ToadBook

In the original post about the Bosque Farms Fire a post by Ms. Desmet thanking those who helped her was shared.

One last comment about this post.

She made it sound as if she expected the MRGCD to help her farm specifically.

But why? Why would she expect them to swoop in and help her personally?

These are the things they do for individuals: -- Help with water and farm planning -- Soil and Water Testing -- Financial Incentives and Water Leasing -- Property Mapping -- A few other random things.

The rest of what they do is take care of the Bosque. Ensure there is access to the Bosque, control access to the Bosque, provide recreational places and a few other things.

So when they were here fighting the fire - it was to help and because the fire was in the Bosque.

Anyone whose home was in danger and anyone who might loose their hay and hay barn in trouble - would ask for help too.

What is the one problem with this - She was a Councilor.

So any business that wanted to curry favor, any potential business that wanted special conditions, any person who might be in front of the Planning and Zoning Board and eventually the Council.... it's too their benefit to show up and help.

Generally, it isn't bad to ask for help. It is questionable when you are in a position of authority.

From a FaceBook post by Ms. DeSmet:

Within minutes we had friends, neighbors, kids, everyone at the dairy with help and support. Thank you to Opie, Anthony, and Nick for coming with trucks to wet down my hay asap. Thank you to Joe Johnson and his son in law Mr Manus for coming with a water truck as well! Thank you to Kim Dutton and Derick and Slade for standing by with a water tank! Thank you to Joanne for wanting to channel her inner “Erica” and tell people to get outta the way 😂 thank you to my Troy Turner for being there when the MRGCD wouldn’t, thank you to Andrew and Emily Garcia for assisting. Thank you to PG Enterprises for water trucks as well!

While it's wonderful she had help - let's be sure that Councilor Desmet recuses herself for any vote on these people - including anything to do with the MRGCD.

If you have no common sense, please ask for help. It is hard to define but everyone knows it when it is demonstrated. In general, common sense is practical knowledge, good judgement and a basic ability to think with reason.

Critical thinking is a step above that with the ability to take in information, be curious, look deeper and be open minded, it's an ability to ask questions and question biases and assumption prior to making a decision.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself sitting in the meetings (and maybe encourage the Three to ask themselves).

• What would happen if the opposite of my assumption were true?
• Is there a conflict of interest in the person presenting in front of me?
• What could the unintended consequences of this decision be?
• Why do I feel so strongly about this topic?
• Are there other people who we should consult? Would a second opinion be useful in this instance?
• What is the goal of the action? What is the goal of the person presenting?

There are more -

But hey just putting on a common sense hat and ask the question - Does this make sense? Is there something else that makes sense? What are the pros and cons of these actions? Would be a start.

So a few of us were sitting around talking about the Village of Bosque Farms and all of the good things that could be legally completed by someone of Erica DesMet's energy and organization.

Here is a list that we came up with and maybe this will help the Council to do something useful.

• Write Ordinances. Not ordinances that impact one person (the Mayor) or ordinances that consolidate power in the Three. Real Ordinances that impact daily life. One Example: We have heard that there is a request animal control ordinances. One of us lives next to an animal horder and yet there are no ordinances that address that. That is a good place to start.

• Find new businesses. Drive along main street - how many businesses are there? Not many. Yet Gross Receipt Taxes benefit our Village greatly. -- Some of the things the three could do: Rewrite ordinances to make our place more attractive to businesses. Lower Gross Receipt Taxes so it is more attractive to set up and shop here. Develop an incubation place to allow small businesses to have an office and grow with support. Call the State Economics office to see if they can offer help.

• Budget wisely and Hire people. Did you know that the Council cut several main office positions in order to move money? Did you know there isn't a planning and zoning officer? Let's be clear - the Mayor hires but he needs the budget line item for it. -- Some of the positions they could hire include a planning and zoning officer. A deputy clerk was supposed be hired and rumor has it the PD gave up a position to make that happen. This summer the three told the Clerk Administrator to hire an OMA person (Open Meetings Act person) to fill out requests. (When one of us asked why this wasn't done yet - the answer was No budget.)

• Write an RFP with the engineers and get the bids going on the second donut. The funding has been awarded for this. They have been told they can't change the purpose of the funding so let's do the work to get the donut. That would be nice to not have to worry about pooping in a bucket.

• Budget and find money for the grinder pumps they keep yelling about.

• Take an ethics class. Possibly go back to training. (rumor has it that Councilor Desmet didn't get her certificate for completing her training for being a councilor)... hmmm That makes sense based on behavior seen these past two years.

