Timothy M. Keller (born November 22, 1977) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 30th mayor of
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, he served as
New Mexico State auditor
The state auditor of New Mexico is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Twenty-eight individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Brian Colón, a ...
before resigning to become mayor on December 1, 2017. He is also a former member of the
New Mexico State Senate
The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state ...
, representing the 17th district.
Early life and education
Keller was born and raised in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. His father was a founder of Union Savings Bank and his mother was a public school
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and homemaker. He was raised as a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
and following his graduation from
Saint Pius X High School, he attended the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
.
">/sup> Growing up, Keller struggled with dyslexia, though he was not diagnosed until graduate school.
Keller earned a Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
.
Career
![Tim Keller](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Tim_Keller.jpeg)
Early career
Keller is the founder of Digital Divide Data (DDD), which employs and trains disadvantaged persons in Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. ">/sup> DDD is now also present in Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
, and has more than 1000 employees. The organization was ranked by Fast Company magazine
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
as a global Top Innovator and by ''The Global Journal
''The Global Journal'' was a bimonthly online and printed magazine published by the ''Société des Fondateurs de The Global Journal SA'' concentrating on global governance issues. It was established in June 2010 by Jean-Christophe Nothias. Its n ...
'' as one of the Top 100 NGOs worldwide. ">/sup>
After graduating from business school, Keller returned to New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
where he worked in the community, volunteering for groups that foster economic opportunities in Albuquerque's International District. Keller has served on the boards of the Open Hands Foundation, the Asian American Association, and Albuquerque Southeast Team for Entrepreneur Development. Additionally, Keller spent fifteen years in the private sector, initially in strategic planning for fortune 500 companies and most recently helping Native American governmental financial operations.
New Mexico Senate
Keller was elected in 2008 to represent the people of New Mexico Senate District 17, otherwise known as the International District. In the 49th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 30 pieces of legislation passing 8; 4 of which were signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson
William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...
.
In the 2011–12 50th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 55 pieces of legislation, passed 14 pieces of legislation, and 5 were signed into law by Governor Susana Martinez including reforming the In-State Business Preference that gives local businesses bidding preference on state government procurement. In December 2012, Keller was elected to the New Mexico State Senate leadership as Majority Whip and served two years until resigning after his election to State Auditor.
New Mexico auditor
2014 election
Keller announced in spring 2013 that he would seek the office of New Mexico State Auditor
The state auditor of New Mexico is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Twenty-eight individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Brian Colón, a ...
. During the election, Keller released a TV commercial that received national attention for being one of the most innovative and entertaining political ads of this cycle. On November 4, 2014 Keller was elected State Auditor, defeating Robert Aragon, 54%-46%.
Tenure
Keller served as New Mexico's elected State Auditor from January 2015 through November 2017 when he resigned to assume his role as Mayor of Albuquerque. As Auditor, he primarily focused on helping government work better by providing transparency and accountability for government spending; informing policy choices; and tackling fraud, waste and abuse. ">4/sup>
These initiatives included:
* A special audit of New Mexico's backlog of untested Sexual Assault Evidence Kits, commonly known as “rape kits” ">5/sup>
* Investigating a lack of oversight, doctored receipts at La Promesa Charter School ">7/sup>
* Discovering preferential tax treatment and abuse of power which ultimately led to the resignation and potential prosecution of State Tax and Revenue Secretary
* Money on the Sidelines: Report on Unspent Fund Balances. ">9/sup>
* Discovering financial mismanagement at the University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
Athletics Department, costing the institution hundreds of thousands of dollars.
* A financial audit of the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance that rendered 31 findings that ultimately led to a better run agency.
2017 Albuquerque mayoral campaign
In January 2017, Keller announced his intention to run in that year's Albuquerque mayoral election to fight for a safe, inclusive and innovative city. He stated that he would pursue public financing for his campaign by initially raising thousands of five-dollar donations, and pledged to expand the city's Police Department from around 850 officers to 1,200 if elected.
Of the final eight candidates to make the Mayoral ballot, Keller was the only one to receive public financing, collecting nearly 6,000 five-dollar donations from the community, an impressive organizing feat. Keller would receive roughly $380,000 from the city to run his campaign, while his opponents would have no cap to the amount of money they could raise.
Throughout the course of the Election, Keller took part in multitudes of debates and forums, ranging from the standard televised debates for local channels, KRQE and KOB, as well as community based such as MIABQ's Forum for Young People, Young Professionals and Young Families, Dukes Up #RealTalk Forum and the Weekly Alibi's candidate Q&A.
On October 3, Keller topped the ballot with 39 percent of the vote, 16 percentage points ahead of the second-placed candidate, Republican Albuquerque City Councilman Dan Lewis, whom Keller would face in a runoff election in November.
Run-off Election:
Seen as the front-runner, Keller continued to garner broad support from across the city, including endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police, recognition for his bipartisan work as Auditor and Senator, and his pragmatic vision for the city's future.
In the Albuquerque mayoral runoff election on November 14, 2017, Keller defeated Lewis with 62% of the vote. Keller resigned from his position as State Auditor on November 30, 2017.
2021 Albuquerque mayoral campaign
In November 2021, Keller won reelection to a second term.
Mayor of Albuquerque
Transition
After his election, Keller outlined the trajectory of his administration. With just an 8-day transition, the Keller administration quickly named his executive team, including the first female chief administrative officer, Sarita Nair.
After assuming office, Keller appointed new leadership at the Albuquerque Police Department. On November 28, 2017, Mayor Keller announced he would be naming Michael Geier as interim Chief-of-Police. In addition, Harold Medina, Rogelio "Roger" Banez, and Eric Garcia were named deputy chiefs.
Inauguration
On December 1, 2017, Keller was sworn in as the 30th mayor of Albuquerque.
Sustainability
Mayor Keller issued an executive order for the City of Albuquerque to use 100% renewable energy by 2030. including building a large solar farm on the nearby Jicarilla Reservation.
Personal life
An avid football player, Keller played quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for Albuquerque's professional indoor football team, the Duke City Gladiators
The Duke City Gladiators are a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They began play in March 2015 as members of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. The Gladiators played ...
, for their 2018 season opener. Keller was profiled as the “#MetalMayor” by ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and has introduced a number of bands live on stage in Albuquerque. He is also an advocate for Dyslexia awareness after being diagnosed with the disorder himself and re-learning various reading and processing skills as an adult.
Electoral history
See also
* List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
NM State Auditor
Timothy M. Keller
at New Mexico Legislature
The New Mexico Legislature ( es, Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate.
History
The Ne ...
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Timothy M.
1977 births
21st-century American politicians
American Roman Catholics
Harvard Business School alumni
Living people
Democratic Party New Mexico state senators
Mayors of Albuquerque, New Mexico
State auditors of New Mexico
University of Notre Dame alumni