THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER
VOL. 2012-8
Published by the New Mexico Municipal League
August, 2012
Research and Communications Director Diane Lang Announces Retirement
Diane Lang, the League’s
Director of Research and
Communications, has announced her
retirement effective in August. She
started with the League in 1980 as a
secretary and has held several other
positions during her 32-year career.
One of her first jobs at the
League involved running a “Mag Card
Machine,” short for magnetic card
reading machine, which was a
precursor to modern computer word
processing applications. In addition to
serving as a receptionist and
processing meeting registrations,
another job function involved
answering written and telephone
inquiries from members. With help
from League Executive Director
William Fulginiti and then General
Counsel Steven Barshov, she became
more involved in the provision of
legal information to member elected
and appointed officials.
As a result of her growing
knowledge base, she was named
Assistant Director of Information
Services, a position she held until
1996 when she was named Director of
Information Services. That
department underwent a
reorganization and name change in the
early 2000s and is known today as the
Research and Communications
Department, which she headed until
her retirement.
In addition to overseeing the
League’s inquiry service, Diane was
the lead analyst and editor of the
Legislative Bulletin as well as a few
other publications. She was also an
occasional lobbyist.
Diane is also well known to
particular segments of League
members, especially the Association
of Chiefs of Police and the Clerks and
Finance Officers Association. She
became the staff liaison to the
Association of Chiefs of Police in
1985 and held that position until her
retirement. Her work with the Clerks
and Finance Officers Association dealt
heavily with the administration of
municipal elections and helping
formulate curriculum and produce the
League’s bi-annual Election School
for municipal and county clerks. Over
the years she has also provided the
Secretary of State’s office with
invaluable insights concerning the
Municipal Election Code.
Born and raised in the
Dayton, Ohio area, she lived in
several places before coming to New
Mexico with her then husband in
1976. Those locales included
Philadelphia, Colorado, New Zealand,
California and Oregon. With a degree
in psychology, she worked for several
years in Philadelphia and Ohio doing
social work and counseling. Diane
says she did many odd jobs over the
years, some strangely memorable –
corralling sheep into chutes for foot
baths, and “have you ever tried to sell
carpet over the telephone?” She is
also a certified mediator and is a
Transformational Breath Facilitator ™.
“One of the biggest joys of
being here has been getting to know
and work with such a diverse group of
people from all backgrounds and
(Continued on page 2)
Still No Farm Bill, But More Assistance to Drought-Ravaged States
by Jim Malewitz, Stateline Staff Writer
As the worst drought in decades strengthens its grip across much of the U.S., leaving shriveled crops and dead livestock in
its wake, the Obama administration will authorize an additional $30 million to help struggling farmers, ranchers and small business
owners cope with its impacts.
Farmers and ranchers in the 19 states hit hardest by the drought will get $16 million in financial and technical assistance, and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture will transfer $14 million into a program that helps rehabilitate drought-ravaged land and deliver
water and forage to livestock, the administration announced.
Close to two-thirds of the continental U.S. faces moderate or exceptional drought, and in some areas, prime farm and
ranchland has been hit the hardest.
“This has been an all-hands-on-deck response… But obviously, we’ve got a lot more to do because a lot of folks are being
affected by this,” Obama said (August 7 at a White House meeting on the drought response, according to ABC News. “We’re going to
continue to solicit ideas from state and local organizations, faith-based organizations, not-for-profit groups, the private sector, and
most
(Continued on page 6)
Diane Lang . . . continued from page 1
walks of life who share a common desire to do what’s right for
their communities,” Diane said. “You all have enriched my life
and I hope I have contributed something to yours. A quote I read
recently: ‘Where there’s a gardener, there’s a garden.’ May you
all continue to be the greatest gardeners of your communities.”
League Executive Director Bill Fulginiti remembers
when Diane first started with the League and highlights of her
32-year career here.
“Diane has been one of the cornerstones of the League’s
operations,” said Executive Director Bill Fulginiti. “Since she
began working at the League, her attention to detail and
thoroughness has been what has motivated her. Getting
everything ‘just right’ is her specialty. Her experience has
covered so much of what the League does for its members it’s
hard to describe. After 32 years of being part of the ‘League
family,’ it’s hard to see her go, but we all wish her the best.”
