CRAB Hall Eleven…Yo Ho…EEELeven! Case…Dismissed!
Your hometown newspaper praised Gov. Martinez, saying “PED gets an A for taking over Questa School Board,” (Taos News, Sept. 27—Oct.3, 2012) but disparaged Gov. Richardson and Sec. Veronica Garcia for not removing the prior school board at TMS. During those years when Arsenio Cordova became a punching bag and Lorraine Coca-Ruiz a pincushion for criticism, community leaders and the excellent local weekly engaged in creating an alternate universe: “cognitive dissonance” rang out loudly and long.
Why goodness, the newsies and nasties dragged current board member Stella Gallegos through the inky pool of innuendo and biased interpretation of the politics and facts surrounding various controversies. Some were as silly as whether or not comments about tortillas were actionable or as serious as the issue of budget shortfalls–whether or not a 2.1% reduction in salaries was legitimate—given the decline in the number of students. Teachers took a hit while administrative salaries continued to rise–until the board said, “No.”
Where is the audit by the way–two years past due? Eh? El Weston?
Then there was the horrid urine-soaked carpet and taped windows at the Ranchos Elementary School portable for Special Education students, which the Super and Principal refused to fix. Oh, it was worse than you know until Stella raised hell.
Anyway, 11 fat cat administrators filed federal lawsuits, transforming a power struggle into claims of “retaliation” (or other horrible things) against said TMS board members, including those named above. The local Mayor and his sidekick, the Editor of The Taos News, called for the heads of said board members–even as the reporters (?) and radio jocks (?) fried the reputations of the three musketeers in public.
Well, every town needs a scapegoat—especially when mass hysteria ignites a craze for witch-hunting. But, oh, didn’t the fat cats tell friends and relatives how rich and wealthy and fatter their bank accounts would be once they finished with Arsenic and Old Lace–not to mention, Stella of El Salto. Oh, yes.
“You stay home, I’m going on tour or down to pay my tab at the casino…O yes, we’ll be rich when our ship comes in from suing the school board.”
But now comes U.S. Judge Judith C. Herrera, who this week granted defendants Cordova, Coca-Ruiz, and Gallegos’ (TMS, Bobby Gonzales, et al) motion for summary judgment against all eleven plaintiffs: Catherine Collins, Loretta DeLong, Sandra Garcia, Lucille Gallegos-Jaramillo, Jeanelle Livingston, Maria Chavez-Medina, Rose Martinez, Mary Ann McCann, Elizabeth Trujillo, Nadine Vigil, Esther Winter—and dismissed the federal lawsuit–forthwith…for lack of specificity, among other things.
Like the judge, any English teacher will tell you that you must give examples to validate your assertions just as any journalist will tell you that you must provide documentation when you make allegations or cite reputable sources to confirm your claims. The gossip mill is fine for radio and the weekly news but in federal court you need what amounts to “facts.”
(I have copies of the federal judge’s orders re: eleven dismissals, aimed at the above fat cat administrators, aqui en front of me.)
Where are they now, these administrators? Some have retired; some have returned to their old jobs, some have jobs in other places. One has slid through a succession of positions and returned to her home state having learned the New Mexico—Taos Lesson i.e. “Don’t get caught in a cat fat among members of La Familia.”
Arsenio said he was “elated” and felt “vindicated” but he was less kind about Mighty Matt and The Taos News. It will be interesting to see if the mainstreamers write a fair and balanced story about the demise of the Fat Cat wish list, a wish list dreamed up over, reportedly, green chile pizza and mushrooms…(what kind of mushrooms?)
Oh by the way, where is the audit, now two years past due, for the TMS? Why, oh, why does The Taos News practice the politics of silence when it comes to El Weston’s shortcomings and the current board’s lack of making public the pluses and minuses on the school’s audit and budget? Two years?
But so many of you voted to increase the GRT for TMS–despite the lack of an audit and zero accountability…
The fighting isn’t over. The Fat Cats and Pete Baston will continue battling over whether or not some employment contracts were signed and when, according to the docs. There’s a sequel here and nobody but the attorneys are winning—except for the attorney of the so-called plaintiffs…who dared take on the Movida Maker and his two guardian angels and lost his virginity in El Norte.
Unlike the administrators, you can’t make this stuff up! Now, about that TMS audit? Where is it? Are you, El Weston, going to release it?