Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 30
75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
February 4, 2015
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
RISD bond passes, Sanchez defeats Ponce
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Republican-backed Roswell school board candidate Ruben J. Sanchez upset school board president Pauline J. Ponce Tuesday, as a $16 million bond for the Roswell Independent School District cruised to a landslide victory. Ponce held a two-vote margin, 55-53, over Sanchez in early and absentee voting heading into Tuesday’s school board elections. When all the ballots were tabulated at about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sanchez, a registered Republican, defeated Ponce, a former Democrat state representative, 179 votes to 163. Sanchez, whose wife, Cynthia, is a fourth-grade teacher at East Grand Plains Elementary School, said he didn’t consider his win a big upset. It was his first run for public office. Ponce was seeking a second four-year term on the Roswell school board.
The election was decided at the East Grand Plains Elementary School polling site, one of eight voting convenience centers in Roswell, where Sanchez bested Ponce 56 votes to six. “I’ve had a lot of support from the area, a lot of support from the Republican Party,” Sanchez said Tuesday night. “It did help. I’d have to say it did help. I had a lot of tremendous help from around the area. I’m very, very ecstatic right now, very excited.” Sanchez, 34, is a realty specialist for the federal Bureau of Land Management. He will be sworn in later this month for a fouryear term. He is a U.S. Air Force and Iraq War veteran. Sanchez said he plans on improving communication in the school district. “My biggest goal with the school district right now is to have close involvement with our schools,” he said. “That’s the biggest complaint that I’ve heard from administrators. The first thing I’m
going to do is start working one-on-one with our schools, getting the questions and concerns from our parents, especially the concerns and needs of our teachers and the concerns and needs of our administrators.” Sanchez said he would not tolerate bullying in schools. “It is a concern,” Sanchez said. “I have zero tolerance for bullying in our school district and I’ll do everything in my power to stop that.” Sanchez, who has a 7-year-old son and a 4-yearold daughter, said he is committed in the long term to the RISD. “I am invested in this district, at least for the next 14 years,” he said. “I’d like everybody to know every decision I make is going to affect my children also. I want the absolute best for my children. I’ll do the same for every student and every child in this district.” Ponce could not be reached for comment Tues-
Jeff Tucker Photo Roswell Independent School District Superintendent Tom Burris, right, congratulates Ruben Sanchez Tuesday night after Sanchez won a seat on the RISD school board. day night.
Landslide bond
A $16 million bond proposed by RISD sailed to victory, with 1,728 votes for the bond, and 514 against it. “I am absolutely thrilled the bond has passed,” said RISD superintendent Tom
Posuniak’s pieces
Burris. “It’s great for our community, great for our kids. We have the next three schools lined up to do the renovations and we’re ready to go on them. I am thrilled.” Burris said he lobbied hard in recent months on behalf of the bond. All of the $16 million is
earmarked to either renovate or replace Del Norte and Nancy Lopez elementary schools, Mesa Middle School and Parkview Early Childhood Center. The general obligation bond comes with a state See ELECTION, Page A3
Town Hall raises
more questions
than solutions
By Randal Seyler Record City Editor
Community leaders, concerned residents and Turquoise Health and Wellness clients gathered Tuesday at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center to discuss the impending closure of the entity that provides mental health care services for Chaves County. District Judge James Hudson has been spearheading the efforts to find a replacement for Turquoise Health and Wellness. “I don’t have the answers, but hopefully by working together we can find a pathway for moving forward,” Hudson said in his opening remarks. The contracted provider announced in early January it would close its doors on March 31, leaving state and local officials scrambling to find a way to continue to provide essential mental health care services. “Law enforcement is the concrete floor beneath the safety net of social ser-
Randal Seyler Photos Above: Local artist Barbara Posuniak displayed some of her paintings and ceramic work for the Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. Right: Posuniak has taught art at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell for 25 years, and she is working on her master’s degree in Fine Arts. She will be the featured artist for February at The Gallery, the artist co-operative gallery operated by Main Street Arts in Roswell. A reception for Posuniak will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the gallery, and the public is invited to attend.
Deadline to apply for Early College High School approaching By Dylanne Petros Record Staff Writer Students who wish to get a jumpstart on their college career have until Feb. 15 to apply for the Early College High School program at University High School. Early College High School is a free public high school within the Roswell Independent School District, in partnership with Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. Students have the opportunity to graduate from this school with a high school diploma of excellence and up to two years of college courses or an associate’s degree from ENMU-Roswell, according to a press release from ENMU-R. “The early college high
school attempts to put together an opportunity to get a New Mexico high school diploma, vocational certificate, associate’s degree or the first two years of college work all in four years,” Porter Cutrell, principal of University High School, told the Roswell Daily Record in August. The Early College High School program has a few different paths students may pursue during their four years. Students may either take classes to earn an associate’s degree, certificate of employability, or earn general education credits to then transfer to a four-year school. “We’re really excited See SCHOOL, Page A3
Today’s Forecast
HIGH 70 LOW 27
vices,” said Mayor Dennis Kintigh, a former FBI agent and Chaves County Sheriff’s Office detective. “If we lose these services, we will see an impact on the number of 911 calls.” When a deputy or police officer is called in to a mental health crisis, problems can escalate, Kintigh said. “A 24-year-old deputy is not a trained social worker, and if a weapon is involved, I can guarantee you things are going to end badly,” he said. The Associated Press reported on Jan. 14 that Turquoise Health and Wellness offers mental health services to Medicaid patients in Carlsbad, Roswell, Clovis and Tucumcari. Turquoise was added to the state’s network in 2013 as part of a network shakeup by Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration. Turquoise provides mental health care to the residents under the auspices
See TURQUOISE, Page A3
ENMU-R students Guerrero, Olguin named to All-State Academic Team
Staff Report
Two Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell students have been named to the 2015 New Mexico All-State Academic Team in recognition of their top academic achievements. Mara Guerrero and Anthony Olguin are among a group of outstanding New Mexico community college students who will be honored Feb. 11 at a formal awards ceremony during the AllState Academic Team Recognition Day at the State Capitol in Santa Fe. The program for the day will include recognition of team members in the House and Senate Education Committees and
Guerrero on the House and Senate floors. Guerrero is pursuing a degree in Teacher Education at ENMU in Portales. She graduated with honors from ENMU-Roswell in December. She was active in the Alpha Mu Pi honor society on campus and served as president.
Today’s Obituaries Pages A2 & A6
• Stanley Joe Goins • Patricia “Pat” L. Ragan • Roberta Crosby Burkstaller
• Barney Clay Jobe • Alice “Lisa” Gamboa • Jeanne Marie Langenegger • Stuart Kinley Davis
Olguin Olguin is a sophomore at ENMU-Roswell and plans to transfer to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. The event is sponsored by the New Mexico Association of Community Colleges and the New Mexico
Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Entertainment. ....A8 Financial..............B3
Independent Community Colleges. Phi Theta Kappa annually conducts a national community college student achievement competition — the All-USA Academic Team for Community Colleges. New Mexico’s community colleges have actively participated in this program for many years and annually recognize the students who have been nominated by their institutions as members of the New Mexico All-State Academic Team. These students are recognized for outstanding achievement with certificates, medallions, and academic scholarships offered by New Mexico public universities.
Index
General...............A2
Opinion.................A4
Horoscopes.........A8
Sports. ................B1
Lotteries. ............A2
Weather...............A8