| Date: | Tuesday, June 1, 2010 |
| Time: | 7:00pm - 11:00pm |
| Location: | Fraternal Order of Eagles |
| Street: | 833 Early Street |
| City/Town: | Santa Fe, NM |
Santa Fe Reporter Endorsements for June 1, 2010 Primary...
Four Democrats hope to replace outgoing Sheriff Greg Solano. There are no Republican challengers, so the winner of this primary race will take over the sheriff’s department come 2011. We interviewed Undersheriff Robert Garcia, retired Santa Fe Police Department officer Charles “Charlie” Dalton, retired SFSO Rex E Doerfer and Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff Rubel A Tafoya as a group in consideration of which candidate to endorse.
Robert Garcia
robertgarciaforsheriff.com
All four bring law enforcement experience to the table, and there aren’t, actually, significant differences in terms of policy that we could discern. Rather, the election of Dalton, Doerfer or Tafoya seems to represent the chance for a regime change and—some of the candidates say—the opportunity to improve morale in the department.
Garcia, on the other hand, promises consistency and staying the course put in place during Solano’s eight years running the department.
Although we’d have preferred to hear some new ideas and goals from Garcia, ultimately we believe the sheriff’s department has made important improvements over the last two terms, and Garcia has been part of those changes. Under Solano, the sheriff’s office has been very accessible, using technology at every turn to help keep citizens (and the media) informed. Questions get answered, information gets shared and, when mistakes are made, they are acknowledged. While the city has suffered from a burglary boom, such crimes are down relatively in the county. At the same time, the sheriff’s office has prioritized, and Garcia says he will continue to prioritize, fighting DWI. Garcia is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who brought to his position as undersheriff years of service with the city police department; voters should choose him to continue the tradition of effective and open leadership in the Santa Fe County sheriff’s department.
Quotable: “We’ve come a long way in a very responsive way and everything will continue as it’s been.”
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On Sunday May 24, 2010 the Santa Fe New Mexican joined the Albuquerque Journal North in endorsing Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia for Sheriff. Both papers had kind words to say about my administration so I want to take a sentence in this blog post to thank them both. The last eight years of hard work did not go unnoticed by Santa Fe's two daily papers. One major endorsement remains and that is the Santa Fe Reporter which is expected to issue their endorsement on Wed.For sheriff, Robert García; Mayfield, Bacon to boardThe New Mexican
Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 5/23/10
Term limits, those mixed blessings bringing blessed relief from endless incumbency but sometimes depriving people of good public servants, mean changes are in store for three crucial Santa Fe County offices:
- Sheriff, where Greg Solano has been especially effective and, at least as important, open as can be with the people his deputies have served and protected from Edgewood to Chimayó.
- County commissioners for Districts 1 and 3, serving the northern and southern parts of the county, have been well represented by Harry Montoya and Michael Anaya.
All three races drew plenty of competition — Robert García, Rex Doerfer, Rubel Tafoya and Charlie Dalton for sheriff; Jon Paul Romero, Paul White, Danny Mayfield and Lenny Roybal for the District 1 seat and Robert Anaya, David Bacon and Angélica Ruiz in District 3. The candidates are all Democrats — so June 8's winners stand to take office in January.
The field of candidates running for sheriff is one of the strongest in recent memories. We endorse Robert García, current undersheriff, because of his decades of experience and commitment to openness in running the sheriff's office.
Under current Sheriff Greg Solano, the sheriff's office has moved into the modern era, putting out crime bulletins electronically and providing computers to deputies in the field so reports can be filed instantly. That's not all. Burglary rates in Santa Fe County have stayed relatively low compared with skyrocketing rates inside city limits, and DWI prevention has been and will remain a priority for deputies. Solid police work, in other words, is a characteristic of this office.
Importantly, Garcia understands that a good sheriff remains open with the public and the press. He doesn't stonewall or avoid hard questions.