New Mexico Municipal League
P.O. Box 846
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-0846
(505) 982-5573
(505) 984-1392 fax
www.nmml.org
PRESIDENT
Matt White, Mayor - Eunice
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Mary Homan, Trustee – Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
VICE PRESIDENT
Gloria Chavez, Mayor – Tijeras
TREASURER
Linda Calhoun, Mayor – Red River
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Barb Wiard, Mayor Pro Tem – Taos Ski Valley
PAST PRESIDENT
Eddie A. Trujillo, Judge - Las Vegas
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ray Alborn, Mayor - Ruidoso
Cynthia Ann Bettison, Mayor Pro Tem – Silver City
Robert Boone, Police Chief – Rio Rancho
President, New Mexico Association of Chiefs of Police
Philip Burch, Mayor – Artesia
Renee Cantin, Clerk - Alamogordo
President, New Mexico Clerks & Finance Officers Association
Jack Chosvig, Mayor - Clayton
Angelina Cordova, Clerk/Treasurer - Logan
Darren Cordova, Mayor – Taos
Richard Cordova, Mayor – Eagle Nest
Danny Cruz, Mayor - Springer
Linda Enis Franklin, Councilor - Deming
Rey Garduño, Councilor - Albuquerque
Steve Henderson, Councilor – Roswell
Ferron Lucero, Town Manager – Clayton
Acting President, New Mexico City Management Association
Alfonso Ortiz, Jr., Mayor – Las Vegas
David Redford, Municipal Judge - Carlsbad
President, New Mexico Municipal Judges Association
Jack Torres, Mayor - Bernalillo
David Venable, Mayor – Cloudcroft
Bryan Wall, Councilor - Gallup
Editor .................................................................. William F. Fulginiti
Managing Editor .......................................................... Roger Makin
2
THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER, August, 2012
Bosque Farms’ Linda Curtner Named “Court Clerk of the Year”
Linda Curtner, Court Clerk for the Bosque Farms Municipal Court, was named
“2012 Municipal Court Clerk of the Year” by the New Mexico Municipal Court Clerks
Association during the Association’s Conference on Thursday, July 19 in Albuquerque.
The Court Clerk of the Year Program was started in 1997 by the Association to
honor one of its own for outstanding service. Every spring, a nominating packet is sent to
each municipality that has a municipal court. A clerk may be nominated by a municipal
judge, a fellow court clerk, a mayor, city councilor, co-worker or anyone who is familiar
with their hard work and dedication, not only to the court, but also to their community.
Ms. Curtner has been employed with the Bosque Farms Municipal Court for
approximately 32 years and has been active in the Court Clerks Association the majority of
her career.
In announcing her selection, Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels said the
following:
“Leadership, devotion and professionalism are among many qualities she
Supreme Court Justice Charles
provides
to
the court. She has been the “glue” that has held the court together and
Daniels(left) presents the Court Clerk of
functioning for 32 years.
the Year Award to Bosque Farms Court
“She has a broad knowledge of municipal laws and court procedures and has
Clerk Linda Curtner (right). Photo by
always exhibited a very professional demeanor. She has gone out of her way to help train a
Carol Jarrell
new clerk in a neighboring court to make sure the new clerk fully ‘learns the ropes.’”
This year’s Association Selection Committee was comprised of the following: 2011 recipient Claudette Lucero of Taos; 2004
recipient Vicki Kelley of Clovis; and 2000 recipient Carlene Briggs of Cloudcroft.
Limited Funding Available for E-911
Related to GIS Training, Software and
Hardware Purchases
Municipal GIS data sources providing E-911 data to
their local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), for the
purpose of locating emergency callers, are eligible for
reimbursement for E-911 related GIS training, software and
some hardware purchases.
