APS Communications Director and Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez; or is he?

According to the APS website,
Rigo Chavez is the Director of
"Communications" and the
Community Relations Office
Director.



Rigo Chavez also claims to be APS'
Custodian of Public Records.


School Board Policy reads,

The official Custodian of Public Records for the District
will be the Student, School & Community Service Center.

My email to him, asking that he explain the apparent discrepancy, like many legitimate emails to him before, went without a response.

For as long as I can remember, it has been Chavez' job to take the truth and spin it for the community. Since spinning usually means mouthing something that stakeholders find deceptive and misleading, isn't long before a PIO of Chavez' ilk, loses credibility.

Well known local news reader, and Paula Maes close associate, Monica Armenta was brought in to shore up the works. Unfortunately, her first few attempts to spin the truth to stakeholders, were abysmal failures. Since, she has been relegated to producing very expensive calendars, link, and harassing members of the free press, link.

The school board is preparing to create a new policy, which will erase all public records of previous meetings, except for the "official" minutes (which are demonstrably inaccurate and untruthful, link).

They want to destroy the video and audio record of a policy committee meeting where in; Marty Esquivel built a compelling argument for the need for a full scale audit of the leadership of the APS, and after which, Paula Maes said, no swingin' way.

I have been trying for some time to get a copy of the recording of that meeting for some time. I am entitled to it, under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.

In response to those requests, Rigo Chavez has furnished;

1. a blank disc,
2. a disc with audio but no video,
3. a disc with video but no audio, and
4. a disc that was apparently created by video taping a television playing the original disc.

The copying of a copy is standard fare when it comes to APS surrendering public records. Everyone has seen a copy of something that was made from a copy, which was made from a copy, which was made from a copy, which was made from a copy, ...
The end result is barely intelligible, and hence, readied for surrender.

Not because I expect to be given a clean copy of the record of that meeting, but because I want to document one last time, APS' efforts to hide that meeting from public knowledge until they can arrange the opportunity to "legally" destroy the original,

I will make yet one more public records request of Rigo Chavez,
an APS senior administrator who may or may not be
APS' real Custodian of Public Records.

It will read;

To: Custodian of Public Records, Albuquerque Public Schools

From: Charles MacQuigg, ...

This constitutes a request for all recordings of the Policy Committee Meeting
of August 16, 2007

I believe that you have responded to this specific request previously;

1. once with a blank disc,
2. once with a disc with audio but no video,
3. once with a disc with video but no audio, and
4. once with what appears to be a recording of a TV playing the actual record.

I would appreciate it if you would quit fooling around and just surrender a clean record.

I would also insist that this particular record be preserved, even if the board votes to destroy all public records of meetings except the "official" minutes, just in case there is some problem with surrendering a useful copy of this meeting, as it is a record whose surrender is under ongoing dispute.

photos Mark Bralley