Mayor, Manager, and Council Invite Merchants to Meeting

Town Plaza To Get “Million Dollar” makeover.

The Town of Taos will hold a “public forum tonight regarding downtown Improvements and activities on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at the Town Council Chambers, 120 Civic Plaza Drive.” The Mayor said at the last Town Council meeting that he had a “million dollars” for Plaza improvements. 

If the merchants agree, the town might begin to enforce or otherwise re-write the sign code. We don’t know why the Town’s Planning Department is understaffed and operates  without a “building inspector” or “code enforcer.” Maybe that’s where the Mayor got the dough to fix the Plaza: staff reductions. Someone should ask. During the last decade or so numerous P&Zers met as well as special committees to redo the “sign code.” But what happened? We don’t know. From my point of view, neon, sandwich boards, and the excessive number of alleged “safety” and “directional signs” should be not only banned but taken down.

Of course the proliferation of signs under the Barrone administration adds to the atmosphere of “funky Taos,” which is probably one of the more authentic expressions of a community dedicated to the juxtaposition of mobile homes and million dollar mansions set up right close to each other. See the ugly sign? See the beauty of the mountain? That’s the story of, that’s the glory of Taos.

Much of the cultural character is maintained by volunteers, Fall Arts, Pecha Kucha, acequia activists, etc., and the local musicians, despite the officials taking credit as the “new concert promoters” at the Town of Taos. Whatever “monitoring” of the downtown scene goes on can be credited to the busy body, Ranee “Millicent” Malanga. If she weren’t calling in about “code breakers” the town wouldn’t have a single watchdog. Speaking of monitoring, it has come to our attention that the Chief Weaver of the Taos P.D. finally sent out “memos” to remind town cops to do their jobs and issue citations.

Lately I have been accused of “nihilism” by one reader and “surrendering” to chaos by another writer due to my observations of the Historic Plaza and Historic District, despite my personal dedication to the Historic County Courthouse and its famed WPA Frescoes, which HCC also features historic jails for drunks and movie stars. As part of Fall Arts, we’re going to have another Historic Photo exhibit centered around the lively acequia culture. (And we have ordered lights and sound equipment to help viewers see and audience members hear what’s going on in the famed courtroom.

But in general this administration gives me a feeling of nausea. That’s why I’m teaching Existentialism this fall at UNM i.e. “despair.”

As for the so-called “revitalization” of the Plaza, perhaps someone can introduce the Mayor and his staff tonight to the once and future “Vision 2020” (I seemed to have lost my copy), a creative concept of how the Town could evolve. Under the Peralta administration much time and effort was focussed on creating “Vision 2020.” Of course, there were all those studies produced later, which focussed on the alleged “arts and culture district.”

But in Taos as soon as you write something down or “talk” about it out loud, it seems officials believe no action need be taken. The implementation part is MIA.  The current manager, Rick Bellis, is a master of the “smoke and mirrors” approach. I long for the alleged “dictator” Gus the way the Tea Party lusts for Trump.

(Gus spurned the KCEC CEO’s advances and blocked the initial efforts at the community “Command Center.” He wouldn’t make a “deal.”)

In effect, an effective government, according to residents and the historic patterns of response, would please the local voters by focussing on filling potholes, cleaning up the Town (signs, weeds, sidewalks and streets) while leaving economic potential to the private sector by getting out the way. Let the Lodger’s spend their money on promotions instead of funding the fantasies of the Manager and his staff like the Kongo Bongos.

Merchants can rightly ask why all this emphasis on farmers from out of town or arts and crafts persons and picnics in the park for visitors and vendors from out of town. It’s fine to allocate revenue for promotions but residents and the hospitality industry prefer a presentable town, which would make the private sector attractive. So we’re all up for the alleged “makeover” but as well we expect the Town to provide “plan checkers” and “building inspectors” for those with ideas beyond producing concerts in the park. Doesn’t “economic development” and “planning” go together?

If the Town was serious about “revitalizing” the Historic Plaza, they would meet “privately” with about ten individual property owners and discuss a vision that might accommodate the changing times: how to “implement” a code and create opportunities for imaginative new businesses that improve GRT retail revenue. Instead the Town has, apparently, outsourced their “planning” duties to the state while “hoping” that a change in administration at Taos County will allow the Town to outsource and implementation closer to home. Go figure.

Perhaps the Mayor and his Manager can re-read “Vision 2020” and find some new work gloves at Duluth Trading Company. Bellis and Barrone ought also to look at General Lew Wallace’s comment about how “all calculations based on experience elsewhere fail in New Mexico” (and Taos). But as the natives say, “they aren’t from here” and the learning curve for newcomers is steep.

While the Town is way behind the County in terms of “governance”  and may have to be bailed out, at least the Mayor and three of the councilors stand way above the KCEC Coop. The traveling trustees and the culture of denial, due to debt financing and refinancing, are sinking a sinking ship: call it “$100 million” owed, due to dwindling electricity sales, Broadband cost overruns, Propane losses, and other follies dreamed up by the energizer bunny.

But never fear, my friends, the Sign Man is on to the Coop, like a hippy on to the benefits of brown rice. The bandidos got away with more than a hundred grand in the so-called “robbery” but the “coopsters” get away with ten times that much each year. The Watts are burning up and only Jeff is watching.