Welcome

Welcome to whatarewethinking.net. This website was initially conceived as a community forum for sharing and discussing political issues, ideas, viewpoints, and opinions, as well as demonstrating ways the public can participate in Angel Fire government activities without the requirement of being physically present at meetings.

Website visitors are encouraged to register so they can make comments, vote in the various surveys, and check out survey results. Government representatives are especially encouraged to register and pay attention to these comments and surveys, as they will demonstrate the wishes of the electorate.

Council agenda items and meeting minutes (when available), along with matters for discussion concerning the mayor, administrator, council members, departments, committees, and village employees will be posted on this site, along with reports detailing discussions about specific issues, and who voted yea and who voted nay.

Comments and suggested topics for discussion are welcome; within the following guidelines:

1. Anyone can visit the website, but only registered users can make comments, introduce new issues, and/or vote. To register, click the REGISTER button.
2. Screen names may be used to protect your online identity.
3. Your real name and contact information must be included on the registration form, but will not appear on the website and will remain confidential.

Comment buttons/boxes are usually found at the end of an article or a page.

This website is totally public, and site commentary and/or opinions will never be restricted or controlled by anyone except the website administrator, who reserves the right to reject copy based on language and/or content (name-calling and/or profanity is not allowed, nor is making accusations without providing proof to the administrator).

Currently, all the opinions and survey questions on this website are mine, and reflect my personal viewpoint. I look forward to a much broader perspective as others submit suggestions for new issues and surveys, submit their own articles, and put forth their own opinions. To expand on a lesson my best friend taught me: it's always okay to state the obvious, and it's also okay to agree to disagree.

The website is a work in progress, where everyone is equal, and anonymous screen names free you from fear of social, political, or employment backlash.

All efforts creating, administering, and maintaining this website are donated. No public funds have been used or requested.

Click the CONTACT button to email questions about this website or to suggest topics for posting and discussion. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,

Janet Sailor

(UPDATE: During the planning of this website, I decided to become a candidate in the 2012 Angel Fire election, and posted my announcement is on the Politics page. As a result, this website also became a venue for campaign information. So to be fair, for the next couple of months other council and mayoral candidates are also welcome to submit their statements and political opinions, subject to the guidelines noted above. After the election, the website will revert to a community forum as initially conceived.)

Who's in charge?

The simple answer is: YOU ARE!

The caveat to that answer, of course, is that being in charge is not simple.

We live in a democracy, which is a system of government operated by consensus of all eligible members of an entire population, typically through elected representatives. That population of eligible members is defined as the electorate. On paper, having the electorate trust a few of their number to represent them is an equitable and efficient idea – as long as those representatives do not betray that trust.

It's become clear that the electorate in Angel Fire no longer trusts its representatives. After years of being excluded from decision making – and learning that many of those elected put representing constituents aside as soon as the ballots are counted – the electorate of Angel Fire is fed up and ready to proactively participate in government activities.

Because this kind of awakening is currently happening all over the country (indeed, all around the world!), a political "uprising" in Angel Fire is not a unique event. However, probably without realizing it, the electorate of Angel Fire IS in a unique position. The 2012 municipal election provides voters a perfect opportunity to re-democratize Angel Fire government while serving as a model for other communities.

What makes Angel Fire unique?

Angel Fire is a young municipality – only 25 years old. With less than 1,000 registered voters, it is small enough that everyone can and should know everyone else in town. Angel Fire is a high-profile community on almost every demographic level, with a savvy population capable of meaningful participation in government through informed action. By working as a team with council, mayor, and administrator, the Angel Fire electorate can be a major player in generating government policies, laws, and activities which satisfy everyone – thereby placing Angel Fire in a leadership position as a successful example of renewed small-town democracy.

2012 is an election year in Angel Fire – the mayor and two councilors will be elected – giving the electorate a chance to assume a crucial role in government by raising awareness – carefully considering the history, motives, and promises of candidates, and rejecting conventional political rhetoric. Elections are not popularity contests, but rather opportunities for individuals to select peers who will represent their wishes. Angel Fire can become a model of "new" and "equitable" government in 2012, as citizens let candidates know what is expected of them as elected representatives.

The way we were

Prior to 2004, Angel Fire was a vibrant, exciting, energetic, creative, growing community! Rich, poor, young, old – we all knew each other, worked together, and gathered regularly for community potluck dinners, pancake breakfasts, hot-air balloon and kite festivals, holiday lighting contests, arts and crafts events, community theater, chili cookoffs, and church pageants. We also attended city council meetings (where we were actually allowed to SPEAK!), and felt both comfortable and confident discussing ideas and issues with those we elected to represent us.

The Chamber, the Village, and the Resort – together with interested and involved residents – presented a united front (known as the "Angel Fire Proud Crowd") as we sought support from the state Legislature for village projects everyone agreed on. The Santa Fe Round House was greatly impressed with Angel Fire’s community spirit, and rewarded us with grants, personal visits, and lots of positive press.

We also disagreed with each other, sometimes loudly arguing and becoming pretty rowdy in the process (because then as now, Angel Fire residents were unabashedly opinionated!). Nevertheless, we worked things out – because it was important for Angel Fire that we do so. We weren't perfect. Mistakes were made. We learned from them and improved ourselves and our community.

And we must have done a lot of things right, because until 2004, Angel Fire grew and prospered.