Local GIS data sources must work through their
PSAP to obtain prior approval for expenditures. Examples of
items eligible for reimbursement are GPS devices, laptop
computers and ESRI training, software purchases and yearly
maintenance fees. All requests for funding must be
accompanied by documentation demonstrating benefit to the
E-911 program. GIS data sources should check with their
local PSAP Manager to determine the amount of money
available for reimbursement.
These budgets are established at the start of each
fiscal year and must be shared by all county, municipal and
tribal data sources in the area. Please contact your local PSAP
manager for more details regarding request procedures and
approved purchases. Information is also available from Bill
Range at (505) 827-4804 or Art Rios at (505) 827-4900 or at
the following link:
http://www.nmdfa.state.nm.us/uploads/FileLinks/af0897ca0cd
d4e98a3a593cbb40e6155/PSAP_Managers_Guide_to_DFA_
Version_2_FINAL_FINAL_1.pdf . (Please refer to Chapter 5
referenced in this link.)
THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER, August, 2012
3
Environment Department Publishes 2012 Project
Status Report for Local Infrastructure Projects
The New Mexico Environment Department,
Construction Programs Bureau (CPB) has published the July
2012 Project Status Report for water, wastewater and solid
waste construction projects administered by this Bureau.
Support for these projects comes from state funds including
Special Legislative Appropriations and the Rural
Infrastructure Program, as well as federal funds including the
Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Report is available in hard copy, on a CD, or
from the CPB website at:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/cpb/documents/July2012Projec
tStatusReportCPB.pdf
During Fiscal Year 2012, the Construction Programs
Bureau achieved 100% customer satisfaction and disbursed
over $20.5 million to communities throughout the State. This
money is supporting projects that positively impact the local
economies and support the health of New Mexico
communities.
The Project Status Report presents each infrastructure
project arranged alphabetically by county and then by
community. In addition, the Report identifies the project
funding amount, fund balance, project phase, and the state or
federal funding source(s). It begins with a brief narrative
regarding Construction Programs Bureau projects and
programs. The Report is distributed semiannually and will be
updated again for distribution in January 2013.
For more information regarding the Project Status
Report, contact Saroj Baxter at (505) 476-3036.
Governor’s Commission on Disabilities Will
Sponsor Two-Day Workshop on Accessibility
The Governor’s Commission on Disabilities (GCD)
will sponsor a two-day class titled “Accessibility Intensive
Training” on Thursday and Friday, October 11 and 12, 2012 at
the Albuquerque Convention Center. Training on the
International Code Council accessibility will be provided by
Architects Kimberly Paarlberg and Jay Woodward.
Architects, engineers, landscape architects, building
owners and managers, code officials, ADA coordinators and
others interested in learning how to provide required
accessibility compliance are invited to attend. There is a limit
of 100 maximum participants each day. Cost is $200 for two
days or $125 for one day, which includes training, materials,
breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks. CEU certificates will
be provided at the end of each day.
For more information, contact Hope Reed or
Anthony Alarid, Accessibility Specialists, at 877-696-1470 or
[email protected], or [email protected].
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THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER, August, 2012
Judges Pause to Remember a Mentor with “Quiet Dignity”
By M.E. Sprengelmeyer
© 2012 The Guadalupe County Communicator
Reprinted with permission
From left: Questa Municipal Judge Michael Rael, Sr.; Vaughn Municipal
Judge Tina Griego; Portales Municipal Judge Frederick Arnold; Belle
Martinez; Santa Rosa Municipal Judge Richard Gutierrez; Las Vegas
Municipal Judge Eddie A. Trujillo; and Guadalupe County Magistrate
Judge James Moncayo.
Emergency tones echoed through Santa
Rosa Municipal Court on Wednesday, June 27,
2012 as a radio dispatcher gave a “Last Call”
tribute to Joe Eddie Martinez, the former police
chief, county sheriff and longtime judge who
passed away in March
“Judge Joe Eddie Martinez, thank you
for your service,” the radio voice crackled inside
a courtroom packed with family, friends and
fellow jurists, all with bowed heads. “You are
relieved of duty and remain with the Lord in
peace forever. Goodbye, but not forgotten.”
Several judges from Guadalupe County
and across the state joined in the posthumous
tribute ceremony, which included the
presentation of a special plaque to the judge’s
widow, Belle Martinez.
