Neighbors Claim KCEC & Town Violate Health & Safety Regs

Town of Taos neighbors in the Salazar—Herdner Road area claim property owner Francisco Cordova, son of Kit Carson Trustee Francisco Cordova, is storing KCEC trucks, equipment, wire rolls, and an estimated 25—30 used transformers on residential property—allegedly in violation of R-2 zoning regulations. The transformers, which could contain oil, contaminated by PCBs, are set on decaying pallets and plywood.

Unconfirmed reports say the Coop pays Cordova $4,000 a month for the service.

Cordova has applied for a zoning change at the Town’s P&Z Commission but the May application was tabled and the June meeting was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. Neighbors also complain about property on the north side of Cordova. where used appliances and especially old refrigerators are scattered helter-skelter across the property in Taos junkyard style.

While potential contamination worries the neighbors, they also say the unsightly mess is creating a junkyard in their neighborhood. Neighbors say both KCEC and Cordova have violated P&Z regs but that the town planning department refuses to do anything–despite the potential threat to shallow nearby wells.

Apparently, neither the planning department nor the Town of Taos Police were in the mood for enforcing the sign code during the Memorial Day weekend. According to a Friction source and pictures, Mayor Cordova’s Restaurant put up five commercial signs or banners, allegedly, in violation of the sign code while pushing booze sales—though Mayor Cordova might have been given a special permit by the Mayor’s staff for Mayor Cordova’s restaurant.

As Jeff Northrup, the Sign Man, has pointed out, commercial speech is privileged over political speech. The pesky sign man is even now waiting to be arraigned in Municipal Court for two alleged criminal sign code violations. Northrup can’t find a fair judge, he says, since part time Judge Big Geno Sanchez’s contract was not renewed.

Sanchez told a neighbor, “I was fired.”

While Sanchez found Northrup not guilty of sign code violations and Judge Chavez did convict the gadfly, now Chavez has bailed out and recused himself from Northrup cases. Judge Chavez wrote in a May 30 letter to Muni Court that “I have absolutely no respect for this individual and therefore feel I would be doing a disservice to myself and the Town of Taos by continuing to hear cases against this individual.”

Further, due to the dust up at Town Hall regarding the Marietta Fambro employee matter, wherein the Mayor delayed hiring the highly praised finance director, Northrup excused her husband Jim “The Lifesaver” Fambro, a part-time muni judge. The court’s budget is largely subject to Ms. Fambro and the Mayor’s influence, according to Northrup. He thought discretion the better part of valor and didn’t want to test Mr. Fambro’s ability to be impartial regarding a matter that affects the Mayor, Mr. and Ms. Fambro’s boss.

So Northrup must wait until autumn before he sees a judge about his sign code violations because the legendary firefighter and lifesaver, Judge Fambro, withdrew, allegedly, on the advice of District Court Judge Sarah Backus. But Pobrecito Fambro’s feelings were hurt. He used words like “deep regret” and “total humiliation,” saying, “Mr. Northrup has questioned my integrity and the integrity of the court (to) which I was appointed and has done so in the lowest and most personal way he can.” Fambro seems to think Northrup was making “threats regarding my family, our income and mine and my wife’s job status.”

Wait! Just a couple months ago, the Mayor, not Northrup, was the one threatening La Fambro’s income, according to stories in The Taos News and even family members, including El Fambro himself. Go figure.

The bigger story remains: Why do Los Cordovas, Darren and Francisco, get special dispensation from the Town’s Planning Department to erect extra signs or stash trash in violation of town regulations? We advise the neighbors to address the Board of Trustees at the KCEC annual meeting at THS on Saturday at 9 am. Apparently CEO Luis Reyes of KCEC is actually charged with managing town affairs since the Mayor and Council ask how high when Luis says jump.

By the way, now that it has been determined, according to attorneys and the story in The Taos News that Councilor Silva violated conflict of interest regs, will he resign? Or does he remember his promise to the people? We’re only asking. Better ask Luis.