Undersheriff Robert Garcia was endorsed in Sundays Albuquerque Journal North. The editor was kind to our administration and I was honored to be cast in the same light of former Sheriff's Benjie Montano and Ray Sisneros. Both were excellent sheriff''s who left a legacy for me to follow. Below is the endorsement Be sure and get out and vote as early voting has begun. At the end of this article are the early voting times and locations.
Albuquerque Journal North Edition
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Garcia Best Choice for Sheriff
Santa Fe County has been fortunate to have had a whole string — two decades worth, in fact — of competent sheriffs. And maybe even more — we're just casting back as far as former Sheriff Benjie Montaño's first term in office. Montaño served two terms and then worked to get his Undersheriff Ray Sisneros elected. That happened, but when Sisneros decided not to run for a second term, he cleared the way for a wide-open race in 2002, which was won by Greg Solano.
This election cycle, it's Solano who's out under the term limit rule, and true to form (or custom, or whatever it is), he's supporting his Undersheriff Robert Garcia as his successor.
Garcia has three challengers, but his campaign theme, predictably, has been to stress that he's the only one of the four who is poised to take over the department with no on-the-job training required.
And, predictably, he stresses that what he and Solano have been doing to combat Santa Fe's two high-profile crimes — burglary and DWI — is working. The other three candidates talk about what they would do if elected, says Garcia, but he can talk about "what we are doing" to address these problems.
Garcia's critics grouse about morale in the department and say promotions don't proceed fairly, but they're short on specifics.
Garcia's got the more persuasive argument, backed by facts. He notes that burglary rates in the county are down compared with the city, where police have brought down the numbers only to see them shoot right back up to record levels.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department fields more DWI officers than any other law enforcement agency in northern New Mexico, according to Garcia, and by emphasizing roadblocks and saturation patrols has made driving safer.
Another plus, the sheriff's office under Solano has been consistently forthcoming with information about criminal investigations and everything else, and Garcia has been the point man in the department's communication with the media and the public.
Garcia says he won't change what works. A 30-year law enforcement veteran, he's certainly qualified for the job. But it's his record as Solano's chief deputy that should be most reassuring to voters — despite the national mood, change isn't always the best option.
As with so many local races here in el norte, there is no Republican on the ballot in November, so the winner of the June 1 Democratic primary is a shoo-in.
The Journal recommends Garcia as the best choice for Santa Fe County sheriff.
At the beautiful home of Pawan and Amrik DhindsaRobert Anaya Opening Statement
David Bacon Opening Statement
Angelica Ruiz Opening Statement
In the morning there was registration and delegate elections and it was organized chaos. Actually registration was really smooth and then Antoinette and I joined 10 or 12 others working the crowd to enlist support and thank those who are already supporters of Robert Garcia my Undersheriff who is running for my job, the Sheriff of Santa Fe County. I was in campaign mode shaking hands, kissing baby's, and working hard for Robert.State Chair Javier Gonzales addresses the crowd
Our next Sheriff Robert Garcia and I.
Lt. Gov. Candidate Jose Campos and I
Lt. Gov. Candidate Jerry Ortiz y Pino and I.Lt. Gov. Candidate Lawrence Rael and I.
Lt. Gov. Candidate Brian Colon and I.
Lt. Gov. Candidate Linda Lopez and I.
Richard Spoke first and raised a few eyebrows when he spoke of the Gringo Vote. He did promise to open communication using the web and other means.
Next to speak was Jose Morfin who spoke of preparing to re-elect democrats across the board and also opening lines of communication and bringing new comers to Santa Fe into active membership in the democratic party.
Robert Garcia a County Delegate, Santa Fe County Under Sheriff, and Candidate for Sheriff in 2010 shares a light hearted moment with my wife Antoinette.
APPY HALLOWEEN!
Current Undersheriff Robert Garcia is running for Sheriff in the 2010 June Primary and I will not only be endorsing him, I will whole heartily give him any support I can. Robert is a former Union President, former Santa Fe City Police Sergeant, Former member of the armed forces, and was my mentor in both union and police disciplines throughout my early police years. He also saved my butt if not my life during several bouts with criminals.
