Now it turns out; Jon Barela is a Modrall lawyer.

link to the Journal archives, sub req

He returned to New Mexico in 1987 to practice law with
Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk and
remained with the firm until joining Intel. (1993)

Jon Barela, the designated replacement for Gordy Rowe,
is a Modrall lawyer.

Modrall is the law firm making millions of dollars off taxpayers
litigating exception to the law for APS administrators and
board members.

Litigation that has cost tax payers so much money that APS
had its insurance premiums raised as the direct result of
excessive litigation costs.

Litigation that has cost tax payers so much money that
neither the APS nor Modrall will respond to requests for
the public records that show how much it costs.

The President of the Modrall, just happens to be married
to school board head honcho, Paul Maes.

No appearance of conflict of interest there!

What this all means is;
Paula Maes Modrall, is going to install one of her Modrall
buddies on to the school board.

For more than the next four years.

Never mind the scheduled election next February.

The empty seat on the school board does not have to be filled by appointment. It should be filled by election.

The election is only a very few months distant.
Less time than it took them to fill Beth Everitt's slot
with Winston Brooks.

And now they will select a person more powerful than
a superintendent, in a few weeks at best.

There is no need to fill the seat by any manner
except by election.

There is no need to fill the seat now,
except to give the good ol' boy from Modrall
an "incumbent advantage" in the next election.

There really is no hurry to fill the seat.

It isn't like the seat has not been vacant
for quite some time already.


What do you suppose the chances are that;

the good ol' boys in the APS, and
the good ol' boys at Modrall, and
the good ol' boys in local politics, and
the good ol' boys in the media,

couldn't get together,
and put one of their good ol' boys on the school board;

to help spend a billion tax dollars a year.

Which they would do, according to the Meyners Audit;

• Without adequate polices and procedures, and
• without adequate accountability, and
• without adequate record keeping.

Promoting two subordinates that should have blown the whistle
on the mess years ago, and did not
to the positions of APS Director of Internal Audits, and
APS Chief Financial Officer.

And then simply refusing to allow an independent forensic audit.
Refusing to discuss the audit.
Refusing even to answer legitimate questions about the audit.

Paula Maes said,

"I will never allow any audit that will individually identify
any administrator, like for example, Tom Savage."

She meant it. It has never happened. Even the Meyners Audit
didn't mention a single administrators name. Not even the
ones that the Meyners auditors said were spending more
than $50,000 at a whack "... without involving purchasing."

An audit will reveal millions of tax dollars lost or stolen;
or a miracle of biblical proportion.

Paula Maes Modrall cannot survive an audit.

And now she wants to put another one of her homies on
the school board, to help cover her butt.

What could possibly go wrong?


Seriously, what could possibly go wrong?


Foot note; On Tuesday, November 25, 08
I had the occasion to sit and talk with Jon Barela.
He indicated to my that he had taken umbrage at
my use of the word homie.

I concede that my use of the word was ill advised.
I offered Jon Barela my earnest apology in person,
and in public. link