The Truth or Consequences City Commission Rules of Procedure are a specific set of

legal guidelines governing the conduct of City Commission meetings.

On November 10, 2009, an attempt was made to pass a resolution which would have
authorized City Commissioners to censor public comments on agenda items. That
resolution failed to pass, and even Mayor Montgomery admitted so at the time.

On November 24, 2009, City Commissioners Renfro, Torres, and Stagner denied
multiple requests to address agenda items by citizens in attendance.

Without a resolution legally authorizing such suppression of free speech, and with law
enforcement officers present to arrest any who might question this blatant violation of
legal guidelines, these three City Commissioners arrogantly continued to operate the City
Commission meeting in defiance of their own Rules of Procedure and the New Mexico
State Open Meetings Act.

The Rules of Procedure require a resolution in order to create “a formal statement of

policy.” By changing the policy regarding public comments without a resolution, the City
Commissioners have broken the law.

Those who have attempted to point out this violation of the Rules of Procedure are the
very citizens denied the opportunity to offer public commentary. A political vendetta
launched against any who would point out violations of law by the City Commissioners,
is in essence, an attempt to silence everyone.

Truth or Consequences City Commissioners and City Attorney Jay Rubin are now
seeking to amend the Rules of Procedure that they have ignored thus far. Choosing to
abide by the same rules that they helped to create would be a much more appropriate
course of action to take.

The State Attorney has already reprimanded the City Commission for violations of
procedure in 2007 and 2008. How many more times will these bold affronts to the rights
of the citizens continue to be tolerated by our elected representatives in Santa Fe?

Bradley Grower
811 East Third Avenue #14
Truth or Consequences, NM
(575) 952-0162