According to the published history of Tall Pine Resort, Tall Pine Camp was established in 1920 by Reed, Richard, and George Oldham, brothers and prospectors who settled in Red River during the gold rush in 1895. They staked the Golden Treasure, Golden Calf, Bunker Hill, and Raton group of claims located beginning 5 miles up Placer Road (the current road to Goose Lake). The camp was originally intended to be headquarters for their mines.In 1935, the prospector's niece Winifred Oldham Hamilton and her husband Walter moved to Red River from Boulder City, NV, where Walter worked building the Hoover Dam and Winifred taught school to the construction worker's children. Their dream was to help the uncles develop Tall Pine Camp. Travelers seeing the beautiful valley setting frequently stopped and asked to pitch their tents. The family began building cabins to rent, and what is now known as Tall Pine Resort was born.
In 1990, in her 89th year, Winifred had a dream in which Walter, who had passed away in 1977, told her to "sell, sell, sell." The remaining Oldham family agreed, and the cabins were placed on the market. Winnie would retain her house and the buildings on six acres until her death in January, 1998.
Linda and Richard Green were longtime guests of Tall Pine Resort who, like many others, had dreamed of owning it someday. Linda grew up vacationing here with her family, and brought Richard here after their marriage. Linda's mother's family, the A. B. Clouthiers of Springer, NM, were some of the original tent campers in the twenties and thirties.
The Green's convinced Winnie and the family to sell to them with the promise to keep Tall Pine Resort the special place so many families loved, and began operating the resort in the summer of 1991.
A pic of Riverside Cabin, our home for the weekend.
Antoinette and the stringer with both our fish.
With all the fun I was having I sure look serious.
Robert and Christine waiting for the next bite.
The ducks hung around us waiting to snap up any food or bait that was dropped.
One of the many chipmunks we saw. Not sure if this was Alvin or Theodore.
One last picture of Antoinette and I by the river.
Here is a pic with me standing on the back of an ATV with Under Sheriff Robert Garcia at the wheel as we tour the desert between Las Cruces and Mexico in Dona Ana County.Anonymous said...There are some very good questions in this comment, looks like you spent some time thinking about this. The Corrections Director, was hired by the County Manager at the direction of at least some of the Commissioners.There was no national or local search and no one knows who else or even if anyone else was considered. Doubts exist that any background check or references were checked.Rumors persist the choice was a political one. As to jails being money maker's, in many places they are. Santa Fe's high cost of living, and the lack of people to work at the jail causing high wages to be paid to obtain workers makes our jail non-profitable for private companies and government run facilities in Santa Fe. Not to mention that the County is so far behind on even billing other government entities that we could never make a profit the way it is run now. Santa Fe County has not billed the city of Espanola for their inmates housed in our jail since October of last year. Espanola is concerned because it hurts their ability to plan and budget when Santa Fe County does this.
The view is now that the jails are money maker's there was a grab to take control...all the warning signs were there and fielded. The set-up was unavoidable.
We'd like to know who hired the standing facility director, who has so much support, and who is this person? We realize that you wish to continue to work with the facilities, so we're acknowledging this is a reach for a disclosure.
It's also not clear where the main issues lay, at both jails? Is the Administrator in charge of both jails? Do the employees have all the necessary tools to prepare the proper papers required when doing intakes or releases? Isn't there a computer program required and do both jails have that program and are the employees trained on how to use it?
One or two final questions, are there only certain designated persons who report to you when there may be a problem at the jails and why is that? Why can't anyone report who may be involved in an incident or do they? That's not clear because of claims that you received reports too late to investigate and it boils down to a he said, he said.
Someone put it best, 'by standing back and watching you may be able to assess the situation much clearer as to remainders and details.'
Wonder who the new Sheriff will be in three years, that won't want the responsibility of handling the jails?
Saturday, April 14, 2007 9:26:00 AM
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