Donna Harris didn’t mince words when she reminded public employees and elected officials that they work for the Socorro County taxpayers.

Although she’s lived here for 45 years, Harris considers herself a newcomer and a bit of an outsider in Socorro County.

Harris told Socorro County Commissioners during their meeting last week she had been trying to get on the county board’s agenda, but her efforts were being thwarted by County Manager Michael Hawkes and his office staff.

“I’ve been trying to get on the agenda for about four or five months now,” she said. “Every time I come to the manager’s office, they have one reason or another why I can’t be on the agenda.”

Noting her frustration, she reminded commissioners and county personnel they work for 18,000 taxpayers in Socorro County.

“You serve at our pleasure. This is a republic – this is not a monarchy,” Harris said. “We don’t have a king, we don’t have a ruler. The people govern themselves. We are known as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The taxpayers are the authority.”

In the county manager’s office, Harris noted, employees sit behind locked doors and one-way windows and use an intercom system to dictate to taxpayers while making them jump through hoops, various roadblocks, and red tape.

“They lied to me and told me they didn’t have public comments,” Harris said, directing her comments to County Manager Hawkes. “Then they told me I should just be quiet and calm down. I don’t think so. You have no right to treat me or any taxpayer like that. You work for us … you don’t own us. This county has a small population. There’s no reason to treat us like this.”

On the county’s website, under the Board of County Commissioners’ tab, it states, “All constituents and organizations are welcome to address the Board during the public comment portion at the start of each meeting. For items that require Board action or for a longer discussion, requestors must complete an Agenda Request form, found on the Manager’s Forms page. Following a review of the request, only the County Manager or a Commissioner may place an item on the agenda.”

In a parting statement, Harris said she refuses to be cowed or intimidated by the occupants of the county manager’s office.

“This is the United States …. Commissioners. You have the power and the responsibility to cure this,” Harris said. “This has been going on for a long time, however, having been unsuccessful for all these months to get my agenda requests submitted. I’m going to submit it right now.”

Harris handed her agenda request form to Jennifer Montoya, an executive assistant at the County Manager’s office. It will be up to County Manager Hawkes and one of the commissioners to review her request to place Harris’ item on a future agenda.

 

Wanda Moeller