Looking back: A year in review

The electric battlefield

The Socorro Electric Co-op (SEC) franchise agreement with the City of Socorro enacted on May 17, 1999 was set to expire May 17, 2024.

In January, Socorro City Council said if the cooperative were to seek the favor of Socorro City Council, it would have to commit to two things: better rates and no long-term franchise agreement. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker sent a letter to the SEC, which outlined the additional information they needed to proceed. In March, Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker said the city still needed more answers before it would consider renewing its franchise agreement SEC.

In May, three days before the franchise agreement was set to expire, the Socorro City Council adopted a resolution to continue the Socorro Electric Cooperative franchise agreement on a month-to-month basis. The agreement included continuing with the same rate structure between both entities.

In early June the New Mexico Supreme Court rejected Socorro Electric Cooperative’s proposed rate increase of $1.2 million proposed in 2018 for five years.

SEC challenged the Public Regulation Commission’s (PRC) authority saying the PRC could only accept or deny the rates. The Supreme Court concluded the PRC acted within its authority and its decision was reasonable.

While the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled against SEC in its case against the PRC, Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker said he hoped the Supreme Court would drop the fines against the co-op.

When the co-op rejected the PRC’s findings, the PRC fined the board $1,000 a day for not following its ruling.

“The city is not in favor of the fine,” Bhasker said during a council meeting. “Frankly, the users will be the ones paying the bill.”

In August, a week after SEC announced its plans to file a claim pursuant to the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, Joseph Herrera, SEC’s general manager, announced he would be leaving the electric cooperative after holding his leadership position for 13 years.

In November, the PRC said it would decide if they would hold SEC to the fines based upon three items: provide an accounting of the mis-collected amounts due to SEC’s failure to file their rates; seek SEC’s proposed plan to correct those amounts; and lastly order the cooperative to show why they should not be subject to the Commission’s imposed fines.

SEC was given until January 9, 2025, to submit its explanation to the state’s PRC on why a $948,000 fine should be forgiven for failing to comply with PRC’s orders.

During the PRC’s November 2024 meeting, PRC Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera said forgiving the fine could “hold meaningful precedent” because it is a rare situation where the Commission orders something and a company refuses.

On December 3, SEC announced Manuel Gonzales as the new CEO/General Manager to replace Joseph Herrera. Gonzales planned to relocate to the Socorro area from Wilcox, Arizona and was expected to report for work at SEC by early January.

Rural schools versus the PED

In 2023, the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) proposed extending school days from the 1,140-hour requirement to 180 days, effectively eliminating the four-day school calendar. The PED hearing on the change drew in over a hundred educators and stakeholders who opposed it along with almost 3,000 written comments submitted in opposition.

On January 15 the Magdalena School Board voted to join other New Mexico school districts in support of pending litigation against the New Mexico Public Education Department, if they implement the 180-day requirement.

The next day on January 16, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made it clear in her state address that she was taking aim at the four-day school week at the 2024 legislative session. Dr. Glenn Haven, Magdalena’s superintendent, said she confirmed what her intentions are and that he stood by his statement that he was not in favor of it.

“As citizens of New Mexico, we need to start standing up to this tyranny, and I believe that is exactly what this is, tyranny. She (Lujan-Grishman) is deciding something on her own accord and putting it into place no matter how many people disagree with her,” Ron Hendrix, Socorro School superintendent said in response to her state address.

In March, the PED announced that the 180-day school requirement would take effect on July 1, 2024, with new revisions.

The rule will allow for four-day weeks and, under certain circumstances, allow exemptions from the 180-day requirement. Socorro Consolidated Schools’ superintendent, Ron Hendrix, described the qualifications for exemptions as “unattainable” for schools in New Mexico. He said he felt the move from Public Education Department office was intentional to push for year around school.

Magdalena Principal Chris Backstrom in a board meeting said that even if schools qualified this year or the next year,

the requirements would be impossible to sustain noting that eventually the growth would have to be 100%.

“The running joke is why aren’t five days going to six days? Because our scores are the same if not better than theirs,” Backstrom said.

In March, the Socorro School District board unanimously voted to join the New Mexico School Superintendent Association’s lawsuit against the 180-day school calendar rule.

“There is a law, and I don’t understand how that could be changed in rule and I think that needs to be answered,” Tara Jaramillo, Socorro school board member and state representative, said. “Everybody is watching this case; because if law can be circumvented by rule, it has bigger ramifications for everything that we do…I think that it sets a dangerous precedent to change law by rule.”

