Board of Trustees
The governing body of the Village of Los Ranchos is composed of four trustees elected by the voters to four-year staggered terms. The current Board of Trustees is composed of Gilbert Benavides, Jennifer Kueffer, George Radnovich, and Frank Reinow, Mayor Pro Tem.
The Village Treasurer is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Trustees. The current Treasurer is Will Fisher, who was appointed and confirmed on May 13, 2020.
Regular Trustee meetings are located at Village Hall, beginning in February 2024, the meetings will be held the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm; special meetings are called as needed. The board has a long history of encouraging public participation through a public comment period scheduled for every meeting. It is necessary, however, to register with the Village Clerk prior to the meeting if you would like to speak. Please contact Danielle Sedillo-Molina at dmolina@losranchosnm.gov to sign-up.
To view the latest meeting or see the agenda for the next meeting, click below
Gilbert Benavides, Trustee
Gilbert Benavides and his wife, Linda, are multi-generational New Mexicans who have lived in the Village of Los Ranchos for 38 years where they raised their three children. Their children attended Los Ranchos Elementary where Gilbert would volunteer to do hands-on science projects for all the students. As a hobbyist, Gilbert grows over a half ton of grapes per year, makes wine, and shares his knowledge with friends. He values the diversity of the people and its agricultural heritage. He understands that water is a critical resource for growing crops, maintaining our green pastures, and keeping our majestic cottonwoods alive.
Gilbert will work to improve public safety and code enforcement. He will support the revitalization of 4th street to create an attractive environment that is pedestrian friendly and allows for businesses to thrive. He is open to ideas that leverages our agriculture to bolster businesses within the Village
Gilbert is a licensed professional engineer who previously led large teams at Sandia National Laboratories to develop products for our national security. Gilbert served as a planning and zoning commissioner prior to being elected to the Board of Trustees. Upon being elected, Gilbert was appointed by the mayor to the board for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. Gilbert holds a BS from UNM and an MS from Stanford University.
jkueffer@losranchosnm.gov
Jennifer Kueffer, Trustee
Jennifer considers it an honor to be an elected official for the Village of Los Ranchos. As a native New Mexican, she has a deep love for the natural beauty of the village and its founding principles. Jennifer grew up in the North Valley and graduated from Valley High School. In 2018, she and her husband moved to Los Ranchos to be closer to family. They wanted to live in a place with space that would provide the opportunity for a small garden and livestock; her home includes dogs and chickens. Her family enjoys camping, fishing, and walking the acequias with their four-legged kiddos.
Politics wasn't on her bucket list however, she felt the voice of the villagers needed to be heard, which motivated her to run for office. Jennifer is committed to maintaining the village's balance between nature and development. This balance can be achieved by working together to improve village ordinances. Jennifer will be taking a proactive approach to preserve the village's natural beauty and unique character, while preparing the community to handle the challenges of growth and development.
Jennifer’s experience includes working in government and as a small business owner, she understands some of the challenges the community faces. She is committed to finding solutions that are beneficial to everyone. She believes supporting local businesses is crucial to the long-term success of the village. She is committed to attracting more businesses that align with the village identity and will be committed to preserving the community's unique character.
As a Trustee, Jennifer is excited to work for all constituents to ensure that Los Ranchos remains a beautiful, natural, and thriving place to live, work, and play. “By working together, we can build a community everyone is proud to call home!”
George Radnovich, Trustee
George began his career as an architect, refocused to nurseryman, then a chef, businessman, a wine purveyor, then an urban designer and landscape architect. He is a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects. In 2021 he joined the ranks of elected officials for the first time in his life to help guide Los Ranchos in retaining its past and growing its future. While he has been a community organizer, and a Los Ranchos planning and zoning commissioner, he never thought about politics until seeing the challenges and impacts of growth on the Village. George and his wife Sandi have lived in the village since1998 and have always loved the area. They both enjoy friends and relatives, entertaining, and seeing and experiencing different places around the country and world, but they mostly enjoy simply sitting in their back yard and watching wildlife and nature; or taking a walk down the acequia they live on.
Throughout his career, George has been an advocate for places, for their culture and people, their environment, their history and their evolution. Now he can direct that interest in Los Ranchos. He loves the village and he enjoys spending time here and helping to enrich it. He has also helped to enhance it, being the landscape architect and urban designer for Phase I of the Fourth Street Revitalization Project.
As Trustee, he wants to work on the village’s form and planning, and hone our policies and ordinances to match our collective desires about our home. George also wants transparency and equitable treatment for everyone. He wants to help to ensure our environment in Los Ranchos is the best it can be for all residents.
freinow@losranchosnm.gov
Frank Reinow, Mayor Pro Tem/Trustee
Frank Reinow and his wife Pam have lived in the Village since 1989 and raised their two sons, who attended Taft Middle School and Valley High School. They love living Los Ranchos, energized by Village open spaces, tree canopies, wildlife sightings, walking trails along the acequias, agricultural lands, and the unique history and traditions that set our Village apart. As a Trustee, he will focus to work with residents, Village staff, and the Governing Body to preserve this environment while ensuring that future growth reflects the character and tradition of the Village.
Trustee Reinow has always had an interest and special affinity for local government service since completing his graduate studies in public administration. Initially trained to be a city manager, he has had responsible positions as a training and development manager and management consultant, working with state and local governments, member-owned electric utilities, hospitals, and private businesses. As a university professor, he taught courses in general management, marketing, project management, state and local government, human resource management, and entrepreneurship. He hopes to bring this experience to the Board of Trustees.
The Village is faced with significant current and future challenges to preserve its identity, surrounded by Bernalillo County and the City of Albuquerque. Trustee Reinow wants to strengthen Village codes and ordinances to ensure that planned growth and development follows uniform and fair rules and procedures for everyone, with active participation of residents. Building and sustaining local businesses needs to be a priority for the Village, as it provides services to residents and drives gross receipts taxes to fund operations. Finally, he wants to work with colleagues to build trust and ensure transparency in decisions and actions; “we can all do better.”