Opinion

The Fernandez, Quintana, Brito, Armijo and Valdez families would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all first responders and the staff of the Air Ambulance who were present the day our precious family member, Glenda Fernandez, was involved in a head-on crash in Sapello.

After years of paying a flat fee for 2,000 gallons of water, whether we used 2,000 gallons or not, I have decided to pay for what we use.

I believe in conservation and efficiency. I believe that my city should encourage conservation and efficiency.

With the $5.82 saved, Betty Quick and I will go out on the town! We will go to the Travelers Café and treat ourselves to two small coffees and two oatmeal-raisin cookies.

Happy Holidays.   

Bob Wallace

Las Vegas

The Las Vegas City Council will likely consider a proposed city charter at its meeting today. Then it would go to voters in the March 2 municipal election.

The charter serves as the city’s constitution. The existing one has been in effect since the two Las Vegases joined nearly four decades ago.

Under the proposed charter, the city would be considered a home-rule community. That means it would have more latitude to form the city government it desires, rather than following state-imposed restrictions.

Often, the government is criticized for not planning ahead, so we should give officials credit when they take the long view.

San Miguel County doesn’t have any requests for oil and gas drilling permits pending. Nonetheless, county commissioners have expressed an interest in updating what little is on the books regarding oil and gas regulation.

Every year about this time, we begin sifting through the year’s Optics to select the biggest local stories of the year. I’ve always enjoyed this year-end chore, but this time around we’re going to do it differently.

This year, you get to be the judge.

Today, on Page B7, you’ll find a master list, compiled by copy editor Art Trujillo, of the big local stories covered by the Optic in 2009. I ask that you go through this list and rank the top 10 stories of the year.

The rules for participation are simple:

I am very concerned about the proposed state land office Whites Peak land exchange. Specifically, the integrity of the appraisal process needs to be looked at very closely and I would strongly recommend that the appraisals be verified by a second disinterested party.

Also, I am told that land office commercial properties in the Sandia Science and Technology park and at Mesa del Sol in Albuquerque are being considered as part of this exchange. This is where the appraisals need to be very sound to protect the best interests of the trust.

Recently, the city of Las Vegas mailed its annual report to residents. This is part of Mayor Tony Marquez’s promise to keep residents updated on the city’s activities.

I’m all for the city’s reporting to residents. The 16-page glossy booklet appeared professional and did a good job informing the rest of us about the city’s accomplishments.

Surely every local voter knows that, here in Las Vegas, a candidate doesn’t need a majority to win an election. All that’s needed is more votes than any other candidate running for the same position. Consequently, majority rule doesn’t apply to our mayoral and council races — and much if not most of the time, the winner doesn’t get a majority.

In 2008, we reported that Pete Campos entered a five-year contract with the Luna Community College Board of Trustees. But we never actually saw the document.

In November, I issued a public records request for the four-page contract. I received it last week. And I got a bit of a workout in the process.