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El Defensor Chieftain
www.dchieftain.com
Vol. 149 • No. 6
COMMUNITY
notes
Samaritan Center
grand re-opening
The Magdalena Samaritan
Center will host a “grand reopening” noon to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7. Beginning Feb.
14, Saturday hours will change,
and the center will be open 10
a.m. to 1 p.m.
Paul Moore
memorial event
Anyone who knew Paul
Moore, who passed away May
19, 2014; is invited to join family
and friends as they share stories
and memories 1 p.m. Saturday,
Feb. 7 at 912 Leroy Place.
SGH Spring
Tea slated
Socorro General Hospital
will host its 11th annual Spring
Tea 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Mar.
1 at Bodega Burger Co. and
Lounge. Tickets are $25 and
are available for purchase at the
hospital gift shop. All proceeds
benefit hospital improvement.
Call Peter Romero at 575-4187656 for additional information.
© 2015, El Defensor Chieftain
SOCOR RO, NEW MEX ICO • FEBRUARY 5, 2015
Co-op hears
recommended
bylaw changes
By John Larson
El Defensor Chieftain staff writer
[email protected]
After nine years of contention, polarization and distrust, members of Socorro
Electric Cooperative will have an opportunity to, in effect, wipe the slate clean
and start all over again.
This was the gist of a presentation by
Aaron Christensen of the law firm Smith
& Christensen LLP in Charlotte, North
Carolina. Mandated by the Board of
Trustees in June, 2014, to study problem
areas, Christensen laid out his bylaw recommendations over a two-day session,
Jan. 28-29, at Macey Center on the New
Mexico Tech campus.
“These proposed bylaws are based
on a commitment to openness, transparency and democratic control,” he said.
“Service, rates, transparency and democratic control by members. These are the
most important factors for an electric
cooperative, and I believe these bylaws
will accomplish that.”
Some of the sweeping changes proposed in the new bylaws include increasing the number of districts, reducing
tenure of trustees and the elimination of
district-only voting.
Aware of the differences of opinion,
Christensen said, “Keep an open mind.
“There will be some changes you
like, and changes you don’t like. Nobody
will get everything they want,” he said.
“Consider the big picture.”
One change that may have the biggest
effect is that all members will be able to
vote for any trustee candidate, regardless
of the district.
“Socorro is in a small minority of
cooperatives that still uses district-only
elections, rather than at-large voting for
all seats,” Christensen said. “Only three
of the 15 other New Mexico electric dis-
John Larson — El Defensor Chieftain
The Co-op Board of Trustees looked at bylaw changes during meetings last
week at New Mexico Tech’s Macey Center.
tribution cooperatives still use districtonly voting.”
He said district-only elections allow
a candidate to win an election by appeal
to a localized and relatively small group
of members rather than focusing on the
broader interests for the entire membership. “And they are of an enormous cost
to the cooperative,” Christensen said.
The most recent district elections cost
members over $63,000. In three of those
districts there was no quorum and their
n See CO-OP, Page 7
Socorro Consolidated
Schools Board
Epiphany Episcopal Church’s
annual Shrove Tuesday pancake
supper will be from 5 to 7 p.m.
Feb. 17 at Epiphany, across from
the New Mexico Tech library.
Cost is $6 for adults, $4 for Tech
students and $2.50 for children
ages 12 and younger.
Position 1
Kimberly E. Gonzales (unofficial winner) - 714 vote, 53.64 percent
Robert L. Gonzales - 361 votes, 27.12
percent
Noah D. Jaramillo - 256, 19.23 percent
Position 2
Carlos E. Vega (unofficial winner) - 725
votes, 57.31 percent
Lloyd Martinez - 540 vote, 42.69 percent
DAV fish fry
fundraiser
The Socorro chapter of the
Disabled American Veterans is
holding an Ash Wednesday Fish
Fry 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 18.
Plates are $7 and all proceeds
go to help the DAV support the
needs of disabled military veterans. The DAV is located at 200
N. 5th St. For more information,
call Peter Romero at 835-0843.
Position 3
Juan (JC) C. Trujillo (unofficial winner)
- 726 votes, 56.24 percent
Victoria M. Torres - 565 votes, 43.76
percent
Magdalena Municipal
School District
Above, J.R. Catarino Barela of
A&S Construction makes his way
Tuesday under machinery used to
make the materials for the San
Acacia Levee project near the
Rio Grande in Socorro County.
The levee project is a multimillion, 45-mile project along the
river and starts in Socorro. Left,
A&S foreman Carl Tucker surveys
the processing of material to be
trucked to the levee project.
