Interview with Aztec's New Mayor, Brett Lanier

Brett Lanier is a born-and-raised Aztec local who was elected city commissioner in 2025 and recently chosen as the city's newest mayor.

Under the city's commission-manager government, Lanier and four fellow commissioners set policy and direct a city manager who handles day-to-day operations. His priorities include strengthening infrastructure and supporting local jobs and businesses to keep the next generation in Aztec. Watch the full interview to hear his vision for Aztec's future.

By Tanner Waite

Watch this story at LNN.news

This story is sponsored by The Big Idea Makerspace at San Juan College and Boon's Family Thai BBQ.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

And this area is, I tell you what, there is so many cool things in this area. Stay here in Aztec and explore the surrounding area. A lot of fun stuff from mountain biking, outdoor recreational things, rich in history. A lot of fun stuff here that we can offer and provide.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

You're watching the local news network brought to you by the big idea makerspace at San Juan College and Boone's Family Tied Barbecue. Brett Lanier is a born and raised Aztec local with extensive experience within the energy industry and has always had a knack for leadership and helping others. He was elected a city commissioner in 2025 and most recently chosen to be the newest mayor of the city of Aztec.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Ever since I was in high school, I worked at Rubio's. Worked there three years throughout high school. I was uh a kitchen manager there. From that point, I've always aspired to leadership roles. I enjoy helping others achieve their best. Our former government is a commission manager form of government. So there's five commissioners. Um, of those five commissioners that are elected, we decide who the mayor is and the mayor pro tem. We're all equals, there's no difference in power between the mayor and the other commissioners. And all the powers of the city of Aztec are vested into this commission, the form of government. Our main job is overseeing the budget, and uh we give policy and give direction to the city manager, who then the city manager carries out our direction for day-to-day operations, personnel within the city. There is a lot to it, but I I enjoy it. I enjoy it very much. Underground coal miner for gosh, I want to say 15, 16 years. I listened to all the old timers. They always told me if I ever have kids to get away quick. The week my daughter was born was the week I quit, and it's been by far the best decision I've ever made. I quit not having any idea what I was gonna do. I just knew I was gonna be home every night back here in my hometown, and I got hired on over at Aztec Wealth Service as a safety supervisor for Aztec drilling. Did that for about nine months and then uh the management position opened up at Basin Disposal, which I took that, been doing that since for the last two years now. So I've always had a yearning for local government. I just never took the lead because my schedule was it switched about every other week, and my cousin was the one that pretty much inspired me to answer that calling. So some of the main things that I would like to see fixed in our in my hometown is uh our infrastructure. One thing I've read across rural America on dying cities is they don't just die overnight, right? You have people move away, it takes time, jobs move away, that takes time. But over time, those little things add up. And before you know it, you could have a thriving city, a thriving town, and it's dwindled down because the government hasn't taken care of or done due diligence with infrastructure, uh preserving jobs, giving support to your local businesses, to local families. Because we gotta do, we have to do everything we can to make sure the next generation stays here. But in order for them to stay here, we need jobs. We need for them to want to be here. Having big projects, grandiosa projects, that's one thing, but I really see us focusing the need to focus on strengthening our community to keep everybody involved and wanting to stay here.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

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