Town manager leaving because of Prince and Snider mockery

By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting Aug 12, 2025. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano and Councilors Nicholas Prince, Rudy Bencomo and Stan Snider.

The council approved the agenda with the tabling of approval of the minutes from July 29, 2025. Prince asked for the tabling due to wanting to review the minutes before approval.

Ceremonies

The town had employee of the month awards from both June and July. The employee of the month for June was Luis Reza. Aaron Seavers, Silver City assistant fire chief, presented the award and read a letter from Paul Ortiz, one of the fire lieutenants.

The letter read: "I am pleased to recommend engineer Luis Reza for employee of the month. Engineer Reza has demonstrated himself to be an invaluable asset to the Silver City fire department through his dedication, hard work, and extensive knowledge. He consistently strives to advance his career in the fire service and sets a commendable example for future firefighters.

"Luis does not seek recognition. He performs his duties diligently and frequently goes above and beyond by undertaking projects that might otherwise go unnoticed. He has exhibited exceptional initiative by completing paramedic school to become a certified paramedic and achieving rope rescue technician level two certification.

"Additionally, Luis has taken on an officer's role in managing our pharmaceuticals, significantly transforming how our medications are accounted for. And furthermore, he earned an associate's degree in electrical technology from WNMU. Luis consistently demonstrates his willingness to teach and train others with enthusiasm.

His support for his colleagues enhances our department's capabilities and morale. In my view, it is high time that Luis receives recognition for his accomplishments and exemplary work ethic. He has earned the respect and admiration of his officers and line personnel.

I kindly request that you consider him for this well-deserved recognition. Thank you."

The next employee of the month for July was Julian Muñoz. Muñoz had not been able to attend. Randy Hernandez, business operations manager, said the nomination had come from Robert Esqueda, utilities director. Esqueda said Muñoz regularly comes into work and is always willing to work overtime. He volunteers to work holidays as needed and goes above and beyond his normal work duties to ensure the wastewater treatment plant runs well. Muñoz takes it upon himself to contact the equipment representative and vendors when issues arise to resolve or make the needed repairs. Esqueda continued that Muñoz visits other wastewater treatment plants on his own time to learn more resulting in him returning with recommendations and suggestions on how to improve operations.

Council comments

Snider and Prince did not have any comments.

Cano said she had returned from an advanced class at MOLI (Municipal League Officials Leadership Institute). It had been held in Albuquerque and was  more informative than normal and she recommended it.

The most important thing she had learned had been about communities giving to nonprofit organization. When it would be allowed and when it would not. She knew this would be coming up locally.

State Police Chief Tim Johnson had provided a presentation for the training. He talked about how councils should be working with their police officers and police departments. It had been very helpful to Cano. She had met with Police Chief Freddie Portillo that morning and they had talked about some things she had not known and then provided him with a couple of ideas that they will see if they work for the community.

Cano wanted to invite people to the community conversations that will be held in conjunction with the town of Silver City, Silver City Theater Group, New Mexico State University, Western New Mexico University, Silver City Daily Press and Silver City Museum. The first one will be held August 16, 2025, at the Global Resource Center. This one will be called "A Seat at the Table, Chicano Involvement in Local Government." The speakers will be Stepanie Garcia-Richards, land commissioner; Raul Turrieta, former county assessor; Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments director; and Alex Brown, town manager.

Bencomo said they would be having the Toss No Mas event this coming weekend. He had a number of people reach out to him about the Memory Lane Cemetery. He encouraged people to pick up trash and pull weeds around plots you will be working on when visiting. On a positive note, although the recreation center had not opened yet he had seen kids playing on the outdoor playground set. He had talked to a few of them, and they were excited and couldn't wait until it officially opens.

Ladner supported Bencomo's comments on Toss No Mas coming up. They had fliers at the door he asked people to pick up on the way out. While on that he wanted to thank Allyson Siwik and Alescia Hallmark for all their work to put these together and supervising them.

