Mayor Frowns on Drug Activity

TOWN OF TAOS
STATEMENT FROM THE MAYOR

As many of you are already aware, beginning in the early hours of this morning agents and officers of the DEA, FBI, NM State Police, NM Tax and Revenue, and local law enforcement, working in conjunction with our local courts and DA, issued and executed 9 search warrants, resulting in the arrest of 27 persons.

I personally wish to thank the various governmental entities of the inter-jurisdictional Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and especially our local courts and enforcement agencies, for their successful collaboration in this unique partnership.

Crime is a plague on our society that impacts every facet of our community. It destroys families, the security of our homes and businesses, the promise of the youth that are our future, and tears at the fiber of our local economy and our culture.

It has been the goal of this administration from the day I chose to run for Mayor to improve the quality of life for all of our residents within the Town and our County, but especially for our young people.

This can only be achieved by all of our elected officials, all of our public safety agencies, and all of our governments, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, working together as partners, and sharing resources.

Coordinated inter-governmental efforts, such as that carried out today, reflect that type of cooperation.

We have demonstrated that even a small rural community can take on the seemingly overwhelming problems of drugs and crime, much as another recent joint investigation proved that we can and will defeat corruption within our public housing and government institutions.

Now we need to work together to provide alternatives to our youth and young families in the form of quality recreation and educational opportunities, meaningful well-paying jobs, quality affordable housing, safe communities, and a vibrant economy and quality of life for all residents and visitors alike.

Tonight, the press will focus on the negative of the news of today’s events. But we know that tomorrow we will be a better, stronger, safer community because of the cooperation that was demonstrated today.

Let us keep working together, hand-in-hand, to remind the world of the positives and the strengths of our multi-cultural community and the historic determination of our people, our leaders, and our institutions to use the lessons of our past to build a bridge to an unparalleled future that all Taosenos will be proud of and that will be a model for the rest of New Mexico and the world.

Tonight, please join me in telling all of our children how much every one of them matter to us and that we are committed to making our community and their future the best that it can be.

Thank you,
Dan Barrone
Daniel R. Barrone, Mayor

For further information, visit the Town of Taos website at http://www.taosgov.com , or contact the Town of Taos Executive Office at (575) 751- 2002.