In May, after months of controversy over the four-day school calendar, a complaint against the New Mexico Public Education Department was filed on April 18, with 58 school districts listed as plaintiffs including Socorro and Magdalena Districts.

In April, Governor Lujan Grisham called the lawsuit pathetic and educators took offense.

“I believe the lawsuit is our only response to the governor’s pathetic attempt to take decision-making away from local school boards and the New Mexico Legislature,” Hendrix said.

On May 3, District Court Judge Dustin K. Hunter granted the plaintiffs, the New Mexico School Superintendents Association, and the school districts a temporary restraining order against the PED. According to court documents, the judge granted the restraining order based on the administrative rule 6.10.5 NMAC on school instruction time requirements. The order effectively enabled school districts to continue with a four school day calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.

Socorro School District turnover

Socorro School’s superintendent, Ron Hendrix, was given a notice of his termination on June 24. The Socorro School Board voted unanimously to rescind his contract that was offered to him in January 2024 and voted 5-0 to place Hendrix on administrative paid leave effective immediately.

A couple days later, Aubrey Tucker, Belen School Board president was voted in as the interim superintendent, on a one year contract. Followed by the appointment of Kimberly Sanchez, San Antonio Elementary principal, as the new superintendent assistant, to start in August.

In early October, former Socorro School Superintendent Ron Hendrix gave notice of his lawsuit against the district for $341,028.60. His lawyer stated in a letter that the board had yet to give a reason for his termination.

By mid-October, without explanation, Tucker offered his letter of resignation to be effective on December 12. Dave Hicks, school board president, said under Tucker’s direction the board approved over 40 policies.

“It is with much gratitude and thanks that we accept Mr. Tucker’s letter of resignation for this district,” Dave Hicks, board president, said, “We have been very well guided. We are extremely appreciative of Mr. Tucker. We have been we have learned a lot we have in a very short time.”

At the end of October, the Socorro School board unanimously approved a timeline for its superintendent search, which was scheduled for new superintendent by December 16.

In a December meeting members of the public spoke out about the process, expressing concerns from the stakeholder committee, after the board illegally added a third candidate to the two choices they had made. The board corrected action in a special meeting with a split vote to include the third candidate.

Joyce Gormley, one of the two candidates selected by the stakeholder committee, was ultimately voted in unanimously for the position of superintendent by the Socorro school board.

The Veguita Chi-pocalypse

More than one hundred fourteen Chihuahuas were relinquished to animal rescues on April 18 from a residence in Veguita; one animal rescue coined the event as the “Chi-pocalypse”

Gail Tripp, Socorro County Emergency Manager, said on April 16, Adult Protective Services contacted them about an animal hoarding situation. Jose Gonzalez, Socorro County Animal Control, contacted the dog owners in their home and confirmed there were a large number of dogs.

Tripp, realizing the magnitude of the situation, said she immediately began reaching out to various animal rescues across New Mexico.

Eleven days after the East Mountain Companion Animal Project (EMCAP) took 61 of the 114 chihuahuas dozens of new puppies were born and some passed away due to complications.

Chelsea Worley of EMCAP, one of the rescuers who went to the property reported that it was the worst case she had ever seen.

“You could tell that the floors were rotting, and I’m really surprised that dogs weren’t like falling through the floorboards,” Worley said. “When you open that door, it was disgusting; it was just such a strong urine smell. I think that’s partially why the floor was in such bad shape. They’ve just been urinating in there over and over and over and over. But one room was closed off and it was full of all the pregnant dogs. We had to get underneath junk and things to pull babies out. ”Worley said many of the pregnant mothers were old, malnourished and needed extensive dental work. They were concerned with raising enough money to pay for the treatments needed.

San Agustin Water Battle

Judge Roscoe Woods of the Seventh Judicial District Court, granted the State Engineer’s motion for summary judgement thereby upholding the State Engineer’s denial of Augustin Plains Ranch LLC’s application to pump 54,000-acre feet of water a year from the San Agustin Plains basin at the Catron County Court house on April 5.

“For this application to go through as it is, in my opinion … sets a bad precedent,” Woods said, during his ruling in a courtroom with standing room only. “I think the whole point of the appropriation doctrine is that we put the water to beneficial use.”

More than 100 people were present at the hearing in protest, spilling out into the hallway as lawyers shared their arguments for almost five hours. The crowd cheered when Judge Woods made his decision.

