Community activist and glass artist Paul White of Chupadero has announced that he'll run for the County Commission in District 1, the northern-most commission district in Santa Fe County.

White, who has been a vocal critic of current District 1 Commissioner Harry Montoya, said he wants to make county government more transparent.

"I feel that educational outreach to let people know what's going on with the county is very important," White said.

White, 56, and a Democrat, is originally from Massachusetts but has lived in the Santa Fe area since 1976.

He has a bachelor's degree in fine art from the Massachusetts College of Art. White said he has shown his art in Hahn Ross Gallery on Canyon Road for more than 20 years. He also owned and operated a glass-blowing studio on Canyon Road (and later in La Cienega) in the 1980s.

White has never held or campaigned for public office before, but he has been an active volunteer in many community organizations.

He has served on the Santa Fe Basin Water Association, the Rio en Medio-Chupadero Education Association and the Rio Pojoaque Acequia and Water Well Associations. White currently serves as vice president of the Pojoaque Basin Water Alliance and is chairman of Las Tres Villas Association. He also sits on the Santa Fe County Road Advisory Committee.

White has also participated in conducting art-themed workshops at local elementary schools, and senior and teen centers in Santa Fe.

In a statement White sent to The New Mexican, he listed water issues, fiscal responsibility, accountability regarding the county jail, energy issues and a focus on youth and education as some of his top priorities.

White also wrote in his statement that he's "never been arrested for DUI!"

White said he hasn't been arrested for drunken driving or anything else as an adult, but said he was arrested for hitchhiking in Colorado as a teenager.

White is the third person to officially announce his candidacy for the District 1 position — contractor Jon Paul Romero and high-school basketball coach Lenny Roybal previously said they are candidates for the job.

But several others — including Public Regulation Commission Chief of Staff Daniel Mayfield and former County Commissioner Paul Duran — have hinted they are considering campaigning for the post as well.

Montoya — who cannot be re-elected because of term limits — has said he'll campaign for state land commissioner next year.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.