But a few startling statements did emanate from the first candidates’ forum sponsored by Corrales Horse and Mule People (CHAMP) February 1.

In municipal elections March 6, Corraleños will vote into office three members of the six-member Village Council and select a new municipal judge. Since Corrales council representation is now districted, only residents in Council Districts 2, 5 and 6 will cast ballots for council candidates, but all villagers, regardless of district, can vote for the judgeship.

A map of council district boundaries is printed on Page 14 of this issue.

In District 2, incumbent Councillor Gerard Gagliano is seeking re-election. He is challenged by Hoyt Hart. District 2 is bounded by Corrales Road on the east, the Rio Rancho boundary on the west, by Angel Road and Academy Drive on the north and by Camino Hermoso on the south.

In District 5, three candidates are vying to replace Sayre Gerhart on the council: David CdeBaca, David Girón and Jim Fahey. District 5 is east of Corrales Road from the north end all the way to Mockingbird on the south.

In District 6, generally covering the south end of Corrales, incumbent Councillor Pat Clauser is running unopposed for re-election.

Full candidate profiles will be published in the February 25 issue of Corrales Comment.

At the CHAMP forum February 1, all candidates were present, generally knowledgeable and well aware what their audience wanted to hear. While much of the Q&A touched on horse-related issues, candidates also addressed questions on management of the Bosque Preserve, zoning restrictions, finding ways to increase revenues for Village government without raising taxes, improving drainage in the Corrales Interior Drain, crosswalks and fee waivers for local groups using municipal facilities.

In introducing themselves at the forum the candidates told a little about themselves, their background and interests.

In District 5, David Girón said just about nothing needs to be changed in Corrales. He said he would “Keep the essentials going without bankrupting local government.” He works as a third-party mediator, typically between homeowners and private lenders. “People have always come to me to help settle disputes,” he recalled. “I’m a mediator.”

Also in the District 5 race, David CdeBaca described himself as a “hometown boy” who is now retired after working for multinational energy firms and service in the Army Reserves. He said his mother’s family started Wagner Farms here in Corrales.

The third candidate in the District 5 race, Jim Fahey, was elected to the Village Council in 2006 and left office when his term expired in 2010; he couldn’t seek re-election then because he lived in the same district as the person holding the District 5 seat, Sayre Gerhart. Fahey successfully ran for a seat on the Southern Sandoval Country Arroyo Flood Control Authority. He is  a retired surgeon and stalwart at the Corrales Growers’ Market.

In District 2, incumbent Gerard Gagliano is a software developer who lives on Camino Rayo del Sol. In his first term, he was regarded as an opponent of the then-proposed sewer system and more or less consistently voted to rein in municipal expenditures.

Hoyt Hart, his opponent for the District 2 seat, owns a Corrales-based business, Trackmasters Frame Hangers. He is convinced he can find ways to increase revenues for Village government without raising taxes, such as imposing franchise fees on certain businesses  providing  services here. He has a background in regional and city planning.

In the judge’s race, Marilyn Hill is a former Village Administrator for Corrales, a position she held for about one year before  accepting appointment in the N.M. Taxation and Revenue Department. She retired with 34 years in state government. Her opponent, Luis Quintana, is an attorney who, four years ago, ran against then-incumbent Judge Mary Dougherty. She later appointed him as alternate judge when she was unable to hear cases.

Dougherty has stepped down to care for her ailing mother.

Council candidates were asked whether they felt there is a need for changes in the way the Corrales Bosque Preserve is managed. Gagliano replied that the Village Council has approved  a limited bosque restoration project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The trouble comes when they have expanded their work beyond the work that we approved.”

Hart responded that the bosque has been a perennial problem, primarily because there are “too many fingers in the pie. If we could convince the government to leave us alone, we’d be alright.”

Clauser in District 6 praised the relatively new Habitat Management Plan developed by the Corrales Bosque Advisory Commission. But she said many villagers are concerned about the commission’s plans for more firebreak clearings.

In District 5, Fahey said clearing of fire hazards has been under way for several years. He said it would be better to do “a little bit here and a little bit there” over a period of years to avoid major disruptions by clearing several large areas at the same time.

District 5 candidate CdeBaca was highly critical of the Bosque Advisory Commission, especially for obstructing the clearing of vegetation along the Corrales Riverside Drain. He went on to warn of disease outbreak due to pollution in the Corrales Interior Drain.

One villager recommended carrying out controlled burns in the bosque, but  none of the candidates responded positively to that idea.

Lively debate between candidates and audience broke out over whether groups (such as CHAMP and the Corrales Soccer Club) should have to pay rental fees to the Village to hold events at municipal facilities. A Parks and Recreation Commission member pointed out that the council’s routine granting of fee waivers  has meant a loss of $55,000 to $90,000 a year in revenues that could have paid for municipal services.

Candidate Girón said from a business perspective, “you can’t allow that to happen, especially in times of tight budgets.”

CdeBaca went even further, suggesting Village officials’ failure to charge fees due “should be looked at in terms of violations of the Fraud Against Taxpayers Act. We need to look at this from a criminal standpoint,” CdeBaca added.

Fahey pointed out that the council hasn’t granted fee waivers without justifications. It only happens, he said, when the Parks and Recreation Commission recommends such a waiver.

Gagliano explained the issue has arisen mostly over waivers for the Corrales Soccer Club. When groups are willing to provide in-kind services that support municipal programs and goals, waivers may be warranted, he suggested.

From the audience, former State Senator Steve Komadina insisted that “Everything should be free at the rec center unless it is a commercial entity.”