Ethics complaint alleges GOP Rep. Nicole Chavez has improper ties to Project Jupiter

The post Ethics complaint alleges GOP Rep. Nicole Chavez has improper ties to Project Jupiter appeared first on Searchlight New Mexico.

State Rep. Nicole Chavez is not the only New Mexico lawmaker married to a lobbyist.

Nor is Chavez, an Albuquerque Republican, the first to face an ethics complaint over the matter.

But she is the sole New Mexico legislator to face an investigation into her ties to the massive and controversial Project Jupiter data center development in Southern New Mexico — through both her role in the Legislature and her husband’s work.

Two of Chavez’s constituents filed a complaint Wednesday asking the State Ethics Commission to investigate allegations she has violated New Mexico’s ethics and financial disclosure laws. Albuquerque residents Nancie Furgang and Annette Kalandros also ask the commission in their 60-page complaint to impose penalties if necessary and correct Chavez’s financial disclosures.

Chavez issued a statement Wednesday calling the complaint a “shameless election stunt” by allies of Lisa Curtis, her Democratic opponent for House District 31 in the Nov. 3 general election.

“As a lawyer, Lisa Curtis knows the ethics commission is prohibited from making rulings during an election, and this baseless complaint will undoubtedly be dismissed,” Chavez said.

Chavez’s husband, Roberto Ramirez, works for Alarid Consulting. His only clients for 2026 are BorderPlex Digital Assets and Yucca Growth Infrastructure, both of which are Project Jupiter developers. Notably, Chavez is tied as the biggest Republican beneficiary of BorderPlex’s campaign donations: She received $10,000 from the company in 2025.

Lobbying is a family affair for Ramirez: His sister, Vanessa Alarid — who is married to Democratic state Sen. Moe Maestas of Albuquerque — owns the consulting business.

Chavez wrote a letter to state environmental regulators March 2 “in official support” of Project Jupiter’s air quality permits. In other words, the letter urged members of the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board to accelerate regulatory proceedings for the development.

“New Mexico must compete for large-scale investment that brings long-term economic strength to our state,” she wrote in the letter, which is included in the complaint. “Project Jupiter represents a significant opportunity to create jobs, expand our tax base, and position New Mexico as a leader in advanced technology and infrastructure development.”

A month earlier she had sworn in a financial disclosure Ramirez was lobbying for companies behind the hyperscale data center project.

But her letter — which appears to be the only one of its kind from a state House member — did not mention that, the ethics complaint alleges. And in further financial reports, Chavez failed to fully disclose her husband’s clients, the complaint notes.

Beyond Chavez’s data center ties, Furgang and Kalandros’ complaint asks the State Ethics Commission to investigate whether Chavez’s private healthcare consulting business benefited from her legislative resources to recruit insurance agents and companies.

Curtis, the Democratic candidate in House District 31, issued a statement Wednesday urging the commission to investigate.

“New Mexicans have a right to know when their elected officials have financial connections to the companies they’re helping,” Curtis said. “The public deserves an independent investigation and clear answers about what happened here.”

Chavez fired back in a statement: “Curtis has become rich suing doctors while New Mexicans pay the price for the healthcare crisis she helped create. Rather than answer for that record, Curtis and her allies are attacking me and my family. I won’t be intimidated, and I’ll put my record of protecting patients up against hers any day.”

Julia Gentin is a reporter for The Las Cruces New Mexican, The Santa Fe New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico through a partnership with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. She covers the Southern New Mexico region. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.

The post Ethics complaint alleges GOP Rep. Nicole Chavez has improper ties to Project Jupiter appeared first on Searchlight New Mexico.