Fred Ponzlov, a self-described “progressive” candidate for New Mexico House District 22, is drawing attention for his controversial behavior and accusations of violating campaign regulations. Running against incumbent Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park), who was first elected in 2020, Ponzlov has been involved in multiple confrontations that have raised concerns among veterans and community members.
In a video from a July 26 event in Estancia, Ponzlov is seen shouting “You’re lying!” repeatedly at veterans who confronted him over previous disparaging comments he allegedly made about the military. The heated exchange, which has been widely shared online, took place at the “Old Timers” event and has led to renewed criticism of the candidate’s behavior.
The confrontation followed an earlier incident on April 4 at a Cedar Crest car show, where witnesses claim Ponzlov called a Vietnam War veteran a “communist” and a “baby killer.” Despite his repeated denials of these accusations on social media, several veterans who were present at the event insist that Ponzlov’s conduct was inappropriate. In response, Ponzlov took to NextDoor to label these veterans as “Proud Boys,” attempting to discredit their accounts of the incident.
Jerry Vallejos, the organizer of the East Mountain car show, corroborated parts of the story in a June 19 post, stating that Ponzlov was asked to leave after being “rude” to attendees and making derogatory comments. Vallejos confirmed that political campaigning is prohibited at the car show and suggested that Ponzlov refrain from attending future events if he cannot abide by the rules. Ponzlov’s response, however, was defiant, once again referring to the veterans as “Proud Boys” and claiming they fabricated the entire incident.
In a subsequent post, Ponzlov admitted to losing his temper during the July event in Estancia, writing, “I got very irritated and screamed at them that they were all lying.” He went on to allege that Rep. Lord had a police officer on hand to arrest him and accused her of orchestrating the encounter, saying, “I wonder how much she paid the policeman,” insinuating a conspiracy.
Ponzlov’s comments have continued to spark backlash, with some questioning his credibility as a candidate who can represent all constituents if he can’t even string together basic facts about alleged incidents where he is said to disparage veterans.
In a further attempt to defend his actions, Ponzlov claimed he spent much of the 1960s and 1970s protesting the Vietnam War, which some see as contradicting his attacks on the veterans.
Additionally, Ponzlov has faced criticism for his inflammatory social media posts. He recently shared a meme suggesting that 45th President Donald Trump should be “crucified and wait three days,” a comment that has been interpreted as a call for violence and has only added to the controversies surrounding his campaign, including the multiple attempts made on the 45th President’s life.
Further complicating his candidacy, Ponzlov appears to have violated the New Mexico Campaign Reporting Act by not properly disclosing who funded his campaign signs, which are displayed throughout District 22.
Under New Mexico law, all campaign materials must include a “paid for by” statement that clearly identifies the sponsoring committee or organization. Failure to comply with these requirements can lead to fines and penalties for the campaign.
The Piñon Post has learned that a formal complaint by a New Mexico House District 22 resident has been filed and is pending before the New Mexico Ethics Commission.
With Election Day approaching, Rep. Stefani Lord and independent candidate Zach Withers—who has his own legal troubles—are now contending with a divisive race marked by accusations, legal disputes, and heightened tensions among community members.
As the campaign unfolds, Ponzlov’s past behavior and compliance issues could play a critical role in determining the outcome of this contentious election.
Welp, I have a solution for bullies like this guy… I can’t voice it here, but has been super effective at shutting the mouth of a bully spitting in my face. Not allowed!
There are ten lies in this post. I could go through all of them because Block will take them down. He supports the lying.
you have no idea of who I am. I have found eleven lies in this post. The video shows ten seconds. Not the full context of the accusations made to me. Everyone else’s faces are blurred because they don’t want to show their face. People hiding behind computer screens.
Have you been deleting your posts over on NextDoor? I’ve been following them and now, I cannot find any of them?
you have no idea of who I am. I have found eleven lies in this post. The video shows ten seconds. Not the full context of the accusations made to me. Everyone else’s faces are blurred because they don’t want to show their face. People hiding behind computer screens.