Recently Ladner had read an editorial in the Silver City Daily Press written by the publisher and owner, Nicholas Seibel. In the editorial he revealed the paper had been having financial challenges. He asked the community to step up and help. He had lived in the community for the past fifty years and had experienced the publication in several incarnations. Under the leadership of Seibel, it had reached a newer higher level of community coverage and local news reporting. In the past the publication had relied heavily on wire content to fill its pages.He said  the current one has more local content and has employed local reporters. In addition, it has its own high quality editorials that run all sides of the issues. The publication has given generous coverage to a wide variety of sporting events.

Ladner said he would be remiss if he didn't recognize Grant County Beat for its extensive coverage of news and events in Grant County. "Go to any festival or other community events and you will see Mary Alice Murphy taking notes or walking around taking photographs for her online newspaper."

Ladner also asked that people shop locally. A lot of local businesses have been having some difficult times, and the community owes it to them to support their businesses. He added also supporting the newspaper and online newspaper in any way possible. "As a community let us all evaluate ways in which we can support these particular issues."

Public input

Delfina Jimenez said the last meeting she had attended had really upset her. One person had run to the podium and spoke when she had not been called upon. "It was very disrespectful, rude and uncalled for." She thought it would be a good idea to have an off switch for the microphones. It would also be useful for those that speak past the five minutes allotted.

Daniel Duran Paiz has lived in Silver City for four years. "Yesterday our national leader declared that he is going to militarize law enforcement in Washington D.C. He is also threatening to send in the National Guard into places like New York, Chicago, and L.A. Of course these are cities in blue states. He doesn't mention places like St. Louis or Little Rock which have similar crime rates, but they are in red states." Paiz said the feds had done a sweep of a park in Los Angels and later admitted they had not done it for a law enforcement reason. "It was just a show of force meant to intimidate people." He repeated some comments he had made at previous public inputs. "We also have 10,000 plus new ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) agents to be set loose on the population. 10,000 poorly trained masked people that are being actually recruited mostly in right-wing media. If you think the camps are just for immigrants, you are mistaken." He believes true change must come from the bottom. "We can't count on the current Democrats in Washington to stop the monster called fascism." He said he had been active in politics since 1972 when he had worked to elect George McGovern against Richard Nixon and it had been a dark chapter in history because Nixon had won. "I was fighting fascism then and I am fighting fascism now. I will never stop." He said those that support ICE would regret it.

Mark VanBuskirk said he has too much information to provide in the five minutes that had been allotted so he would be butchering up what he had to include it all. He had come to talk about SPIN (support for people in need). He had heard they had come to the council a few weeks earlier to ask for money. He wanted the council to be sure and obtain documentation and ask question before considering providing that funding. He had some questions he wanted the council to be sure and ask. Part of being a nonprofit organization the tax returns must be made public. He encouraged the council to obtain those.

VanBuskirk said in 2023 they had $43,000 for travel expenses and according to Bobby Shaw in that meeting said that would be funds to bring people here to provide services. In 2022 they had a line item for compensation for directors, officers and key employees. The line item had been $556,000. That would be over a half million and did the board of directors approve that? In 2023 they had a line item for management fees paid to non-employees and it came to $528,000. He questioned SPIN paying again over a half million for management. Again, did the board of directors approve this and who had it been paid to in that extreme amount? The return for 2024 had not been available but in 2023 they had $1.25 million in revenue.

The council needed to obtain all those tax returns, and SPIN would be obligated to provide them. VanBuskirk asked them to ask some serious questions before considering funding them.

Simon Wheaton-Smith had come to speak on behalf of one of the commissioners who will be up for reinstatement on the planning and zoning commission. He said Susan Moody had not been available, so he came to speak for her. She has a good background in education. Since being on the commission, she had asked very good deep searching questions and works very well with the entire commission.

Holly Noonan said she represents the Crooked Forest Institute and is the executive director. She wanted to share her thoughts on why Silver City needs a community land trust. She read some notes for the National League of Cities. They had an article called What City Leaders Need to Know About Community Land Trust.

