“The County has no standing…here”–Oscar Rodriguez

(The photo above by Irving Rusinow of the WPA, depicts Sheriff J. Isidro Montoya, deputies, town cops, circa 1940, in the old County Courthouse. You can see a large reprint upstairs in the County Commission offices. The guys are all from here.)

On a mid-winter overcast day in northern New Mexico, resident activists awoke to a fine piece of reporting in The Taos News by J.R. Logan and Matthew van Buren: Town, county cooperation on the table for officials. Gabe Romero, commissioner, is quoted, re: the issue of annexation and relocation of the E911 communication centers, saying, “Its kind of Monopoly, isn’t it?”

The article about “cooperation” is accompanied by a similarly thorough report, called Studies: Modest economic boost from airport. Deep in the piece, we readers learn that the $24 million crosswind runway could mean pilots will land more comfortably five percent of the time. By 2018, the study says nine more private airplanes might be based at the local airfield.

But the essence of the article on “cooperation” concerns a quote from Town Manager Oscar Rodriquez in an email to County Manager Steve Archuleta. The last line in the piece, the closer and the whopper, says, per Rodriquez: “The County has no standing here” (my bold).

Say what Oscar? No standing? Oscar, the itinerant professional, seems a bit short on the history of Taos, given the town’s relatively recent incorporation, 1934, compared to the county’s status, which began, officially, according to the American occupiers, with the advent of statehood in 1912. Why, county commissioners were doing business with Manby, the swindler of land grantees, long before the town’s politicos were a mote in the eyes of their fathers or a dream in the hearts of their mothers.

Town Attorney Brian James, the other itinerant professional hired by the town, has made similar remarks. El James lectured attendees at a town planning and zoning meeting about the “forty-year” history of the airport expansion contretemps only to confess later that he’d been in high school somewhere in the mid west when the town condemned and otherwise took by conquest land from county property owners to build the airport back in the sixties, which land-locked county property owners.

History is always alive and well in Taos. Ask the vendors at the Bridge, who got closed down by mere threats from Taos Pueblo and the WarChief, (who shot the cow). Get rid of the vendors or we’ll close Highway 64. Guess what happened?

James also mischaracterized the Northrup—Cordova trespass case when he alluded to Northrup’s lack of history vis-à-vis previous town officials. As is well known, Northrup was subject of a lawsuit from the prior mayor, Bobby Duran, who took issue with Northrup’s use of the mayor’s invaluable image to advertise his passport photo biz. The same judge, John Paternoster, heard both cases—unbeknownst to the circuit-riding attorney, who was probably in Los Alamos or law school then.

(Since the Duran—Northrup dustup, the sign-man has realized—in retrospect—what an upstanding guy Bobby is.)

“Taos County has no standing…here.” Eh?

But neither Oscar nor James is from here, which means, for the uninitiated, that they have no standing, according to local cultural and political customs. Everybody knows as most activists do, whether native or newcomer, that you can’t really understand this place until you’ve lived here forty years or  a lifetime. Eh Becky?

We used to make fun of Becky for having said that—except now we know that she was right. She spoke truth to newcomers. Taos is one long learning experience and predictably unpredictable when it comes to the art of local politics. During this last week, the movida—makers, Darren and Luis, like Oscar and Brian James, have stepped into some wet horse manure.

You can try to buy votes but will they stay bought?

I remember once during an election campaign, Judge Betty Martinez’s opponent accused her of dirty politics because Sheriff Charlie, her brother, called up during a radio interview show with her opponent. The opponent said it was “dirty politics.” Judge Betty giggled and said, “its just politics.”

As soon as they can see and hear Taoseno toddlers learn about politics. They practice the art as they pass through public school. Whether you’re talking gangsters, grocery clerks, or elected officials, politics is the art or sport of choice. Maybe Oscar attended MIT but neither the study of planning nor exposure to engineering prepares the graduate for the labyrinthian political machinations of El Norte.

Pobrecito Oscar’s not from here but soon he will be. The Taos Lesson has begun my friend, right out there in front of God and everyone. Remember that line from “The Charge of the Light Brigade, how “Someone had blunder’d” ?

Did you hear what Oscar said, “The County has no standing…here.” BTW: The reporter above  doesn’t tell you what Gabe also indicated, that he never loses at Monopoly.

Love it or it leave it Oscar but enjoy it while you’re here.