Friday, February 14, 2014

Misc.

Two out of towners and one local are the finalists for the new APD Chief position.  This is a decision for the Mayor that will leave a legacy for our community.  He needs to not rush this, but he will do so because his style is to shoot first when it comes to APD.  Pun intended.  We have received little information on the candidates and it would be sad if embarrassing stuff drifted in after a decision is made.  My inclination would be to wait 30 days and then pull the trigger.  Pun intended.

As I recall when I served as Mayor it took us abut four months or so to do a search and hire our new Chief.  He was a good one from the outside.  Jerry Galvin came to us from Toledo, Ohio.  He shook things  up for the better at APD until Marty Chavez fired him and brought in the old guard and old ways to the department.  The mess we have today is the result, with our hapless current Mayor failing to pick up the pieces.  In their defense the department is a world unto its own and it just rolls along for its own purposes.

The Governor, Lt. Governor and others showed up to an announcement of a new company that will bring a couple of dozen jobs to Rio Rancho over the next few years.  The owner of the company says New Mexico's lack of regulations and low taxes are the reason he will move from California.  It is almost like we have become a third world country where everything comes on the cheap.  Lets see, lax regulation might mean less job and environmental safety.  Lower taxes mean less money for education and infrastructure.  I know, I am whining here and right now jobs are needed but I just have this sinking feeling that this is as good as it gets for a while.

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