City Officials Can't Duck Questions Forever

To City Manager Ikani Taumoepeau:

I hope we can play pickleball soon, and maybe even get Brad out from behind his desk.

However, I write concerning the City’s incredibly embarrassing response to our invitation to discuss serious allegations concerning the Utilities Department’s handling of issues regarding water contaminants. Lynn Moorer and Liz Rodriguez-Johnson have raised issues regarding the City’s level of performance with regard to a federal law on lead water pipes, as well as on the accuracy of some city reporting on water contaminants.

Your Communications Director, Mandy Leatherwood, emailed me that. “I was informed that you requested our Utilities Director Adrienne Widmer be on the show next week. I will coordinate with her on scheduling. Can you share with me what topics you’d like for her to cover so she can collect relevant information to discuss with you?” I thanked her and answered, “Basically, LC Utilities' level of compliance with federal regulations, such as monitoring issue we spoke about today.  The sorts of things I suspect Lynn Moorer has discussed with LC Utilities.”

When she asked whether we would have other guests, I replied that we’d have Ms. Moorer and possibly Ms. Rodrigues-Johnson. She responded, “I am not comfortable sending my Utilities Director to your show when you are giving Ms. Moorer an equal platform. Ms. Moorer does not have the experience, expertise, and has willfully been spreading misinformation for over a year. . . . Hosting her on your show at the same level as our Utilities Director gives her credibility that is undeserved.”

Of course I advised her that we choose our guests. Cities and counties don’t. Nor does Donald Trump. I suggested that an effective way to deal with folks spreading misinformation is to confront them and provide the facts. (You know that, having contacted me the previous Tuesday evening to ask if a Utilities Department person could join us Wednesday morning to discuss an issue we expected to mention. Naturally we complied.)

The City is required to complete a study of where we may still have lead water pipes. There’s a deadline for an inventory, then a deadline for eliminating lead. I’m hearing that the City has not been doing all that it should. These are technical matters I’m not familiar with. It made sense to seek to arrange a discussion between Ms. Widmer and Ms. Moorer, who is or was an environmental attorney and has investigated. Ms. Rodrigues-Johnson adds that the City has been particularly deficient in sharing information with citizens who speak only or primarily Spanish – some of whom are likely most in need of full information. At our show, Ms. Moorer also showed me an email from the New Mexico Environmental Department thanking her for pointing out that a local report on contaminants stated the wrong results.

If I were you, I strongly desire both to know the full facts, so as to determine actions, and that the public learn the facts, for citizen’s own protection. I fear that Ms. Leatherwood ran up against an unwillingness by Ms. Widmer to appear publicly in a situation she does not completely control. Such chores are sometimes a necessary part of public employment.

I invite a redo. I cannot subpoena the City. You could suggest that Ms. Widmer talk with us or designate someone knowledgeable to do so. If the City wants to inform the public, we are surely one method of doing so.

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[The above column appeared on the 16th of August, 2026, in the Las Cruces Sun-News and on the newspaper's website, and will be up soon on KRWG’s website. A shortened and sharpened radio commentary version of this Sunday column will air during the week on KRWG (90.1 FM) and on KTAL-LP (101.5 FM / ]

[ I like a lot of the City’s upper management; but this and similar evasions of candid discussion should embarrass those folks, and seem a little frightening to this citizen. ]

Old Guy Rant #697

I’m confused and troubled – of course.

Can you imagine Dwight Eisenhower or Barack Obama abusing underlings for following the facts and the law regarding damage to the reflecting pools? (Of course, neither would have interfered to choose a contractor himself. ) The facts show that shoddy work, maybe because of the rush or the low budget, caused damage, as often happens. Mr. Trump was mortified, because anything that reflects badly on our Grand Poobah must be denied or destroyed. His obedient appointee, D.C.’s chief prosecutor, duly charged folks criminally for doing damage there’s no evidence they did. Recently that office concluded that, yeah, shoddy work was the problem, and dismissed the criminal cases. GP is angry, insulting his pal and may fire her. (If I held that job, and he accused me of “folding like an umbrella” because I reluctantly did what the facts and law warranted, I’d have resigned. Clearly, GP’s appointed minion has no self-respect, which, I suppose, is not the greatest surprise we’ve seen this week.

