An Española city councilor was surprised when a political ad arrived in his mailbox and he was mysteriously absent from the featured photo.

Española District 4 City Councilor Samuel LeDoux said his mother took the photo that is now part of Mayor John Ramon Vigil’s campaign for a second term.

The original picture included Vigil, LeDoux, smiling children and other government officials from Los Alamos County celebrating the ribbon cutting ceremony of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in April. The campaign ad just has an empty space where LeDoux once stood.

“I just think the entire message of the mailer is that he is doing everything he can to bring people together, and he literally edited me out of my own photo that he took from my Facebook to use for a mailer,” LeDoux said.

This is not the first time Vigil has slighted him with photos, he said.

“If you look at the city Facebook during some of the Memorial Day events, there were very obvious shots where he cropped me out of photos,” LeDoux said. “Same thing at the Española day at the legislature. I just think it just speaks to the immaturity that he has when conducting himself. I mean, how can we expect him to lead us when he can’t even be in a photo with someone he disagrees with?”

Vigil said in a telephone call that the photo came from the city’s Facebook account.

LeDoux posted the photo on his Facebook on April 5. The city posted the same photos on April 6, without credit to LeDoux. The Rio Grande SUN used the original photo with its story about the park published on April 17.

Vigil declined to comment further on the situation and instead sent a prepared statement through text message.

“I would like to clarify that my decision not to use his photograph in any campaign materials was deliberate and respectful,” the statement said. “Give that he is not endorsing or supporting my candidacy, it would have been inappropriate to include his image. The other city councilors pictured are endorsing my candidacy. Additionally, I believe that had I done so, it would have been perceived as using his personal or likeness without his consent, which may have drawn criticism. Out of respect for his position and to avoid any misunderstanding, I chose not to incorporate his image in my campaign materials.”

The photo includes District 1 Councilor Pedro Valdez, District 2 Councilor Nanette Rodriguez and Los Alamos County Councilor Theresa Cull.

LeDoux called his argument “nonsensical.”

“I think that it’s just a political statement that he’s making,” he said. “I mean, if he truly felt comfortable in his own skin that we’re bringing people together, I think him keeping me in the picture would speak more volumes than him removing me.”

LeDoux has endorsed Vigil’s opponent for mayor, former city councilor Dennis Tim Salazar.