The community would leverage a onetime investment to deliver long term benefits. In most affordable housing programs, they tend to have a series of subsidies. It can become a liability that requires more subsidies. In a community land trust affordable housing would be a onetime investment. It should be examined carefully. The community land trust acquires land but can also develop and rehabilitate housing. It will also limit the price of appreciation; the housing would never go to market rate keeping it affordable.

Community Land Trusts directly address the growing affordability gap in housing. She cited the massive housing crisis in the country and state. With the trust 95 percent of the homes would be affordable for moderate to low income individuals.

Community Land Trusts can be a powerful wealth building tool. She said white households have a net worth that ass seven times higher than Hispanic and Latino households. The Community Land Trust would rectify that imbalance. Cities can work to expand opportunities for shared equity ownership among Black, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous households by supporting shared equity programs in targeted neighborhoods and removing common barriers to home ownership.

This can also help cities resist gentrification and displacement. This has happened in Toas and Santa Fe. The town needed to be proactive and not let it happen here. A Community Land Trust would also help the community better weather economic downturns.

Joanne DeMichael had moved here to never move again in 2021. She had bought a manufactured home in a mobile home park. She received a notice that the land had been sold to an out-of-town investor. She started to look into New Mexico laws and what had been happening around the country. This has become a crisis all over for the past 20 years. Investors come in and purchase that land under people's homes and raise the rent. She had read earlier in the year that a corporate investor, out-of-town, purchased the land in a mobile home community and raised the rent 80 percent. On top of raising the rent they imposed rules such as people could no longer have pets if they weighed over 30 pounds. She said this has been a crisis affecting affordable housing. She had attended the public meetings and found them innovative and open to different options. She added that many times money has been thrown at affordable housing with taxpayer money, and they don't stay affordable.

Reports

Alex Brown, town manager addressed the council. "Mayor and council, after 35 years of service to the town of Silver City, of which 25 years was, has been as the city manager and a lot of that as finance director, I'm here to announce that I'll be retiring at the end of this year. It's been a pleasure serving the town, the four mayors I've worked with, the numerous town counselors. The town councils have always been very diverse, just like our community. Even though they had their differences they always, always worked together out of respect for each other and the people they represented. It always took just working together and talking.

"I've attended just under 600 town council meetings, but not until last council meeting, did that change the respect. When councilors Prince and Snider decided to make a mockery of the council, our community and our staff. It's sad that had to happen, and I won't be a part of it. Thank you." Brown left the meeting directly after his statement.

Public hearing

Alfred Sedillo, city clerk, swore in Jacqui Olea, assistant town manager, and Kent Allen Kelly, variance applicant.

Olea explained the public hearing before the council. It would be for a zone change request on a tract of land from commercial highway zoning to mixed use zoning. The address would be 2240 Pinos Altos Road.

Ladner said the council will serve as the hearing board and asked if any had any relation on this matter or conversed with the applicant. All council members had indicated no. Ladner continued with an explanation of the process and procedures.

Olea went into a long explanation of the application and land use codes. The application had come to the city on May 20, 2025. The property in question would be a .241 acre lot with a single family home built in 1948 with the current zoning of commercial highway. This had come from the 2020 land use code. This code has been intended to accommodate a broad mix of commercial uses serving residents and visitors. This district has been intended for employment activities. The previous land use zoning of 1960 did not restrict single family residential use in the commercial zone. She read the full code. The city had added mixed use to the code to accommodate owners' wishes and how the town had grown. The mixed use allows a wider use.

All reviews of the application had been done to include code enforcement, utilities, fire, police, public works, engineering and meters division. No comment had been received. Also required by the land use code of 2010 the community development department had contacted 20 property owners identified by the assessor's office that own property withing 300 feet of the affected area. Two responses had been received. One asked if it would affect their tax and the other just wanted some clarification on the application. Olea address both concerns.

Olea continued with addressing the change and it not having and adverse effect on the land use code or the towns comprehensive plan. It also would not adversely impact public health, safety or general welfare and will be a recommendation of the community development department and Silver City planning and zoning to grant this zoning change.

Kelly spoke to the request for the zoning variance. He didn't think it would adversely affect the goals of the town's comprehensive plan. He cited several portions of the plan and how it would fit. He also added the need for affordable housing in the town.