Drinking the Kool Aid

The changes occurred quickly after the 2004 election. The mayor and councilors must have all chugged some "drink-me-and-become-omnipotent" Kool Aid, because overnight they all became "public officials" instead of elected representatives. Personal agendas were pursued, budgets were inflated, audits were avoided, laws were flouted, lawsuits were filed, and expense reports were so creative they became legendary.

Administrator and executive-level staff salaries increased dramatically, and new positions were created and compensated at salary rates significantly higher than counterparts in much larger communities. Administrative "orders" were in effect pretty much everywhere except the golf course. Council meetings became a place where mayor and councilor personal agendas were rubber stamped and where everybody had a right to speak except the public. Democracy in Angel Fire became a farce, with the government tail wagging the government dog.

"Politically-correct" behavior was like a mask hiding a monster, until a group of concerned citizens began exposing the real "face" of Angel Fire politics. They coaxed the electorate out of its fear and apathy long enough to became aware, demand accountability, and effect change at the ballot box. Some in the concerned citizens group paid a high price for daring to confront the political bullies, while Larry Leahy rode on their coattails to election as a councilor in 2006 and mayor in 2008.

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Sadly, from my perspective, a variation of the old adage, "You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time..." applies where Larry Leahy is concerned. In very short order he fooled enough people enough of the time to go from real estate agent to village administrator with brief stops as councilor and mayor along the way. By the time he won the backlash mayoral election against Bubba, Leahy had already learned to be a "public official" instead of a representative; and he began to exercise and enjoy his new "power" soon after being elected.

The public, unfortunately, either didn't see (or didn't want to see) Leahy's manupulative behavior, instead simply breathing a collective sigh of relief that Bubba and his political hooligans were gone, and reverting to their pre-Bubba apathy.

Big mistake.

By the time Leahy attained the lucrative position of Village administrator, his bullying skills had been honed, and he was able to effectively manipulate a frustrated council and his woefully-weak appointed successor as mayor while pursuing his own personal agendas.

Although it took a while for the electorate to realize it, the tail was still wagging the dog.

Paying attention 1.01

At Leahy's victory party after the election in 2008, I promised him I would never NOT pay attention again. I've lived up to that promise, which explains why this website now exists. Consider this a free crash course in paying attention.

No doubt some folks disagree with my assessments and think things are going along just fine in Angel Fire. For some, if there's nothing broken in their lives, there is no need to fix anything. Then there are those who weren’t here “way back when” and so can’t have a clue how good life in Angel Fire once was. When asked if Angel Fire is better off this year than last year, they can't possibly know it's actually worse off than it was ten years ago! Ten years ago Angel Fire was financially and socially solvent, and today it is facing bankruptcy in both areas.

We've gone from a budget of more than $11 million in 2005 to barely $8 million in 2012. Our debt service amounts and financing rates have skyrocketed. We've lost our transportation service, popular and profitable tourism events, and the free use of our community center. Basic municipal services have been cut back and/or their rates have been increased. Municipal infrastructure is in dire need of maintenance and repair. Building permits and real estate sales are down. Growth is at a standstill. Tourist activities are at a fraction of their former levels.

Time for all of us to be accountable

Naysayers will point to the “economy,” “the war(s),” “Wall Street,” "gas prices," "the banks," "the Republicans,” “the Democrats,” "HAARP," "Iran," "toxic Chinese wallboard," "UFOs," "nine-eleven," "the weather," "undocumented workers," "sunspots" and/or any of a thousand other excuses for the problems Angel Fire is facing.

The truth is, every one of us who lives and votes in Angel Fire is responsible. Through apathy, discomfort with confrontation, fear of retribution, laziness, ignorance – we, the public, the electorate, have allowed and are allowing the folks we elected to make poor municipal government decisions and to often serve their personal agendas ahead of ours. We ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION – only noticing and complaining when personally affected. As a result, select groups and individuals benefit at the expense of the Village and its citizens.

For instance, other New Mexico municipalities with population, industries, activities, tax income, and annual budgets comparable to Angel Fire manage their communities with half or less the number of employees in Angel Fire – many of those earning half or less than their counterparts in Angel Fire. Why do we allow our elected representatives to allocate such a high percentage of the increasingly-limited annual budget to the salaries of a select few people? How many "executive-level" employees can a nearly-bankrupt municipality afford? Why do we allow our elected representatives to perpetually fund and provide extended services for one non-profit organization with nothing more than frequent broad-based requests while requiring that other organizations strictly adhere to once-a-year Lodgers' Tax grant-request parameters?

Why, indeed.

We caused it, and we can fix it

We, the public, are responsible for the behavior and actions of our government – because WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT! In order to expect accountability from our elected representatives, we must first be accountable to ourselves. Complaining from an armchair or writing an occasional indignant letter to the editor is neither effective nor honest. What works is public involvement, awareness, action, and educated expectations – in the election process, at government meetings, in dialogue with neighbors, and through forums such as this website.

Election 2012 is an opportunity for all of us to pay attention, to be accountable to ourselves, and to let our representatives know we also expect them to be accountable, by engaging in positive, educated, and informed activism. Recognize that elections are not popularity contests, are not arenas only available to the "elite" of our community – but are rather opportunities for creating a level playing field for the entire electorate.

That's when you really ARE in charge.