Felix Garcia served as mayor for 14 years beginning in the 1970s. His family has lived in Tijeras for generations, he said, adding that his father was mayor of Tijeras before he was.

In 2000, the year current Mayor Gloria Chavez was elected, Garcia put his name on the ballot for mayor but later said he didn't want people to vote for him.

He dropped out of the race after the deadline and asked people not to vote for him. Chavez won the election with 74 votes, unseating incumbent Mayor Juan Griego, who had been mayor since 1988. Griego received 68 votes and, despite having asked voters to ignore his name on the ballot, Garcia still picked up six votes.

Chavez welcomed Garcia at the council meeting Monday night, where Garcia was sworn in to office along with incumbents Tina King and Gilbert Gutierrez.

"We look forward to working with you," she said.

Garcia said there may be big things on the horizon for Tijeras.

"We've been fighting all along for more businesses to move in," he said. "The village has grown a little bit, but not as fast as what I thought it would be growing."

He added that, with the national economy now in relatively rough shape, the federal government won't likely be putting as much funding into the village as it has in the past. Still, he said, he'd like to see the village borders expanded, possibly toward Cedar Crest. With more business and more area come more revenues to the village, he said, which could pay for a sewage system, road paving programs and a police department.

He admitted that those goals are pretty ambitious and could take time.

"It's a long road ahead of us," he said.

A property that could house a business some day, but is currently abandoned, was mentioned at the council meeting. Land owned by Peggy Pohl, on the corner of Old Route 66 and N.M. 337, has been used as a party spot for local teenagers, according to reports to the village, Chavez said.

Blankets, a soda can with marijuana in it and other items were found, indicating people were using the structure, she said. The structure has been boarded up, according to village Fire Chief Dave Bezy.