Saturday, February 06, 2010

Coalition President Inherits Divisions

By Rosalie Rayburn
Journal Staff Writer
          Newly elected West Side Coalition of Neighborhood Associations president Laura Horton has inherited two major controversies that have roiled the group.
        First is the proposal to split schools on the West Side, north of Central, from the main Albuquerque Public Schools district.
        Then there's the appeal the coalition's executive committee filed against changes in the way the city's Environmental Planning Commission handles public comment.
        Horton and former coalition president Brett Lopez, who was seeking re-election, differed on both issues.
        Lopez was against the school split. Horton and former coalition president Dan Serrano have been active in a group that pushed for the split.
        And the coalition's actions regarding a recent decision by the city's Planning Commission also divided the two candidates.
        The Planning Commission changed its rules in December affecting the amount of public comment allowed on issues like development. The coalition's executive committee appealed the change.
        Lopez said the coalition had to act swiftly because of time constraints, adding that he kept members informed by e-mail.
        "We acted on behalf of the citizenry," Lopez said in an interview.
        But Horton criticized the executive committee's decision to appeal without consulting association members.
        Horton emerged as the new president after a tie vote that produced a runoff election.
        The third candidate in the three-way race for president was Matt Archuleta, who is vice president of the Westgate Heights Neighborhood Association.
        The coalition represents 34 neighborhood associations on the West Side. Representatives from 26 attended the annual election meeting.
        Lopez and Horton initially received nine votes each; Archuleta received 8 votes. In the runoff, Horton beat Lopez, 14 votes to 12.
        Horton has been the organization's vice president since 2007 and is also vice president of the Ventana Ranch Neighborhood Association.
        During question time before the voting, several members commented about divisive currents within the coalition and the need to reach out to all members.
        Ralph Davis of the Volcano Cliffs Property Owners Association complained that there was a faction of "citizens against virtually everything." Davis circulated an unsigned flier claiming Lopez and two other coalition members, Joe Valles and Bob McCannon, were conspiring to get control of the association to promote their own agenda. The flier called them "Traitors to the Coalition."
        In an interview later, Lopez called the flier "vindictive."
        Valles, a former coalition president, was elected as secretary. He offered himself for the position as there were no other candidates and no nominations.
        Members voted for former coalition secretary Candy Patterson to become vice president. Her opponent was Anthony Segura, who is vice president of the Tres Volcanes Neighborhood Association.
        Treasurer Joan Jones retained her position, holding off a challenge from Patrick Chapman of the Volcano Cliffs Property Owners Association.
       

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