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Governor to choose from PRC appointee list
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Nominating Committee sent a list of nine candidates to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after a Friday meeting, the latest step as the commission transitions from an elected body to an appointed one per a constitutional amendment approved by the state’s voters. The governor will next nominate three commissioners. The nominating committee received 62 applications for the jobs, then interviewed 15 applicants last month. Its list of names for the governor was required to include applicants from at least three different counties. The nominees are: Gabriel Aguilera, senior policy adviser, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; James F. Ellison, principal grid analyst, Sandia National Laboratory; Carolyn Glick, a retired PRC hearing examiner and attorney supervisor; Joseph D. Little, former general counsel to the All Indian Pueblo Council; Brian K. Moore, CEO of Ranch Markets in Clayton; P. Cholla Khoury, chief deputy attorney general for civil affairs; Patrick O’Connell, Clean Energy Program deputy director for the Western Resource Advocates; Arthur J. O’Donnell, solar energy innovator, US Department of Energy; Amy L. Stein, associate dean for curriculum and Cone Wagner professor of law at the University of Florida.
Also on Friday, Speaker of the House Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, resigned from the committee after the executive director of the State Ethics Commission asked him to do so in order to “correct” allegations that Egolf violated the Governmental Conduct Act by nominating himself to the committee. Egolf, who is serving out the final weeks of his term in the House and did not seek re-election, told The Santa Fe New Mexican he had long planned the exit from the committee after the “first round” of work. Rep. Miguel Chavez, D-Albuquerque, filed a complaint about Egolf’s self-appointment in August.
Pearce keeps party chairmanship
Former US Rep. Steve Pearce retained his position as chairman of the state Republican Party for a third consecutive term after an election Saturday by the party’s State Central Committee. Pearce received 55.2% of votes from party members for the two-year term. He was trailed most closely by Sarah Jane Allen with 20.7% and Robert Aragon with 13.2%. “This was a spirited campaign, and I thank the grassroots Republican leaders from across New Mexico for trusting me to lead for another term as RPNM chairman. An overwhelming number of these leaders agree that our data-driven approach to identifying and turning out conservative leaning voters is working, proven by the fact that Republican candidates are getting closer and closer to defeating the Democrats in competitive races,” Pearce said in a statement. “Turning New Mexico red is a marathon, not a sprint, and as we look toward 2024, I am excited about helping our future Republican nominees be successful in their campaigns.”
Seeking Judy Joiner
The Word mentioned vacancies on the City of Santa Fe Women’s Commission last week; the city is also seeking volunteers for two additional citizen advisory committees: the Economic Development Advisory Committee, which provides input on the identification, implementation and effectiveness of various economic development programs, including reviewing and commenting on proposed actions, ordinances and regulations at early stages, and the Film & Digital Media Council, created in 2016 to promote film and entertainment industry projects. For either group, send a letter of interest and brief resume to Casey Dalbor, business growth manager in the Office of Economic Development at cjdalbor@santafenm.gov. For the Women’s Commission, contact Sophie Andar, Youth and Family Services Program manager/Women’s Commission liaison, at sxandar@santafenm.gov.
COVID-19 by the numbers
Reported Dec. 2: New cases: 650; 647,984 total cases. The most recent report on geographic trends shows a close to 27% decrease in reported cases over the prior seven-day period compared to the week of Nov. 21. Deaths: DOH says it will update COVID-19 fatalities today; Santa Fe County has had 367 total deaths; 8,702 total fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 235; Patients on ventilators: 11.
State officials issued a public health order last week including a recommendation that New Mexicans wear masks when in indoor public settings to prevent the transmission of respiratory disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent Dec. 1 “community levels” map, which uses a combination of hospital and case rate metrics to calculate COVID-19 risk for the prior seven-day period, shows three counties categorized as “orange”—high risk—for COVID-19, versus eight last week. They are: McKinley, San Juan and Valencia. Santa Fe County remains “green,” identifying lower risk. Ten counties are “yellow,” with medium risk. Corresponding recommendations for each level can be found here.
Resources: CDC interactive booster eligibility tool; NM DOH vaccine & booster registration; CDC isolation and exposure interactive tool; Curative testing sites; COVID-19 treatment info; NMDOH immunocompromised tool kit. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. DOH encourages residents to download the NM Notify app and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
With New Mexico’s legislative session right around the corner, advocates are ramping up efforts for new laws. One such effort would call for all of the state’s prisons and jails to provide inmates access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, a strategy that uses prescription drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine to combat addiction. Dr. Nathan Birnbaum, assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center, spoke to KUNM about how the proposed law change could help. The Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County is one of the only correctional facilities in the state to provide the treatment at present.
The place to meet
Santa Fe’s push to stay at the top of mind for trade organizations and corporate meetings has landed it among Smart Meetings magazine’s 2022 Platinum Choice Awards in the “readers choice” section. The recognition, notes Tourism Department Director Randy Randall in statement, comes from “industry professionals who have experienced the exceptional service our team provides. Having Santa Fe on this annual list highlights that we are one of the best cities for groups to host their meetings in and it will encourage more meeting planners to bring business to The City Different.” The (Substitute) Word has spent enough time at conferences to suspect the level of excitement about visiting Denton, Texas (yes, it’s also on the list) or Chable Maroma on the Mexican Riviera versus Santa Fe might vary drastically.
Sustainable skiing
Ski Taos slides into a roundup by the New York Times about how powder hounds are trying to reclaim their sports by building a more inclusive and sustainable culture. “Climate change is shortening ski seasons and wreaking havoc on infrastructure, as climate-fueled wild fires ravage mountains and scorch ski areas,” writes the Times, “At the same time, skier numbers have never been higher.” Ski Taos gambled on patrons with environmentalism close to heart, beginning with an ownership change in 2014 and making big investments in alternative energy. “The ski area now operates on 100 percent daytime solar energy, its new luxury hotel runs on geothermal power, the ski area is buying a fleet of electric snowmobiles, and it will be the first ski area in North America to operate an electric snowcat this winter,” the story notes, adding that the resort also has a program for 25 children from Taos Pueblo to ski for free, including lift tickets, clothing, food, equipment and lessons.
Not too cold
Though this morning brought dense fog to the region and a safety advisory is in effect until 11 am, the National Weather Service predicts the rest of today will be partly sunny, with a high near 51 and west wind 5 to 15 mph.
Thanks for reading! The (Substitute) Word was fascinated by the LA Times short documentary Ibach, about the restoration of a piano that survived the Holocaust. The film (less than eight minutes long) has been nominated for an award by the International Documentary Association.