The leftist democommies are trying to get rid of Stephanie Lord , since she and Rep. Block are the only voices that stand for the people and the constitution in the entire legislature. The remainder are a cohesive group of leftists, rinos, communist rabble and people selected because they have zero knowledge of the constitution and couldn’t care less. Is it any wonder that her opponent could be any one of those?
I tend to agree. Lord & Block seem to be the only ones willing to.take a stand when not in Santa Fe. One other who stands but doesn’t get much press is Senator Gallegos from Eunice. The Rinos do a good job of ‘instructing’ their own. They don’t like independent thinkers.
Indeed.
In regards to your inflammatory post:
I never have made disparaging comments about the military.
I never shared a meme about Donald Trump.
Never called a former military man a communist and a baby killer.
Never labeled them as proud boys. At the car show one of the men got up, came up to me and threateningly stated “You know I am a proud boy”. I have only referred to this comment he made.
Jerry Vallejos never confronted me or told me that I should refrain from attending further car shows. This is a public event and you can’t curb any speech which is the right outlined in the first amendment. How can you forbid political speech at a public event.
I talked to a great many people at the car show, all interactions, except for the four men sitting in lawn chairs, was pleasant and cordial.
They attacked me saying I was a Marxist, responsible for all the illegal immigration and that I was spreading bullshit. They then posted on Facebook that I talked disparagingly about the Ukraine. I never said a single word about the Ukraine.
When people have no ammunition to attack you, like Trump, they just make it up.
You cover yourself by saying “allegedly” and “people said” and your libel here is very disturbing. I will willingly and eagerly take any lie detector test to verify what I am saying. Will your alleged sources do the same??
Fred Ponzlov
Thanks for the courage to voice your side of the story. However, just like you stated, those “four” have the right to say whatever. There is likely some truth from both accounts.
Do Better New Mexico
Your reply to these allegations are welcome in an open forum like the Pinon post. This is a testament to the dedication to freedom of speech and the first amendment that these editors bring forth. If this was a leftist publication like the mainstream media, we would have only one side of the story only if it fit the party line. People hearing both sides can now decide what they want to believe. Thanks again to the editorial staff .
It was not the Federal Government curbing your right to speak, it was the independent promoters of the car show. They have every right to state rules for the car show that participants must abide, and saying no political speech, just like saying no knives upon entry, is their right, not your right to do what you want against car show rules. Your right to free speech only pertains to government suppressing the right to speak your mind, it does not pertain a private citizen curbing your free speech. You would think that someone running for office would know the difference.
Fred, I note how you dropped the “I” when saying…
“Never called a former military man a communist and a baby killer.
Never labeled them as proud boys.”
Nice way to -imply- that you didn’t do it.
Anyways, I’m sure you just called him a baby killer. And you didn’t have a label maker, so you couldn’t have labeled them…
I also noted your description about the “four men sitting in lawn chairs” — was it necessary to indicate lawn chairs? Were they the only ones sitting in lawn chairs? Your careful word choice sure implies that they are low class and their views aren’t worth much. You called them trash by suggesting it — and you did it because they don’t agree with your politics — classic progressive. Did you intend to imply they were racist, too?
Progressive = Socialist = Communist = Always with the word games and the guilt by implication and insinuation.
You also didn’t deny being a marxist… huh.
That’s probably why you’re a fan of another classic communist game — “Blame them for what we’re doing.” Leftists make up endless streams of unfounded garbage about Trump, so, be sure to flip that around and claim the right is reporting lies.
One last question-
Which foreign country provided you the training to beat the lie detector?
J, Where on earth are lawn chair considered low class? Seriously, that seems a bit of a stretch.
Mario,
Conjure up the image described by ol Ponzi-lov – “four men sitting in lawn chairs”…
Are they drinking schlitz from a can or champagne from fine crystal? How far did you have to stretch to see the champagne? Lawn chairs are cheap and flimsy. The implication from the communist clown is there – ponzi intended to insult, not flatter.
Leftists cannot help themselves, have to get a jab in at Trump. Of which has absolutely nothing to do with representing East Mountain residents in the NM state legislature!
Try convincing us that your vision better represents this area’s conservative constituents than those visions of Rep. Stefani Lord.