County commissioner resigns to pursue new opportunity

San Miguel County Commissioner Janice Varela, who is nearing the end of her second term on the commission, is resigning from the post as she transitions into a role with the New Mexico Forestry Division.

County Commission Chairman Harold Garcia said Varela submitted a letter of resignation March 11. Varela’s last day as a county commissioner will be April 12, Garcia said.

“I want to thank Commissioner Varela for serving with us,” Garcia said. “I want to thank her for her contributions to San Miguel County.”

Garcia said County Manager Joy Ansley has notified the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as well as the office of Lt. Gov. Howie Morales of Varela’s resignation. The governor will appoint a replacement for Varela who will serve the rest of her term, which is through the end of 2024, Garcia said.

Varela said in a telephone interview Monday that her decision to resign is meant to avoid “a potential conflict” between her service on the county commission and her new position as a burned area coordinator for the New Mexico Forestry Division. 

She said that she searched for employment that would allow her to continue her public service as she approached the end of her second term.

“I’ll still be serving my community,” she said. “My life’s work has been serving my community.”

Varela said she was first elected to the San Miguel County Commission in 2016, and began her tenure as a commissioner in January 2017. She beat opponents Oliver Perea and Rosendo Sandoval at that time.

She was reelected to the county commission four years later, also beating out two opponents—Marcelino Ortiz and Roy Cates.

Varela’s public service has extended far beyond being a county commissioner, and has often included working to protect natural resources. Over the years, she has served on the Solid Waste Authority, representing the Village of Pecos; she served with the Upper Pecos Watershed Association; and was a community organizer and governance specialist for the New Mexico Acequia Association. 

Varela has also served two terms on the Planning & Zoning Commission, from 2008 until she became a San Miguel County commissioner.

During her time as a San Miguel County commissioner, Varela was able to secure the Outstanding Natural Resource Waters status for a portion of the Pecos River. 

According to online sources, the ONRW is the highest level of protection that can be given to a body of water under the New Mexico Water Quality Standards. The ONRW designation means a portion of the Pecos River will receive enhanced protection from degradation under the state’s Standards for Interstate and Intrastate Surface Waters as well as the federal Clean Water Act. 

Varela said San Miguel County had to petition the state’s Water Quality Control Commission to get the ONRW status for the Pecos River, which was granted in 2022.

Born and raised in Pecos, Varela said the love of the land has driven her to serve her community and strive to conserve its natural resources.

“I’ve always felt very blessed and fortunate to live where I do,” she said. 

Varela said her great-great-grandparents homesteaded land near Pecos, land that her family continues to visit. Describing the land as a little piece of heaven, Varela said her family – which includes son Kiko Varela, daughter Ursula Montagne and four grandchildren – enjoys recreation such as camping and fishing on the land.

Varela said her parents, Arthur and Emily Varela, taught her to love the land and its natural resources. Her father was an accomplished fisherman, often fishing in the Pecos River, while her mother taught her to swim in its waters.

Now Varela’s daughter is teaching her own children to fish in the Pecos River.

Varela said that although her upcoming role with the New Mexico Forestry Division is not an elected position, she still continues to see it as a public service. It will be a role that will continue to allow her the opportunity to work with government agencies to protect the land and its resources.

“It’s been my honor and pleasure to serve not just my district, but the entire county of San Miguel,” Varela said. “I do believe we have a stronger county for it. There’s a lot of work to do, but my fellow commissioners have supported me wholeheartedly, 100 percent on everything I’ve put forward on protection of the Pecos River.”