Martinez was an institution in local law
enforcement, and during almost decades on the
Municipal Court bench, he left a legacy of lessons
with his fellow judges, too.
Judge Eddie A. Trujillo of Las Vegas
remembered walking into a judges’ reception as a
rookie more than 20 years ago. “I must have
looked like a deer in the headlights,” he said, but
Judge Martinez welcomed him with a simple
phrase, “¿Que Pasa?”
“He saw me and touched me in my heart and said, “Come on. You’re one of us. We’re going to steer you in the right
direction,” Trujillo recalled. “He played such a big part in my role as a municipal judge . . . What a beautiful man.”
He and other judges remembered Martinez as a mentor and a family man, too. They thanked Mrs. Martinez for “sharing
him” with them and the vocation.
Judge Frederick Arnold of Portales said he would never forget the first advice he got from Martinez.
“His first words were, ‘Always be true to yourself,’” Arnold said. “And he smiled and then he laughed and he said, ‘I mean
it. Always be true to yourself.’”
Arnold said he never forgot the lesson, and so he offered Wednesday’s audience the same advice: “Be true to yourself.”
Judge Michael G. Rael of Questa said he would remember Martinez’s “quiet dignity.” A musician, Rael told a story about offering
Martinez a CD of his music, which he examined until he realized that one of his favorite songs wasn’t on the play list.
In tribute, Rael took off his judge’s robe, picked up a guitar and played that long-ago request for the Martinez family:
“Solamente una Vez.”
Martinez’s former clerk – now Vaughn Municipal Judge Tina Griego – offered her own tribute, saying the late judge was “a
mentor, still” and “like family to me.”
Guadalupe County Magistrate Court Judge James Moncayo recalled their time working together in law enforcement. And
Santa Rosa Mayor Albert Campos Jr. said Martinez’s legacy could be summed up in three words: “Love,” “Discipline” and
“Respect,” for all he showed in his family life and professional life.
New Santa Rosa Municipal Judge Richard “Dicky” Gutierrez told those gathered it was important to honor the wise people
who had dedicated so much of their lives to public service.
“we felt a simple ‘thank you’ was not enough,” Gutierrez said. “It had to be a little more special than a simple ‘thank you’ . .
. He was not just a judge. He was much more than that to us.”
THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER, August, 2012
5
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
To check the municipal job opportunities click on
http://nmml.org/classifieds/positions-available/
Farm Bill . . . continued from page 1
of all, the farmers and ranchers that are directly impacted, to find additional ways that we can help,” the president said. “Because when
there’s a disaster like this, everybody needs to pull together."
That assistance comes as Congress struggles to find agreement on a farm bill. In June, the Senate passed a 5-year, $500 billion
package, but the GOP-led House wants a much sleeker bill, which would include than $16 billion in cuts to food stamps —
much more than the $4.5 billion cut under the Senate bill.
“My hope is that Congress, many of whom will be traveling back to their districts, in some cases in rural communities, and see
what’s taking place there, will feel a greater sense of urgency and be prepared to get this done immediately upon their return,” Obama
said, according to ABC News.
Before adjourning last week for a 5-week recess, the House passed a one-year bill that would provide $383 million for
ranchers, who tend to face greater challenges than farmers, most of whom have federal crop insurance. But as Reuters reported, aid
recipients under the bill wouldn’t see payments for months. The Senate did not consider it before the recess.
The Obama administration added 44 counties in 12 states to its list of disaster zones, making farmers there eligible for
emergency low-interest loans. In all this year, nearly 1,500 counties in 33 states have been declared disaster zones because of drought.
In Iowa, where 52 of the state’s 99 counties are now on the list, Governor Terry Branstad, a Republican, said he is thankful for the
federal help.
“This disaster designation will provide affected Iowans with additional resources during these difficult times,” he said in a
statement. Branstad has expressed hope that Congress will pass the farm bill, calling a deal, according to the Ottumwa Courier, “one of
the few things that could get done” before the November election.
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THE MUNICIPAL REPORTER