Public Safety and Economic Development

The Big Gouge

Republicans in Town

On Sunday, reportedly, the Republican candidate for Governor, Susana Martinez will be at the Sagebrush Inn for lunch, insiders say. A number of “Democrats for Martinez” are expected. Meanwhile Martinez has been defending herself against allegations of inside trading—buying office supplies from a deputy D.A.—according to the Albuquerque Journal. Here’s a question Taosenos need to ask: “Where does Martinez stand on water issues?” The Richardson administration has supported efforts of the Water Trust board to protect watersheds, small communities, and acequia water rights.

Candidates from the south, especially those funded by out-of-state Texas contributors, tend to favor the large irrigators and cities, whose insatiable thirst is a threat to El Norte water. Watersheds, riparian recharge, agriculture and recreation all depend on maintaining natural springs and man-made ditches.

Acequia Issues

In a particularly trenchant piece in last week’s Taos News, mayordomo Vicente Martinez, whose purview includes the area under siege by the Singing Plumber and Rosy-faced attorney, alluded to the dangers of over-development and insensitive practices by Taos developers and the Town of Taos Council, concerning the Autumn Acres subdivision adjacent to Valverde St.

The Spring Ditch parciantes, whose water source has been reduced dramatically by town development, say they are committed to legal action against the town for ignoring their historic and constitutionally guaranteed water rights. The source of the Spring Ditch has been reduced by Town Well No. 5, commercial development on the east and west side of the highway, adjacent to La Bell Cleaners, and blocked by town development on Peralta Lane.

Ironically, Taos County, has taken arguably progressive steps, advertising a moratorium on further development until water sources can be ascertained from Ranchos de Taos south. At the same time, the county is in the process to setting up a task force to study the effects of mining on polluting local water sources adjacent to the Red River. The mother of all water bills, the Taos Pueblo Water Settlement i.e. Abeyta lawsuit, filed in 1969, thanks, in part to the “Battle for Blue Lake,” is stalled in the U.S. Senate due to a hold placed by a Montana Senator.

Local water issues should be a unifying force in the community. Those who follow the natural flow and artificial diversions—San Juan Chama for instance—should understand that thirsty citizens from Las Angeles, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and El Paso affect the Taos County Watershed and the Rio Grande tributaries. We need our local councilor and commissioners to stand firm for traditional water rights and keep their eyes on the water thieves from out of town.

Public Safety and Economic Development

Apparently, the honeymoon between the town council and the citizens has ended. On Tuesday, the Town holds its regular meeting at 1:30 pm in council chambers on Civic Plaza Drive. Among other business, the council will hold a public hearing to discuss raising the gross receipts tax .25% or by ¼. Activists, merchants, and concerned consumers are expected to turn up in force to oppose the proposed tax. Due to the Great Recession and extant high GRT, much grumbling is being heard. The taxes are aimed at supporting equipment purchases for public safety and promoting economic development.

(Does the Chief need a new wardrobe and sidearm for his Miamia Vice look?)

The Council has made an enlightened attempt to shift more money into marketing during the last two years. During times of hardship like today, Taos Friction believes ingenuity and extant budgets are sufficient. Let’s focus on creative ways to keep the community going but not by throwing hard-earned money at the problem. We recommend the council let the current marketing program work itself out, while adopting some of Councilor Gene Sanchez’s recommendations for “scrubbing” the budget and saving the town money in its operations.

On Sports Fields

(Pictured left to right) Mayor Darren Cordova, Councilmen Rudy Abeyta & Gene Sanchez, Taos School Board Members Arsenio Cordova & Lorraine Coca-Ruiz

While we support the concept of more sports fields, we also think the Town Council—especially the Mayor and Rudy Walmart—have some fence mending to do. The Taos Municipal Schools board, basically Arsenio Cordova and Lorraine Coca-Ruiz, pushed through the attempt at collaborating—furnished the 24-acre property—for the new town soccer fields. Then the Mayor and Mr. Walmart, with little knowledge and less dignity—called for the removal of those who initiated the efforts at building the fields. Now the Town Council and their cohorts at The Taos News have egg on their faces—given the devastating indictment of past and present  administrations by three consecutive audits.

The Council could make amends and send Councilor Sanchez over to poison the gophers at the new baseball park. I can hear him now: “Get out here you spineless ones.”

The Big Gouge

In addition to the Great Recession, much local business suffers less from a lack of customers than it does from local gouging, poor customer service, and an allegedly captive market. We don’t think the town should join the feeding frenzy like The Taos News. The excellent local weekly, due to unseemly charges and disruptive—unprofessional practices, is forcing the Taos Municipal Schools to check out competitive rates with the Albuquerque Journal for its mandated AYP reports.

We support local newspapers but their appetite for advertising dollars has run amok. They want to sell yet another supplement–the “Back to School” issue—for many thousands of dollars–extort money from the schools at taxpayer expense, while ridiculing the customers with bias news coverage. Last week, largely due to press coverage, the board hired a teacher with a BA in Art History and a reading endorsement from a local community college to teach “science.”

First the News creates divisiveness and then expects the objects of their disdain to pay for it. Between The Taos News and the recalcitrant administrators, the school board members suffer from the “beaten wife syndrome.”

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (D), left, will face Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez (R), right, in the general election

Postscript

Until Candidates Diane Denish and/or Susana Martinez promise to undo HB 212, which gives all the power for administering school districts to Superintendents, local public education will continue to suffer. Neither the teacher unions nor the school boards can fix schools when you have bureaucratic malfeasance at the oxymoronic Department of Education. If there is a single professional ingredient in New Mexico’s race to the bottom, it’s the culture of failure promoted by state government in its present form.