It Happened Last Night: The Friday Night Fights

Baron

Last night the Baron show of recent political cartoons opened at Town Hall to the amusement and applause of local political aficionados. Seen as enlarged prints, the ‘toons have even more impact than they do in The Taos News. Those who have been honored by being depicted should especially see the show, despite the painful memories. You can buy one or order one for only $20. This is the bargain of the New Year.

Silva

Over at the Guadalajara Grill, during dinner, we sat with Bea and Larry Silva, the mayordomo of southwest El Prado, where it merges into the Town of Taos. Silva, who sells tires, and used vehicles, stimulates the local economy by offering fair rents to tenants and providing long-term jobs to employees. Despite his ninety plus years, he’s spry as a jackrabbit, still makes long-distance drives to pick up used vehicles, feeds his horses and livestock each day, and does his own income tax, a challenge considering all his various entrepreneurial sites in play. Here’s to Bea and Jose Lauriano.

Bellis & Barrone

At a neighbor’s house I watched the Bellis-Barrone theatrical production online, a real life drama aimed at deciding whether this Town Manager would survive the slings and arrows of the council. Though I only caught the end, maybe the last dozen or so speakers, I was in awe of los politicos, whose thick skin and patient demeanor were on display. Basically, a segment of the community seemed to experience a kind of catharsis at the live event. Though they addressed the issue of why the council wanted to fire Mr. Bellis, they also vented about their own particular concerns.

While all the foibles of human nature were on display by the speakers, if I were to award an academy award for the evening I would say Della Barrone’s testimony about Bellis’s contribution to public housing deserved an Oscar. You could hear the brittle nerves in her voice even as she narrated the contributions Bellis made in helping save the housing authority from a scandalous demise. Her passion and experience made you want to believe her every word.

For the last twenty-four hours Barrone, Bellis, and Fritz Hahn supporters rallied the troops with petitions and not a little hysteria to draw attention and provide an SRO crowd. Barrone, in a masterful display, despite giving the appearance of bumbling from time to time, used the bully pulpit to unnerve the opposition when he ignored a version of “Robert’s Rules of Order” and “let the people speak.” The Town hasn’t seen this much public outpouring since the rebellion against the Super Walmart.

Much of what I wrote yesterday in “Governance rightly understood” seems prophetic. Councilor Cantu, who referred to herself as a “work in progress,” ultimately and I would say, courageously, withdrew her motion and the alleged coup collapsed. While Councilor Peralta looked stiff and perhaps frustrated by Barrone’s movida, I should remind you that he as Mayor and with Gus as manager, used to talk to death the council until they caved in to this or that proposition, even approving outrageous violations of the procurement code. As for Councilor Gonzales I believe he saw first hand the power of a people previously ignored by the Mayor Cordova administration. (Still one must disapprove of the insult to him via the attack on his father, whom we all much respected.)

Bellis himself, when allowed to speak, seemed full of charm and candor about the issues associated with administering the town and the inability to recruit department heads and others for positions at Town Hall. He mentioned the high cost of living, low salaries, and turmoil in local government. He sounded reasonable in his responses to Cantu and Gonzales though one must remain skeptical of talk in public without the documents to back up speech. There are plenty of talented local folks who could be hired to plug gaps at least on an interim basis at Town Hall. We don’t need to recruit  itinerant professionals.The man or woman on the white horse does not exist.

For those who are interested, last night’s display of political power confirmed what the voters wanted at Town Hall in their overwhelming support for Barrone, Hahn, and Cantu. Cantu is the swing vote. Let’s hope that Barrone, Bellis, and Hahn make “more of an effort” to include her in their deliberations, lest we deal again with a woman “politically” scorned.

Boyhood’s Perella

After the show at Town Hall, I watched Richard Linklater’s much ballyhooed film, “Boyhood,” the ten-year chronological epic about children and families growing up in semi-typical American suburbs and cities. While the film focuses on a kind of boring normalcy, I was struck by the Mom’s second husband, an alcoholic and domestic tyrant, the only real villain in the piece. “Why does he look so familiar? Marco. I think it’s Marco Perella.” So I google the film and sure enough it’s our old friend Marco, from a myriad of community theatre productions and decades past remembered here among my generation of emigrants. He has hit the big-time in this Oscar nominated film.

Congratulations Marco.