Mayor Berry’s Administration Sets a New Record

The Berry Administration is setting a new record! The new record being made is for making so many bad decisions. The decision making process in this administration is compatible to a simpleton. At least a simpleton wouldn’t allow people to freeze.

The State of New Mexico was hit with a massive storm accompanied with a frigid arctic blast last week. It was estimated that 20,000 homes on the Westside of Albuquerque lost gas service. During this same time many other communities within the State suffered similar conditions.

The City of Albuquerque activated the Police Department’s Emergency Response Team to Espanola, New Mexico. The cost is huge; there are 45 officers, four sergeants, and two lieutenants heading north to Espanola. The cost per officer’s overtime rate is $37.50 per hour, each sergeant is $45.00 per hour, and each lieutenant is $52.50. Every hour the team is gone is costing the City of Albuquerque $1,972.50 per hour. Every twenty-four hour period costs the City a total of $47,340.00. Plus the cost of gas, wear and tear on the City vehicles, and room and board. Who is going to pay for this? The Governor has declared a “State of Emergency,” this should be handled by the National Guard and/or the New Mexico State Police.

Here are a few questions that need to be addressed;

Why didn’t our Public Safety Director, Darren White, who is paid thousands of dollars per week to protect the public, know about this before it became a disaster for the Westside homes?

Why didn’t our Emergency Preparedness Coordination, Sal Baragiola, who is paid a huge salary, know about this before it became a disaster for our Westside homes?

Why didn’t the City activate the Police Department’s Emergency Response Team to service the Westside homes?

What happens when Albuquerque needs those officers?

Why weren’t these officers activated for our neighbors in the Bernalillo area?

The Honorable Governor Martinez did call for a reduction in electricity and gas usage. Perhaps if our City Administration were doing their jobs by calling for a reduction in a timely manner; this who mess could have been obverted. We have a Public Safety Director, Darren White, and an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, (former undersheriff to White) Sal Baragiola; whose only purpose is to protect the citizens, but when we actually needed them, they were cuddled around the fire and letting the rest of Albuquerque freeze. Another discerning issue is, when they did realize the problem, there was a “knee jerk” reaction. The Administration over-reacted by activating the Emergency Operation Center; costing the citizens thousands of dollars. The comparison is bringing the dog in after he is frozen to the ground.

Oddly enough, 20,000 of our citizens were cold and went without gas and City officials do nothing. Espanola has a little less than a fourth of that (4,107 household) and the City of Albuquerque sends fifty police officers, over a hundred miles away to help someone else out? The issue here is not giving help to the City of Espanola, but the failure of Albuquerque's City Administration to service the community that pays their huge salaries’.

The State and the City is expecting another storm on Tuesday into Wednesday. It makes us wonder if the Three Stooges, in the Mayor’s office, can figure out what to do and when. Maybe it’s time for City Council to step up and make corrections. The appearance of nonfeasance of duty is despicable.

Source:
HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS

Total Housing Units in Espanola, NM
At the time of the last census survey, there were 4,107 total housing units in Espanola.


Household Population in Espanola, NM
The household population number in Espanola was 9,620.

http://www.americantowns.com/nm/espanola-information