Commentary: On Thursday, January 14, over 50 NM Comunidades en Accion y de Fe (CAFé) faith leaders from Vado will meet with Commissioner Billy Garrett and other Doña Ana County Staff as they share personal testimonies, show pictures of what it is like to live in a neighborhood in dire need of road maintenance and ask County Officials to respond to their requests for a timeline and more community visits from Commissioner Garrett. After having suspended a resolution that allowed the county to accept private roadways as rights of way for county maintenance, County Commissioners told county residents that their only option for road development is private maintenance. During the 2013 decision to suspend the resolution, Commissioner Garrett said “In principle, every county resident should have the right to petition the county for help with road maintenance.” He also said that they would decide to reinstate the resolution when a better process was in place.
That was over three years ago, and with no process in place, Vado leaders have been working tirelessly for the past two months to prepare for a meeting with Commissioner Garrett or other county staff to ask for updates on policy for road maintenance. After 3 canceled meetings, Vado leaders are looking forward to co-creating a vision for their community with their county commissioner. Community resident Gloria Lugo said, “I have lived in Vado for 25 years and our roads continue to look the same, I feel neglected and ignored.” Other leaders, like Esperanza Escalante, wonder what the recent tax increase has done for their community. Esperanza asks “why does my community still look like this, where are my tax dollars going?” Leaders are still feeling excited and committed to working with County Officials on creating a plan that works for everyone.
WHO: NM CAFé Multi-Faith leaders & clergy
WHAT: Vado Community Meeting with County Commissioner Billy Garrett
WHEN: Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Del Cerro Community Center, 180 La Fe Ave, Mesquite, NM 88048
NM CAFe is the largest faith based, grass roots community organization in New Mexico. Visuals will include photos of poor road conditions, testimonies in English and Spanish and insight into rural Dona Ana County communities. For more information go to CAFé’s website www.OrganizeNM.org or follow us on Twitter @OrganizeNM or visit our Facebook page NM Comunidades en Accion y de Fe.