The Sandoval County Online Reporting Enterprise
Rio Rancho, N.M.
New Mexico's first totally online commuity newspaper was last updated Thursday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m.
The Sandoval County Commission voted 3-2 Thursday night to extend the contract of county manager Juan Vigil for two years.
Outgoing commissioner Dave Bency joined commissioner Don Leonard and chairman Orlando Lucero in voting to keep Vigil. Commissioners Gleenn Walters and Joshua Madalena voted not to renew the contract after a contentious debate where several amendments proposed by the two dissenters were denied by the same 3-2 voting lineup.
The majority also pushed through a contract provision that requires a so-called “super majority” of four commissioners would be needed to fire Vigil before the contract expires.
Proposals to reduce Vigil’s annual leave from 33 days to 20 and eliminate the county’s payment of the employee share of retirement benefits to the state were voted down.
The commission did agree to reduce possible severance pay from four months to two,, with Lucero joining Walters and Madalena on that lone provision.
The votes were not along party lines; Democrats Lucero and Leonard joined Repulican Bency on most issues. Walders is a Republican, Magdalena a Democrat.
Don Chapman, who was elected to fill Bency’s seat and could be a potential swing vote on further contract issues, attended the meeting but declined comment.
To be updated after meeting is ended.
Border issue comments heat up congressional race
By Eric Maddy
The SCORE
The Republican nominee for the Third Congressional District in New Mexico does not favor placing land mines along the U.S. border with Mexico as part of a solution to immigration issues.
Speaking before a Tea Party group in Ro Rancho on Monday, Tom Mullins said he expects some negative backlash from comments he made to a Las Vegas, N.M. radio station during his primary campaign.
Mullins said he was asked by the interviewer about the border issue, especially in light of the recent passage of a controversial Arizona law on the issue. Citing his background as an engineer, Mullins told the Rio Rancho audience he told the interviewer that the United States could consider several options, inkling mining the border, since it has not signed a world land mine treaty in a dispute over existing mines separating the two Koreas.
“I am not for putting land mines along the border,” Mullins said. “I am comfortable in what I said, though I probably will be hammered for it in the press. The federal government is responsible for enforcing the borders, and I simply said that as a technical solution land mines are one thing that could be considered.
“Imagine if we had another Sept. 11 type incident and we found out the terrorists crossed into the United States through Mexico. I could envision where Congress would go into action the next day and consider anything, including land mines. That’s all I said.”
Some in the audience of approximately 25 laughed along as Mullins talked about the reaction he expected, while others wondered out loud if placing mines along the border might not be a good idea. That was among the more conservative views voiced in the 90 minute meeting, of which about an hour was spent on questions-and-answers with the candidate.
Mullins addressed other issues as well, including energy policy, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, taxes, constitutional rights and election strategy and numbers.
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