El Mitote: Coop Dollars working for you: Legal Mugging Today at District Court

Big Bucks in Questa

While the water flows downhill in the Rio Grande, money is flowing uphill to Questa during the current Coop election. According to trustees and selected members of KCEC, checks for cuates are being distributed throughout the Coop area, generally, and bags of greenbacks specifically in Questa. Apparently, old-fashioned “vote buying” is being used to stimulate the economy and shore up support for CEO Luis Reyes’ “borrow and spend” policies.

The Coop managed to send out about $300,000 to selected members, calling the checks “capital credits,” or rebates but timing the reimbursements to coincide with elections in order to call attention to the “good works” of incumbents Bobby Ortega and Manuel “Parking Lot” Medina. If you haven’t gotten your check or iPad, you’re not expected to vote in Questa or Taos.

As well, according to the “voice of the people,” Virgil Martinez, candidate Ortega’s supporters have been promising members more relief and even dropping dollars and checks off to private and public parties, who will benefit from the re-election of Coop President Ortega. Virgil says Questenos are enjoying the entertaining spectacle.

Polls opened today at 7 am and Questa. Northern Taos County residents will choose two of three candidates among Virgil Martinez, Bobby Ortega, and Marty Martinez. The results should be known shortly after polls close at 7 pm. Enlightened locals are voting for Martinez y Martinez.

Virgil says he’s getting a kick out of the Ortega-Reyes maneuvers, which he says shows how desperate the trustees are to rubber stamp the CEO’s doings. Virgil, the “rock breaker,” who works at the Chevron Moly Mine, says he was also threatened by Ortega and his bro last Sunday but had gone to Church in the morning and chose to turn the other cheek. The extension of discussion and diplomacy by other means is a practice first instituted by Trustee Manuel Medina, who grew frustrated with Robert’s Rules of Order and challenged Virgil to step out into the Parking Lot a few years ago.

One can only wonder if the alleged bandidos, who mugged a Coop employee for $200,00, were working for Recycle Taos (RT)—as in recycle your elected officials.

Legal Mugging

A rapid-fire exchange of emails obtained by Taos Friction, lays out town policies below. Town Intern Jeff Northrup engaged in an electronic mail colloquy with Town Manager, Oscar Rodriguez, Chief Ken Koch, and Attorney Brian James. Northrup has peacefully complied with Judge John Paternoster’s order to do community service and is rotating among town departments, taking notes, and preparing a summary of his activities for the judge. Furthermore he has announced his intent to resume picketing corrupt practices despite the threats and lack of protection from the Tow Truck Gang, who Northrup claims stole his signs and tried to run him over.

Here’s Rodriguez:

“You and all citizens are free to exercise your 1st Amendment right. However, you are not entitled to a personal security detail of Town Police officers that will be at your beck and call to keep other citizens from exercising their right to lawfully manifest their protest against you or to intervene on your behalf every time you choose to provoke somebody. To give you or anybody else this attention would indeed compromise the integrity of public service.” – Oscar

After the Taos Police Department cited Amos Cohn and the Tow Truckers for pinching Northrup’s signs, the town’s attorney Brian James dropped the charges, alluding to the “no man’s” line of the state highway right away, the right away the town is trying to pinch in order to annex the airport. Prior to Northrup’s victories in Muni court over the town, which cited him several times for violating the sign code, James claimed the town had jurisdiction over the right away. Now they say, “No.” Cohn claimed he was working to “beautify” the town.

Northrup has announced that he will attend the Mother’s Day event, an event sponsored by the town and county on county property but James is seeking a restraining order in Judge Paternoster’s court, alleging that Northrup is a provocateur, today at 4 pm.

Northrup also contacted Taos County Commission Chair and asked the burly commissioner, Dan Barrone, to act as his personal bodyguard. Last year when Northrup attended, he was denounced from the stage by the Mayor’s brother and run out of the park by town cops. According to Northrup he did nothing but show up with his camera.

Northrup has visited, he says, with DA Donald Gallegos re: the Tow Trucker’s alleged attempt to run him down but the sign man says nothing has happened in the way of investigation or prosecution. Northrup says his signs, alluding to “corruption” in the political community have been stolen from displays at his south side copy shop.

Despite the animus expressed by Rodriguez, James, and Koch toward himself, Northrup says if elected Mayor next year he will give the three musketeers an opportunity to reclaim their integrity and their jobs.

Coop Trustee Virgil Martinez and Sign Man Northrup can be seen as the last of a dying breed, willing to place life and limb on the line in the interests of the U.S. Constitution and the American tradition of free speech. In northern New Mexico El Mitote is equally prized. We understand why the Coop is afraid of Virgil, the most popular politico in El Norte but we don’t understand how Northrup, a frail white-haired senior citizen, an outsider, is seen as a threat. Maybe he will become the next Mayor.

Quien sabe, mis amigos?