Hall Goes to House

Gov. Susana Martinez has announced that Los Alamos County Councilor Jim Hall will fill the seat of longtime former Rep. Jeannette Wallace, who died in April.

New Rep. Jim Hall,
R-Los Alamos

Hall, not to be confused with the former state district judge from Santa Fe with the same name, is a Republican, as is the governor and as was Wallace.

In a statement, Martinez said, “As we fight to turn New Mexico around by fostering economic growth, reforming education, and promoting public safety, I’m confident that Mr. Hall shares the hope of all New Mexicans to create a brighter future for our families and businesses. His broad experience in both the public and private sectors means that the people of Los Alamos, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties will be represented by someone who knows what it takes to get our state back on track.”

Hall has long been involved in Los Alamos politics and government, having served on the school board there as well as having worked as a county manager. He has worked at Los Alamos National Laboratories, including 12 years as a group leader. He's also worked as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Former Judge Jim Hall
(from New Mexican Archive)

Under Gov. Gary Johnson, Hall was head of the state Information Technology Management Office. Martinez had previously chosen Hall for another job. He was on her transition team for information technology. At the time of that appointment, Wallace herself told The Los Alamos Monitor that Hall was a good choice for that task.

He's also been vice president of Oso Grande Technologies, an Albuquerque-based IP technology company.  Hall graduated from Macalester College and earned a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of New Mexico.

“I look forward to joining Governor Martinez in the fight to turn our state around,” Hall said in the governor's news release. “I will do my best to honor Jeannette Wallace’s outstanding record of public service and I’m honored to be selected to serve the people of the 43rd District. I’m eager to get to work to tackle the challenges in front of us.”

Rep. Jimmie Hall,
R-Albuquerque :
Not the same guy

Assuming he seeks election to the seat in 2012, Hall is expected to face Democrat Stephanie Richard in the general election. Richard came within about 200 votes of defeating Wallace last year. She was on the short list of nominees from which the governor chose, having been nominated by the Sandoval County Commission last month.

One looming question: Will the new lawmaker form a two-man James Hall Caucus with Rep. Jimmie Hall, R-Albuquerque?