Longtime powerful state senator John Arthur Smith, a conservative Democrat who wielded a large amount of power around the state budget for years, died early Monday morning.
“Today, I join New Mexicans in mourning the loss of Sen. John Arthur Smith, an extraordinary public servant and a cherished colleague and mentor of mine and many other public servants in our state,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement Monday. “Senator Smith was committed to fiscal responsibility while consistently aiming to improve quality of life for all New Mexicans. His leadership of the Senate Finance Committee helped put the state on sound financial footing and earned respect from colleagues across the political spectrum. Senator [Smith] was not only a masterful legislator; he was kind and honest. He provided an example of ethical and decent conduct that all elected officials, including those in Washington, D.C., would be wise to follow.”
Lujan Grisham added that “thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Janette, his family, and the countless individuals whose lives he touched. May he rest in peace.”
An announcement about flags being at half-staff in Smith’s honor is forthcoming, she said.
The Senate Majority leadership issued a joint statement, saying “are profoundly saddened” over Smith’s passing.
“As the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, he was a steadfast advocate for fiscal responsibility and community welfare,” the leadership statement said. “His legislative legacy will have a positive impact on our state for generations. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family.”
Smith’s successor to Senate District 35, Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, issued a statement Monday morning.
“Today, I mourn the passing of my predecessor and friend, John Arthur Smith,” she said. “Though we came from opposite ends of the political spectrum, we shared a positive vision for the future of New Mexico through fiscal prudence and economic opportunity.”Smith represented District 35 which borders Arizona and Mexico from 1989 until 2021. Smith lost a primary election in 2020.
He served as LFC chairman in alternating terms with a house member from 2007 until 2020 and Senate Finance Committee chairman from 2008 until 2021.
Current LFC Chairman George Muñoz, D-Gallup, also issued a statement about Smith’s passing.
“Every New Mexican owes a debt to John Arthur Smith,” Muñoz said in a press release. “He protected the state’s finances in good times and bad. He faced criticism for being fiscally cautious but it’s because of him that the state weathered downturns that would have crushed other states. Things were tough during the Great Recession, the collapse in oil prices that followed just years later, and the pandemic but vulnerable New Mexicans never lost services. Senator Smith made sure New Mexico survived those years and was well-positioned for the prosperous years that followed.”
Smith was a real estate appraiser when he was not serving in the legislature or on multiple committees throughout his tenure.
Smith received his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico in 1966 and was involved in southern New Mexico politics beginning in the 1980s, an LFC press release states.