A Reminder
The comments below reflect the opinion of the writer. Typically, remarks contain facts, figures of speech, and evidence. In effect, the writer seeks to stimulate discussion, based on research and information, opinion and argument.
While the mainstream media focuses on conflict in Taos politics, the pesky pundit reminds readers that personal animus does not cancel out common goals. For instance, Mayor Cordova has indicated that he supports the newly appointed TMS superintendent, hired by the school board in a unanimous decision. The issues affecting the schools are common to the state and nation—regardless of the community’s unique way of addressing the dialectical struggle to change.
Similarly, a change in approach is needed to address urban encroachment on historic acequias. Parciantes on the Spring Ditch and the ditches in the Autumn Acres project on Valverde Commons have legitimate but long ignored concerns. Acequias, enshrined as political subdivisions in the New Mexico Constitution, should be seen as the backbone or skeletal structure of planning regulations and enforcement—especially in the current climate of concern for food security and a green economy.
Historically, at the Town of Taos, the council and planning department have ignored documenting annexation ordinances and filing the proper paperwork with the county clerk. Due to unclear communication, the Town has turned paperwork miscues into tension and conflict with their neighbors and the county commission.
Today, it is common for politicos to preach transparency but transparency in  practice is frequently ignored.
At the Coop, CEO Reyes and the Trustees have yet to address requests from members about the effect of expansion on the bottom line for propane, Internet, solar expansion, the call and command centers, digital meters, the broadband initiative, trustee travel, and gerrymandered voting districts. Members see electricity as the backbone of the Coop in terms of the REA mission. So far, the Coop has not convinced the public that it can operate profitably in a competitive environment—outside the monopolistic and highly regulated REA environment. Despite claims about operating in an atmosphere of “transparency,†the CEO and Trustees operate like the good old boys in the back room or maybe like the fat cats at CRAB Hall—the latter era now coming to an end.
On this web site and in prior publications, the public has seen facts and figures that underscore the Coop’s failures to inform and perform. Without a policy of transparency and enlightened communication, the Coop, like the Wall St. Banks, will continue to make the same mistakes.
Due to declining revenue, trustees say the Coop will have to go before the PRC and ask for a rate increase. At that time, members will have the opportunity to ask questions, present evidence, and request the accountability from the board and management. Writing columns filled with few facts, general concepts, and rosy-colored pronouncements by trustees and management are not a substitute for accountability.
KCEC Voting Facts and Figures
Democracy or Oligarchy?
District 1, Taos, represented by Francis Cordova, Toby Martinez, Manuel Medina, and Luisa Mylet, has 17, 113 meters and 12,469 eligible voting members. So each trustee represents about 3,100 members. (Almost 2,000 members voted in the last election.)
District 2, Questa and Red River, represented by Virgil Martinez and Bobby Ortega, have 3,634 meters and about 2,726 voting members. So each trustee represents about 1,376 members.
District 3, Ojo Caliente, represented by Art Rodarte, has 1,640 meters and 1,239 eligible voting members. Trustees estimate that Art, the Tri-State Rep, makes an easy 40,000 grand for representing 1,239 members.
District 4, Peñasco Valley, represented by Chris Duran and Ambrose Mascarenas, has 2,057 meters and 1,619 eligible voting members. Each trustee represents 809.5 voters plus one cheerleader.
District 5, Angel Fire-Eagle Nest, represented by Jerry Smith and Bruce Jassman, has 4,714 meters and 3,918 voting members. Each trustee represents 1,959 members. (74 members voted in the last election.)
The one man, one vote rule applies to political subdivisions but, apparently, not to the Coop.
21,971 members are eligible to vote. Yet, the elected officers represent only 6,763 members.
Conclusion
Coops across the state have made changes in Socorro and at Mora. The New Mexico Attorney General is questioning decisions by Public Service Company of New Mexico, regarding solar expenses passed on to consumers. Fast paced technological changes mean individual renewable energy units—like electric cars and tiny computers—are coming to market. Just as the school system is roiling in turbulence due to contemporary social and demographic changes, leading to decreased success with students and increased costs due to administrators—so the Coop must address the demands of change—real political and policy changes.
Internal financial failures at the Coop are due as much to management as they are to excessive entrepreneurial adventurism. A local monopoly, the Coop has difficulty engaging in the private but competitive market. The Trustees, like prior school boards, have ignored changing demographics associated with the fast-paced techno-entrepreneurial demands.
Similarly, the Town must address the increasing pressure of an active constituency, who live along the ditches and roadways of Taos and are demanding “real†not the “virtual†planning of the past decades.
Neither the politicians nor the constituents can continue to engage in cultural envidia and expect to survive. We’ve identified the problems. Now it is time to change the approach and have a good time doing it.