SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today announced the appointment of former Cibola County Commissioner Martha Garcia of Pine Hill to fill the vacant seat in House District 6.

District 6 includes parts of Cibola and McKinley counties, including the Village of Milan, the Pueblo of Zuni, and parts of the Navajo Nation.

“I’m proud to appoint Martha Garcia, whose proven leadership as a former Cibola County Commissioner and clear qualification as a district resident make her the right choice to serve the people of House District 6,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham.

The seat became vacant last year when former Rep. Eliseo “Lee” Alcon stepped down for health reasons. Rep. Alcon passed away on January 13.

Garcia was nominated by the McKinley County Commission on Feb. 4. Garcia is expected to be sworn in immediately to begin representing House District 6 for the remainder of the current legislative session.