SANTA FE, N.M. | New Mexico Democratic House Speaker Brian Egolf has announced former state Rep. Henry “Kiki” Saavedra has died.
Egolf said Monday that Saavedra died five years after retiring from the New Mexico House. University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes said Saavedra died Monday morning. He was 81.
Egolf says Saavedra died of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Saavedra served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for 38 years and was the second-longest serving member of the chamber when he decided not to seek re-election in 2014.
He served as chair of the powerful House Appropriations and Finance Committee and had been a key figure in the annual crafting of a balanced budget.
Saavedra was a retired city of Albuquerque employee.