July 20, 2026
Letter to the Editor | KRTN.
Twenty Years of Residence Does Not Erase Generations of Raton History.
Pat Walsh’s response to my editorial confirms that she cares deeply about Raton. I do
not question her sincerity, her right to speak or her more than 20 years of residency. She
chose Raton, served the region and stayed. I respect that.
But she mischaracterizes both my argument and my relationship with the community that
raised me.
Ms. Walsh moved to Raton in 2005 at age 49. By her own account, it was the latest in a
lifetime of moves and the beginning of her second career.
I was born into Raton’s history. I grew up there, attended its schools and worked at La Mesa Park when the racetrack helped drive the summer economy. I remember the miners, merchants, families and
businesses that gave Raton its identity. I knew the town before its major economic
anchors disappeared, and I have watched the consequences of those losses unfold over
decades.
There is a difference between living in Raton for 20 years and living and breathing the
Raton that existed before its economic foundations disappeared. That is not an insult. It is history.
Ms. Walsh claims she has probably lived in Raton longer than I did because I left after
high school. Perhaps she has accumulated more years of continuous residency. But
counting years at a current address does not tell the full story of who knows Raton, who
has lived its history or whose family helped build the community.
My connection to Raton did not begin with me—and it did not end when I graduated in
1979. My family’s roots reach back to the coal-mining communities of Northern New Mexico.
My maternal grandfather, Steve Segotta, was born in Dawson in 1916. My mother,
Barbara “Bobbi” Segotta Aldaz, was born in the Brilliant coal camp in 1941 and raised in
Raton. My grandparents and great-grandparents were part of the generation of mining
families who made their way from Northern New Mexico’s coal camps to Raton.
Beginning in 1954, my grandfather served Raton as Justice of the Peace—also known
locally as the Police Judge. He administered justice and performed marriages for the
people of the community. His service was not symbolic. He was part of Raton’s civic life
and public history. My family’s contribution was also economic. My great-uncle Frank Segotta operated a successful barbershop in Raton for decades. My father-in-law, Pete Tarufelli, was a small-
business entrepreneur in Raton for several decades. My cousin Jim Segotta owned and
operated the familiar Exxon station for decades, serving generations of residents and
travelers.
Another great-uncle, Clyde Williston, was more than a portrait photographer. He became
one of Raton’s important visual historians of the mid-20th century.
Clyde operated Williston Studio at 110 South Second Street. His photographs were
reproduced as commercial postcards depicting downtown Raton, Raton Pass, the El
Portal Hotel and Goat Hill, local highways, businesses, trains, bridges and regional
attractions. His work preserved the commercial, transportation and tourism history of the
community during the 1950s and into the 1960s.
In 1958, Clyde conducted the first promotional photography session for The Fireballs,
Raton’s nationally successful rock-and-roll group. He photographed George Tomsco,
Stan Lark, Eric Budd, Chuck Tharp and Danny Trammell shortly after they adopted the
name “The Fireballs” at the Raton High School PTA talent contest—and before their first
national record was released.
Through those photographs, Clyde helped preserve a moment when young musicians
from Raton were preparing to carry the community’s name onto the national stage.
His surviving photographs and postcards are not simply family keepsakes. They form an
important visual record of the Raton Ms. Walsh never experienced firsthand—the streets,
businesses, landmarks, transportation corridors and popular culture of a community with
economic energy and momentum. Clyde was married to my great-aunt Mary Segotta
Williston, connecting his work and legacy directly to our family’s Raton history.
These family members did not merely occupy houses in Raton. They worked there,
served there, raised families there, operated businesses there and documented its
history. They were public servants, barbers, entrepreneurs, business owners and visual
historians. Their livelihoods and legacies were tied directly to Raton’s people and
economy.
That is not nostalgia. That is lived heritage.
My parents remained in Raton until 2003, and I returned frequently to visit them. My
spouse’s family still lives there, and our frequent visits throughout the past 20 years have
kept us closely connected to Raton, its people and its changing realities.
So, the suggestion that I left 47 years ago and have somehow been absent from Raton
ever since is not only misleading—it is false.
I have not viewed Raton through a rearview mirror. I have watched its transformation
across generations through my parents, my spouse’s family, lifelong friends and the
people who still call it home.
