Jim Baca

{{short description|American politician from New Mexico}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Jim Baca | image = JimBaca (148013469) (cropped).jpg | office = 27th [[List of Mayors of Albuquerque|Mayor of Albuquerque]] | term_start = December 1, 1997 | term_end = November 30, 2001 | predecessor = [[Martin Chávez]] | successor = [[Martin Chávez]] | office1 = 12th [[Bureau of Land Management#Directors|Director of the]] [[Bureau of Land Management]] | term_start1 = May 19, 1993 | term_end1 = February 3, 1994 | president1 = [[Bill Clinton]] | predecessor1 = [[Cy Jamison]] | successor1 = [[Patrick Shea (Utah lawyer)|Patrick Shea]] | order2 = 21st and 23rd | office2 = New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands | term_start2 = January 1, 1991 | term_end2 = May 19, 1993 | governor2 = [[Bruce King]] | predecessor2 = [[W. R. Humphries]] | successor2 = [[Ray Powell (New Mexico politician)|Ray Powell]] | term_start3 = January 1, 1983 | term_end3 = January 1, 1987 | governor3 = [[Toney Anaya]] | predecessor3 = Alex J. Armijo | successor3 = [[W. R. Humphries]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|9|6}} | birth_place = [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | profession = }}

'''James R. Baca''' (born September 6, 1945) is an [[Americans|American]] politician from [[New Mexico]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Baca served twice as [[New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands]] from 1983 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1993 and as 27th [[List of Mayors of Albuquerque|mayor of Albuquerque]] from 1997 to 2001.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

== Career ==

=== Bureau of Land Management === In 1993, Baca was appointed [[Bureau of Land Management#Directors|Director of the]] [[Bureau of Land Management]] in [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|the administration of]] [[Bill Clinton]], but was fired the next year amidst tensions with [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] [[Bruce Babbitt]] and [[Western United States|Western]] state governors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hcn.org/issues/4/100 |title=BLM chief Jim Baca leaves amidst cheers and boos |newspaper=High Country News | date=February 21, 1994 | access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hcn.org/issues/4/101 |title=Jim Baca says the Department of Interior is in deep trouble |newspaper=High Country News | date=February 21, 1994 | access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>

=== Campaigns === Baca had run unsuccessfully for [[List of Mayors of Albuquerque|mayor of Albuquerque]] and the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1985 and 1988, respectively.<ref name="Our Campaigns">{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=101356|title=Our Campaigns - Jim Baca|access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref> He challenged incumbent Governor [[Bruce King]] in the [[New Mexico gubernatorial election, 1994|1994 Democratic gubernatorial primary]], but came third behind King and Lieutenant Governor [[Casey Luna]].

=== Mayor of Albuquerque === He was elected [[List of Mayors of Albuquerque|mayor of Albuquerque]] in 1997, but in his re-election bid he finished a distant fourth place in the [[Albuquerque mayoral election, 2001|2001 mayoral election]], won by his predecessor [[Martin Chávez]]. He ran to reclaim his previous position as Public Lands Commissioner in 2006, narrowly winning the Democratic primary against [[Ray Powell (New Mexico politician)|Ray Powell]] (who had succeeded him in that office in 1993), but losing the general election to incumbent [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Lands Commissioner [[Patrick H. Lyons]].<ref name="Our Campaigns" /> He then served as state Natural Resource Trustee until his retirement in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/12/21/daily18.html |title=Baca steps down as natural resources trustee |newspaper=Albuquerque Business First | date=December 22, 2009 | access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>

As Mayor of Albuquerque, Baca also made an effort to lure the Canadian minor league baseball team the [[Calgary Cannons]] to Albuquerque with promises of a new $28 million stadium.<ref name="cbc.ca">{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/calgary-cannons-readying-for-move-south-1.265733| title = Calgary Cannons readying for move south {{!}} CBC Sports}}</ref> The effort succeeded and the team was renamed The [[Albuquerque Isotopes]]. The move became part of the basis of a 2001 episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', titled "[[Hungry, Hungry Homer]]," which features the owners of the Springfield Isotopes attempted to move their team to Albuquerque.<ref name="cbcmoveteam">{{Cite web|title=ABQjournal: Homer Hits Home in Albuquerque|url=https://www.abqjournal.com/quirky/isotopes03-06-01.htm|access-date=2020-09-30|website=www.abqjournal.com}}</ref><ref name="cbc.ca"/>

== See also == *[[Baca family of New Mexico]]

== References == {{reflist}} *[[Fray Angélico Chávez]], [[Origins of New Mexico Families|''Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period'']], rev. ed. (Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico, 1992)

== External links == *[http://onlyinnewmexico.blogspot.com/ Only in New Mexico] – Baca's blog *{{C-SPAN|56373}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef | before = Alex J. Armijo}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for <br /> [[New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands]] | years = 1982, 1986, 1990}} {{s-aft | rows = 2 | after = [[Ray Powell (New Mexico politician)|Ray Powell]]}} |- {{s-bef | before = Art Trujillo}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for <br /> [[New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands]] | years = 2006}} |- {{s-off}} {{succession box | title = [[New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands]] | years = January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1987 | before = Alex J. Armijo | after = W. R. Humphries }} {{succession box | title = [[New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands]] | years = January 1, 1991 – May 19, 1993 | before = W. R. Humphries | after = [[Ray Powell (New Mexico politician)|Ray Powell]] }} {{succession box | title = [[List of Mayors of Albuquerque|Mayor of Albuquerque]] | years = December 1, 1997 – November 30, 2001 | before = [[Martin Chávez]] | after = [[Martin Chávez]] }} {{s-gov}} {{succession box | title = [[Bureau of Land Management#Directors|Director of the]] [[Bureau of Land Management]] | years = May 19, 1993 – February 3, 1994 | before = Cy Jamison | after = [[Patrick Shea (Utah lawyer)|Patrick Shea]] }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baca, Jim}} [[Category:1945 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century mayors of places in New Mexico]] [[Category:21st-century mayors of places in New Mexico]] [[Category:Baca family (New Mexico)|Jim]] [[Category:Mayors of Albuquerque, New Mexico]] [[Category:Bureau of Land Management personnel]] [[Category:New Mexico commissioners of public lands]] [[Category:State cabinet secretaries of New Mexico]] [[Category:New Mexico Democrats]]