A Message from Mayor Susan Payne on the City's Non-partisan Policy

A message from the Mayor of Alamogordo; Mayor Susan Payne:

"In light of recent attention brought to the City’s long-standing non-partisan event policy, I want to take a moment to clarify a few points and share how we’re moving forward.

This policy has been in place for many years and has spanned several city managers, mayors and commissioners. It is important to mention that city sponsored events are not a requirement but we are excited to provide them as an opportunity for our vendors and for the enjoyment of our community. That said, our events often see several thousand citizens yet are coordinated by just a few staff members and manned with the assistance of community volunteers.

While enforcement has not always been consistent, due to a number of factors including those just mentioned, it has remained a guiding principle for how we manage our public events.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with several residents who took the time to engage in respectful and constructive conversations. As expected, opinions vary: some citizens feel there should be no political booths at all, including voter registration booths; others are indifferent; and some believe everyone should be allowed to participate. As mayor, I represent all of our citizens, and when concerns arise, I always want to work to identify whether a middle ground can be found.

To that end, I’ve asked the city manager and city attorney to review the current policy. As with all our policies, our leadership team regularly revisits what is currently being followed to ensure they reflect evolving best practices, and community expectations, while remaining compliant with shifting state and federal laws. As part of this review, staff are also reaching out to other municipalities to gather insight and guidance.

Our goal for city-hosted events has always been to create a welcoming, family-friendly environment focused on fun and community. I believe we can reach a middle ground soon that reflects our varied concerns.

This process is a perfect example of how things get done, even at the local level. Reasonable people can disagree, and when they do so respectfully, real progress can be made.

On the other hand, aggressive emails, public attacks, or attempts to pressure or intimidate staff are not a way forward. In fact, those tactics often do more harm than good and may ultimately cause the opposite effect. Unfortunately, as a result of one such recent attack, some events may be canceled, scaled back, or changed to limit outside vendor participation until we can establish a written policy that reflects the goals mentioned. This is not because of disagreement, but because of the strain placed on our small, dedicated staff whose only focus should be executing successful events.

I remain confident in both our dedicated staff and the citizens we serve to find a solution. While I understand some of the frustration behind recent verbal attacks on the city, I believe we are better than that.

The city will continue to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we will always strive to host events that reflect the values and needs of all our residents, not just the loudest voices in the room. Thank you to those who sought to be engaged in respectful dialogue. Let’s keep working together for the good of our entire community."

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