• Get an attorney and Follow the attorney's advice. That is what a Village attorney does - reads ordinances and ensures they don't violate state laws and - stops the council or mayor from breaking the law - answers legal questions - among other things. The three could stop assuming they know everything and stop following the one person who knows the least and follow legal advice from someone hired to protect the Village. That is probably money well spent at this time.

So why start a blog that is so specific that it won't grow much beyond the 5,000 residents and some former residents of Bosque Farms?

Reason One: Education.

It is hoped that you can read this and see for yourself the laws, ordinances, Constitutional and ethical considerations that are so casually overlooked in Council meetings and outside of Council meetings.

It is hoped that this reaches at least one Councilor who will then be more of an individual than an adherent or devotee to the lies they currently believe.

It is hoped that at least one Councilor has some strength to act independently and stand up and say 'stop swearing, stop yelling, stop chasing away employees'.

Some of us are tired of watching the revolving door in the personnel office as employees come in, do the best they can and are chased off. We want you to know the truth. We speak to the employees and we know what they have said.

Some of us are tired of hearing the yelling, interrupting, blaming, and lies. We attend council meetings and we are embarrassed by the council. The Councilor who yells, the Councilors who sit and let her. We keep hoping for decorum and manners and we are hoping for better.

Interesting words. Go look them up.

Did anyone notice these things?

The agenda was written differently than normal. It didn't follow the normal agenda that is required in the ordinances. (2-2-2C).

When the Village office was asked about this the answer was that it was put out by a Councilor.

Executive Session - There are several things wrong here.

Executive session is closed and only certain things can be addressed in executive session. Elected public officials are not personnel and so any discussion regarding the Mayor should be in public.

Legal Council - what legal council? There is no attorney. No contract was awarded for an attorney. There is no legal council. This should be done prior to having meetings with a legal council. (More on this process in a bit)

So - what discussion is there to be held in executive session? There is all kind of wrong about this.

Did anyone notice the laws listed? NMSA 1978 10-15-1 (H)(7). Go look at NMSA 2025 10-15-1 (H)(2).

Item 6. District Court Complaint Regarding Removal from Office -

Once again - what legal council?

RECAP - if you are going to do something legally - at least do it correctly legally. Is it even possible to break the law to use the law against someone?

2-2-2 d) Enforcement. The Chief of Police... shall carry out all orders of the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining the order and decorum of the session. Upon orders from the presiding officer, it shall be the duty of the sergeant-at-arms to place any person who violates the provisions of this section under arrest and cause him to be prosecuted upon the complaint of the presiding officer in the Municipal Court, subject to punishment by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment in jail not exceeding 90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

It's time Mayor. Past Time. The Councilor who yells at you, swears at you, blames you and interrupts you. The Councilor who won't let business be conducted.... It's time.

She's not following our ordinances! It's clear you can have her arrested. Do it.

You have the right to do it.

If you don't want to do that - have her removed for ten minutes and see if that doesn't calm her down and then try again. But this is enough.

2-1-2 B. 2. Exercise, within the municipality, powers conferred upon sheriffs of counties to suppress disorders and keep the peace; and

2-2-2 4) Decorum. (a) Mayor. The Mayor ****shall preserve the order and decorum, decide all questions of order and conduct the proceedings of the meetings in accordance with the parliamentary rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised unless otherwise provided by ordinance.

(b) Councilors. While the governing body is in session, the members shall observe order and decorum and neither delay nor interrupt the proceedings of the Council nor disturb any member while speaking nor refuse to obey the orders of the Council or its presiding officer.

Well well. Look at this. The Councilors are NOT following the ordinances. Note - Ordinances = Law. Shall = You MUST do this.

You have tolerated this behavior long enough. The public has tolerated her behavior long enough. It's time to just put a stop to it.

7-1-7 Disorderly Conduct Harassment Chapter 30, Article 3A, § 30-3A-1

The police have sat in these meetings repeatedly. They see this behavior repeatedly.

Over and over again we see one Councilor cause havoc in meetings. Over and over again we see one Councilor yell, interrupt, swear, blame and generally not allow for a smoothly run meeting.

Say your bit, participate in reasonable discussion, vote and move on.

Over and over again we see supporters of her yelling, screaming obscenities, and shouting people down.

IF this isn't harassment and if this isn't disorderly conduct then I stand corrected.

IF THIS meets those standards of harassment and disorderly conduct - then I beg the PD to stand up and issue citations, escort people out, and lets get these meetings under control.

This doesn't violate right to speech I believe. In fact, I would say that right to speech is violated for those who are shouted down, yelled at and told to sit down and shut up.