Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor & Neighbors: I just wanted to share a few quick thoughts about the advertising dollars that have now been earmarked/committed to a single (uncontested) marketing firm via our Village council. They are not wrong in spending this $1.1M fund…it is a use-it-or-lose-it pool of money that is awarded to our community through lodging taxes. (YAY!!) However, the council is seeking to award this fund to a chosen advertising firm without competitive bids. I was personally ok with that UNTIL I attended the presentation delivered by this firm. It lacked professionalism (please review the meeting recording to make your own opinion) and NO fresh ideas. For one million dollars they are proposing to take new winter pictures, create higher quality printing for magazines, and a new digital sign at the blinking lights….but no innovative ideas for differentiating Angel Fire as a winter desti nation. I’m not angry… I just want more for our Community.

For a million dollars,(1.1M to be more precise) we need NEW ideas!!! Social media influencers (there are so many family/child skiers getting 100ks of followers), snowboarding communities, snowboarding events…if we keep advertising in SKI NM, we will continue to get the same results. And let’s prioritize what makes AF uniquely different…maybe look ahead to Spring/ Summer/Fall and advertise what really separates Angel Fire from every other destination — our mountain biking park is world class!

Anyway, I’ve gone on too long. I just want everyone to know that we need amazing ideas! Let’s put them here in this channel….our council needs FRESH ideas….not old, stale, comfortable, uncontested advertising bids. The ideas by this approved advertising firm are not worth $1 million. Let’s put our heads together and get million dollar ideas to our council.

I am simply asking for the community to brainstorm on new and innovative ideas to advertise what truly makes AF different. And yes, I did indicate that our ideas could possibly be a lot better than the million dollar proposal that is now in front of our council. I truly do want to bring this community together to figure out how to best bring new business, visitors, opportunity and income to AF.

This is a call/out to our amazing snowboarding community, mountain bikers, extreme sports enthusiasts, hikers, hunters, international transfer students looking for work opportunities… the advertising firm is not recognizing any of the demographics that make Angel Fire inviting to everyone. I think our community could have the best ideas.

It is important for all of us to understand that 40% of the Lodgers Tax fund is required to be

spent on ADVERTISING. The rules of this grant are established by the state. If we do not spend the designated 40% (which is waaaay more than 1.1 million), we lose it entirely. So, we need to use it for the purpose for which the fund was designed. But we need to spend it wisely. Maybe this advertising firm is the right one, but the proposal that they discussed in the last two meetings showed zero innovation. No new ideas.

My understanding from the meetings I attended, is that the council was not required to take this expenditure out to bid (don’t know the details/process). However, this firm’s presentation was weak at best. Maybe they have better ideas up their sleeves beyond this first installment, but fair competition might have forced them to prepare and present a far more compelling proposal for Angel Fire. Please everyone try to go back and listen to the recording from yesterday’s meeting and make your own conclusions about the quality of this advertising firms proposal. They should be judged on that. Bottom line, we need new ideas to get new visitors

— Tracy M.

Angel Fire Resident

Taken From Some Online Responses:

Bruce B. – "I worked at Google for 16 years so I have some familiarity with modern advertising. The fact that print advertising or digital signage are even Ibeing proposed is asinine. If we were living in the 1990s, maybe. But those are shotgun blast ad mediums that might attract .05% of the people who just happen to stumble across them. Begin with the goal in mind. That helps you understand who your audience will be: things like demographics, where your intended audience lives, what sources of information they consume, etc. They're skiers, mountain bikers, nature lovers, golfers, vacation home buyers, and so on. And then recognize what AF has to offer that aligns with the needs and desires of that audience. Create messages that connect that audience with AF. And then use the advertising media that aligns with the media that audience consumes. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Most importantly, MEASURE the results and make adjustments quickly. This is another reason why print and digital signage are no longer the appropriate media for campaigns like this. It's not rocket science. But it's definitely not something you want to hand over to a company rooted in extinct approaches.

I'm new to the area but one of the reasons I'm investing here is because there is so much unique potential. And I don't mean it needs to become the next Vail or Jackson Hole. That would be tragic in my opinion. If we can strike a balance with affordable housing, smart development, and modern advertising, I believe we can maintain the quaint feel with a vibrant economy."

Bottom Line here is:

GO TO THE MEETINGS! HAVE YOUR SAY! You can attend in person of via Zoom. You can STILL ask questions when you participate in a Zoom meeting! The Village government works for YOU!

Get involved or get left behind. ■

New Mexico’s psychedelic revelation is on its way. Lawmakers have asked the state’s highest health authority to research whether New Mexicans should have access to psilocybin mushroom therapies.

The New Mexico Senate unanimously approved on Feb. 14th Senate Memorial 12, which asks the Department of Health (DOH) to study the efficacy of using psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic medical treatments. The resolution also requests that the department research the proper framework to create a program to allow access to the drug. The resolution asks that the DOH partner with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center for the studies.

The legislation isn’t legally binding — the DOH hasn’t actually been ordered to do anything—and doesn’t require the governor’s approval, but it is DOH Called to Study Psilocybin Lawmakers pave way for future legalization a pretty loud statement coming from a considerably powerful bipartisan source. The resolution was sponsored by Sens. Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho) and Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), as well as Reps. Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque) and Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park).

The memorial notes that the prevalence of mental illness among New Mexican adults is at an all-time high and the state has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, many of which are committed by first responders suffering from PTSD. It also notes that New Mexico has one of the highest drug overdose rates in the country and the highest alcoholrelated death rate.

The power that psilocybin may have to change individuals and society for the better is hard to ignore. But while faith can move mountains, only money moves pens. Luckily, there is a lot of money to be made.

The Green Rush for cannabis is long over, and it’s Thunderdome time for the weed industry. But all signs are pointing to the emergence of a new psilocybin industry that, while different in many ways, will nevertheless be compared with the cannabis industry. We’ll also likely see many of the same players operating in both sectors.

In Oregon, the first state to legalize psilocybin treatment, licensed centers opened their doors to consumers last June. According to local news coverage, the majority of centers’ clients have traveled from out of state to take part in mushroom treatments that can cost between $1,000 to $3,000, and possibly more.

The state allows anyone 21 and older to access the treatment centers as long as they are watched over by a licensed facilitator, who guides them through the experience and offers therapeutic support.

Oregon’s not the only state that’s moving forward with psilocybin legalization. Colorado legalized psilocybin in 2022, but it has not yet rolled out the stateapproved “healing centers” that are called for in its law.

A spokesperson for the DOH told The Paper. that the department is actively evaluating and determining its priorities. ■