Former state representative with a 'big heart' dies at 84

Mar. 4—Former state Rep. Jim Trujillo, a Santa Fe Democrat who served in the state House of Representatives for 17 years, is remembered as a mentor to many, a "quintessential" lawmaker who fought for fairness and an all-around "good guy."

Trujillo died Sunday at age 84 from kidney failure, said Victoria "Vicky" Trujillo, his wife of 60 years.

"He had a big heart — oh my God, he had a big heart," Vicky Trujillo said in an interview Monday. "He'd say yes to just about anything."

Jim Trujillo served in the Legislature from 2003 until he stepped down about 3 1/2 months before the end of his term in 2020, citing health concerns and a desire to spend more time with family members and other loved ones.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called him "a close friend and political mentor" in a statement issued Monday evening.

"Rep. Trujillo cared deeply about people and always worked to make sure that vulnerable populations were not forgotten in the New Mexico Legislature," the governor said. "As a longtime public servant, Jim made many important contributions to our state, from fighting for our aging population to improving business and tax laws."

Jim Trujillo was born and raised in the Pojoaque Valley and was one of 15 children in his family.

"He was brought up in a very good Roman Catholic home, Hispanic, and they were all hard workers," Vicky Trujillo said.

After graduating from high school, he attended what was then St. Michael's College, which later became the College of Santa Fe.

He graduated in 1961 and taught English and intermediate school for a few years before working as a branch manager with Dial Finance Co. for 10 to 15 years, his wife said.

Jim Trujillo also went into business for himself when he purchased his father-in-law's general store in Pojoaque, where he used to work in his youth.

Former state Rep. Carl Trujillo, Jim Trujillo's nephew, said his uncle hired him to work at the store when he was 14.

"I worked there throughout high school, and he helped shape my work ethic," Carl Trujillo said. "I will be forever grateful for that experience."

It was an honor to serve in the Legislature alongside his uncle, Carl Trujillo said. "I was immediately impressed with how tirelessly he worked for the people in his district."

Vicky Trujillo said her husband was brought up in a political family. His father, she said, was an "old-time precinct chairman."

Jim Trujillo ran for public office because he knew he could do good, she added.

"He was one of those people that likes to be involved, but he loved people," she said. "He did some really good work."

Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, who served with Jim Trujillo in the House, said one of the most "memorable moments" of his legislative career was watching a visibly ill Trujillo show up for a late-night House floor vote in 2017.

Trujillo, dealing with repercussions from heart surgery, had missed most of that 60-day session. But he appeared to cast a vote to pass a proposed constitutional amendment that would take an extra 1% of interest earnings from New Mexico's then $20 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund to help pay for early childhood education.

"It was without question the most courageous thing I've seen a lawmaker do to cast a vote," Maestas recalled. "He was sick, and he put his personal health to the side to make a generational impact on the future of our children."

The measure failed in the Senate that year but has since become law.

Maestas called Trujillo "the quintessential representative who was strong back home and strong in the Roundhouse."

Vicky Trujillo, who retired as chief deputy clerk of Santa Fe County in 2019, remembered her husband receiving a standing ovation after he cast his vote.

"He was liked by everybody, Republicans and Democrats alike," she said.

House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, said he recalled Vicky Trujillo pushing her husband on the House floor in a wheelchair to cast the vote on the constitutional amendment that year.

"I hear this thunderous applause, and it's Jim and Vickie. He takes the vote. I turn back around, and he was gone. He was not interested in taking the spotlight," Martínez said.

He praised Jim Trujillo's work in 2019 on House Bill 6, one of the biggest tax bills in some 20 years, which pushed to reduce corporate tax cuts and created constant streams of revenue for education and infrastructure, among other initiatives.

"Jim led that work. He believed in fairness; he believed in giving people a chance," Martínez said.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Jim Trujillo's fight for tax fairness as the sponsor of HB 6 "is a legacy we will continue to build on."

"It was an honor to serve with you in the House," Wirth wrote, referring to Trujillo.

Martínez said Trujillo was a mentor to younger lawmakers like himself. There is a legislative family, he said, and in that family, "Jim was my legislative grandfather."

Asked how she would want people to remember her husband, Vicky Trujillo said, "A helluva good guy who gave it all he could."

In addition to his wife, Jim Trujillo is survived by two sons, Jeff and Jay, and five grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his son James.

Funeral services are pending.

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.