I left in 1979 because I earned an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy—
not because I rejected my hometown. That opportunity led to a career of military service,
education, leadership and economic development. I later attempted to return and serve
as principal of Raton High School, but local leadership chose not to pursue the licensure
waiver needed to make that possible.
Geography has never erased my roots or my concern for Raton’s future.
Ms. Walsh knows the Raton she discovered in 2005. My family lived, served,
photographed and helped build the Raton that came before it—and we experienced what
was lost.
She has more than 20 years of residency. My family has generations of service, enterprise
and history.
Her description of Raton’s present-day assets is appealing cool summer nights, clean air,
Sugarite Canyon, walking trails, an aquatic center, coffee shops, vintage stores, a brew
pub and electric-vehicle chargers. These are worthy amenities. They improve quality of
life and should be protected.
But amenities are not an economic strategy.
A walking trail does not replace hundreds of mining jobs. A coffee shop does not restore
the economic activity generated by La Mesa Park. An aquatic center does not reverse
decades of population loss. New residents purchasing affordable homes may contribute
to the community, but they do not necessarily create the wages, careers and tax base
that allow young families to remain in Raton.
A town can be peaceful, beautiful and affordable while still experiencing economic
decline. In fact, housing often remains inexpensive precisely because population and
economic demand are weak.
Ms. Walsh also suggests that I objected to the opposition because its members built their
résumés elsewhere. That misses the point. I acknowledged that their concerns were
sincere and deserved to be heard.
My concern is that people who arrived after Raton’s major economic losses may see
today’s quieter community as something to preserve, while families who experienced
what was lost understand how much still needs to be rebuilt.
There is an important distinction between protecting Raton’s resources and protecting
Raton from change.
No one is arguing that Atterix—or any company—should receive unlimited water,
subsidized electricity, unchecked tax benefits or permission to create unacceptable noise.
Those issues must be studied. Enforceable protections must be written into any
agreement. The company should be required to provide verifiable information about water
consumption, electrical demand, noise, backup generation, environmental risks, tax
contributions and permanent employment.
But Ms. Walsh moves from legitimate questions to conclusions before the feasibility
process is complete. She warns that Raton could be left with obsolete equipment,
chemical leaks, excessive noise and higher utility bills. Those are potential risks to
investigate—not established facts about this particular proposal.
That is precisely why I argued for completing the study, establishing ordinances,
negotiating from a position of strength and then making an informed decision.
Research should not consist only of collecting examples of projects that went wrong. It
should also examine communities that negotiated strong agreements, protected their
utilities and gained productive investment. Real research tests both the risks and the
potential benefits.
Ms. Walsh supports pursuing a casino because she believes it could generate hotels,
restaurants and service businesses. She is entitled to that position. But it is inconsistent
to ask the community to explore one major development proposal while portraying
another as too dangerous to study.
Both would bring potential benefits, risks and consequences. Both deserve scrutiny based
on facts and enforceable terms—not personal preference or fear.
My editorial never argued that Raton should say yes at any cost. I argued that Raton
cannot afford to say no before it knows what is actually being offered, what the community
could gain and what protections can be required.
I respect Ms. Walsh’s residency and service. That gives her a voice. But it does not give
her greater ownership of Raton’s story than those of us who were raised there, whose
families helped build it, who maintain deep family ties there and who watched its economic
foundations disappear.
There is room for both voices. But there is no credible basis for dismissing mine as that
of a detached “former resident.”
Raton’s natural beauty is priceless. So is the dignity of a steady paycheck. So is the ability
of a young person to build a career without leaving home. So is a tax base capable of
supporting public services and preserving the very quality of life Ms. Walsh wants to
protect.
The choice is not between economic development and protecting Raton. Responsible
leadership must do both.
Complete the feasibility study. Demand the facts. Establish strict protections. Require
Atterix to prove its claims. Negotiate real and measurable benefits for the community.
Then make the decision. Protect Raton’s water. Protect its residents. Protect its future.
But do not confuse preserving what remains with rebuilding what has been lost.
I may no longer have a Raton address, but Raton is still part of my identity—and my
family’s fingerprints remain throughout its history.
Joey Aldaz
Raton High School Class of 1979
Retired Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force
President & CEO, Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber & Education Foundation
President, Aldaz Ventures
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