[UPDATE: In fewer than 3 weeks, the Las Cruces Sun-News has slid from celebrating a first, a six-women set of councilors, to a sexist stereotype in yesterday's headline (19 Jan), "Claws come out at council discussion over lack of trap-neuter-return policy, budget." The paper, edited by Lucas Peerman, characterizes policy disagreements among women, not as discussions or debates, but as catfights. Do we celebrate or scorn him for reminding us that the stuff of stereotypes, the incubator of bigotry, never dies? In a (local) culture with a strong "macho" strain, misogyny and sexism endure.]
One result of the 2021 city election was a first for City Council: all six councilors females and one male member, the mayor. Celebration seems premature since previous experience urges circumspection. The last time we celebrated a first for women was the election of Susana Martina, the first woman governor of the state, and the first Hispanic governor and first woman of color governor in the country. That turned out well—not.
What now? Most councilors’ responses have been self-and-sisterhood gratulation about women’s progress in politics. Having a grandmother and mother smart, strong, active, and effective in community improvement and political action long before women’s lib—“fierce” without touting themselves so—, I would hardly object to this progress. However, the difference between them, leading volunteers in their day, and these elected politicians is that their post-election statements have been silent about any commitment to more competent and honest government, and clear, comprehensive policies to serve the city and citizenry as a whole. Much of what they have suggested is support-group stuff which will not annoy and may please Big Sister in the law office.
I have first-hand knowledge of two current councilors, Kasandra Gandara and Johana Bencomo. They are unimpressive self-promoters. My dour opinion reflects observations of their talk-talk in Council about police reform and my contacts with them about my complaints about the LCPD.
Gandara has acted more like an administrative assistant than a councilor and an ally of the City Attorney. She arranged meetings with city officials but never supported my quest for an answer to the question why I was charged with five unsupported code violations, never protested the chief’s slandering me, and voted to exclude my case from the police auditor’s review. Indicative of her pretended concern for police reform and my case, she stated her satisfaction with the police auditor’s whitewash. Nothing in her long-running involvement in my case suggests a commitment to truth, justice, decency, and an informed citizenry.
Bencomo has been more the faint-hearted follower than the “fierce” leader, as she recently described herself. When George Floyd’s murder triggered local protests, she spoke strongly in favor of police reform, including a citizens’ review board. But when, in a televised council meeting, she advocated such a board and was scolded by the mayor, she flinched, did not stand up to his bullying, and renounced that reform. Despite attending a meeting in which the City Manager acknowledged that I merited an apology for unfounded LCPD allegations, she pointedly supported and voted for the exclusion of my case from the police auditor’s review. So much for her commitment to police reform, truth, justice, and an informed citizenry.
Two continuing councilors Tessa Abeyta-Stuve and Yvonne Flores, like Gandara and Bencomo, had abundant information about my case from my many blogs, said and did nothing about it, and also voted to preclude my case from review. We can thank these four “sisters” for suppressing information about the quality of LCPD responses to citizen complaints, getting the police auditor’s whitewash, and discounting police reforms to improve public safety. I cannot speak to the quality of the two new councilors, Becky Corran and Becki Graham, but I have no reason to think them likely to be more truth-seeking, principled, or persevering in public service.
I expect the male mayor to dominate and direct the six female councilors. I expect that inoffensive mediocrity and mendacity by six female councilors to merely replace the past inoffensive mediocrity and mendacity by six male councilors. I expect that such equivalence—call it equality, if you will—to make no difference to ordinary folk, much less be a cause for citizens to celebrate. Still, I hope for better than I expect.
If you must, you go ahead and celebrate. I shall wait to see in what place this first finishes.
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