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Albuquerque City Council President Cynthia Borrego recalls that the words, “Here comes Dr. Joe ”when she was working for the city’s planning department, the department staff got on their toes. And that’s probably just a polite way of putting it.
Dr. Joe was Joe L. Valles, a dentist in Albuquerque and a passionate advocate of the West Side of the city, where he lived.
“I met him (in the planning department) in the 1990s,” said Borrego, who represents District 5 on the West Side. “He’s always worked with our planners and has given so many people a little bit of grief over neighborhood issues. He would testify at meetings of the planning committee – and not just on West Side issues. “
Bernalillo District Commissioner Debbie O’Malley said “persistent” is the first word that comes to mind when she thinks of Valles and “honest” is the second.
“He wanted quality development on the West Side,” said O’Malley, a former Albuquerque alderman who now represents County District 1, which includes the West Side. “He wanted planned growth. Not only did he want an apartment on the West Side, he wanted the opportunity to work there. He really fought to represent the neighborhood in making decisions about growth. Joe spoke openly to elected officials. He hasn’t pimped us up and we disagreed on some things. He was respectful, but he was direct. “
Borrego said Valles had been a staunch neighborhood activist for at least 30 years.
“He understood planning and was someone who cared for his community,” she said. “When he spoke, people listened. He will be missed. “
Valles, 72, died on September 5.
Dr. Joe Valles.
Among the survivors are his wife Joanne; Sons Domingo Valles, DDS, and Emiliano Valles, MD; a grandson; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be held on September 24th in St. Joseph at Rio Grande Church, 5901 St. Josephs NW. After a laudation at 8:15 a.m., mass follows at 9:00 a.m.
Rural roots
Valles was born in Jarales, a few kilometers south of Belen. He lived his earliest years with his maternal grandparents on their farm and ranch in Jarales.
“He loved his grandparents,” said Joanne, Valles’ widow. “He always talked about that rooster that his grandfather had. This rooster loved Joe’s grandfather, but when he saw Joe, forget it. That rooster would chase Joe to the outhouse. He remembered that. “
When his grandfather died in 1957, Valles and his grandmother moved closer to Belen. In a list he made last year that highlighted influential points in his life, Valles recalled working Saturdays during that time, cleaning up the law offices of former Lieutenant Governor Tibo Chavez.
When he was in sixth grade, he and his grandmother moved to live near Valles’ parents in Albuquerque’s South Valley. He attended Rio Grande High School and was co-editor of the school’s yearbook.
Valles wrote that he saved money by working after school and on Saturdays and Sundays, and eventually buying himself a motorcycle and a car. Despite being a good student, he dropped out of high school in April 1967. He remembered that his family wasn’t upset.
“In their eyes – I had a job and a car – I let it be done.”
Valles served in the Army in the late 1960s and in the Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) program from 1970 to 1972. He then earned a Certificate in General Educational Development (GED) and entered the University of New Mexico in 1972. That’s when he got to know Joanne.
“We met while we were studying Chicano,” she said. “We were friends at first. He was a nice guy and looked very good. My friends would say, ‘Hey, do you know him?’ ”
After graduating from UNM, Valles entered and graduated from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry. He started his dental practice in Albuquerque in 1980 when he was 31 years old and later became president of the New Mexico Dental Association.
“He loved being a dentist,” said Joanne. “In fact (after his retirement) he was sad that he didn’t go to the office. But he also loved a good fight. He loved the city and the neighborhoods. He was a champion for the neighborhood. “
Strong voice
State Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas serves House District 16 on the West Side of Albuquerque. He had known Valles for more than 20 years.
“He was one of my staunch critics and biggest supporter,” said Maestas. “He was a strong voice on the West Side. Before social media became what it was, he was sending 2,000 emails about events, his opinions, the accountability of elected officials, advancing his land use and planning agenda, or any other matter close to his heart. “
Maestas said Valles was so vigorously backing down the development of WalMart on the West Side that the company has filed a lawsuit against him.
“It’s scary to be sued by a big corporation, but Joe hasn’t given in,” he said.
More recently, Maestas said Valles has been actively involved in urging public officials to use state and local funds to acquire, save and develop the Poole property, 23 acres overlooking the Rio Grande to make it part of the Albuquerque Open Space Network. This campaign was successful.
“He pushed all of us to move on,” said O’Malley. “I give him credit for actually making it.”
Maestas said Valles had amassed some sort of moral authority over the years so that he could tell officials and others what to do.
“He just had incredible political courage to speak up, regardless of the personal and political ramifications,” Maestas said. “And that’s rare.”
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