Campbell Lozuaway-McComsey
Morning Word, March 8: “Council to weigh next steps for Plaza obelisk tonight”
Goofy side
[Mayor Alan] Webber’s proposal for a water feature in the Plaza of a water-starved city is obviously wasteful. It would give Santa Fe an image of the City Stoopid. My calm way of putting it is, Mayor Webber needs to have a colonoscopy to grab a good selfie.
Albo Fasso, Santa Fe
Online, March 9: “Monument Decision Delayed”
The old man
If you insist on having a damn statue in the center, can we put a Zozobra?! I mean....it’s not offensive to anyone, I don’t think and our annual Zozobra celebration brings in tourists from all over the world.
Jeanette Daniella Rodriguez, via Facebook
Tear it down again
It’s amazing to me how so much of the population here can voice their anger over something that offends them, to the point of destroying it, and everyone else is just like, “We don’t care, we love our racist historical shit!” Rebuild the damn thing, so it can be torn down again.
Justin Rael, via Facebook
Poor choice
Last night was a clear display of how much this Mayor has divided this City with all of his actions and deliberate non-actions. Now, he wants to place a “water feature” as his centerpiece to this debacle. Santa Fe needs better leadership! To place any water feature in the center of a city in the drought-ridden Southwest is a poor choice. This would not show well for the city of Santa Fe. Our “emperor” still has no clothes!
Daniel Street, via Facebook
Level it
Level it. We don’t need a monument to colonialism.
Pablo Lapahie-Paz, via Facebook
Let’s dance
Santa Fe Bandstand in the middle of the Plaza is my vote! It’s a done deal. It has been taken down. Let’s move on and dance!
Marissa Roybal, via Facebook
How about nothing?
Who’s up for creating an independent citizens council for all cultures and a completely open space plaza with zero monuments?
Ric Lum, via Facebook
Open war
Remove the obscene monument that honors genocide and the invading US Army who were the savages. Sure the Union fought against the slave-owning Confederates, however, at the same time the union invaded and openly declared war and genocide on New Mexicans and Native Americans.
And they have the nerve to call us the savages? Raze it down and bring back the original gazebo for bandstand and whatnot. Actually make it a all inclusive community thing.
Keith King, via Facebook
Editor’s note: Read at sfreporter.com about how councilors announced Tuesday that they now plan to withdraw this proposal.
News, March 1: “Ready, set, solar”
The other half
Environmental protections would ideally take precedence over views, yet it seems the county is somewhat arbitrary in its actions. The article states that the county took into account the residents complaints and tried to ameliorate the effects. Yet, the county did approve a 16-feet high, 60-feet long industrial garage with a water line and electricity on a residential property line, thereby completely blocking the view of the Sangre de Cristo range that existed and contributing to the overuse of water and electricity, with no attempt to ameliorate the effects of its actions. What is, therefore, the rule?
Given that half the population of Santa Fe County lives in Santa Fe and the other half in the county, one would think that there’s plenty of room to store one’s things and also to protect one’s view, while protecting the environment. We all live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet and yet…”Don’t it always seem that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, (destroy) paradise and put up a parking lot.” (Thank you, Joni Mitchell—and that song was written over 50 years ago.)
Pamela Sher, Santa Fe County
Online, March 8: “Shirts vs. Skates”
Greatness begins here
I would guess that many hockey players and figure skaters began as recreational skaters. I am a life-long recreational skater, enjoying the push and glide as I sail around the ice. As are skiing and bicycling, skating can be a multi-generational activity. Recently, I took my 5-year-old grandchild to skate at the Chavez Center and was reminded of the ease with which young people learn new skills. Thanks to SFR for quoting hockey and figure skating representatives. Mine is the voice of a recreational skater. Our ice rink is a Santa Fe treasure, best discovered by families and school groups that want to introduce their children to a fun healthy pastime.
Betsy Lombardi, Santa Fe
Rink users make sense
The article states that the issue is pitting “fans” of one sport against fans of another. The users of the rink are not fans, but rather athletes and users of the facility. Here is a good analogy….suppose Santa Fe had ONE baseball field available in town for all kids, high school and adult leagues, plus people that just wanted to practice. Then, the Fuego were introduced as a pro team to take up residence on that field, as well.
Now, we know this is not the case, but if people think of it in those terms, hopefully the position of the rink users begins to make more sense. We have one facility for all age groups in the entire city and most days, it is booked from 6:30 am until late at night, with the winter being the busiest season.
Larry Mirabal, Santa Fe
CORRECTION
Last week’s cover story “Shirts vs. Skates” misstated the frequency of conversations City Manager John Blair claims to have had with the mayor and David Fresquez since last summer. Though meetings with key staff went on “intermittently” for months, Blair says and Mayor Alan Webber talked with Fresquez weekly for about three weeks before the story ran.
