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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Letters To the Editor



      Let's Help Build Family Activities
UNTIL NOW, I HAVE refrained from commenting or writing about the disappointment I feel in Edgewood's town government.
    How does a person take over as mayor and on the very first day in office dismiss the town's administrator and public works director? It appears that he must have had some help in making this decision, such as discussing the plan with town councilors. If he did, such action would be against the Open Meeting Act. Any action taken regarding those positions requires approval from the town council.
    The administrator's dismissal most likely could have been justified, but only after bringing the proposed action before the council. The public works director is a registered licensed engineer who would have saved the town thousands of dollars on in-house engineering. The public works director had the expertise to operate the sewer plant. Now all projects requiring an engineer's input will have to put out on bid, which will cost the town more time and money than would be the case had the public works director remained in place.
    It's been highly publicized that the mayor and one councilman want to have an open government for the community. How open to the public is this?
    Clearly, the mayor and one councilman are against the Parks and Recreation program; or maybe they're just against the director. One of the councilmen has overtly ridiculed the parks and recreation director in front of the council and audience. This councilman needs to take a course in ethics and relationships.
    It appears that Mr. Felton and the mayor are very much against helping with the town's celebrations — specifically the Run, Rally & Rock and the Bluegrass Festival. The town has supported these events from their inception, and both have been enjoyable successful occasions for Edgewood's residents. Ms. Kathryn Cleaver talks about personal agendas and pet projects. A pet project, for most of us, usually has a positive connotation. Ms. Cleaver gives the term a negative twist, so it would make sense from her point of view to interpret Mr. Stearley's and Mr. Felton's anti-celebration attitude toward Edgewood's Parks and Recreation programs as their personal agenda and pet project!
    Let's try to help build positive family-oriented community activities up instead of tearing them down.
    HOWARD CALKINS
    Edgewood
    Wildlife West Fest Enhances Town
I WRITE TO YOU AS A CITIZEN OF EDGEWOOD. I am deeply disappointed that the town of Edgewood is pulling its financial support for the Wildlife West Music Festival this coming August. This wonderful community event has been endorsed and financially supported by the town for the past five years. To have this financial support withdrawn at the eleventh hour puts the event's reputation at risk and places the character of the town of Edgewood in question.
    I was raised in New Mexico in a culture where a person's word was a promise and a handshake bound that promise. The subsequent written and signed paperwork merely specified the details of that promise.
    I feel it is a travesty for the town of Edgewood not to honor its commitments to Wildlife West and to the numerous nationally renowned musicians who come to Edgewood to entertain us and our neighbors. Not honoring this commitment endangers future musical events in our town.
    I support the decisions the Town of Edgewood has made to implement the necessary infrastructure of a growing community. A sewer system and a community-oriented police force are necessary but not sufficient for a thriving and happy community. A healthy community needs less enforcement if its citizens are involved in life-enhancing activities that are fun and engaging.
    I have handed Roger Alink, founder and director of Wildlife West, a check for $1,000 to help alleviate the $20,000 deficit the town left WLW as it reneges on its promise of financial support for the Music Festival. I personally ask the citizens and the businesses of Edgewood to donate to Wildlife West a substantial amount (which may be $5 for many of us who strive to live out here) toward this worthwhile, community enhancing event. Please call WLW at 281-7655 to make a tax-deductible donation.
    I feel the town of Edgewood is still developing its identity as a community. A great police force and an adequate sewer are important, but they do not foster the development of high-level wellness and happiness within the citizens of Edgewood. Wildlife West demonstrates integrity in its steadfast commitment to the people of New Mexico. WLW's rapport with the citizens and children of Edgewood, the flora and fauna of New Mexico, and its vision for a sustainable future genuinely excites me.
    Please join me with a “substantial” donation (at your own level!) for the Music Festival this August at Wildlife West. It will enhance our personal happiness, our community identity and our financial well-being beyond our expectations!
    CHRISTIAN MEULI
    Edgewood
   
   
    Roger Alink Needs Community Help
WHAT WOULD EDGEWOOD DO without Roger and Terri Alink? We'd have no place to go with our children for a family-oriented outing and no place to conduct our Bluegrass Festival, Wind Festival and Tractor Drive, to say nothing of the countless teens that Roger's taught to take pride in a job well done in his teen work program.
    Roger is in danger of losing the town's support of all of these events and activities, thanks to the newly elected mayor's dictates. Mr. Stearley thinks the town of Edgewood no longer needs to provide financial contributions to Wildlife West. Roger is brilliant at grant writing, but the grant money he receives is no longer adequate for his ever-growing wildlife preserve. He needs our help.
    Don't let Mayor Stearley refuse to allow the town to contribute to Wildlife West's survival!
    M. ROSHOLT
    Edgewood
   
    Thanks, Wal-Mart, For Pet Food Gifts
AS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TOWN OF EDGEWOOD, in the Animal Care and Control Department, I was contacted about donations of broken bags of pet food and supplies available from Wal-Mart to be used in our animal care facility and to distribute throughout the East Mountains communities where needed.
    I want to thank Wal-Mart for their time and consideration in making available these donations and helping the citizens of Edgewood and surrounding communities such as Estancia, Mountainair, Moriarty and Torrance County take better care of our animals by being able to use these products.
    The claims representatives, Gloria and Annie, have gone out of their way to ensure that we receive the donations on a regular basis. This is especially important since we have been distributing the donated food to needy families, animal rescue groups and feeding the animals within our own kennels as well as distributing the donations to other animal control agencies in the East Mountains area that have requested it. It is especially important to the animals that have been able to directly benefit.
    Again, I want to let Wal-Mart know that we and the Edgewood Animal Care and Control Facility appreciate the broken bags of pet foods and thank them for the high level of customer service and community involvement.
    VICTORIA L. MURPHY
    Edgewood's Animal Control Program Manager
   
    Councilor Should Stand Up for Town
I WAS ALWAYS UNDER THE IMPRESSION that our city councilors were elected to represent the constituents who elected them and they would be proponents of the communities they serve. In the case of our City Councilor Steve Anaya, it seems that all the hats that he wears as Moriarty City Councilor, Executive Vice-President for the Realtors Association of New Mexico, Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico Board Member and who knows what else has diminished his perspective to represent us. The June 5 story on the potential closure of the Workforce Connection in Moriarty offered many quotes from Anaya. His quotes left me wondering if he was advocating for the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) or for his constituents. In all of his responses he never once mentioned how the closure would affect HIS community by way of the elimination or reduction of services that directly affects the people who voted him into another recent term as city councilor. He did provide some information that funding had been greatly reduced and how the Torrance County office only serves 11 clients, which is great and effective information for the justification of the closure. But what about the 226 unemployed or underemployed individuals who came through the office for the month of April and the low cost of rent, which is only $450 per month as the article indicates. I am sure there are other costs involved, but it seems the cost benefit of having the office open and providing the essential services is not only transparent but is the Workforce Connection's social responsibility to the communities they serve.
    I hope that Councilor Anaya's representation of the answers he gave are not biased toward the MRCOG and his agenda is not to undermine the services that the community so desperately needs. As the article states, there will be a board meeting to vote on the closure, and I expect for Councilor Anaya to stand up and vote, in favor of Moriarty.
    JAMES MILLER
    Moriarty
   

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