By Rodd Cayton, The Route 66 Independent — As sparks fly at town commission meetings, organizers of an effort to disincorporate Edgewood are moving toward their signature goal. Former Mayor John Abrams, a member of the Reboot Edgewood campaign, told the Route 66 Independent a petition that would start the process has more than 400 signatures — almost one-third of the 1,264 needed for Santa Fe County commissioners to put the matter on the ballot — mainly through word-of-mouth. The Route 66 Independent first reported on the campaign in May.
Another 110 people have given organizers their contact information, indicating some interest in signing, he said. Abrams said he’d like to bring at least 1,500 signatures to the county, to ensure there are enough to sustain an examination prior to certification. Reboot Edgewood’s Linda Holle, a former town councilor, said the most recent town commission meeting, at which Commissioner Stephen Murillo walked out to the tune of residents calling for members to resign as revelations came out regarding the possible collapse of an agreement with the county to keep fire service in the town, has likely given the disincorporation push some momentum. “We got more than 30 signatures that night,” she said. Abrams was out of town Friday and could not provide an updated signature count, but Holle said the group’s website should be up soon.
Anyone interested in signing the petition may contact Abrams at 505-293-610-606 or stop by JUNO Brewery, Old Mill Edgewood or From the Ashes Comes Amoré. Reboot Edgewood alleges that incorporation in 1999 might have been a mistake and that questions of financial mismanagement and the looming threat of the loss of fire service are showing that the town has outlived its usefulness.
Under Chapter 3, Article 4 of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, a disincorporation petition goes to the local county commission. Once it is certified to contain the signatures of one-fourth of the town’s voters, commissioners must adopt an election resolution within 14 days. If a majority favors disincorporation on Election Day, the county takes over local government functions after the municipality makes plans to pay off existing debt.
Though annexations have extended the town into Bernalillo and Torrance Counties, the petition will go through Santa Fe County, where most of Edgewood’s population resides. The signatures have no expiration date, but Abrams said he’d like to see the question on the November ballot. Margaret E. Gouws, Santa Fe County’s voter outreach coordinator, said Aug. 25 is the last day for local governments to submit ballot questions.