Part one was printed in the Gallup Sun on Friday May 27, 2016.  Part one talked about being trapped in a “weird time warp” with periodic round table discussions of Key officials, promises being made, the continuing lack of concrete data on the problem and how to solve the problem.  Here is the continuation of that Opinion letter

Personally like a lot of citizens, I am disgusted with the whole issue. I believe these people need to be held accountable for their actions.  Ask any counselor who will give an honest opinion on the matter and they will tell you no counseling program will help a person unless that person “really” wants help.  If they truly want help there are a...

Part 1 of 2

Ever feel like you are trapped in a weird “time warp”? After reading several recent articles in the local media regarding the “alcohol” problem in Gallup, I feel like I am re-living April through July 2013.

Back then, Genevieve Jackson, Commission Chairperson, had arranged for a round-table discussion at the County with my help [as County Manager] and several local elected officials. Pretty much the same principals in position and title as those that came to Ben Ray Lujan’s March 4, 2016 pow-wow. And, all the same things were said, more or less, in both roundtables.

Back then [2013] there was a lot of tension between the city and the county over the use of the...

The Warden of the Gallup Jail is paid $1,346.15 per week. What is the total output in the salaries per week of all employees involved in running the jail? What is the person that heads the [Na’ Nihzoonzhi Center] paid per week? What is the total output in salaries per week of all employees involved in running the NCI? What is the cost per month for food, utilities, and clothing for the inmates in both places? What is the cost of beds, blankets, metal trays, pots, pans, silverware, refrigerators, stoves, and garbage cans for both places?

The overwhelming majority of the people that land in the Gallup Jail and the NCI are there for alcohol- or drug-related offenses, and many prefer jail...

The University of New Mexico proudly calls itself our state’s “Flagship University” with good reason. It offers students unparalleled educational opportunities and has long been a leader in conducting research and providing health care.

But UNM’s recent decision to terminate its contract to host the annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow at The Pit showed a bizarre lack of judgment — and unintentionally created what teachers call “an educable moment.”

David Harris, the university’s executive vice president, claims the university had been losing money on the deal. After this year’s event, the university was nearly $2,400 in the red for cleanup expenses after the event...