Transparency verses Innuendo: Karl Melton's Desperate Plea for Otero Voters Attention in the Race Against Rachel Black for Treasurer

Desperation - a state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behavior. Desperate- feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with, tried in despair, or when everything else has failed; having little hope of success as in with a political campaign.

Outflank -a move around the side of an enemy so as to outmaneuver them, outwit to outflank the opposition.

In the campaign for the treasurer of Otero County New Mexico there are two candidates: Karl Melton who's campaign is displaying the very signs, as a perfect example of the definition of desperation; and Rachael Black, who is running a campaign of transparency, and as such is showing a campaign that is outflanking and outwitting, Karl Melton via transparency and experience.

Many Republican voters received in the mail on Friday, a flyer that was mailed out by the "Pinon Pac." The "pinon pac" is a political action committee of which Karl Melton's domestic partner, John Block is the treasurer. Via a filing with the Secretary of State, it shows contributions of $5,500 of which $5,500 flowed from the campaign coffers of "John for New Mexico" and another "inkind" contribution from John Block himself. John for New Mexico is showing it is sitting on $15,824 in cash, It's biggest and most recent expense, was a donation of $5500 to the Pinon Pac which sent out a flyer attacking Karl Meltons opponents.

The "pinon pac" is a political action committee of which Karl Melton's domestic partner, John Block is the treasurerPhoto byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

It appears, when one digs deeper into the expenses of John Block's campaign committee that his campaign donors are sponsoring the campaign of Karl Melton; but through John Blocks campaign. One wonders, if Blocks donors are aware they are funding the two campaigns for John Block's domestic partner and to the tune of thousands of dollars?

For example in the campaign of which Karl Melton lost, the race to Democrat Warren Robinson for City Commission, John Block's campaign funded Melton's campaign signs and flyers...

John Block Campaign bankrolling the campaign of his domestic partner Karl MeltonPhoto byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

John Block bankrolled the campaign for city commission for Karl Melton that he lost with his state rep for Block campaignPhoto byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

John Block financed the hit piece against Rachel Black that was mailed by Pinon Pac on behalf of Karl Melton- dirty politics.Photo byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

And, now more recently, the Block campaign funded, a hit piece, that was sent out under the political action committee, of which Block is treasurer. Blocks $5500 donation funded the mailer, in an effort to help his domestic partner Karl Melton. It attacked Rachel Black and the seated Treasurer Laura Whiteside.

Mailer attacking Black was paid for by John Block the domestic partner of Karl Melton and Representative of NM District 51.Photo byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

The law says that political action committees are supposed to be independent of the candidate and no coordination is to occur. However, when the treasurer John Block who is the main contributor of a PAC, sleeps with the candidate as their LBGTQ+ domestic partner, Karl Melton, one has to wonder how coordination and collaboration is not occuring?

The Pinon Pac is a political action committee, which went on a desperate attack, in an attempt to defame, candidate and 16 year veteran of the treasurers office; Rachel Black ,and the seated Otero County Treasurer; Laura Whiteside, who is termed out of elective office this year.

Mrs. Black has outflanked and outwitted the duplicit duo of Karl Melton and John Block by showing transparency on her website: https://rachelforotero.com/ about her experience, the solid performance of the treasurer's office, her 16 years of experience, and TRANSPARENCY on how she would staff the treasurer's office with an assistant, if she were elected.

If one visits Mrs. Black's website, one sees tabs that list her experience, endorsements, beliefs, conservatism and a tab that is titled "Addressing Misinformation." The website was launched and has been active for several weeks for the campaign.

It would appear that Mrs. Black is being transparent and was pre-emptive in addressing topics of which she felt the Melton/Block duo would attack her or try to sway the public with disinformation.

Mrs. Black outflanks and outwits the Block/Melton duo, as transparently she takes on the topics of term limits in the treasurers office of the elected top job, and of how she would staff the office with her assistant; head on and transparently!

Term Limit Concerns The Truth:

Candidate Rachel Black: "I am in favor of term limits! My opponent however, feels that administrators that trade positions, when one has reached their term limit is breaking the spirit of thought our forefathers had when writing the NM State Constitution. If that was the case they would have included a phrase forbidding it when writing the law. The answer is simply that trading positions at the limit of one official's term has nothing to do with the fact that their position has ended.

If an official has worked successfully with his/her political appointee (Chief Deputy), the office does not have to lose the successes achieved. The experience gained and the reputation of the office continues. If voters do not like the way the office has been run, they vote for someone new. If they do like the way the office has been run, then they vote for experience which is the best test for what will continue in the office."

Hiring "Friends" as Chief Deputies The Truth:

Candidate Rachel Black: "Laura Whiteside, the current County Treasurer, and I both began working in the Treasurer's Office 16 years ago in 2007 and we did not know each other previously. We learned every aspect of the office and eventually began being promoted. Laura Whiteside ran for office in 2016 and took office in 2017. She appointed me as Chief Deputy because she trusted me. She had worked with me for 10 years at this point and we shared work ethic and she could trust that I was properly trained and capable of the position. No official interview is needed when you are familiar with someone's work. A political appointee is not an employee and does not fall under the personnel policy of the County.

Likewise, I cannot think of a more qualified Chief Deputy Treasurer than the one who has been doing the job for the last 16 years, Laura Whiteside. There will not be an interview process because the only two people in Otero County that may be more qualified, Grace Gonzalez and Cathe Prather are retired and not interested in the position."

