Hughes plans PRC campaign

Hank Hughes, the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, plans to announce his bid for the Public Regulation Commission on Saturday in Santa Fe.

Hughes, who is vying for Carol Sloan's District 4 seat, said he will be an advocate for "New Mexico's families by making the PRC more transparent and accountable to the public."

"Through my experience in serving homeless families and managing two successful non-profits, I believe I can help turn the corner at the PRC," Huges said in a news release. "I have spent the last 18 years leading organizations that help homeless families in New Mexico. And most recently, through my work at the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness I have been developing new, green affordable housing units in Santa Fe, Gallup, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas."

Hughes lists his "long track-record of advocating for New Mexico's homeless," including work on green affordable housing projects as qualifying experience for the PRC seat.

He wants the PRC to be "more accountable to the public by introducing more ethics reforms and oversight."

He said he'll also focus on "making the state a renewable energy leader and standing up for the rights of New Mexico's consumers against corporations and utilities."

The District 4 includes the counties of Bernalillo, San Juan, McKinley, Santa Fe, Cibola, Sandoval, Rio Arriba, Socorro and Valencia.