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Planning Manager Robert Griego Receives the Citizen Planner Award

The Citizen Planner Award recognizes a person that has distinguished themselves as a champion and leader of a project or program that embodies the principles of planning. Above all, the planner will have conducted themselves ethically and with humor and compassion towards those they strive to benefit.

Robert is the Planning Manager for Santa Fe County. Behind the scenes he advocates for his employees, supporting their opportunities for professional development and their desires to continuously improve the County. He is also a dedicated community advocate. For many years, Robert has spent countless hours with members of the public, making the time to listen to the needs and visions of the people in Santa Fe communities and taking action to help them realize their goals. For each of the community plans developed through the County, Robert has spent hours with community associations, planning committees and in public open houses to make sure that the plans are a reflection of the community. Members of the community respect Robert’s commitment to our county and to harmoniously shaping the future with them.

Robert has led staff in efforts to support the local agricultural heritage and future opportunities for agricultural innovation in our community. Special efforts have been made to create a web-based tool called the AgriGate which provides a clearinghouse of information about where food is produced and where local food buyers and resource providers are located. In order to tell the story of the community members who are growing the food, Robert inspired efforts to create a short film on agriculture and ranching in Santa Fe County. Through his long-standing, well-established relationships with community members, this film speaks to the trust that he has developed over the years.

Within the Planning Division, Robert oversees community planning, agricultural planning initiatives, affordable housing, infrastructure planning, open space, and transportation planning.