The replacement of the Española Public Housing Authority Board chairman was just one of several vacancies the city filled July 29 on three of its committees.
Mayor Joseph Maestas appointed new members to the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Lodger’s Tax Board and the Public Housing Authority Board.
The Housing Board received two new members. One was to replace former Board member Andy Dominguez, who has not served on the Housing Board in over 11 months, and Board Chairman Max Sanchez, who asked not be re-appointed to another term.
Sanchez, who has served on the Board since 2006, said the Authority’s constant problems proved overwhelming. He was appointed to the Board when it reformed after a 20-year absence.
“It just got to be too much,” Sanchez said. “There have been a lot of headaches over the past two years and it still seems like we haven’t gotten anywhere.”
Filling the vacancies left by Sanchez and Dominguez will be Santa Clara Public Housing Director Francisco Simbana and Española resident George Martinez, who were both appointed to two-year terms. Martinez previously served on the city’s Employees Grievance Board until that entity was dissolved in favor of hiring a private hearing officer for each grievance.
Simbana said he only recently moved to Española, and when he read about the Housing Authority in the SUN, he thought he could lend some of his expertise.
During his first meeting July 30, Simbana took an active role and requested to review the Board’s bylaws as well as schedule a meeting with city administrators to get caught up on the issues facing the Authority.
The Housing Board was recreated in 2006 after a series of scandals uncovered by the SUN prompted a federal investigation into the city’s Housing Authority. The Board was created in order to provide oversight to the struggling Authority, but the Board has been unable to lift the Authority out of its troubled status.
Current Housing Board members Dorothy Borrego, Jim Whittington and Frances Lopez were all reappointed to the Board.
The Lodger’s Tax Board also received two new members: Pete Valdez, an Española resident and husband of city administrative secretary Dorothy Valdez, and Marlo Martinez. Martinez is a lobbyist, a former Rio Arriba County probate judge, a former County Magistrate Court candidate and owner of Marlo Martinez Association Marketing.
In addition, Joann Casados, who owns Joann’s Rancho de Casados, will take her place as a board member after being appointed in June.
The other members of the Lodger’s Tax Board are Weldon McCullough, who owns the Western Holiday Motel, and Art Martinez Jr., who owns Cottonwood RV Park.
By state law, the Board must have two representatives from the lodging industry, one member of the general public and two members of the business community. The Board previously did not meet this requirement, as it only had three representatives from the lodging industry.
The Board oversees how revenue from the city’s lodger’s tax is distributed. By law the money is only supposed to be used for events and activities that promote the city.
The Planning and Zoning Commission retained all of its members with the exception of Jose Atencio who stepped down to focus on El Paragua, the restaurant chain he owns and operates, Maestas said. Maestas did not fill Atencio’s spot on the Commission, but asked the Council for recommendations to fill the vacancy.
The Commission is made up of Rachel Fresquez, Anissa Martinez, Laurie Koontz, Lupe Garcia, Amrit Khalsa and Erle Wright. Fresquez and Wright both have one year remaining in their terms, while the rest of the Commissioners have two years remaining in their terms.
The Planning and Zoning Commission hears cases concerning policy decisions for the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. A majority of the cases heard by the Commission center around requests for variances, either for additional structures on residential properties or for additional signage.
Decisions by the Commission can be appealed to the City Council.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recently passed a set of revisions that overhauled the city’s existing sign code and roadway standards. The new roadway standards were approved by the Council July 29 and the sign code changes will go before the Council at its August meeting.