About five months later, on September 23 Augustin Plains Ranch, LLC appealed the Final Order Granting New Mexico State Engineer’s Motion for Summary Judgment and the appeal was moved to the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

“This community remains unalterable opposed to the project proposed by the Augustin Plains Ranch LLC. Mining 54,000 acre-feet of water each year from the Augustin Plains aquifer would eventually leave the community without water. The only beneficiary of this project is an international corporation,” Carol Pitman, property owner near the ranch, said.

Pitman said she has been fighting the “water grab” for seventeen years.

Over 1,000 feral horses in danger of starvation

Herds of feral horses in New Mexico may be in danger of starvation and neighbors to the iconic beasts of the southwest are concerned.

The State Land office owns the Berry Ranch parcel in Socorro County, which borders the Alamo Navajo Reservation, where neighbors have reported about one thousand horses have made their home and have been causing damage to bordering properties.

The land was acquired in an exchange with the Navajo Nation in 2018 but has been left unattended since. As the horse population grows, the land has become overgrazed and as resources dwindle, nearby residents wonder what will happen to the horses if nothing is done.

“There are years when we have really bad drought and the horses have all their ribs showing. You see a lot of them limping, a lot of trauma, broken legs and nobody is there to take care of the animals when they’re suffering,” Kim Nance, a neighboring Veterinarian, said, “It’s hard to watch.”

According to a report, New Mexico Game and Fish performed a helicopter survey on behalf of the New Mexico State Land Office. The report stated the conditions were poor and degraded.

Nina Eydelman, equine and wildlife chief program & policy officer of Animal Protection New Mexico, said she has read the report and reached out to the State Land office to offer help. She believes they have the resources to address the matter humanely. The State Land Commission has so far refused help and claim they are in discussion with the Navajo Nation of leasing it back to them. The Navajo Nation has not confirmed any discussion.

“I have witnessed over the years when conditions get bad, the horses begin to starve and deteriorate to a condition where they are simply skin and bones and the old horses and foals die. If a livestock owner allowed his or her horses to get to that condition, the horses would be confiscated and they would be criminally charged,” Adren Nance, neighboring rancher said. “My main concern is for the horses themselves, no rancher can abide to see any animal starving, especially horses that we use on a daily basis as partners to make a living, it goes against all of our core beliefs and culture.”

New NMT President selected

Dr. Mahyar Amouzegar started as New Mexico Tech’s president on April 15, almost a year after Stephen G. Wells stepped down due to health issues. Former president Daniel Lopez served as interim president during that time, making Amouzegar the 18th president in NMT history.

“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be entrusted with leading New Mexico Tech into its next chapter,” Dr. Amouzegar said in NMT’s press release.

Dr. Amouzegar came to NMT from The University of New Orleans, a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he has served as the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs since 2017. He was named a Freeport McMoRan Distinguished Professor of Logistics earlier this year. He also served as the Dean of Engineering for California Polytechnic University, Pomona’s College of Engineering from 2011-2017, said the NMT press release.

Dr. Amouzegar has served as a Senior National Security Policy Analyst for the RAND corporation since 1998, managing research teams to develop research ideas for the U.S. Air Force, securing funding, overseeing projects and developing national security policy reports.

NM Tech started their recruitment and application evaluation in June 2023, did preliminary screenings in September, their first round of interviews in October followed by semi-finalist interviews in November.

Dr. Mahyar Amouzegar was named in the top five candidates in November, along with Dr. Robert Wilhelm, Dr. John Barthell, Dr. Tomás Diaz de la Rubia and Dr. Mohamed Abousalem as their candidates. Each candidate had an opportunity to visit NMT, tour the campus and interact with the community.

Lotrich takes over as County Manager

Michael Hawkes, who was appointed Socorro County Manger in June 2019, resigned on March 8.

“It was a big surprise to all of us. Mike was an amazing manager, and his leadership really brought Socorro County to a great place fiscally and otherwise. Mike has been dealing with health issues since the end of last year and his resignation letter just stated that he is not recovering as he should be and he needs to focus on his health and family.” Socorro County Attorney, Adren Nance wrote in an email.

Sammie Vega-Finch served as the interim and commissioners voted to post the job vacancy for three weeks at their March 12 meeting.

In June, with four Socorro County commissioners present, the board voted unanimously to offer the Socorro County manager position to Andrew “ Andy” Lotrich. Commissioner Glenn Duggins was not in attendance for the vote.

“We had some very good applicants,” Ray Martinez, Chair commissioner, said. “It’s hard to choose somebody for this hard position and I want to thank everyone who applied, especially from our area.”