The State of the Greater Community and the Town of Taos

Let’s take a look at events in the greater community as we consider The Taos News forum for council candidates at KCEC on Thursday night, Jan. 30. In contrast to previous Chamber forums of the last few years, Editor Joan Livingston did a darn good job of keeping candidates on message, the tone light but the questions serious. Congratulations to her and the seven candidates for an informative public event.

If a single theme emerged as a consensus for economic development and public safety, it was the theme of “collaboration.” Candidates repeatedly referred to the need to collaborate with the County on the Command Center, the expansion of the airport, marketing the Arts and Cultural District, rejuvenating and repairing infrastructure (streets, acequias, sidewalks, the Plaza). While doing away with parking meters seems like an obvious fix to make the downtown more attractive, it is more difficult to convince politicos to sing “kumbaya.”

In the greater community, Taosenos saw collaboration work between federal, state, and county entities in terms of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument at the first public scoping meeting. As if to add an exclamation point to the process, the local field manager for the BLM, Sam DesGeorges, who is ostensibly in charge of monitoring the Monument, signed an order earlier in the day, delaying leases for two years for the oil and gas—read fracking—proponents in eastern Rio Arriba County, adjacent to Taos County boundaries. His order called for two years of studies prior to another round of oil and gas offerings.

Supporters of the Monument unanimously oppose the construction of the Tri-State Power Line, which would despoil the view, wildlife corridors, etc. Meanwhile, Tri-State ran into charged opposition at the PRC on Wednesday in Santa Fe, thanks to Luis Reyes, the Quixotic CEO of KCEC. Give credit where credit is due.

Eight years ago Luis and the Coop tried to stop Tri-State’s high-handed uncontended rate increases but KCEC was the Lone Ranger. Now, three other NM Coops support KCEC and the PRC pulled the plug on Tri-State, which means the mostly unregulated monopoly must go through a hearing and prove why they need another rate increase. Basically, Tri-State has doubled electrical rates by raising charges seven times during the last decade. As Coop activist Jerome Lucero, who lost his job opposing the behemoth, has frequently said, Tri-State discriminates against New Mexico Coops by violating its own policies, dividing and conquering, while exercising top-down governance.

Now Tri-State must confront an agitated state: the PRC, legislature, 12 NM Coops and fierce Monument troops, who live to protect land and wildlife as well as their livelihoods. Eco tourism, fishing, hunting, rafting, and sightseeing are becoming increasing reasons why folks come to northern New Mexico. They also come to ski.

Consider the purchase of TSV a double whammy. Mr. Bacon, the billionaire, can afford to invest in ski valley upgrades, and ironically, he is a determined and experienced foe of Tri-State. Apparently, he and a number of communities in Colorado collaborated and convinced the Colorado PUD to stop Tri-State from building a transmission line across Southern Colorado, just north of New Mexico, which project involved Bacon’s recently purchased Forbes Trinchera Ranch.

So the long-term prospects of Taos are bright. But due to weather and economics, not to mention shortsighted governors, the short-term prospects are dim.

As I left the Town of Taos forum last night, it occurred to me that Dan Barrone, last year’s chair of the County Commission is running for Mayor in order to bring about consensus and collaboration on the Command Center, Airport, Arts and Culture District and a working man’s approach to streets, sidewalks, the Eco park, and general infrastructure. Dan is supported in this “collaborative” endeavor by most of the candidates running for council, including Fritz Hahn, Judi Cantu, Amy Quintana, Cynthia Spray, and Darien Fernandez, as well as employees at the Town and County, and, I believe, the community at large.

On the other side, you have the record of incumbent mayor Darren Cordova, councilor Fred Peralta, councilor Abeyta, and one assumes, the anointed one, candidate Pavel Lukes. The incumbents support the status quo or unilateral decision-making, re: the Command Center, Airport, Arts and Cultural District, etc. The current town administration has to take responsibility not only for library and parking meter fiascos or the decay of infrastructure but also for the divisive and current lack of collaboration with the County and the citizens.

Mayor Cordova, Rudy, and Pavel via the mayor’s radio station and due to announcements in The Taos News during the last year, have made it abundantly clear that they believe anyone who disagrees with them should be subject to ad hominem attacks. The Cordova group and incumbent town council have consistently blamed the victims of their movidas or media muggings, whether county commissioners or citizens’ campaigns, for not “collaborating.”

You can’t sing kumbaya when the conductor is sticking his baton in your back or creating static on the AM frequency so you can’t hear the tune.

As Ms. Livingston and the candidates demonstrated last night, Taosenos can engage in civil dialogue. As demonstrated to the assembled multitudes at Tuesday’s Monument meeting, attended by a single politico, Dan Barrone, chaired by BLM’s Sam DesGeorges, a community can achieve consensus. Further, thanks to Luis’s efforts and the collaborative efforts of NM Coops and their members, the PRC stood up for their constituents in the greater New Mexico community.

We can do little or nothing about the weather or the greater economy. But we can do much about the way Taos is governed. If we citizens enhance the local culture by making Taos a better place to live for residents, visitors will flock here to enjoy the benefits. The voters in the Town of Taos have a real choice to make. The stakes couldn’t be greater, the candidates more different in their approaches to governing.

The Cordova-Peralta-Abeyta group has demonstrated its belief in top-down decision-making, regardless of the short or long term effects. Barrone and his supporters, especially heavyweight council candidates like Hahn and Cantu, support the bottom-up grass roots and even compassionate response to the citizens i.e. a more realistic long-term approach to culture and economy. This election is a referendum on the Command Center, Airport annexation and expansion, the arts and culture district, the acequias and water issues i.e. the future of the community. Vote wisely and well.