CAPITAN VILLAGE HALL NEWS

When you see Officer Minner tell him thanks for the job he did this past month, he worked day and night for you. With Chuck called out of town on an emergency and Mike still in the academy, we called on the Sheriff s Department and the State Police for help. When asked, Under-Sheriff Rick Virden responded, "Anything you folks in Capitan need, we're therefor you, " and Rick was true to his word. The State Police responded the same way. Because of the hard work of Officer Minner, and officers from those other agencies you never experienced a break in your police service. Those coppers worked hard providing us great service and doing us a huge favor. Thanks guys, your good neighbors.

This year Chuck asked the trustees for another officer. We cannot, by law, keep working our officers like we have in the past. They are simply over worked. So the Village needs to decide what we want to do about police service. Do we want to hand it back to the County and pay them, or do we want to have a full time police force? Let the Trustees know what you want them to do.

While I'm talking about cops, I'll turn the dogs loose on something that has bothered me. I noted, in the Ruidoso News, County Commissioners Earl Hobbs and Leo Martinez want to cut the Sheriff s budget. Hobbs and Martinez stated the Sheriff s department was "over staffed". I guess things aren't always, as they seem. You'd think since Sheriff Tom Sullivan is serving his fourth term and has been the sheriff longer then any other sheriff in Lincoln County's history, add to the fact he's had a badge pinned to his shirt for over 35 years, he'd know a little bit about how to run his department. However, I failed to factor in the 5 months Mr. Hobbs has been gaining experience as county commissioner, or that Mr. Martinez has police officers eating at his cafe, giving him that well-rounded law enforcement experience to tell the Sheriff how to run his department.

During the May 20th commissioner's meeting Martinez made a remark that the sheriff s department was buying $40,000 vehicles. I called the Sheriff and was informed the department's vehicles are bought from the state contract (a contract the state of NM works out allowing smaller departments to buy at fleet prices). The Sheriff says the vehicles cost about $24,000.

Mr. Martinez whines about cop cars, and is on a never-ending quest to take your hospital and Capitan's clinic away from our people. Yet, he had no trouble voting "YES" to spend EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS of your money on 24 acres for Lincoln County Solid Waste Authority (LCSWA). I checked with the county and according to the Lincoln County Tax Office the land is valued at $79,000 for tax purposes. Now, I know the county traditionally values property low, but $721,000 below market? Are we really that stupid? If the land they bought from David Hamilton of ZiaGas is worth $800,000 you'd think Mr. Martinez, being a county commissioner, would want to bring the valued price up on the tax rolls, so the rest of the tax payers didn't have to carry all the weight. If it's not worth $800,000 - You just took another ride, with another politician and their buddies, using your money. Happy motoring.

I was proud when Bobbi Shearer stood alone and voted "NO" on your behalf against that smelly land deal. Ruidoso voted "YES" and they're not allowed to vote on anything other then landfill issues. This was not a landfill issue! However, as you know LCSWA board doesn't call them too close. I'm putting this on the agenda for our Village's June 10th meeting and see what the Trustee's think. Let them know what you think. The monkeys will be flying in formation at that meeting, as they always are when LCSWA is on the dance card. So comedown and jump in the fight, if nothing else it'll be a great show. After all it's your money. I'd like to know who got greased on that deal? Since I told you I felt like that deal smelled like three-day-old fish, I'll have some attorney threatening to sue me.

While we're talking about LCSWA, you'll remember in September I asked to see the applications of those who applied for the Operational Supervisor's job and was told "no" they were not public record. We nearly stacked furniture in that fight. I wrote the Attorney General in protest. Last week my office received a letter from the Attorney General saying LCSWA was in violation of the law. I'm still waiting the Attorney General's response on what I believe is the illegal hire of the Operational Supervisor. But it'll not matter what the Attorney General says LCSWA will not change.

I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for stepping up to the plate and taking over the 4 th of July parade. The Chamber is hustling to get it pulled off and are really working hard. The Friends of Smokey who handled the parade for the past two years asks the Village for money. We began to look at this "non-profit" organization to see if we're going to put money in the budget for them. In April I questioned what they did for the village. On May 6, 2003 Friends of Smokey sent us an unsigned letter stating due to "personnel matters" they would not handle the parade this year. On May 7, 2003 we pulled up the web site for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and learned the Friends of Smokey is "not in good standing" with the state of New Mexico. I called the state to double check and was told they are not in good standing. Since the Village sends Friends of Smokey money each year I thought it a good idea that we saw were that t money was spent. On May 16th I wrote a letter asking for their "financials". I received an unsigned letter, dated May 16th, from Friends of Smokey and attached were copies of their federal tax returns for 1999, 2000, and 2001. This was not what I asked and on May 20th I wrote again asking for their financials. As of this writing I've not heard from them. The trustees did not put money in the budget for them this year. However, I did learn from their tax returns, Debra L. Ingle is the President, Van Shamblin is the Vice President/Secretary, Robert 0. Goddard is the Treasure and Benny Coker is listed as Director. Eagle Creek, Friends of Smoky, the players are all the same.

If monkeys could fly, this place would have landing lights on the roof.

Adios, Steven M. Sederwall; Mayor