Village Hall pleads ignorance

Capitan Village Clerk Kay Strickland, and her deputy clerk, Shirley, presided over the early voting to the March 4 election. Turns out, they didn't require signatures, against state election code, for those early votes. Turns out, those early votes heavily favored the incumbents, while the voting was much closer on March 4. Strickland told Judge Martha Proctor, who canvassed the vote, she just didn't know better. Turns out, Strickland and Shirley have both been to Election School. Of course, they know better. Is Capitan Village Hall perpetuating a cover-up of election practices? What's your take?

Abuse of power

Last week, Capitan residents received their March water bill, several days earlier than usual. It was accompanied by a letter from Mayor Sam Hammons, which amounted to a campaign endorsement of incumbent trustee Lilly Wood, who was criticized in a letter to the editor printed in the Ruidoso News on April 22. Instead of responding to the newspaper, the mayor used taxpayers money to defend an incumbent running for office in the March 4 election. Everyone I've talked to says this is illegal, and an abuse of power. We are looking into it at the state level to get a definitive ruling.

This is just one more example of the dirty politics from this arrogant mayor, who has presided over a puppet board of trustees. What are your thoughts? Is this an abuse of power, or was the mayor within his legal rights?