Taos Candidates Forum: Consensus and El Mitote
Issues
Despite the repetitive nature of the Monday night, Feb. 17, forum for town council candidates, there were moments of levity and what appeared to be a consensus on the troubling Command Center issue and some light shed on the airport controversy.
Four candidates, Judi Cantu, Fritz Hahn, Pavel Lukes, and Amy Quintana all agreed that one Command Center at the County made sense. Rudy Abeyta and Darien Fernandez said the town and county should enter “binding arbitration.” Pavel himself, who said he considers Rudy or Darien, the candidates he’d like to work with most, said he considered the intervening private organization (KCEC) a “weak link” in the current structure but repeatedly referred to his “lack of facts.”
Rudy said eleven years ago all the local entities supported the Command Center concept from KCEC. When the KCEC CEO presented the idea of a command and incident center over and over during the last decade, all entities said it might be a good idea, like motherhood and apple pie, but all asked for details before signing on to support a pig in a poke. Now that various entities have seen the facility and what it costs, only the Town considers it adequate technically or reasonable. As Fritz said, the town should have worked with the members of the PSAP JPA first before making a unilateral decision.
Currently, a spokesman at DFA said the state will analyze whether technical or “anti-donation” issues have been satisfied—after the end this year’s legislative session. The same DFA spokesman questioned the use of electricity as a heat source at the new Command Center. Yesterday Taos Friction posted pictures of the “weak links” in security for the tower/antenna and back up generator system at the old Civic Plaza Drive location to which the KCEC CC is hooked up…sort of.
Darien, Judi, and Amy all supported the idea of “regional airport district” wherein decisions could be made by a neutral board. Candidate Lukes, despite his passion for flying, said he didn’t have all “the facts” for a “Taos Regional Airport” but wants to see if he can’t solicit the ski valley billionaire for funds. Fritz supports safety in terms of the crosswinds runway but says the focus on the airport detracts from addressing problems in the Town of Taos. Rudi misrepresented the County’s position on annexation and airport expansion but did say the town would collect GRT at its airport regardless.
Councilor Abeyta defended the status quo on parking meters. The rest of the candidates were all over the map on this seemingly intractable subject. Parking meters are like the subject of the historic Plaza. Each election the issue comes up and hot air leaks out of the candidate’s mouths but nothing much happens. Perhaps Pavel can speak to the billionaire about buying up the Historic District since the community can’t afford the upgrades.
Still, as we sat in the old County Courtroom under the spectacular Frescoes and their caveats about the subject of laws and crimes, I thought about how the County itself is making every effort to upgrade and revive the historic district in the person of Deputy Manager Rick Bellis and economic development specialist Cynthia Spray. More than a hundred folks attended the Max Gomez concert on Saturday night at $25 a pop in the old Courtroom. Bellis himself took charge of the house, behind the scenes, moving chairs, checking doors and bathrooms, etc.
El Mitote
El Mitote emerged as an entertaining sidelight last night. An audience member, whose family had been here more than three hundred years, said he grew up in California, served in the military and came back to Taos. When he asked about a business license, the bureaucrat at Town Hall asked about his family background. He wanted to know the candidates’ take on racism and nepotism.
Daren Fernandez referred to comments by the candidates or their supporters as “filth.” I’m not sure if he was referring to Nancy Stapp on DMC, Arsenio Cordova, who referred to the sons of El Prado, advocates of annexation on the council, as “vendidos”, or Jeff Northrup whose signs call attention to corruption at town hall, or/and me in my ironic use of the local lengue.
Fritz noted that the problem of “racism” begins at the top. He referred to the flag flying 24/7 on the Plaza, as symbolic of constitutional protections for free speech. Amy Quintana, who was much criticized by the sign man for saying too little during her tenure on the council, defended Jeff against the town council’s vendetta in its aberrant use of the sign code and local tow truck company as weapons in an effort to shut him down.
Pavel appears to have had his feelings hurt because this “bad gringo” referred to him as the “Big Gringo,” who might or might not be a vendido or pendejo. Perhaps he’s one of the DA’s “Buena gente.” Quien Sabe? Though Pavel didn’t characterize himself as following in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln last night, he certainly exemplifies a longing for a world-view based on “kitsch,” a notion defined in Czecho Milan Kundera’ s Unbearable Lightness of Being, one of my favorite novels.
The term “Gringo” comes from “Graeco,” denoting an immigrant Greek, a term used in Spain some hundreds of years ago. Eventually the term migrated into usage as “gringo” and referred to a tenderfoot or newcomer in the Southwest: see movies, books, and local usage. I’ve been a “Gringo” as long as I can remember and earned the sobriquet and wear the badge “Gringo” (good or bad) with some honor. We all like to know who we are. I think of the term Gringo as descriptive, not “pejorative” but insult is in the eye of the beholder.
Many of the folks in Town appear to be humorless, adopting politically correct attitudes, far removed from the sense of humor maintained by la plebe in the villages. If you “aren’t from here”—the first rule of cultural politics, it can be a difficult challenge, especially for newcomers. The second rule is that you must have a sense of humor. Judge Betty Martinez once responded to a critic, who accused her of dirty politics,” by giggling and saying, “that’s just politics.” Flavio often says that after you’ve lived here long enough you begin to understand. It’s a lifelong learning experience.
Years ago, Jay Johnson, a black bartender at La Cocina, told me he liked Taos because folks referred to him as a “black Anglo.” I often heard folks say, when arguing about the hippies, “he’s not a hippie, I know him.” Sure there’s bigotry but class and ethnic prejudice can be undermined by personal relationships. If anything there is a “tyranny of tolerance” in Taos.
In response to a question about nepotism, Judi mentioned how Rudy’s brother Alex had obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts from the Town. Rudy mentioned that Alex was one of two qualified engineers in the County. The Town frequently “waives” the nepotism prohibition; see the Town’s agenda, so it can hire relatives. After the forum, I told Rudy I didn’t have a problem with Alex. He works hard and is qualified. I just think Rudy shouldn’t subject Alex’s career to those kinds of questions by having his twin brother in office. But Rudy told me after he’s elected; he’s going to run for mayor in four years. I kid you not.
The Town appears to threaten everyone with a big stick and after beating the opposition in the press or media, blames the victim and offers to talk softly. Some of the candidates have jumped on that bus in the election. Still, like many of my Taos friends, I know, more or less, the incumbents and candidates, and like them all personally. It’s just that some are serious and better suited to stopping the downward spiral i.e. Judi and Fritz. Amy herself was particularly articulate last night and did her candidacy some good.
Arsenio asked why the Town ended the Living Treasures program, a program begun and maintained by a variety of former Mayors. Rudy pleaded the “economy.” But we know that was another little white lie. Mayor Cordova ended the program because Jeff Northrup was nominated by the citizens’ committee at large as a “Living Treasure.” Rudy apparently believes if the critics like Arsenio, Jeff, and the Bad Gringo, would go away, everything would be okay at town hall. Damn Chicano. Damn Sign Man. Damn Gringo. But we don’t vote as elected officials and we aren’t worth Rudy’s wrath. He and Darren should look in the mirror. Pobrecitos.