9-30-2023 10:18pm

DPNM Leader Acknowledges Bad Behavior by Otero County Leaders

Chris Edwards Editor

The state Democratic party has again acknowledged an ongoing investigation and that the party in Otero County is shut down and there is no officially recognized Democratic Party organization in Otero County during this municipal election cycle. This statement as the local Democrat party chair and her sidekick the Candidate Screening Committee Chair engaged in social media harassment, attended a candidate forum and continue to represent that they exercise political influence as party leaders. However the state party disavows those action by stating the state party does not have an officially chartered organization in Otero County at this time.

According to the press Secretary of the State Democrat Party of New Mexico repeated in a statement Tuesday, "Currently, the Democratic Party of New Mexico does not have an operation in Otero County as there is an active investigation. While we cannot control what people do in their personal capacity outside of the organization, we believe that Democrats are most productive when they work together positively rather than tearing one another down."

With the escalation of social media bullying by local DPOC leaders under the cover of their personal pages; Sean Ward, Executive Director of Democratic Party of New Mexico highlighted issues with the leadership of Democratic Party of Otero county in a response to more bullying on social media by the main individual that caused the investigation and shut down of the local chapter…

"Here is my recommendation to Dems in Otero. Unfriend Matt’s account. Let him say what he’s going to say about you. If he calls you a domestic terrorist, or says you aid Republicans, or asks you question after question, that fine. It’s just his opinion and it is not shared by others in the party. I’m gonna practice what I preach and unfriend now. Time is better spent on doing the actual work."

"I don’t like Facebook but I find it important to state that Matt Crecelius’s social media does not reflect the views or the values of DPNM. On a personal level, I find his pattern of bullying on social media to be abhorrent and childish."

The state party feeling the impact of the negativity of the Otero County party officials has suggested all leadership go through Robert Rules of Order training before they could even consider revamping and reorganizing as a functioning chapter again. The local party leadership that is dormant was notified by state party officials that on October 5th all ward leaders and executive committee leaders attend with the following statement; ”hope is that the County Party will learn to use Robert's Rules of Order to resolve their conflicts rather than turning to physical aggression, bullying, and other bad behavior.”

The importance in that statement is an official admission by a state party leader of aggression, bullying and bad behavior coming out of the Otero County chapter of the Democratic Party organization.

Meanwhile while the leadership chair and SCC member of the local party continues to create controversy as witnessed by their disruption of a candidate forum in Cloudcroft hosted by Richard Welch.

The influence of the party leadership in question is driving toward irrelevance. Police are providing enhanced security at political events and are on alert for the antics of the DPOC leaders in question, no trespassing orders are in place at certain event hosting locations and the state party leadership now acknowledges a problem, yet without solution except to ignore the bad actors in local party leadership roles.

There is a group of independents and individuals independent of the party attempting to show leadership and coalesce around candidates with independent workshops. Additionally the League of Women’s Voters as a nonpartisan entity is hosting nonpartisan forums around the county.