The Roswell City Council unanimously confirmed Riley Armstrong as its newest member at the council’s Thursday night meeting.
Councilors voted 8-0 to approve Mayor Timothy Jennings’ recommendation of Armstrong for the Ward 2 council seat being vacated by Will Cavin. Councilors Edward Heldenbrand of Ward 3 and Angela Moore of Ward 5 were absent. The resignation of Cavin, who has been on the council since 2024, takes effect Friday, Aug. 14.
Armstrong will officially be sworn in Monday at 5 p.m. at Roswell City Hall, 425 N. Richardson Ave.
Cavin is stepping down from the council after winning the Republican primary in June to represent District 5 on the Chaves County Board of Commissioners. Cavin, who held that same commission seat from 2015 to 2023, is unopposed in the November election and will likely be sworn into that office Dec. 31. He told the Roswell Tribune he wanted to leave the council before then so his successor can work on several issues facing the city.
Armstrong will finish out the remainder of Cavin’s term, which ends December 2027. He will have to run for a full term if he wishes to remain on the council. Ward 2 mainly encompasses the northeast part of the city north of College Boulevard and east of Main Street.
Before the vote, Jennings told councilors that he decided to recommend Armstrong, an associate broker for Keller Williams, for the seat because of his work in the community, including 10 years on the Roswell Planning and Zoning Commission and three years on the Roswell Airport Advisory Commission.
“I’ve seen him in his work. He is very involved in our community, in his realtor work,” Jennings said.
Born and raised in Roswell and the Hondo Valley, Armstrong is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute and holds a degree in business administration from Lubbock Christian University.