Prince wanted to confirm that planning and zoning had reviewed this and recommended it. Olea said they had provided a formal recommendation. Prince, "So they did have a vote and not just a text comments?" Olea said yes, they voted, and it had been unanimous.

The council approved the zoning change.

New business

The council approved the special dispensary permit for Carnitas Musica Y Mas festival on August 29-31, 2025, for Q's Southern Bistro.

The council approved the reappointment of Paul Baca for the cemetery board. An issue had been raised earlier about Baca's attendance to the meetings as well as a conflict of interest. Ladner had done some follow up. He had spoken to the chair for the cemetery board, Tawana Sparks and had a letter she provided to the council that supported his reappointment. It said he had served very well, and his professionalism and experience had been invaluable. He has exceptional knowledge on the law and finances regarding burials and cemeteries and had help to save the board a lot to time. He had creative solutions to landscaping problems and plot arrangement. The letter said he had only missed two meetings in the last two years due to performing funerals.

Regarding the conflict of interest Ladner had consulted Charles Kretek, town attorney, and he had sent a response to Ladner, and he had provided that to the council. Kretek told the council, "My conclusion is that the appointment of Mr. Baca does not create any legally disqualifying conflicts of interest that would prevent him from serving. It does, however, raise concerns and potential conflicts of interest that need to be monitored should he be reappointed. In small towns and rural communities, it is difficult to find citizens interested in volunteering their time to assist in governance, and arguably, knowledge of the topic or interest in which they are involved is more beneficial than having a person with no knowledge, experience, or interest. Ultimately, your level of comfort and that of the council with those concerns and the potential experience of impropriety should be given whether to proceed with the reappointment."

Sparks had sent a second letter of recommendation. Prince had a question and referred to what Kretek had said about monitoring. He continued with his questions on how he would be monitored. He wanted to know if all the email addresses of the board would be available to him and wanted to make sure they had the mechanisms for oversight.

Bencomo said, as appointed by the mayor, he has been on the cemetery board for two years. They meet quarterly. Baca has made himself available when they have had questions. It had been nice to have him on the board, and he felt comfortable with him on that board. He had missed a few when he had been doing funerals.

The council approved Susan Moody being reappointed to the planning and zoning commission. She had a recommendation letter from Wheaton-Smith, chair.

Wheaton-Smith had some comments. He said she has worked very well with the team and always asks questions that cause the commission to consider various points. They have been working on the land use code rewrite, and she had been helpful.

The council approved resolution 2025-27 to adopt the 2025 Strategic Plan. Olea said she had sent them the draft, and it had gone through the level of public input. They had also been working with the consultant Carlos Gamora a senior land use planner at Sites Southwest. He had joined online.

Wheaton-Smith had a few comments. He said they had been working with Gamora for some time. He started with a little history staring in 2023 and a question from their members about accessory dwelling units. Inconsistencies had been found in the land use code. Planning and zoning had been working with Gamora for the past year and a half to address some of these problems. He said Prince and Snider had been involved in the housing plan. "We have picked the most critical elements that we think are the least controversial and are going to achieve positive results." They will also be amending the rules of procedure. Each year planning and zoning will find out from the council, community development and other sources the problems they have seen. Those items will be worked on throughout the year. He continued with a lot of the current problems they had been having and the solutions they have looked at.

A housing plan had been presented to the council a few months ago and problems identified. Wheaton-Smith said he had been proud of it, but it had problems. He felt Gamora had done a good job listening to those issues. He thanked and commended Prince and Snider for their involvement. He also thanked Olea for her role. Everyone had worked positively with each other. He and Olea had a different view on a matter but talked and worked it out.

Olea wanted the council and mayor to be aware it would be a requirement of the state to adopt a housing strategic plan to implement affordable housing initiatives.

Gamora said he didn't have anything to add and apologized for not being there in person but would be the following week. This plan establishes and updates compliance with the state of New Mexico Affordable Housing Act. This document has also been preliminarily approved by the mortgage finance authority.

Meeting adjourned