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Mayor Ken Miyagishima
Biography
Kenneth Daniel Gallegos Miyagishima was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1963. He is of both Japanese and Mexican descent. He has lived in Las Cruces since 1971.
He attended public schools and in 1985 graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU) with degrees in finance and real estate. In 1984 - while still attending NMSU - Ken began his insurance and financial services business, which he still owns today.
Ken was first elected mayor of Las Cruces in 2007 and is currently in his fourth, four-year term.
Ken and Rosie have four children. Danielle is in year 7 of 10 attending Yale Medical School, working on her M.D.-PhD in Neurology while John is a civil engineer in Albuquerque, Frank is finishing his master's degree in electrical engineering at NMSU. Carlos is a junior at NMSU studying finance and hopes to become a business attorney.
Powers and Duties
City Charter Section 2.03 Mayor; Mayor Pro Tem
(a) Selection. At the first meeting after each regular election, or in the event there is a runoff election for a councillor or mayoral candidate pursuant to this Charter, after the first meeting following such runoff election the council shall select a mayor pro tem from among the other six (6) councillors then elected and serving. For all purposes of this Charter, the mayor and mayor pro tem shall remain councillors but shall have additional powers herein set forth.
(b) Duties. The mayor shall chair the council, shall have a vote on all matters coming before the council, shall be recognized as head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes and by the governor for purposes of military law, shall propose programs and policies to the council annually in a formal statement, and from time to time, but shall not have any administrative duties. The mayor pro tem shall perform the duties of the mayor in the absence or disability of the mayor.
City Charter Section 2.04 General Powers and Duties
All powers of the city shall be vested in the council, except as otherwise provided by law or this Charter, and the council shall provide for the exercise thereof and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed on the city by law.