Editor, Mountain Mail
Co-op attorney Dennis Francish apparently told trustee Charlie Wagner he was going to file a suit in district court, contesting three of the bylaw amendments passed by members at the annual meeting in April, including the one about the open meetings act.
That apparently has not happened yet.
After checking with district court, nothing had been filed on behalf of the Socorro Electric Cooperative and attorney Dennis Francish.
The person working at the court had a pretty good line.
She said, “Who is he filing against?”
I couldn’t answer the question so I just laughed.
Unfortunately, this is no laughing matter.
I’m not sorry I missed the last co-op meeting last Wednesday night. We were busy at the Mountain Mail at that time, trying to produce our issue.
I’m glad I didn’t hear trustee Donald Wolberg call the members a bunch of idiots.
I’m glad I didn’t hear trustees and the attorney yelling at the top of their lungs at Wagner, who was insistent that the board has to follow the open meetings act.
I’m glad I didn’t see the police come.
The whole situation is deplorable and everybody should be embarrassed.
Hitting the Airwaves
So KOB-Channel 4 in Albuquerque delved into the world of the Socorro Electric Cooperative last week.
And not surprisingly, the television station focused on the racial discrimination charges against Wagner.
The station talked with trustees Milton Ulibarri, David Wade, Wagner and Bustamante.
Ulibarri said, “He (Wagner) referred to me as a Mexican Chihuahua."
And later on, Ulibarri added, “I guess I could say that Mr. Wagner is a Louisiana cracker.”
Wade said, “"He's called us stupid, in fact, he's called me stupid.”
Bustamante weighed in by saying, “"Putting a U.S. flag in our board room to say that we know what country we're in. That's what he brought up,"
Wagner, meanwhile, did not comment last month when the LULAC letter was read by Bustamante.
But on television, Wagner said the allegations were unsubstantiated and that he was part of the SEC Reform movement, which he says was being met with a lot of resistance.
"The board is resisting the members, who have the right to change the bylaws, they want open meetings and they put the board under the open meetings act. And they also want access to records," Wagner told the television station. He says that's why he's being allegedly attacked by the other board members.
"They would like to make people think that it's a racial thing. But it's not. It's a thing of they haven't behaved properly as board members," Wagner continued.
The Socorro Electric Coop is federally funded by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). Bustamante said on television it will be up to the Justice Department if any action is taken against Wagner.
Too bad, the television station only told half of the story.
Clarification
Despite at least five people saying to the contrary, co-op trustee Milton Ulibarri called the Mountain Mail office to say that he did not call the police at the meeting last Wednesday night.
Well, somebody did.
And unfortunately, that’s nothing new either.
Correction
In last week’s issue, the citizens who reported seeing marijuana growing near the Rio Grande were misidentified, and should have been identified as bird watchers.
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