Former mayor in 1970s leaves legacy of love for 'old Santa Fe'

Nov. 27—Joseph Valdes was a man who was proud of his heritage and proud of his name.

Those that knew the former Santa Fe mayor remember him as a self-made man who commanded respect wherever he went.

"If anybody had a shortlist of the most respected citizens of this town in the last few years, he'd be on the top; that's the kind of guy he was," said Sam Pick, Valdes' mayoral successor and lifelong friend. "He was proud of his heritage, and he loved Santa Fe. ... He was an iconic guy."

Valdes died Nov. 20 at 92, leaving behind a legacy of love and appreciation, for the "old Santa Fe."

He is survived by his wife, Bernadette Pesenti-Valdes, and his two children, John and Janet Valdes.

Throughout his life, Valdes worked to make Santa Fe what it is today and helped create long-held traditions. He was a founding member of Los Caballeros de Vargas, a fraternal organization that once oversaw the annual Fiesta de Santa Fe reenactment of Don Diego de Vargas' recapture of Santa Fe. He was a part of the planning commission that adopted the Historic Styles Ordinance written by John Gaw Meem in 1957. He held office from 1972-76, during which time he had downtown's streets paved with brick.

"He brought the Plaza forward during his time during his time as mayor," John Valdes said. "My dad knew everybody, and everybody knew him."

People from near and far recognized Valdes as the friendly elderly man who greeted the patrons of his son's store, Santa Fe Antiques.

"He got to talk to so many people and so many people love that he had all of his history and knowledge and told these stories to people, locals and tourists," said John Valdes' partner, Everette Apodaca.

But for the car lovers of Santa Fe, Valdes was best known for his chile-red 1959 Ford with a retractable hardtop, which he proudly showed off whenever he could.

"He would display it on the Plaza for the last 20, 30 years for the Vintage Car Club show," John Valdes said.

For years, Valdes would take his Ford to the show before everybody else to get a good spot next to the Plaza. He would sometimes arrive two or three days early, just to park his car and save his space. Eventually, the club reserved a space specifically for Valdes to display his car.

"He would get up at 4 o'clock in the morning just to go on the Plaza and be the first in line, so he could talk with everybody that would go on Lincoln Street to see the cars," Pick said. "If you've ever known anybody that could be considered a people person, that was Joe."

John Valdes plans to keep the antique car and show it off when he can in memory of his father.

"Anytime we had a party for my dad, the car would come out," John said. "That's the way it was, and it will continue that way, to be displayed for my dad in his honor."

Valdes graduated from St. Michael's High School in 1948 and went on to serve in the U.S. Army in Germany. After returning home from his service, Valdes married his first wife, Patricia Valdes, in 1954. She died in 1995.

In 1972, Valdes became the second person in his family to become mayor of Santa Fe. His grandfather, Manuel Valdes, held the office roughly 80 years earlier, setting the stage for some of the work his grandson would eventually do for the city.

As mayor, Manuel Valdes had Santa Fe's streetlights converted to use electricity, replaced the city's dirty open sewer trenches with sanitary pipes and had the Women's Board of Trade fix up the Plaza with walkways, benches, flowers, trees and shrubs. Decades later, his grandson renewed the water and gas franchises with Public Service Company of New Mexico, saw voters approve an $800,000 sewer bond and had the city square spruced up with new landscaping and fixtures.

Valdes' tenure was turbulent at times. He saw the municipal airport runways being deemed unsafe and discontinued and saw protests erupt among Plaza merchants after enacting a parking ban.

Still, many appreciated the positive legacy Valdes left behind. In 1999, Valdes was named a Santa Fe Living Treasure for the decades he spent serving his community.

"He was compassionate, caring, and he loved Santa Fe," Apodaca said. "Overall, you know, he was a good-natured person."