Your vote did count!

The election is over, the results were clear. However, the mayor and his appointees all want you to believe that the under the Commission-manager form of government you will only get to vote for one commissioners and nothing much will change. It simply isn’t true.

Maybe they should have done their homework before spreading falsehoods. Or, perhaps, they are just trying to discourage residents from staying involved in their government. Either way, a lie should not go unchallenged.

In New Mexico, under state law, all municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents are able to vote atlarge (for all positions, be it a council or a commission). Once a municipality exceeds 10,000 population, regardless of form of government, candidates run and are voted for by district. It is patently false for anyone to assert that the voters’ overwhelming choice for Commission-manager government in Edgewood will mean we cannot vote at-large.

To verify the real-world application under New Mexico statute, we spoke directly to three municipalities that have a commission-manager form of government and have populations under 10,000 just like Edgewood (Aztec, Raton, and Truth or Consequences). Guess what? They all confirmed they vote for their commissioners at large.

The City of Raton further clarified, here is their response: “You are correct. Just to give you some additional information, the City of Raton is a Commissionmanager form of government. The City ordinance defines (5) districts but because our population is below 10,000 a City Commission candidate can run for office without residing in the district in which they are running and citizens can vote “at large” for any and all City Commissioner positions regardless of which district the voter resides.”

The City of Aztec has voting at-large clearly outlined on their city website: aztecnm.gov.

So, the only way Edgewood voters will lose their right to vote at-large prior to reaching 10,000 in population, would be if the mayor and his lock-step councilors vote for that rule. They could, as part of the transition to our new form of government, take away your right to vote at-large by making in-district residency a requirement of office. That would be a retaliatory move on the mayor’s part, trying to make his false statements appear true. But it is up to us to make sure the mayor (or anyone else) does not sneak such ill-willed items into the transition plans. And, while at it, we should closely watch all aspects of the transition because this mayor’s history of actions and direction to staff has shown he is untrustworthy and that his focus is personal interest not community interest.

Changes for an open, ethical, and responsible Edgewood are coming. Keep the faith and stay alert!

Jerry Powers, CORE Citizens for an Open and Responsible Edgewood