I’ve got personal reasons to loathe our GP this week. Someone we love, who devotes his life these days to taking care of his helpless, unwell daughter, had to evacuate their home because of wildfires. Even his daughter would likely see that uncontrollable storms and wildfires around the world, which folks warned could happen if we didn’t combat global climate craziness, might have something to do with global climate craziness. But GP, holding great power, says all that is a hoax. People I love could have died this week because of what he’s calling a hoax, because oil companies pay him well to say it.

I also don’t like James Carville, who usually says perspicacious things in funny ways. He’s joined the rush to warn us against “democratic socialists” getting nominated for office. He’s afraid enemies will shout “Reds!" Or “Commies” as if it were the 1950s. Or 1920. And people will obediently grow fearful. I see things different. Both our huge political parties, which often seem to exist solely to gather or retain as much power as possible, rather than to do anything much for you or me, are way too beholden to the huge corporations and the very wealthy. They both talk some great stuff. But in the past 70 years we’ve stopped equalizing our society and let economic inequality grow like Topsy, failed to institute a national health system like every other serious nation, and failed to recognize that health and education are human rights that benefit a society. We’ve made decisions that are just plain stupid if you’re thinking about the welfare of human citizens, but brilliant for maximizing short-term corporate profits. And although Republicans have publicly pushed those decisions more fervently than Democrats, both parties have held power.

It is so bad, that large numbers elected GP [DJT] as a monkey wrench to toss into the works, ‘cause they felt the works weren’t working for them.

Meanwhile, I thank Manny Sanchez for spending a tough hour with us on radio; but I’m troubled. Not that Project Jupiter folks keep lying to us. A corporation’s job is maximizing shareholder profits. Lies are just another tool. But our commission sometimes seems to listen to Oracle with as little critical thinking as Trumpists listening to GP. I’d urge not messing with public comment. It’s time-consuming, if you’ve made that many people that angry, maybe you owe ‘em. 

                  – 30 – 

 

[The above column appeared on the 9th of August, 2026, in the Las Cruces Sun-News and on the newspaper's website, and will be up soon on KRWG’s website. A shortened and sharpened radio commentary version of this Sunday column will air during the week on KRWG (90.1 FM) and on KTAL-LP (101.5 FM / ]

[I was pleased that I will be able to vote, after all. Mr. Trump and I agree on perhaps just one thing: that the Republicans best chance to avoid electoral disaster three months from now is the Save the Republicans Act. Theoretically aimed at the almost non-existent problem of non-citizens voting, it would prevent people from voting without a federally blessed picture ID. That would eliminate more folks who see the Trump horror pretty clearly than folks who think he’s just fine. It would eliminate a lot of poor and minority folks: getting your passport renewed or a copy of your birth certificate, easy for folks with time and resources, can be harder if you don’t have a passport, aren’t sure which hospital you were born in, or are just too damned busy. The law would disenfranchise more women than men (because many gave up their birth last names in marriage), and, perhaps not coincidentally, Trump is loathed by fewer men than women. Folks with less leisure and less cash are less likely to pursue the hassle of getting the right credentials simply so they can vote.

We opposed “Communism” because it was the professed ideology of nations determined to obliterate us. Pure socialism has rarely, if eveer, worked well for any nation. (The USSR and most all its allies never tried it.) Many of the states that now have longer average life spans, and better “happiness” ratings, are Social Democratic states, including several in Scandanavia. One tried socialism a while back, but it didn’t work. “Democratric Socialist” sounds a lot like “Social Democrat,” not just in the titles but in the advocated programs.

Just watched a video of Mr. El-Sayed explaining that to oppose genocide by Israel is not anti-Semitism. He further says, as I have written, that to confuse anti-Semitism with opposition to bad actions of a nation is dangerous, and undermines the importance of rooting out anti-Semitism. He notes that while he opposes Israeli abuse of our assistance, he also opposes Egyptian abuse of our assistance. Also that as an Egyptian-American he should not be punished for Egypt’s actions. He also related an incident in which a man said he didn’t like the candidate, but would vote for him because the candidate sought healtgh care for all. The man didn’t like him because the candidate is Muslim.

