Sanchez Part III: Break the Law? Change the law.

Below, Taos Friction posts the third part of the series about Town of Taos government by former town Councilman Gene Sanchez. While much of the information is on the public record, some of the alleged thuggery might shock the reader (Rated PG).

If the Mayor and his friends break the law, they change the law later

Sometime in 2010 Councilor Abeyta tried to introduce a resolution changing the condition under which citizens who were using well water would be required to connect to the Town utilities.

He argued on behalf of the Weimer area where he lives. Meanwhile, it had been brought to my attention that many residences and businesses in the town were not connected to the public utilities–not even connected to the sewer lines.

Mr. Abeyta’s resolution was tabled. At a subsequent meeting I made a lengthy presentation outlining the history of our utility regulations as far back as 1949. For several years all residents and businesses within 100 feet of a utility line have been required to connect to these utilities. This distance was increased to within 300 feet in the early 2000’s.

The manager of the Town’s utility department made a presentation stating that the Camino de la Merced that runs in front of the Mayor’s DMC broadcast studios was scheduled to be engineered to provide sidewalks, gutters and repaving. It is customary not to allow any utility connections to the new road for a period of two years from completion of the project. I asked the Manager of Public Utilities if the buildings and trailer parks on this road were connected to the town’s utility and he said that they were. He lied to the Council and members of the community to protect the Mayor.

I have reviewed Camino de la Merced as well as other streets for utility compliance.

The Mayor’s DMC building is not connected to water and sewer nor is his father’s building. His and other trailer parks are not connected as well as other buildings along Camino de la Merced.

Are the Mayor and his friends above the law?

In the very near future the Mayor is going to introduce Resolution No. 12-04 to change the existing law to allow anyone who is not connected to the town’s utilities to have a grace period of three years from the date of the new ordinance. What does this mean? Lawbreakers will continue to get a free ride at the expense of those of us who comply with the law. I’ve heard the argument how difficult it will be for the poor to comply with the law. Like everything else, there can be some considerations so that everyone can comply with the ordinance.

A few years ago it was necessary to raise the water rates due to low water receipts. Would this have been necessary if our laws were enforced? All the well users are mining our aquifer -irrigating at our expense. I irrigate my garden, trees and shrubs with town water. As a result those of us who use the public water system pay through the nose during the summer months because we are charged for sewer fees in keeping with our water usage. But the Mayor and his well-user cuates don’t pay anything.