ToadBook

Once again - It's ok to set up a go fund me account. That is just fine. It's ok to ask for funds as a citizen who isn't elected.

BUT when you are an elected official it just opens you up for all kinds of wrong.

When an elected official asks for funds regardless of the reason it is an ethical issue.

It opens her to accusations that she's expecting donations and being open to provide a favor in return.

Every local business, every potential business, every person who wants something from the council willing to pony up some money might donate but it just looks suspiciously like a buy my vote request.

It is no longer possible to see who donated. So who donated and who is she voting for to help? Are those the same names?

There are all kinds of ethical issues with this. The point is - if you are a councilor you are a councilor. You are not a citizen sometimes when you want to be and a councilor when you want to be.

That is what ethics are - you not only do the right thing but you stay aware of the way things look to the general public and how they might be interpreted.

The Three haven't been to ethics training and it shows.

https://www.sec.nm.gov/education/

So, I guess it's time to admit that Councilor Zamora isn't any better and isn't going to get any better.

I had hoped. I had hoped he would go to training and his basic ethics would kick in. So many spoke highly of him and now not so much.

I had hoped that once he understood how important the work he does up on the stand is - that he would take it seriously and not just be a follower.

I had hoped that once he understood the budget, understood his role as a councilor, understood he didn't need to participate in rolling quorums and unethical behavior that he would stand up and be better.

I had hoped....

May 2025. This comes from an ethics complaint obtained via open meeting request. (Sometimes called an IPRA request).

KNOW THIS: The ethics complaint was about several Councilors two of whom are no longer active. But it's worth noting one is still around.

KNOW THIS: The behavior of this Councilor has not improved.

M. Zamora’s response:

He has still included someone from Peralta. Overlooking that -

Short. Succinct. Offered a better date for himself. And ended with a positive Thank you,

Most importantly - No Councilors or Mayor included so no reason to worry about violating open meeting acts! No hints, no clues to how he might vote, no clues to other Councilors.

High Five! M. Zamora.

DID YOU KNOW?

Councilors are NOT supposed to do business with other governments?

The power Councilors have comes from sitting in a Council as a group of four, five including the Mayor.

Mayors of other municipalities should not do business with Councilors. That means Peralta's Mayor should NOT invite councilors to a public meeting for their input on EMT services.

One More! Look at this email! Carefully!

Ignore the spelling errors. Everyone is allowed a bad day once.

This was back in June! Yet it's STILL Importantly.

He says he’s been asking for an EMS workshop for 6 months. Sounds good right?

Yet at one point during the past 6 months there was EMS service and the Council chased the EMT person off. In a meeting.

So has he been asking for a workshop on this for six months?

And let’s look at this – He was only informed of a meeting LAST NIGHT (which would be June 8th) that Peralta was going to cancel EMS Services for us.

So has he been asking for a workshop on this for six months?

From his first meeting he attended? He asked for this? That would be supposedly when he started as Councilor. None of it really hits the truth button does it?

One more little point – what J. Bruhn doesn’t tell you is that he stood up at a meeting in Peralta on June 8th and spoke about how he understood and supported Peralta’s decision to cancel our MOU.

How is he representing us?

One day he’s going after the Volunteer for EMT for Bosque Farms and the next week (give or take) he’s saying ‘This is a matter of life and death.’

One night he says ‘oh yes, Peralta Council – cancel our MOU and we support this decision’ and the next he says ‘This is a matter of life and death’.

Does this make sense?

Who is he representing? Maybe it’s Peralta he’s representing.