Councilor Benton came into Albuquerque in 1976 and has since resided within District 3. He loves the district's uniqueness, due in part to its diverse cultures, history and centralized location near public transit. He considers it to generally have a desirable character of well-built older houses and apartments, mature parks and landscape, and walkable neighborhood commercial services. He believes that this character should be protected and enhanced, and that it must remain available to persons of low and medium incomes.

Councilor Benton is a licensed New Mexico architect and contractor. In 1991, he began his own architecture practice that focuses on libraries, senior and community centers, schools, and housing, using sustainable design and public participation in the design process. He is also a LEED (Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design) certified designer and has served as President of American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Mexico. Councilor Benton is a member of the Urban Design Forum, Public Library Association, the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, the United States Green Building Council, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He volunteers with UNM’s Architecture program and the Design and Planning Assistance Center and had been a Big Brother for eight years. He is married and has a stepdaughter who is a community planner and a stepson who is a student. He enjoys listening to live music, bicycling, and hiking in the Bosque, foothills and mountains of Albuquerque.

Aims & Accomplishments 

Councilor Benton considers his District's key issues to be transportation, economic development, and housing. He will work to improve the safety and quality of the area's streets for walking, biking, and the use of public transit. He does not support continuing to design Albuquerque only for a single mode of transportation, the automobile.

Besides improved educational opportunities, he believes the best hope for economic development in District 3 is the redevelopment and revitalization of older and rundown commercial areas. That will require public/private partnerships to overcome outdated zoning regulations and to regain public trust in the planning process. Mixed-use, site-specific, transit-oriented corridor zoning needs to be be integrated with existing sector plans via a legitimate public process with elected neighborhood representatives. Councilor Benton also believes that housing in such mixed use developments, as well as other infill sites, should be mixed-income, requiring public investment and perhaps regulatory changes to keep them affordable for all working people.

Councilor Benton's Appointments

• Land Use, Planning & Zoning Committee — Chairman
• Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Board — Vice Chairman 
• Regional Transit District
• Alvarado Transportation Center Project Task Force
• Internal Operations Committee
• Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau — Alternate
• Community Schools