Though Black has been transparent in her 16 years of experience with the Otero County, New Mexico treasurer's office and of how she would staff the office, if she were elected. The duo of Melton/Black are attempting to paint Mrs. Black and Mrs. Whiteside with a paintbrush of dubious behaviours of which are untrue and based on fear mongering and innuendos.

The public was warned that Karl Melton and his partner John Block would turn this campaign for Otero County treasurer into a campaign that may get ugly and negative.

Mr. Melton began the campaign with innuendos and negativity in an attack on Mrs. Black at an early Republican "meet the candidate forum" of which AlamogordoTownNews.com reported previously in a story titled, Otero County Treasurer's Office Race Political Theater verses Experience.

Thus, when Republicans opened their mailboxes and found a flyer that makes innuendos about a dubious plot by Mrs. Black for the position of treasurer, a few Republicans we spoke to yawned, and said they were not surprised by the dirty Block Melton playbook.

The flyer paid for by Melton's partner John Block under a dubious pac name "pinon pac," thus hiding who actually paid for it, was mailed out and claimed that there is a crooked agreement for Whiteside to remain in the treasurer's office as an assistant to Mrs. Black.

What the flyer doesn't tell the public is that Mrs. Whiteside was a civil servant for many years prior in working for the treasurer's office just as Mrs. Black is a civil servant working in the treasurer's office today.

The head position of county treasurer is a constitutionally mandated elective officer per the New Mexico state constitution and is limited to two terms. The deputies and below are civil servants. Civil servants are hired based upon their qualifications and their merits to perform the job. There is nothing dubious, nor illegal, if Mrs. Black, were to offer the deputy position to Mrs. Whiteside. Mrs. Whiteside is well qualified and knows the office well, as having worked in it for almost 2 decades.

There is precedent for a decision for an elected official upon being termed out or defeated to return to a department as a civil servant, in New Mexico. In one case a sheriff was defeated by a friend in a friendly county sheriff's race. The defeated sheriff continued with the sheriff's department as a deputy to the newly elected sheriff and they continued in that relationship for 8 years providing a depth of experience not often found in small rural counties.

Attack piece funded by John Block under the name Pinon Pac against candidate Rachel Black funded by the John Block campaignPhoto byAlamogordoTownNews.com KALHRadio.org

The flyer that was mailed by John Block on behalf of Karl Melton and uses Blocks typical talking points. As typical he is accusing Republicans' Whiteside and Black, of using "the radical left's tactics." John Block and Karl Melton use the terminology of "leftist tactics" accusing anyone that gets in the way of their personal agenda. They have no real playbook of success, and always fall back upon their talking points that an opponent is a co-conspirator of the "radical left" or facilitating an agenda with the tactics of the radical left.

Opinion:

This whole charade perpetuated by John Block and Karl Melton screams of desperation, and is an admission that Karl Melton is polling poorly and is running a losing campaign. Candidates such as Karl Melton go negative when they are desperate or losing!

Black has experience and Melton has no experience in public financial management and has no identity of his own without running under the shadow of John Block.

He has no identity and accomplished nothing during his short appointed tenure as a Alamogordo City Commissioner. He did not sponsor nor pass a single piece of legislation that had the power of law and that benefited the constituents of Alamogordo.

His identity, ethics and integrity are further questioned and erroded when one sees his campaigns are heavily financially dependent upon his domestic partner John Block's donors, with the money trail showing money funneled from the Block campaign into two Melton campaigns.

If it were not for Melton attempting to ride the coattails of John Block's radicalism, he would have no identity and apparenlty would be struggling for campaign funding as well. Neither Block nor Melton has actually accomplished passing a single piece of meaningful legislation nor performed in a meaningful manner at anything during their political careers, as the novice politicians they are.

Candidates such as Karl Melton, without experience, go significantly more negative than those with experience or incumbents. The reasons for the experienced candidate can refer to their political record, making it much easier for them to run positive campaigns highlighting the achievements of their term, as Rachel Black is doing.

Challengers such as Karl Melton, usually do not have a record to showcase, and he does not. They, therefore, have to compensate for their lower media visibility and their inadequacies or defects as a candidate by providing negative theories in a mode of attack.

Karl Melton, does not have an office to lose and is riding on the coattails of John Block, since he has no personal identity. Melton seems willing to accept the potential backlash of the negative flyer that John Block funded and mailed out dubiously under the name Pinon Pac. That is not a position of integrity and integrity is what is needed when managing millions of dollars of county funds.

Melton's low popularity and lack experience with campaign funding being funneled by the John Block's campaign raises questions of integrity and feels, just plain dirty.

Alamogordo and Otero County is better than this. The Republican Party of Otero County should be better than this. The party should sanction Mr. Block and Mr. Melton for these dirty games and dubious innuendos against one of their own!

Mrs. Black is running a clean campaign based upon her years of experience in county finance and as a deputy treasurer the most recent 7 years of her 16 year tenure in the treasurer's office. She has been transparent on her plans and of who she is.

The position of county treasurer is not political as it has no authority to drive political policy.

The position is strictly about collection of taxes, ensuring county payables are in check, distributing state and federal funds via the office to applicable projects and investing county reserves. For that position we want someone with experience in public finance. Rachel Black is the obvious choice!

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