Garduño Taken To Task For Talking

More than once, I’ve heard it said that someone ought to tell Garduño a storm’s approaching and he’d better wrap it up before the roads close.

Point being, the guy talks a lot — enough, in fact, to really irritate one of his colleagues, County Commissioner Art De La Cruz, last week. They serve together on the joint city-county water board.

De La Cruz wasn’t happy Wednesday when Garduño spoke at length about the perils of the Kirtland Air Force Base jet fuel spill and the inadequacy of federal plans to clean it up.

De La Cruz suggested Garduño ought to spend more time proposing specific solutions or legislation rather than espousing “rhetoric,” “verbiage” and “just words in the air.” Then, he asked the water board to enforce time limits on its members, as outlined in meeting rules.

“I haven’t taken 20 minutes like others,” De La Cruz said, making it a point to keep his remarks brief.

Garduño, in turn, suggested De La Cruz doesn’t take the fuel spill seriously enough. Questioning top officials, he said, is part of his job.

“If he thinks he’s going to silence me by threatening two rings on the bell,” Garduño said in an interview, “he’s sadly mistaken. I was elected to represent the folks in my district. The folks in my district — that spill is under their feet.”

Garduño isn’t any less voluble in City Council meetings, but no one’s taken him to task for it directly, as far as I can remember.

Wheelchair access

The meeting chambers shared by the City Council and County Commission could soon get some upgrades aimed at improving access for people in wheelchairs.

The angle of the ramp that leads to the speakers’ podium makes it awkward for wheelchairs, and there have been complaints. The size of the podium itself is also a barrier to anyone in a wheelchair. It’s too tall to see over.

The city and county are considering about $245,000 in improvements.

Wiener flavor

County Commissioner Michael Wiener always struck me as the kind of guy who likes a good joke. So I wondered what he’d think of the online videos that, well, depict him as a giant hot dog.

The spoofs are posted to youtube.com under the name “Bad Weiner TV.” Yes, his name is misspelled.

The real Wiener seemed to take it in good humor.

“My only response is that people should remember that I may not really be a giant hot dog, but when it comes to getting things done for my constituents, I have delivered, and I am the only candidate who can ‘cut the mustard!’ ”

Wiener has faced plenty of controversy since late April, when a Seattle photographer released photos of him posing with young women in the Philippines. Wiener said one of the women is his fiancee and that he didn’t do anything inappropriate. He maintains that he posed at the photographer’s request.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal