Commissioner Ramon S. Gonzalez was elected to the District 1 (previously District 2) seat on the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 8, 2016. He took the oath of office on Dec. 29, 2016, and assumed the duties of County Commissioner on Jan. 1, 2017. His four-year term ends Dec. 31, 2020, and he is eligible to seek re-election.

Commissioner Gonzalez is a 1969 graduate of Gadsden High School, and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from New Mexico Highlands University, where he played collegiate basketball. He was inducted into the Hall of Honor in Basketball in 2013. After its incorporation in 2010, he served as the first mayor of the City of Anthony, N.M. He retired after 44 years teaching within the Gadsden Independent School District, where he taught history, world history and physical education. He also coached baseball, basketball and volleyball. 

Commissioner Gonzalez has been married for 30 years. He and his wife Jovita have two daughters, Teresa and Jessica.

District 1 encompasses Doña Ana County’s border with Texas and the Republic of Mexico, including the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. Incorporated municipalities within District 1 include the City of Sunland Park and the City of Anthony, as well as the unincorporated communities of Chaparral, Santa Teresa, La Union and Chamberino.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

As does any teacher, I create strategies to achieve desired outcomes, as well as the planning and preparation to accomplish goals. My background of planning and preparation, which was such an important part of my teaching career, also carry over into other aspects of my life, which I why I believe I can be an effective county commissioner.

These qualities worked well for me as a coach, for a good coach must not only instruct but also inspire his teams as they work toward a common goal. Planning a preparation also served me well as mayor and leader who helped in contract negotiations, grievances, organizations and moving the community toward shared outcomes. Preparation, planning and the ability to work with others are, after all, essential traits for any public official.

Innovations and flexibility of mind are, I believe, qualities that are also necessary to any leader. As an educator, I realized that the ability to adjust to change – and sometimes adversity – was as much an essential part of each day as much as preparation and planning. Sometimes your plans do not account for every possibility; occasionally emergencies force us to refocus our energies; and, once in a while, the opportunity arises that allows us to take advantage of new and possibly exciting ideas. My life as an educator, a family man, a coach, and mayor and leader have given me the background and training to be a successful public servant. Facts and details and statistics can be learned, but skills in planning, preparation, innovation and flexibility of mind do not come nearly so easily.