Oh. The joy of victory. The agony of defeat.
One successful Espanola School Board win does not make a “movement,” but Dale Salazar’s win over board president Jeremy Maestas last week is significant.
Salazar falls outside the machine-type politics of Rio Arriba County, is known to keep his own counsel, and can be expected to be his own man on the board.
Attempts by a coalition to keep Maestas in office and also keep alive a nascent and new political family from gaining ground as a singular force failed.
Could this be a new day or at least the start of one for Espanola and all of Rio Arriba? Let’s hope so. City and county government and our school boards continue to be populated by political hacks and cronies of those in power. That’s the way to keep us living in the past and allowing individuals to personally and financially reap the benefits of going along with the crowd.
It has not worked and as, former mayor and Rio Grande Sun columnist, Javier Sanchez writes on this page a recent study draws yet another poor almost cartoonish view of Espanola as the worst city in New Mexico, one of the lowest ranking states in the country.
But a win by Salazar may be the start- albeit small- of voters thinking independently and choosing new blood over old. It’s a transfusion we need.
Columnist Sanchez is correct. This is a beautiful valley and with good, solid citizens. We are better than we are often portrayed. Let’s prove it. Starting at the ballot box is the proper place.
As he promises in today’s column, he will write at least two more in a three-part series on how we all move forward and celebrate our uniqueness and strengths and show the state and country that we have grit and the will to promote better government, vigilant law enforcement fighting crime, and an innate community kindness that is admirable.
And now on to the agony of defeat.
Espanola High School’s football Sundevils made local history winning our first state playoff game two weeks ago.
Then on last Saturday we were hit by a steamrolling Lovington team, losing 52-0.
Ignominious as the loss was, it is no reason for our high school players to hand their heads. Just like the city and the county we can build from loss and defeat.
The Sundevils are a young team, and they will back next fall stronger, and more battle tested.
Basketball continues to our high school sport of choice, but we have now entered a new era where our football team has emerged as a contender throughout the state.
Sports and life in general have much in common. You win some. You lose some. Both winning and losing offer chances for growth and for keeping dreams alive.
There is nothing trite about sports being a metaphor for everyday living, for holding our heads high, and continuing the good fight.
Now, let’s fix one thing fast. Our letter writer on A-7 calls for new and better uniforms. A city that just passed a $40 million bond election for improving our schools can surely find money to dress our champions as, well, as champions.