Another APS senior administrator off to the dark side.

For reasons immaterial to the post, I found myself having volunteered to do research on "citizens advisory councils" and the Albuquerque Public Schools.

My research began on APS' award winning website.
I searched for "citizens advisory councils" as received a short list of diddlysquat, link.

The next place I tried was is APS" Student, School, and Community Service Center, link. Figure me;

these guys must know something about
citizens advisory councils!

I sent an email to APS' Director of the Student, School and Community Service Center Toby Herrera. Some may think it is presumptuous to start at the top rather than following the chain of command. Trust me, it would have ended up on his virtual desk eventually; I saved you time and money.

I say I sent an email to him. Actually I sent three emails, the first two on this subject were not afforded the courtesy of neither a response nor acknowledgement.

Instead of just telling me the name of the public servant that can carry on an informed discussion on citizens advisory councils, he wrote this instead;

Hi Ched,

Our office does not deal with that issue. You will need to run your request by the APS Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez chavez_ri@aps.edu, to see if any information is available for public review. I will forward your message to him as well.

Toby H. Herrera

Hi Toby,
Been there; done that.


Now I don't hold this against Toby personally;
he's just following orders. I asked him, whose?

This is not actually a request for public records. It is a request for the identity of someone who knows the history of APS Citizens Advisory Committees; someone with whom I can have a discussion rather than an exchange of legal documents.

I wrote to your office because you call it a Community Service Center, and because I am a community member in need of service. It seemed logical to begin my search though your office, again Community Service and all. Tell me please, what department oversees community advisory councils.

Honestly, I am disappointed in your lack of co-operation.

To whom do you report?

I don't want to talk to Custodian of Public Records Rigo Chavez. He will make it a "records request" so he can make me come to his office to inspect and copy them. "It is not my practice" he said, to email anything.







When I walk into his office, I will be in a suite of offices including the office of Executive Director of Communications Monica Armenta. She will report that I am in "her office everyday" yet again and, stalking her, link.







There is every reason to believe that if I show up at Rigo's office, even at his (unreasonable and unjustifiable) demand, a small contingent of APS Police Officers of significant rank, but not including Chief Steve Tellez who knows better than to dirty his own hands, will show up to try to provoke some kind of confrontation.

Tellez is a co-signer on Marty Esquivel's illegal restraining order, link, banning my dissent at school board meetings.

You can see, I hope, why I don't want to make this a "public records request" that involves Rigo Chavez.

And how disappointed I am that there is no one in the entire leadership of the APS who wants to have an open and honest discussion about citizens advisory councils.




photos Mark Bralley