Taos Coop History: Part VII

(Horse Fly, July, 2009)

La MOSCA Wrap: KCEC Movida Time

In Praise of Art Rodarte

“What a bunch of hypocrites.”—Trustee Virgil Martinez

By Bill Whaley

KCEC Annual Meeting

At the Kit Carson Electrical Coop (KCEC) annual meeting on June 13, the members voted against changing the by-laws to reduce the number of trustees from 11 to 7. Those members who spoke against the measure were mostly over-represented residents of the villages vis-à-vis the under-represented Taos residents. (See sidebar below for a look at KCEC gerrymandering.) The members, however, did see the wisdom of limiting the trustees to two terms and passed that bylaw change by a two-to-one margin. By the time the term limits go into effect, the “Gold Dust Twins,” Art Rodarte and Ambrose Mascarenas, the usual winners of Coop jackpot for per diem and travel reimbursement, will still have time to run twice more and —heaven forbid—die in office with their outages on.

Members on June 13 overcame management’s movida—the hired gun called Al Park— in order to do their business. The New Mexico state representative from Albuquerque and alleged parliamentarian tried to stop the meeting with arcane and non-traditional interpretation of the quorum numbers. Park claimed that members who left the meeting after signing in had depleted the number necessary for a quorum. He referred to “Mason’s Rules” as his authority, but the members shouted down the parliamentarian and proceeded to conduct business according to Taos rules.

In Praise of El Vendido

Not long after the annual membership meeting mentioned above, the Trustees at the Kit Carson Electric Coop maximized their power grab at their secret reorganization meeting in June. The business faction at the Coop, aided and abetted by Tri-State boss Hub Thompson and Ojo Caliente hot shot Art Rodarte, elected Questa’s Bobby Ortega as President, Angel Fire’s Jerry Smith as Vice President, Peñasco’s Chris Duran as Secretary, and Angel Fire’s Bruce Jassman as Treasurer. Trustee Manuel Medina of Taos and Art Rodarte (of Ojo Caliente) joined the above in voting for these villagers. Not a single Taoseño is on the executive committee or serves as chair of a meaningful side committee—despite outnumbering the out-of-towners almost two to one. (See Sidebar below.)

Last year, after the political faction—Francis Cordova, Virgil Martinez, Toby Martinez, Ambrose Mascarenas, Luisa Mylet, and then Art Rodarte—gained a majority 6-5 over the business faction, Art was named to the Tri-State board, a position worth an estimated $40,000 a year. The 2008 Rodarte movida was highly criticized on the record by Parking Lot Medina, the leader of the five-member gang of “bidness” men. Medina minions—off the record—were also highly critical of Art’s record. You would have thought he held up the Coop and Tri-State treasuries—like John Dillinger—which his record shows he frequently did. That’s where the money is.

At the regular meeting on June 30, Taos-area representative Medina made clear his support for El Vendido Maximo of Rio Arriba County. All Art wanted and got was another appointment to the Tri-State Board. Brown-eyed Manuel defended the new Art, whose eyes are permanently dyed the color of greenbacks, saying KCEC has more influence with Tri-State now that Art is there. Hence Banker Bob Ortega was elected president, and Manuel got to be the statewide rep to NMRECA, the second best Coop plum.

Deeper into Las Movidas

Thanks to Hub, Tri-State’s Big Boss, Art holds the swing vote on the KCEC board. Prior to the June membership meeting, the Tri-State Boss laid the groundwork for his movida and nominated Art for a Tri-State finance committee position—potentially doubling Rodarte’s income. The Tri-State rep makes $400 a day in per diem plus reimbursement for mileage, food, lodging, and gets perks like tickets to the Broncos and the Rockies: double the meetings, double the income, and undermine the KCEC board. Hub did his homework.

So, with dollar signs in his eyes, Art wanted back in—bad—and he sold out his cronies to do it. Prior to Art’s defection, the political faction and Coop in general had a gentleman’s agreement, said Trustee Virgil Martinez. They had agreed to rotate the Tri-State job and share the wealth. Art also gets paid by taxpayers as the Rio Arriba County Assessor.

To underscore the point at the June 30 regular meeting, which is open to the public, Virgil offered to do the Tri-State job for one-third of what Art was getting paid. Martinez said he’d rebate the balance of Tri-State income—about $25,000—to the KCEC scholarship fund for students.

Horrified trustees responded to Virgil’s offer with a series of personal attacks on the Trustee from Cerro—led by President Bobby Ortega, who upbraided Virgil for his motives and prior Tri-State policy positions.

Later, Pres. Ortega said he would not allow personal attacks. Perhaps Banker Bob, the Romero-Centinel Bank family retainer, suddenly realized how unbecoming gangland politics is for bankers. After the majority voted 6-5 in favor of Art, Trustee Virgil Martinez, the man from Cerro said, “What a bunch of hypocrites.”

Rodarte owns a small grocery store in Ojo Caliente, on the Rio Arriba side of the County line, and made his chops by upending the Emilio Naranjo machine back in the mid-’70s. He got elected state senator for one term, and he’s been in the hunt for the gold ever since. He frequently uses KCEC as his source of funds while campaigning for the PRC or whatever office in Rio Arriba. He’s the senior-serving KCE Coop Trustee. Some trustees refer to him by using a familiar Biblical character, i.e. “Judas.” But, as we know, Jesus says, “The poor (like Art) will always be with us.”

The Epilogue

At the Tuesday, June 30, meeting, last year’s KCEC president Ambrose Mascarenas, the one-time “gold dust twin” and Rodarte cuate, asked CEO Luis Reyes how much of a rate increase brother Art “Mr. Movidas” Rodarte voted for as a Tri-State G&T representative.

