By Lynn Janes
The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting January 21, 2026. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Simon Wheaton-Smith and councilors Nicholas Prince, Stan Snider and Victor Nanez.
The council approved the agenda for the meeting.
Council comments
Snider did not have a comment.
Nañez thanked the town for allowing him to attend the New Mexico Municipal League training in Santa Fe. He had some very valuable training from competent instructors and had learned a lot. He said Prince had asked significant questions in the training and had shown up in a tie and coat. He thanked the on call staff in maintenance, he had been made aware that they came after hours and did a fantastic job.
In closing, Nsñez brought up the Haven Warming Center and congratulated Patricia Cano, her daughter Lupe, and retired attorneyKatheryn McCarroll. “They did the best with what they had. It is a shame because it is a needed program.” Last year he had assisted them when they didn’t have much. They will be preparing to open next year so if anyone has interest in helping let them know.
Prince asked people to reach out because the legislative session had started and would be in session for 30 days. The state budget will have an increase of $200 million. He asked that people review the infrastructure capital improvement plan.
Wheaton-Smith had attended a meeting in Bayard with Freeport McMoRan (FMI). He found it interesting how they measure and test ground water for any leaks.
He had gone twice on Sunday to see how the cleanup had been going in the Big Ditch. He had tried to pick up a bottle about ten feet down, but he had slipped on the slope and slid about twenty feet before he could stop. He didn’t have an injury and did pick up the bottle. They had picked up about a thousand pounds of trash that included a sofa. The area could be a real asset, and the town should do a better job. He thanked everyone that had volunteered and people from FMI had also come to help. He will be focusing on downtown and how to revitalize it, along with recycling and repurposing.
Three people have applied to be on the lodgers tax committee and they still have two openings.
Wheaton-Smith reminded people he would be doing coffee with the mayor on Monday at Javalina. The last one had gone well, and Nañez had attended. It will be held the third Monday of each month. The next one will be February 16, 2026, at Javalina. The last one people had come to discuss the new signage on the intersection of highway 90 and 180. It says no right turn on a red light. He thought the council members had received many comments. He had personally experienced the back up of traffic it had caused. It had taken two lights for people to get through and others just moved out of the line and went another way. He thought the town manager and police chief will be addressing the issue. Maybe they would be having another public meeting, and he encouraged people to attend and comment. “There is a reason why the New Mexico Department of Transportation decided to do that. We also need to remember it is their road.”
The council approved the minutes from January 7, 2026, meeting.
Public input.
Jack Howell said he lived on Silver Street about three blocks from the Drifter. They have had a problem with a neighbor burning grass and weeds. He has asthma and his son has cystic fibrosis, a congenital lung disease. The last time the neighbor burned they had to have an emergency inhaler. “I couldn’t hardly breathe.” He had contacted the fire department, and the neighbor had obtained a permit for the burning. He wanted those done away with. “It is not the 1950s; we don’t need to burn in the city limits.”
Brent Steinberg thanked everyone involved in cleaning the Big Ditch. He also thanked the town for installing a fence between Tranquil Buzz and Otter Chaos. It had a 3- foot ledge that people fell off.
The Big Ditch brought him to the reason for his coming to comment. Ordinances have not been enforced. Specifically, in regard to the Big Ditch it has a no loiter, no sleeping or staying there from 10 pm to sunrise. When cleaning, they saw the encampments. “We have to enforce the ordinances.” He named others not being enforced, such as short-term lodgers tax and banning of shipping containers. He continued by speaking to filing appeals with community development and asking questions. It seemed to frustrate them. "You file and the process never seems to have an end." He explained everything he had experienced in detail. His issue has still not been resolved.
Victoria Reece had come to speak about the coal roller, and it being a safety issue. They protest in front of Watts Hall on the corner of Swan Street and Highway 180 from 3 pm to 5 pm every Friday doing a peaceful civic rally. The sun glares at that time of day very bright then they have the coal rollers blowing out black smoke and so they can’t see. They had brought it to the attention of the police department and nothing had been done. Many of the people out there will be senior citizens and mobility impaired, and they have been intimidated, harassed and threats of violence aimed at them. “The violence is escalating.” They had met with the district attorney and Captain Hobbs to address the issue and had been promised action, but nothing happened. One police car parked there for a while and people did go by and coal roll without anything being done. They had sent videos and license numbers to the police. “We are a community, and many feel we don’t have any enforcement because the police don’t agree with us. They are on the side of MAGA (coal rollers) and think we should disappear. They are harassing us.” Reece said they had to have consequences so they could stop violence before it happens. The group had received a Facebook post that had been threatening.
