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Mayor’s Report

June 2004

I’ve been to 2 goat ropings, an Alabama fish fry and a 60^th birthday bash for a bear but I’ve never seen anything quite like the site of flames dancing on our mountain at night.  If you didn’t wander out into the dark to see the fire you missed an extraordinary sight.  Dry weather, high winds, flames and more fuel then should have been there, collided to become, according to CNN, the number one fire in the United States.    I don’t know if we should have organized a parade or put our face in our hands to cry. 

 

Our Village has filled with yellow shirted fire-fighters, hot shot crews from across the nation, heavy equipment operators, helicopter pilots, truck drivers, cops, medical personal, and fire support personal, all trying to make sure this one does not end up in Oklahoma.  However, if it does there are enough TV crews in town that someone will surely get it on tape.  After listing to the TV anchors butcher the name of our Village three nights running and having people complain, I marched down and gathered the TV crews like a group of small children, held a quick class where all graduated with honors by going on the air that night and pronouncing Capitan correctly. 

 

This past week, simultaneously the Lincoln County Commissioners met at the Capitan Village Hall to start the ball rolling declaring this fire a disaster, Capitan Trustee Bill Martin wearing his emergency services hat briefed the commissioners on the counties involvement and the role of the local fire departments, with the Forest Service following with their briefing.  I was in a meeting with our water department and Terry briefed me to get me up to speed on the impact this fire will have and was having on the village.  Trucks were rolling by outside to the staging area as the Governor was circling the flames in a chopper to see what he needed to do for us. 

 

Village Hall has been dealing with the feds to get water up on the mountain in an attempt to save some of our neighbor’s homes.  Members of our fire department and our emergency equipment have been deployed around the clock to help.  An entire tent city has been erected at the rodeo grounds.  Federal, state, county and local officials have come together in a united effort for the common good (believe it or not all entities are working together and working smoothly). 

 

Everyday I’m in contact with Buck Sanchez of the Forest Service getting a briefing.  He relates there’re 5 helicopters (not counting the news birds) 2 single engine air-tankers, 26 fire engines, 6 bull dozers, 12 hotshot crews, 3 hand crews, 19 water tenders and over 672 personnel and as of this writing the fire is over the 3 million dollar mark. 

 

Chief George reports that even with all the extra folks in town he and his officers have not had one report of a problem.   To look at the bright side of this smoky situation our restaurants are full and at times you have to get in line to get gas at the station.  Every one of these folks I’ve talked to, no matter how tiered, was upbeat. 

 

Smokey’s 60^th was a big success (there’s nothing like throwing Smokey’s 60^th birthday party and then having the biggest fire in the nation on its heels – you can’t make this stuff up).  This past year as I watched the preparations for the party I can tell you it didn’t just happen by accident or come together in the last minute.  There were some folks that worked long and hard and their hard work paid off.  On behalf of the village, I want to thank all of you who worked so hard.   You did a good job.

 

Enclosed in your water bill you’ll find a survey Trustee George Tippin has put together.  He has asked you to take a few minutes to fill it out and drop it back in the mail with your water bill payment.  He wants to get a handle for what you feel about the questions he asked.    

 

I received a phone call today telling me there was a rumor that Friends of Smokey will not handle the “Fun Run” for the 4^th of July celebration.  This didn’t surprise me much, since Smokey’s friends dropped the parade in the Chambers lap last year at the last minute.  Then Smokey’s friends didn’t show up to his 60^th birthday party.    Smokey may need to find a higher caliber of friends.    

 

After hearing the rumor I called the president of Friends of Smokey, whose name I dare not mention after receiving a letter from Mr. Hawthorn threatening to sue me.    (I laid awake worrying about that letter…and the ozone layer over Utah.  Ok, I worried more about the ozone.)  At any rate, the unnamed president confirmed the rumor that Smokey’s friends would not sponsor the “fun run”.  For over two years I’ve asked what they do with the money they collect.  Last week the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation on this subject.  I must not be the only one who wants to know where the money went.

 

June 5 the Village will hold another clean up day.  Bring your outdoor trash, tires and things of that nature to the roll-off between 8 – 4.  To be allowed to dump you must bring your water bill to dump at the roll-off at village expense.  

 

From time to time you’ll see Trustee’s reporting to you in this form.  The new board is working together, and things are moving forward fast.  You need to know what’s on their mind and let them share their ideas.   Besides, it’ll be a break, they’re kinder and gentler then I am… (Sometimes).