New Mexico state senator Carol Leavell dies
Carol Leavell, a longtime Republican state legislator from New Mexico, died Monday at the age of 86.
Leavell served district 41 from 1997 to 2018, covering Eddy and Lea counties in the southeastern part of the state.
His family said he suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and had been unresponsive since then. He also suffered with Alzheimer's.
“He was a people person and he treated everyone with respect and dignity,” his son-in-law, former Sen. Gregg Fulfer, said.
Republican legislator dies
After his resignation, Leavell had said he was proud to represent rural constituents far away from the state capital of Santa Fe.
“Being the State senator from Jal and representing Southeastern New Mexico have been a source of pride for me. Jal is possibly the furthest city in the state from Santa Fe and I always had fun reminding folks of that," Leavell said.
Leavell was credited with his advocacy on various projects for his constituents, including an effort to fill a massive sinkhole under Carlsbad, which was finished last year.
Outside of his career in public office, Leavell served as president of a family insurance business. Colleagues in both parties took a moment Monday to honor Leavell, whom they remembered as friendly and civil.
“I just have lots of good memories, thinking about Carroll and the work he did for this body and the state,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, a Democrat representing Santa Fe, said.
Proud representative
The Senate Republican Caucus issued a statement describing him as a "statesman and leader of the utmost integrity."
"As a longtime member of the Senate, he put the needs of his constituents ahead of politics and he was widely respected by members on both sides of the aisle," the statement said. "Senator Leavell will be dearly missed and we send our deepest condolences to his family during this difficult time."
Leavell stepped aside in 2018, two years after receiving a cancer diagnosis.
"Thank you southeastern New Mexico for giving me the honor and the distinct pleasure to serve you at the State Capitol. My constituents in Lea and Eddy counties continued to have faith in me and returned me to office over the years," he said at the time.
"In return, I diligently performed my duties as state senator to the best of my abilities," Leavell said.
