By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
KRTN sat down with Raton City Manager Rick Mestas Friday afternoon to go over the past two years and look forward to his third year as city manager here in Raton.
Mestas noted it has been a quick two years and as he noted after many years of federal government work and leadership eh thought coming back to Raton and being city manager would be easy. Not, It turns out that being city manager in this close knit and active community has been anything but simple. He noted the city staff has been one of the best as they work through a $7.3 million budget serving just over 6000 people in the community.
Mestas heartedly thanked Michael Anne Antouncci and Jason Phillips for the efforts they put into their jobs feeling they are a couple of the best in the state. Mestas noted that prioritizing funding among the many projects that need to be completed in Raton has been a tough job. Building demolition has been one of those that many residents feel is past due but getting funding for such projects takes time and shows that government does work slowly. He went on to say that no matter how big or small an issue is it seems to have a ripple effect that causes a chain reaction that with limited resources means every decision choice carries extra weight.
He touched on the subject of some of the signs around town and social media comments in Raton noting that he is the city manager he gets blamed for many of the things that go wrong. But as often happens many of the accusations come from misinformation especially with social media as well as persons making comments without knowing the full story or being misinformed. Mestas noted he is responsible for protecting the assets of the city and he is confident that he is operating in good faith based on what he believes to be both a legal and ethical course of action. He recognizes that reasonable people can disagree on complex issues, and he respects the others’ views.
Mestas told KRTN that he grew up here in the west being born in Raton and living in Aguilar and Trinidad before joining the military. He knows Raton’s water is one of our great resources and has been surprised at how many people have their eyes on our water. “God blessed the former city leaders who had the foresight to aggregate abundant water resource and protect our watershed for future generations” The city staff keeps their ears to the ground to help protect our water sources.
Being more visible in Santa Fe and Washington are beginning to pay off keeping Raton in the forefront when money might become available. The city is currently managing $20 million in grants from several sources covering several projects. The city is working on projects at the city parks notably Romero Park where a pump track will be built for skateboarders, stunt bicyclist and continued improvements to ball fields. Demolition of abandoned buildings will continue with the next building to go being the Spanish Bungalow on South Second.
The big white board in Mestas’ office is home to projects, requests and a plethora of other things. It’s a way for Mestas to keep track of things and to allow folks a chance to see the many things that are going on in the city. Mestas noted that he is more than happy to visit with folks and explain the how and whys some things have to be done the way they get done. City government doesn’t always work how citizens want it to due to state or federal regulations and funding restrictions. The city has a finite budget to work with and as Mestas noted they are stretching every dollar as far as they can.
The full video interview can be seen below on Youtube.
