Business leader and community advocate John Munoz begins council service

Local business leader and community organizer John P. Muñoz was sworn in this month as the newest member of the Las Cruces City Council, representing District 6 in a transition that marks his first elected public office.

Muñoz, a seasoned operations executive and entrepreneur with deep ties to Las Cruces’ civic and business communities, defeated challenger Richard Reynaud in the November 2025 municipal election, winning approximately 62.5 percent of the vote under the city’s ranked-choice voting system.

“It was exciting to meet a lot of people, knock on doors, speak to different groups, but the actual process at the very end was a little nerve-wracking,” Munoz said. “They stopped counting at 11 p.m. It was kind of neat, so we had on the big screen and we were updating at seven, eight o'clock, and so on. Then at 11 o'clock it just stopped moving.”

The campaign thought a big batch would come int at 11:30 p.m. or midnight, but nothing happened. Nothing was moving so they went home, deciding they’d check again in the morning.

“It was hard to sleep, and at 1:30 I hear a ding, you know, I got an email and it says the election commission recessed at 11 p.m.,” Munoz said. “That makes sense. so we had to wait and then as the results started coming in they were in our favor. It’s a new approach.”

Before entering elected office, Muñoz built a long career in executive leadership and nonprofit management. He has served as president and CEO of the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing and promoting commerce and cultural life in the city’s historic core, and held senior roles such as chief relations officer at Electronic Caregiver, a Las Cruces-based healthcare technology firm recognized for rapid growth.

His professional history includes managing complex, multimillion-dollar operations and leading large teams across the United States. Muñoz’s leadership has earned him awards and recognition from organizations including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and local business groups in both Las Cruces and Oklahoma City.

It's that background Munoz believes will serve him well on the council.

“It's important to look at things like processes, systems, and data,” Munoz said. “I'd like to take that similar approach with the city. I know government is a different entity than private business or nonprofits, but there's a lot of similar trends.

“One of the things I'd like to look at is a wage and salary study for the city staff. I know there's a budgetary question, but for us to remain competitive, to retain the right people, and level up our service delivery to our residents, it's important to retain and recruit talent. I would like to add a little bit more science to it.”

As someone who has worked a lot in analytics, Munoz believes there are answers in the numbers. He hopes his business background brings that to the city council.

Muñoz also has a track record of community engagement: he has served on nonprofit boards, delivered commencement speeches for local schools, and represented the Las Cruces chamber in international forums. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, reflecting both local roots and global perspective.

During his campaign, Muñoz centered his platform on public safety, economic opportunity, infrastructure improvements and inclusive growth. He emphasized the need to equip first responders, strengthen behavioral health and substance-cessation services, and expand support for the unhoused, alongside efforts to foster quality job creation and support small businesses.

Muñoz also voiced support for community-based solutions to a wide range of issues, including sustainable development, improved transportation planning, and greater civic engagement through transparent leadership and regular community conversations.

Before election day, Munoz reached out to the other candidates for this council seat and suggested they get together.

“I called the candidates about five days before the election and was able to reach most of them and just to let them know as we were in the final stretch I'd like to keep this campaign focused on issues and have it remain positive if possible,” Munoz said.

He was committed to having an open dialogue with the other candidates, win or lose the election.

“I wanted to share some of the main issues that my supporters have and vice versa, I want to listen specifically to some of the issues and some of the themes that they had within their camps so that we can work together,” Munoz said. “I think that there's so much more that we can do together. We're not going to exactly agree on those solutions, but if we’re close enough, then let's go for them.”

Muñoz was sworn in alongside other newly elected officials at a December ceremony hosted by Doña Ana County, where he described the experience as “surreal” and reflective of the seriousness of his commitment to public service.

“I've been active in the community, and it's given me so much and with this opportunity it's a chance for me to also give back and serve,” he said. “I know it's going to be a whole lot more work, a whole lot more time, but I think that working together, we'll get some good results for the residents here and their kids and grandkids.”