James Fahey Jr. is still the mayor of Corrales.
Most of the Village council Tuesday evening rejected a motion to delay three board and commission appointments until after Fred Hashimoto takes over as mayor Jan. 2.
Councilors referred to letters from community members urging the delay. Councilors Mel Knight and John Alsobrook II said some of the letters implied that there was something untoward about Fahey making the appointments.
“All three of these Corraleños are qualified for the positions they seek,” Knight countered.
Knight noted that library board nominee Janis Teal holds master’s degrees in education and library science and is already a volunteer at the library.
She said planning and zoning commission nominee Sandy Rasmussen and Farmland Preservation and Agricultural Commission nominee Stephen Smith have similar qualifications.
Alsobrook said Fahey maintains full authority over village matters until Hashimoto is sworn in, and the appointments were then due for immediate discussion.
“If our method of appointment to committees is unsatisfactory, I’m fully open to having that discussion,” he said. “But I will not discuss the usurpation of our existing process because it serves the political desires of the moment. That kind of thinking and that kind of tactic is one of the reasons that our federal government is in shambles right now.”
Teal’s nomination was unanimously affirmed, after she responded to a question about removing books and other materials by saying she supports the American Library Association’s anti-censorship position.
“People need access to information,” she said. “For education, for entertainment and for their own personal growth.”
Councilor Stuart Murray made the motion to remove the appointments from the agenda, saying it reflects fairness as Hashimoto will be starting his term in just a couple of weeks. It received no other votes.
“We all know a new mayor was elected,” Knight said. “We’re all behind him and want him to be successful.”
Councilor Zachary Burkett called the idea of waiting on decisions until the new mayor takes office “absolute nonsense.”
Hashimoto defeated Fahey in the November election. Councillors and others gave him tribute at the meeting, his last as mayor.
“It’s my hope that after a brief respite, you come back and serve the village, as you always have,” Alsobrook said.
Murray said he didn’t always agree with Fahey, but that the mayor can leave office knowing progress was made under his leadership.
Also at the meeting, councilors voted to approve the farmland preservation commission’s ranking of five properties for inclusion in the farmland preservation easements program.
The village will pay for valuation assessments on each property. Councilors will later determine how to allocate the balance of $2 million raised from a bond issue approved by voters in 2023.
Also approved were a resolution of support for a proposal to use about $200,000 left over from a Meadowlark Lane construction project to design and build a crosswalk and the 2026 council meeting schedule and list of village holidays.
The council will generally meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, with a single meeting in both July and August.