Former NACo president Javier Gonzales dies at 56

Key Takeaways

Javier Gonzales, NACo’s youngest president, died Feb. 9 at age 56 in Santa Fe County, N.M., where he served as both a county commissioner and mayor of the city. He is the only NACo president from New Mexico and the only NACo president of Hispanic descent.

Bound by New Mexico law to a two-term limit, he ran for the NACo presidency soon after taking office and was inaugurated in July 2001 at age 35.

“It was almost unfathomable that he was elected president because most NACo presidents spend years and years getting to know people, developing relationships, networking and he had no time to do that,” said Steve Kopelman, executive director of the New Mexico Association of Counties and former Santa Fe County attorney during Gonzales’ tenure.

Though Gonzales planned to focus on rural issues —  including health care, internet access and infrastructure — the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks forced a quick pivot to counties’ role in domestic security.

“We got him a place to speak in front of the National Press Club that December and he did a great job presenting where counties were in terms of protecting the country,” said former NACo Legislative Director Ed Rosado.

Gonzales served as Rosado’s best man at his wedding, and the two maintained a long friendship after beginning their involvement with NACo in the same year.

He counted manty close friends among county officials nationwide, including fomer NACo President Riki Hokama.

"When I met him, I could tell there was something special about this guy," Hokama said. "He had a great presence, he had a personality that was kind of refreshing. When he spoke, the tone and words he used were warm and genuine."

Gonzales served as chairman of NACo’s Homeland Security Task Force and testified before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Dec. 11, 2001, demanding better coordination from federal agencies and increased assistance to counties for preparedness and security and calling for a $3 billion local anti-terrorism block grant to help finance emergency preparedness investments, and for adequate funding of local public health infrastructure under the Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act.

“Counties have a significant role to play in our new national strategy for homeland security,” he told the committee. “We are the public’s first defense, but we do have limited resources and will need additional support and cooperation from the federal government in order to succeed.”

Kopelman saw Gonzales’s career flourish in the private sector before he returned to public office in 2014, when he was the first openly gay man elected mayor of Santa Fe. After his term as mayor and following his 2020 cancer diagnosis, he worked as the chief development officer for Santa Fe’s St. Vincent Hospital foundation. His father, George Abrán Gonzales, had also served as mayor.

“He really moved things forward dramatically,” Kopelman said. “He was a visionary, he never let the grass grow under his feet. His mind was always full of ideas. He was always concerned about the underdog, the less privileged.

“He was the best of both worlds because he had one foot in traditional Santa Fe life and one foot trying to move the community forward.”

Santa Fe County Commissioner, Anna Hansen, who holds Gonzales' former seat, said Gonzales was so well known in the community that it seemed to her that everyone know him throughout Santa Fe.

"Being a county commissioner was his favorite job he had," she said. "It's a tremendous loss."

Gonzales remained close with NACo leaders and staff from his time in office, gathering for reunions and golf trips.

“He enjoyed it, big time, and everyone loved him,” Rosado said.

He was survived by his daughters, Cameron and Cadence.

“They were the love of his life and the center of his world,” Kopelman said.