ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On Tuesday night, voters decided the final seat on the Albuquerque city council in a runoff election. 

KOB 4 sat down with the past and now future city councilors of the district. 

“It’s a little bittersweet, right? If you get excited about the idea that, you know, I can have some time off,” said City Council President Pat Davis.

Davis is stepping down in January after almost a decade serving the city. Davis says he’s proud of everything he accomplished. 

“Big picture. What do we do? We got police oversight, right? After almost eight years of working, we have a new option for serving the community. That’s not a law enforcement response to homelessness and community safety. It’s a national model for what we do,” Davis said.  

He says now the council should focus more on city wide legislation rather than just district specific items. 

“Being a city councilor in the state’s largest city, means that you’re sitting at the table with somebody from Netflix negotiating a billion dollar economic deal. And the next day, you’re helping a local homeless nonprofit, try to find $5,000, to be sure they have enough gas in the van to get people to the shelter next week,” said Davis. 

Now, after a run-off election, Nichole Rogers is the new incoming city councilor for the city’s largest district.

“I’m excited just to go in and build relationships with new counselors and counselors that have already been on council for a while. Because really, we have tough issues facing all of our city,” said Rogers.

She says she knows the district is often split up into Nob Hill and the International District, but no matter where you live, safety is number one. 

Rogers says she’s ready to tackle ongoing issues like homelessness. 

“If we pull up the most vulnerable in our district, it’ll help the entire city, period,” Rogers said.

Rogers says she’s also proud to add representation to the city council. 

“To be the first elected African American is it’s a dream come true. I am just overwhelmed with gratitude that that our district yeah believes in me,” said Rogers.