Live music
this week
Photos by Eric Heinz
El Defensor Chieftain
Position 1
Chad T. Perkins (unofficial winner) 221 votes, 48.04 percent
Kelby Heath Stephens
- 135 votes,
29.35 percent
Malcom Ian Jenness – 104 votes, 22.61
percent
Position 2
Sharon L. Harris (unofficial winner) 310 votes, 66.81 percent
Fletcher J. Tigner – 154, 33.19 percent
Position 3
Jeremiah J. Apachito (unofficial winner)
- 367 votes, 75.98 percent
Julie Herrera - 116 votes, 24.02 percent
State Land Commissioner slows SunZia
Meeting set for
March 11 in
Socorro
By Eric Heinz
El Defensor Chieftain staff writer
[email protected]
SUBSCRIBE TO
EL DEFENSOR CHIEFTAIN
CALL 575-835-0520
www.dchieftain.com
combined cost was about $25,000.
“When something is expensive, counterproductive, time consuming, unappreciated by the members, and provides
no clear advantages Socorro should stop
doing it,” he said, “District-only voting
is one of those things.”
Christensen said district-only elections had their purpose in the past, “but
they have outlived their usefulness. At
SCHOOL BOARD
ELECTION RESULTS
PAY DIRT
Epiphany Church
pancake supper
• Friday, Feb. 6 - Jen Exten at
the Bodega, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
• Friday, Feb. 6 - Glenwood at
the Cap, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• Friday, Feb. 6 - Open Mic at
Sofia’s Kitchen, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 7 - mariachi
music with Romano Enrique at
Sofia’s Kitchen, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Followed by live music, 6 to 9
p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 7 - Steve &
Martha Cather with Jim Ruff,
M&M Grill in Magdalena, 5:30
to 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 8 - Doug and
Mariam at Sofia’s Kitchen, 11
a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 11 Twisted Chile open mic, 6:30
to 9 p.m.
50 cents
Following
the
federal approval of the SunZia
Transmission Line, which
is planned to be constructed
through Socorro County, State
Lands Commissioner Aubrey
Dunn initiated a 60-day rightof-entry delay on the construction.
Dunn told El Defensor
Chieftain last Thursday in a
phone interview that because
of the transition into the office,
Dunn and his administration
have not been able to review
details of the plan that would
intersect a number of state land
parcels.
“Since we had the recount
and the lawsuit, we were cut
short on our ability to transition,” Dunn said, adding many
of the employees who were following the transmission line
progress were part of the outgoing administration.
“We’re trying to get all the
details,” he added.
Dunn said SunZia has not
filed a right-of-entry permit,
“and we felt that having not
having that handled was a little
premature.”
Dunn said they will be contacting people with interests in
state land who utilize it for agriculture or oil and gas extraction
or other means.
Another issue brought to the
commissioner was potentially
untapped cultural land within
the state jurisdiction, and he
said additional supporting documentation to the transmission
“Our issue is not about energy;
we’re trustees for the schools, and
they’re at the table in these
negotiations.”
Aubrey Dunn
State Lands Commissioner
line had not been reviewed by
his staff.
“I think we’re concerned
in the cultural aspects,” Dunn
said. “We haven’t had a chance
to see the findings, and there
could have been historical artifacts and those kinds of things
in the area.”
The State Lands Office has
scheduled two meetings with
SunZia to address some of the
concerns the commissioner had
brought forth, and one is scheduled March 11 in Socorro. More
information should be available in the coming months on
the State Lands Office website,
www.nmstatelands.org.
“We’re concerned about the
trust lands and that’s our goal,”
Dunn said, adding the funds
going into the trust for beneficiaries are his administration’s
top priority. “Our issue is not
about energy; we’re trustees for
the schools, and they’re at the
table in these negotiations.”
Within the last five years, the
State Land Trust has generated
hundreds of millions of dollars
for beneficiaries. Whether the
transmission line would have
any effect on the State Trust
Fund remains to be seen.
“It could affect the money
going into the trust — both positive and negative — because
it could limit the use from oil
and gas, mining,” Dunn said.
“We’re not sure how it’s going
to affect the value of those lands
and surrounding lands. (The
transmission line’s) 10 stories
tall, and it will affect more than
what’s right under the right-ofway.”
A call to SunZia from El
Defensor Chieftain requesting
comment was responded by
e-mail.
“Commissioner Dunn has
only recently assumed office
and is seeking some time to
better understand the project,”
the e-mail stated. “SunZia will
work closely with the New
Mexico State Land Office to
provide information.”