Andy Payne said he lives just outside of the city limits, which means none of them would be his councilman. He thanked Reece for what she had just said in comments and said it had all been true. He had come to ask they stop the trucks from coal rolling because he considered it harassment. It happens every week when they gather, and it had been happening for almost a year. “These are just a bunch of concerned Silver City residents assembling to express their opinions about political issues. It is harmful and divisive to our community to have people blatantly insulting and harassing other citizens.” He then commented the city needed to send a strong message that everyone needs to respect and tolerate others. “We are looking for you to protect everyone in the community.”
Sharon Bookwalter said she would be a bit repetitive. Since February 21, 2025, they had a rally every Friday to express concern for global and national events. “Everyone comes as peaceful demonstrators exercising their first amendment rights to freedom.” She described again the same things Reece and Payne had. She read the Facebook post that threatened them. The post called them maggots and liberal scum. The post then asked if they would just like to see more drugs in the town. Bookwalter had to point out the poor writing. She had screenshot the post that had the man’s name and sent it to the police chief,, who assured them it would be taken seriously. The next Friday they had not seen any law enforcement to protect them except for occasionally driving by. They felt they should have an actual police officer present and not in a car but with them.
She suggested perhaps they needed some guidance from law enforcement on how to make complaints in a more formal way, so they have more effect. “We are all open to learning how to make the law work better.”
The past week they had a rally in front of the courthouse and the state police had visited them twice and asked if they had any coal-rolling or other incidents.
Ann Lowe said she agreed with everything that had just been said. She had been puzzled that nothing had been done. “Are we being gas lit or what? I think something should be done.”
Mark Donnell said he had lived here 30 years. He had retired as an anesthesiologist at the hospital and had been involved with a few disputes the last few years that included Dr. Shepard. Today he came to thank the council for being willing to put in the time and effort. He had come to comment on the no right turn on red sign recently put up at highway 90 and 180. He spoke to the problem with how the lights had been set up. If traffic has not come down from Juniper, it will not ever turn green to make the right hand turn. “This is a serious problem, you are making criminals out of many drivers.” Some stop and see if it will be safe to proceed before they go or they decide to cut through the residential area. “I would proceed through the signal myself, and I am a law abiding citizen.”
Reports
Manager's report
Jacqui Olea, interim town manager, said they did not have anything to report currently.
Unfinished business
Appointments to boards and commissions.
Wheaton-Smith said as mentioned earlier they had three applicants for lodgers' tax committee and had two openings left. He will be doing interviews before the next council meeting. Prince wanted to know if they had lined up a primary and alternate for Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments. Olea said she will be the primary and Randy Hernandez, business operations manager, will be the alternate.
New business
Mayor's appointment of a council member for district one to replace Rudy Bencomo. Wheaton-Smith said they would use the same process as last time and explained he would be looking for nominations. Nanez nominated Carlos Arenivar and Prince nominated Angelina Salaiz. Wheaton-Smith called for a vote on Arenivar and Nanez had been the only one to vote yes and Prince abstained. They did not have a majority. Wheaton-Smith called for a vote on Salaiz and had no opposition, so Wheaton-Smith said she would be appointed to fill the district one position. Matthew Runnells, magistrate judge, swore her in, and she took her seat.
The council approved the public celebration permit to Little Toad Creek for the Silver City Territorial Ball to be held February 14, 2026, at 200 West Broadway.
The council approved resolution 2026-02 to adopt parliamentary procedures. This resolution had been introduced by Prince. He said he wanted to work towards better rules of procedures for their meetings. They will be using Roberts Rules of Order, the most common form of parliamentary procedure. “It will be a good starting point.” After they voted Wheaton-Smith said, “After 148 years they finally adopted a parliamentary authority.”
The council approved resolution 2026-03, repealing and replacing resolution 2025-31, authorizing the town of Silver City to enter into the design funding agreement with the state of New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Bayard and village of Santa Clara.
The council approved resolution 2026-04 committing funds to the village of Santa Clara for the operation of the Silver City senior center for the fiscal year 2027 through fiscal year 2031 in the amount of $75,000. Olea said this cost would just be for one year, even though they have a future commitment they want to uphold with Santa Clara. Discussions had taken place with Silver City, Grant County and Santa Clara about having them take over operations of the senior center. They have done well with the one in Santa Clara.
Meeting adjourned
Writer's note: When Wheaton-Smith addresses the problem with the new signage he makes the comment that DOT owns the road. We, the taxpayers, pay for the roads; the DOT works for us by maintaining the roads.