“Ten percent,” said Rabbit Reyes, “One of the highest.”

After that vote a few years ago, the Board of Trustees removed El Vendido as the Tri-State rep. He hadn’t followed board directives. It’s only a question of time.

Regarding rate increases, Trustee Manuel Medina said on June 30, 2009, “Last year we protested. We’ve got to stick together. Some members (trustees) come back and support increases. I was very disappointed. We’ve got to stick together.”

Apparently, Medina was referring to a meeting last fall that was held on Sept. 19, 2008, the day after another one of those black days on Wall Street. Manuel wasn’t present, but Virgil was. Trustees Art Rodarte and Ambrose Mascarenas, the “gold dust twins” and members of the political faction, called a special meeting for the purpose of convincing trustees to vote in favor of a Tri-State rate increase.

Tri-State’s Hub Thompson, Chairman of the Board, and President Ken Anderson showed up, made nice, and tried to talk the trustees into supporting the Tri-State family rate increase. Also, Hub wanted the board to sign and extend their long-term power agreement. Hub said that Tri-State could get better interest rates from Wall St. financial behemoths if KCEC showed some solidarity by signing on with the family. Hub also threatened the board, saying the 43 other members of the Tri-State family might not let KCEC back in when their contract expired 10 or 20 years hence.

(Does this all sound slightly like Francis Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” or what?)

Trustee Virgil Martinez led the charge against Hub and the Tri-State cabal composed of the “Gold Dust Twins”—Art and Ambrose—and a couple of others that day in September. Ambrose acted as if he had Virgil in the fold, but the man from Cerro said he had to protect consumers, i.e. “the poor people.” Virgil voted “No” and broke the back of the movida on Sept. 08. But Virgil couldn’t beat El Vendido Art, Parking Lot Medina, and Bobby the Banker on June 30, 2009. But he gave it a shot.

Despite losing millions of dollars—according to the KCE audit—on Propane and Internet bets, KCE CEO Luis “The Rabbit” Reyes, is a local hero, due to his long-held solar belief system and alternative energy positions. Luis is the Brad Hockmeyer of KCEC, and like KTAO’s Solar Centric guy, turns straw into gold by worshipping the sun—especially on cloudy days. According to reports out of Washington, the Goldman Sachs Gang will soon turn alternative energy futures into the new Green Financial Instruments. The newly minted Carbon Cap and Trade market will help create a new betting Bubble. Looked at it from a distance, they’ve commodified the very sunshine we thought was free: and the Coop is part of the equation.

For Gringos, the belief in terms like “Green” and “Recycling” and “Solar” are signs of their superstitious faith in the potential promise of technology, where we can all go, like Catholic believers in the Gospel of John, to a better place. Why, Mr. Green, Cliff Bain, even finished third—out of the money—but third in a recent Coop election. But the Gringos “are not from here” and haven’t learned the game. The trustees at the Chicano-controlled KCEC “pay to play” and enjoy the “payback” as much as the “greenback.”

The Trustees have made clear by their actions and their movidas that only one man—or Rabbit—truly understands how to play the game longterm at the KCEC. Look at the photo ops, read the local press, see who wields the carrot and the stick. It will be a long time before Mr. MacGregor Trustee catches “The Rabbit Boss.”

From the point of view of the pesky insect, the trustees serve no purpose whatsoever. They show up to catch and cash a check, make a few movidas, and pretend to know about energy issues.

Why, on June 30, Art even summarized some of the headlines from the Journal North about the future of energy in Northern New Mexico.

One of the trustees assured me that some of them also do “email.” And we watched Manuel Medina last fall, changing light bulbs at the football field because the school custodians couldn’t. He’s way ahead of the CRAB Hall Fat Cats on that one. As for Art, he ain’t changing nothing. He’s got game.

KCEC Voting Facts and Figures

District 1, Taos, represented by Francis Cordova, Toby Martinez, Manuel Medina, 6763 and Luisa Mylet, has 17, 113 meters and 12,469 eligible voting members. So each trustee represents about 3,100 members. (Almost 2,000 members voted in the last election.)

District 2, Questa and Red River, represented by Virgil Martinez and Bobby Ortega, has 3,634 meters and about 2,726 voting members. So each trustee represents about 1,376 members.

District 3, Ojo Caliente, represented by Art Rodarte (Mr. Money Bags), has 1,640 meters and 1,239 eligible voting members. Art, the Rio Arriba County Assessor and Tri-State Rep, represents 1,239 members.

District 4, Peñasco Valley, represented by Chris Duran and Ambrose Mascarenas, has 2,057 meters and 1,619 eligible voting members. Each trustee represents 809.5 voters.

District 5, Angel Fire-Eagle Nest, represented by Jerry Smith and Bruce Jassman, has 4,714 meters and 3,918 voting members. Each trustee represents 1,959 members. (74 members voted in the last election.)

The one man, one vote rule applies to political subdivisions but, apparently, not to the Coop. 21,971 members are eligible to vote. Yet, the elected officers represent only 6,763 members.

Editor’s Note: If you check out the KCEC website, kitcarson.com you will find that the board of trustees has violated in this writer’s opinion, their fiscal duty and their duty to uphold their oath of office. It’s as plain as the nose on your face. But the face that stares back from the mirror at most trustees tells a different story! That’s why the trustees hire Luis to change the light bulbs and then go crying to Jack McCarthy about the protesters. “What a bunch of hypocrites.”