I look forward to hearing from Democrats opposing “Democratic socialists” the specific policies or proposed programs that offend them. Opposing genocide and advocating universal health care won’t persuade me. ]

 

County Commission Chaos

Despite commissioners’ good intentions, stupidity and confusion seem to dominate mid-level county management.

I support the firing of County Manager Scott Andrews, partly for reasons commissioners may not share. I’m glad they’ll make a longer search this time. I hope we make a better choice. I hope they involve a citizens. That sounds cumbersome, but since they’ll take longer, because of the turnover of two commission seats, there’s time.

I dislike recent restrictions on public input. I dislike citizens interrupting other speakers. It’s sorely tempting, but let’s be strong and resist.

I worried about having no interim county manager. Ships need captains. They now plan, temporarily, to name three – and seek a highly-experienced consultant to assist.

The Commission’s closed session Tuesday lasted hours. Commissioners are working hard. I sense some unity, or that they’re listening better to each other. The recent state audit gave them a clearer picture of the problems they must solve. However: the Audit warned that unauthorized folks shouldn’t make County decisions, such as Andrews’s lawsuit against the sheriff. Well, we now have a non-employee security guard making County mistakes. Earlier, Cari Neill and Andrews wrongly “trespassed” Derrick Pacheco, complying with NONE of the familiar requirements of due process: a clear written statement of conduct warranting the “trespass,” a hearing before someone neutral, and a route to appeal. I publicly pointed those out. Then they did it again. When Derrick tried to attend a meeting, the security guard threw him out. Deputies went to Derrick’s house. Someone at DASO recognized the error, and the deputies apologized.

Derrick attended Tuesday’s meeting. The same security guard, with no legal excuse, put hands on him to eject him; but when the Sheriff was called, she apparently recognized that there was no crime, and no basis for her to act. This is wrong. Later, that security guard knocked down a woman who probably weighed 80 pounds. I hear private security was also violating law by carrying weapons while in plain clothes. None of this is good. Someone needs to gain control.

The Audit warned to follow the Inspection of Public Records Act. You are still breaking it, risking costly lawsuits and damages. I’d bet on Yoli Diaz to win her lawsuit. I requested former Interim County Attorney Cari Neill’s resignation letter, in which she reportedly criticizes how the manager managed. That’s a public document. Putting it in Andrews’s personnel file can’t change that. There’s abundant case-law to that effect, although not specifically with a resignation letter. The County objected that it was immune as “matters of opinion in a personnel file” – an exemption meant to encourage supervisors’ candor in evaluations. Therefore, when I hire a lawyer and sue, we all will (a) pay a lawyer to defend the county, and (b) after county loses, pay my lawyer some multiple of his hourly fees. If anyone appeals, that’ll also create a precedent requiring better conduct by the county next time.

The Audit also warned county management against unnecessarily picking fights with the Sheriff. I think the county is improperly handling an obviously bogus complaint against her now. It appears not made in good faith, but, well, it attacks our enemy, the sheriff.

The audit led the State to force the County to hire someone to make sure the County handles money more prudently. I wish I could do the same with IPRA, basic civil rights, crowd management, and civil relations with DASO.

                                                        – 30 –

 

[The above column appeared on the 2^nd of August, 2026, in the Las Cruces Sun-News and on the newspaper's website, and will be up soon on KRWG’s website. A shortened and sharpened radio commentary version of this Sunday column will air during the week on KRWG (90.1 FM) and on KTAL-LP (101.5 FM / ]

[Because I couldn’t be at the County Commission meeting last Tuesday, I didn’t witness some of what I otherwise would have. (I also didn’t get arrested, as I might have chosen to do.) Or battered illegally by a security guard, as others wore.]

[Bottom line: I agree with the County Commission chair that people shouldn’t interrupt each other during public input. Some of those folks we think are lying believe the truth of their words as fervently as we do ours. We should resist interrupting and do our cheers or jeers right afterward.

BUT the County shouldn’t bait people. Knowing vast numbers of citizens strongly oppose Project Jupiter for some good reasons, how do you (especially on a day when Oracle executives will be speaking) sharply condense the amount of public input and somehow have a majority of the speakers workers in identical vests bussed in by Jupiter proponents? How do you let a security guard continue to run amok? I still hope to delve toward some truth in this overall situation. ]