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Corrales village councilors voted Tuesday to voice their displeasure at the way the federal government is operating.
The council unanimously supported a proclamation, introduced by Mayor James Fahey Jr., accusing the Trump administration of an unconstitutional consolidation of power in the executive branch and challenging New Mexico’s congressional delegation to “stand up and reclaim their constitutional duty” by insisting on equal status along with the executive and judicial branches.
Approval of the proclamation came after Councilor Zachary Burkett asked for an amendment dropping reference to specific actions by the Trump administration, referred to as “willful misdeeds.”
The stricken section lists among those acts “the revocation of birthright citizenship, freezing of federal spending approved by Congress, shuttering of federal agencies, demonstrating a pattern of usurping the duties of the legislative branch; violating due process rights of persons of the United States, infringing upon civil service protections for federal employees, threatening deportation and/or prosecution based on political views, ignoring or disobeying judicial mandates, politicizing law enforcement and the military; and generally expressing contempt for the separation of powers, freedom of speech and equal justice under the law.”
Burkett said he agreed with most of the proclamation but was less comfortable with calling out specific actions. He said executive branch overreach through executive orders is a problem that has grown over time.
“I don’t think it’s an issue that started specifically during this administration,” Burkett said. “It certainly is magnified; it’s gotten dramatically worse.”
He said he thought the criticisms laid out in the proclamation should be limited to supporting separation of powers and condemning executive orders.
During the Corraleños Forum, Carol Welch spoke in favor of the proclamation, while Bob Eichhorst opposed it.
“Our democracy, as well as our constitution, are being challenged as never before,” Welch said. “I had never worried about our democracy being taken away or my rights, which are granted to me through the constitution, being taken away or even threatened. This is not true today.”
Eichhorst said he felt the proclamation was political and thus inappropriate.
“If the mayor wants to write this letter, put it in your name,” he said. “If the council wants to write this letter, put it in your name. Once that seal from the Village of Corrales goes on … you represent everybody in Corrales.”
He also said the community was not given adequate notice concerning the proclamation, and implied that Fahey was using the issue as a way to boost his reelection chances this fall.
Councilor Bill Woldman disputed the claim of the proclamation being political in nature.
“This is not a partisan statement, but rather an acknowledgement of a significant deviation from 250 years of practice of the separation of powers,” he said. “While all politics may not be local. It is important to local governmental bodies to acknowledge threats when they exist, and support our congressional representatives and the resistance to executive branch overreach.”
Councilor John Alsobrook II noted that the item was placed on the meeting agenda Friday, more than five days before the council took action.
Fahey, who did not vote on the proclamation, said he could still support the amended version.
“It could be a little better, but no, it’s fine,” he said. “I’m OK with it. You know, there’s no life or limb at risk here, and I can certainly feel comfortable with it.”
Councilors also approved the rezoning of land at 4945 Corrales Road from agricultural and rural residential to neighborhood commercial.
Steve Nakamura, representing property owner Rachel Matthew Development, said the plan is for an office building to go up on the site.
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