No surprise here.
Last week’s release of the Special Grand Jury report on operations at the North Central Solid Waste Authority, shocking when read in print, laid bare specific allegations that have long been rumored to underscore claims of mismanagement, malfeasance, fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, unlawfulness of liens – and a new one: perjury.
The grand jury found probable cause to indict for perjury in their appearances before the grand jury Alex Naranjo, Tomas Campos, and John Ricci. The grand jury also found probable cause to indict: the entire North Central Solid Waste Authority as an entity.
Their testimony before the grand jury was cited as, “…unreliable and untruthful: it contradicts written records.
Naranjo, current chairman of the Rio Arriba County Commission; Campos, a former county manager; and Ricci, a former Espanola City Councilor, all served on the authority’s board at various times.
None of the men have been formally charged by the district attorney’s office, which says it is studying the matter.
Virtually everyone living in Rio Arriba County knows the trash authority has been awash in political garbage and thievery and poor to non-existent customer service for a long, long time.
So, if you already knew this you can stop reading now and join the plea of the grand jury and the Rio Grande SUN that goes like this:
New Mexico Attorney General’s office please arrive in Rio Arriba County hastily to take up further investigation and to take over operation of the trash authority.
The grand jury has recommended that the authority be placed into receivership, that a new board be appointed, and that new board members need experience in “waste management, accounting, and/or operations.”
Also recommended is that any further legal proceedings be moved outside of Rio Arriba County.
You know why.
No one from the boundaries of New Mexico to the West and East Coasts of this country trusts politics in Rio Arriba County.
It gets worse.
The report recommends that “current NCSW Board members be removed from the Board immediately. Furthermore, given the many breaches of fiduciary duty and public trust, we recommend that the Attorney General remove any Board members who currently hold elected office from said office and that all Board members, past and current, be barred from seeking elective office in the future.”
Vital among the recommendations are those that address the liens that have been placed on local properties over the years. The report advises that all liens be lifted immediately, and that restitution be made to those customers who paid “questionable liens from 2004 to 2023.”
The report is far from perfect and there are those who appeared before the grand jury who believe that both the process and the report are flawed.
It is particularly troubling that the report mentions several former board members and employees who it says should be further investigated. The report points out that the grand jury had only 90 days to conduct the investigation and was unable to either obtain or view all the records and information it needed to be more thorough.
Taking a broad brush stroke painting others as possibly culpable unfairly casts a gloomy light without facts on several persons. This is wrong.
Among the many recommendations is one for a forensic audit of the authority. There is a mountain of trash still to be picked up regarding the authority. As we said, please Mr. Attorney General, start now