Community Issues and Personalities

For sure the upcoming election for Town of Taos mayor and two councilors presents a stark choice for voters, who are interested in real issues and the candidates with the best chance of instituting responsible government as antidote to the incumbents’ emphasis on private gain.

Due to advocacy on behalf of community as well as a record of public service, one can’t think of a more qualified candidate for mayor than Dan Barrone. As Mr. Work Gloves, the longtime athletic booster and church member transformed his personal commitment to family and community into service at the County. Along with the other County Commissioners, elected officials, and citizens he helped promote the construction of the County Complex, which came in on time and under budget.

In the process Commissioners set aside a low six-figure sum for public art, supported the grant advocated for by the Town to do a study and design for the renovation of the Old County Courthouse in the heart of the historic arts and cultural district. Indeed, the County offered to take the lead for the arts and cultural district when the Town faltered just as it has at the Command Center for E911-Dispatch Center that properly belongs in a publicly owned facility. When the County found that the Town had defaulted on the JPA and let repeaters and towers in the outlying communities become inoperative due to a lack of maintenance, the County had little choice but to assert itself on behalf of public safety and the welfare of its citizens.

When the Town could no longer afford to keep its planning department fully staffed, the County stepped in to offer its aid. The County and Town continue to work together and meet at the Intergovernmental Council (IGC) and Landfill board, even as various town and county entities collaborate during police and fire emergencies. Much collaboration has occurred between County the Town despite executive staff and highly personal attacks in the media against the county. The County even offered to create an economic development district to accommodate expansion at the airport.

Even as the Town and County have disagreed about the manner of annexation or the failure of the Town to present its partners with options and feedback on the E911-Dispatch Command Center, the County has kept the door open to negotiation, thanks in part to Chairman Barrone. Barrone’s steady hand is a sign of the man’s steadfast patience and hope for an optimistic outcome that benefits the community.

There is no doubt that cooperation between County and Town would lead to savings for taxpayers as the cost of duplicated services is reduced. Several former Town planning department employees now work at the County, giving rise to the prospect of melding town and county culture. Thanks to the steady hand of County Manager Steve Archuleta one finds high employee morale and an active pursuit of taking responsibility for the community countywide among employees, who are prudent and purposeful in their work.

Though council candidates Judi Cantu and Fritz Hahn have never held elective office both demonstrate support and an affinity for Barrone, in a vision of “community first.” Hahn has made rejuvenating acequias a centerpiece of renewing the arts and historic district, a vision that rewards local traditions and makes historic culture attractive to visitors. Hahn’s experience in private business and as a social activist show that he “walks the talk.” All three recognize, as far as I know, the potential of the now neglected ECO park concept for attracting high altitude training and events that could attract more long-term visitors.

Judi too supports renewing the commitment to the cultural and historic principles. She has been researching, as no other town candidate since Mayor Lovato, solutions to water and watershed issues, like Fritz and Dan, that will so dramatically affect the Town and greater community in the future. And Judi, as the daughter of the Cantu family, is representative of those longtime downtown property owners, who have a vested interest in seeing the historic district prosper.

All three candidates recognize the need to refocus on fiscal responsibility while restoring streets, sidewalks, water and sewer infrastructure, motors at wellheads, fire hydrant pressure, and addressing deferred maintenance in general.

Given the unpredictable nature of the national economy, Taos needs to take care of Taos so that visitors or second homers will enjoy a community cared for and nurtured. Potholes, stained sidewalks, and cops, who give out tickets to the dozen cars that occupy a mostly empty Plaza in January seems like a hostile and destructive policy. The Catholic Church free parking lot was two-thirds full on Jan. 22, so maybe the policy is working. But a Plaza empty of cars does not speak of vitality. In most tourist-oriented communities, police are trained to be ambassadors as well as crime fighters.

Regardless, the future of Taos, in terms of the economy, lies in both the natural beauty and cultural attractions. We have history and landscape, the mountains and the deserts, the Rio Grande and TSV, as well as a creative culture of the arts and a place for eccentric individuals and subcultures. But we also need to recapture the hospitality and tolerance for difference that once was a hallmark of the community.

We need vision and leadership.

Mayors like Rumaldo Garcia, Phil Cantu, Phil Lovato, Lawrence Santistevan, Eloy Jeantete, and Bobby Duran were friendly and hospitable public servants, generous of spirit, knowing caretakers of community. Bobby and I disagreed from time to time but he’s like the best of Taosenos, what with his impish laughter he embodies the spirit of reconciliation. I used to admire Fred Peralta until he turned into Caesar and promoted empire at the expense of the citizens. Mayor Cordova seems more concerned with supporting his private enterprises at taxpayer expense than promoting community.

We need to a working council with honest folks who believe in “community first” and possess a public and private character that is demonstrable, folks with a record of consistent concern for community like Dan, Judi, and Fritz. Early voting begins Feb. 12.