998, to the 7th fastest per capita income growth in NM), main street and downtown improvements, a brand new City Hall in a historic building, the construction of a new courthouse square, and numerous park improvements. These are but a small sample of all that has been achieved over the past 11 years.
As State Representative since 2003, Joe has sponsored, and passed, numerous bills. In fact, in 2006 he was one of the top ten legislators to have bills passed and signed into law. One of his most important bills was the RETA (Renewable Energy Transmission Authority) which will facilitate New Mexico's alternative energy industry and create potentially thousands of jobs for New Mexicans. He is currently the chairman of the House Voters and Elections Committee.
Joe is also the 2009 Chairman of the Council of State Governments' West, whose members include legislators from the 13 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii which will be holding its annual convention in Santa Fe this October.
As a legislator, Joe Campos has been honored with several awards including Rookie Legislator of the Year and Legislator of the Year by the Association of Commerce and Industry, and the Soaring Eagle award from the NM Association of Counties.