Santa Fe County Commission candidates kept busy Tuesday night running back and forth between two very different public forums.

On the south side of the city, in a conference room at the Marriott on Cerrillos Road, about 30 residents listened to candidates give two-minute speeches. They noshed on crudités and mingled with candidates who manned tables and passed out campaign literature.

Darrell and Violeta Anderson, a retired couple in their 70s who live in Rancho Viejo, said they came to the forum — which was sponsored by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association — to find out "what there is to be offered."

"Joe Auburg is our favorite," said Darrell Anderson.

"You are leaning toward Joe Auburg," said his wife. "I'm not. I want to hear what each of them are going to say."

Most of the commission candidates spoke, though the speeches they gave were little more than Cliffs Notes of their platforms.

Ralph Jaramillo, who is campaigning for the District 5 commission seat, promised he would made county government more inclusive and user-friendly. "It's not about me," he said. "It's about we as a team. ... I'm about customer service. I'm about getting the job done. All voices must be heard at a county level."

County Natural Resources Manager Stephen Wust, who is also campaigning for the District 5 seat, reminded the audience he owns two businesses — a rubber stamp store and clothing store both near the Plaza — and said he would work to give the public time to comment before ordinances are written, not after.

Auburg, a retired water planner also seeking to represent District 5, which includes a large chunk of south Santa Fe County including Eldorado, spoke on two of his favorite topics. One is the cost of the new district courthouse: "It will go through the roof once they fess up," he said.

The other is the Buckman Direct Diversion project. "I call it the drink and glow," Auburg said of his concerns that the water the city and county plan to divert from the Rio Grande will contain toxins released from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics, yet another candidate vying to represent District 5, couldn't attend because her father was in the hospital. Stefanics' long time partner, Linda Siegle, who attended in her stead and said Stefanics was concerned with "uncontrolled and unplanned growth."

Kathy Holian, a candidate for the District 4 seat, stressed the need to create a strong community to deal with the "unprecedented challenges" of soaring food and fuel costs. Holian said good planning can preserve natural resources and "create communities that are more than just places to sleep."

Mark Marquez, another challenger vying for the District 4 seat, which includes the communities of Cañada de Los Alamos, Cañoncito and Glorieta, stressed the importance of a thriving business community. "Fuel prices are affecting small businesses in a very negative way," Marquez said. "We can't live like this. We need to get back to basics."

Elizabeth "Dolly" Lujan, the third candidate in District 4, was represented by her son, Eric Lujan, who said his mother was at another forum across town that was better attended. "She stayed over there because she wanted to be with the people," he said.

Meanwhile, a different kind of forum was taking place at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, where several hundred people talked in small groups with about 30 candidates for state, local and national audiences.

The event, titled Equal Voice Town Hall, included representatives from the New Mexico Acequia Association, Tewa Women United, and the immigrant-rights group Somos Un Pueblo Unido.

Jamie Gaskin Eyrich, a representative from the Institute of American Indian Arts, said the forum was organized in a way that candidates were being asked "not to campaign but to listen." As part of the process, candidates — including congressional hopeful Ben Ray Luján and his father, state House Speaker Ben Luján — sat at tables with constituents to discuss three topics:

• How their lives differed from those of their parents and grandparents.

• Where they see themselves in 10 years.

• What issues affect families in Northern New Mexico and what policymakers could do to address them.

After the group sessions, speakers from each group spoke to the candidates as a whole.

Nathana Bird, a 21-year-old student who lives at Ohkay Owingeh, said politicians need to "step up to the plate" and show young voters that affordable housing and the jobs to pay for it are available in Santa Fe. "We need to hold it down," she said. Bird also suggested creating funding for affordable housing by taxing people who own second homes in Santa Fe, a statement that drew loud applause.

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