Officials: Bond ratings mean savings

Recent improvements in Santa Fe's municipal bond ratings should mean savings on financing the Buckman Direct Diversion Project and other water projects, city finance officers say.

Finance Director David Millican told the Finance Committee on Monday that Fitch Rating Services recently awarded the city its top AAA rating.

A city news release said Santa Fe is one of only about a dozen cities with the top rating and is the only one west of the Mississippi River.

Millican said Standard and Poor's also increased the city's bond rating by two levels — from AA- to AA+.

"Rating analysts cited the city's excellent planning for the system and its financial needs, including the Council's recent approval of needed rate increases; the strength and balance of the local economy; the diversity of its water supply sources; and the community's commitment to conservation as major factors in the rating," the city release said.

Richardson mulls CDR-fund donation

Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday he doesn't know whether he'll give to charity the $110,000 in political contributions from CDR Financial Products — a California company whose president was indicted last week over federal fraud charges.

"I'll have to review that," Richardson said at a news conference. Then he added jokingly, "Did I get donations from them?"

CDR's contributions to Richardson's political committees around the time the company got work handling bond contracts for a state transportation program in 2004 led to a federal investigation that eventually led to Richardson withdrawing from consideration for a Cabinet position in the Obama administration last January. The investigation ended with the Justice Department deciding not to indict anyone.

Last week following the CDR indictments, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is running for governor, donated $10,000 in CDR contributions to two Albuquerque charities.

Men: Christian brother molested us

Two men claim Christian Brother Samuel F. Martinez, now living in Santa Fe, sexually assaulted them when they were students at Cathedral High School in El Paso, Texas, in 1982.

The men are identified only as J.A. and B.C. "to prevent further embarrassment and humiliation," according to the complaint filed last week in state District Court.

Martinez, principal of the parochial school from 1976 to 1985, previously has been accused of sexual improprieties by other former students.

In the most recent case, lawyers T.O. Gilstrap Jr. of El Paso and Daymon Ely of Albuquerque seek damages from Martinez; NOSF Inc., formerly Brothers of the Christian Schools of Lafayette, La.; and the Catholic Diocese of El Paso.

Officials for the Christian Brothers declined comment. A man at the Christian Brothers office in Santa Fe said he did not know Martinez. A woman who answered the telephone of a Samuel F. Martinez in Española said he was not the same man.

Taos police chief resigning

Town of Taos officials announced Monday that Police Chief Daron Syling has submitted his resignation effective Dec. 18, according to The Taos News.

Syling, who was promoted from captain to chief in 2007, said he plans to move back to his hometown of Alamogordo with his family. Syling, 38, said that he needed to make the move for his family and peace of mind.

"This is a somber day for me," Syling said. "This is something I need to do for me. It's bittersweet but it's good to be headed home."

An interim chief has not yet been named and Mayor Darren Córdova said he and Town Manager Daniel Miera would be looking into the next steps of the search process for Syling's replacement.

While the mayor chooses the chief of police, any candidate chosen will have to be ratified by the Town Council.

Bernalillo boy dies of swine flu

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico health officials say an 11-year old boy from Bernalillo County has died from the swine flu.

Authorities say the boy, who died Sunday, had a chronic medical condition that put him at higher risk for serious complications. He had been at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for three weeks before his death.

Health officials say there have been 22 deaths in New Mexico this year related to the swine flu.

People with chronic health conditions are at higher risk for developing serious complications from the swine flu virus and should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The state Department of Health has ordered 124,310 doses of nasal and injectable swine flu vaccine so far and expects to receive 1.2 million doses by the end of January.

Law center to host panel talks

The Neighborhood Law Center will host its second free Neighborhood Law & Policy Conference Thursday and Friday at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center featuring panel discussions on affordable housing, annexation and the new Green Building Code, among other issues affecting neighborhoods.

On Thursday at noon, state Supreme Court Justice Richard Bosson will discuss how municipalities can avoid the multimillion-dollar liabilities faced by the city of Albuquerque last year over due-process problems. At noon on Friday, state Court of Appeals Judge Tim Garcia talks about ensuring fair and ethical decisions by elected officials.

Forest Guild picks new director

The Forest Guild, a nationwide forestry and natural-resource organization based in Santa Fe has selected Mike DeBonis as the group's new executive director.

DeBonis has served as the guild's interim executive director since June. He was Southwest regional director for the guild for three years and holds a master's degree in forestry from Yale University and is a licensed Maine forester. DeBonis served with the Peace Corps in Jamaica.

"One of the Guild's greatest attributes is its ability to give voice to those who practice passionate forest stewardship," said DeBonis in a statement. "I am honored to be able to serve the Forest Guild and support the work of its members."

More than 700 foresters, land management professionals and other professionals are members of the Forest Guild.




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