American Iron and Metal wants to build a metal recycling plant in the Rio Grande Industrial Park. The facility will be located just more than a mile from Rio Communities, and it’s got some residents upset, so upset that two of them filed an appeal of the Valencia County Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval of the company’s preliminary site plans.

On Wednesday, the company will come before the county commission to argue why the planning and zoning commission was right. Regardless of the arguments it makes, the company has already beaten the appeal — and it has nothing to do with arguments over the legitimacy of zoning or site plans.

Last week, when the county commission considered delaying this week’s public hearing on the issue, the lawyer for the plant did something smart: He chopped the commission in half.

Commissioners Pedro Rael and Don Holliday, based on their comments last week, are going to vote in favor of the metal plant. Rael’s vote is less certain, but he thinks the appellants don’t even have a right to bring the appeal. Unless the appellants can find residents who live within view of the plant to the public hearing, they’ve got no chance with Rael. Holliday on the other hand was much more blunt. He said he thinks the appellants and county are doing nothing but holding up a good business and new jobs.

Commissioner Ron Gentry, obviously, will vote against the metal plant. He’s been outspoken against it, even if he won’t admit it. He’s also the only person who owns land next to the proposed construction site. Last week, the lawyer for American Iron and Metal tried to get Gentry to recuse himself because of that fact. The lawyer might try again, but he may not even need to with the way the votes have already lined up.

Commissioner Georgia Otero-Kirkham is out of the vote. She recused herself last week on such a small thing as delaying the hearing. She essentially argued that she does, in fact, have a conflict of interest. It would be very unusual if, after recusing herself last week, she now chose to vote.

Medina didn’t speak up last week but voted against Rizzo’s request for a delayed public hearing. He might be undecided on the metal plant, the zoning, and the site plans.

The vote on the appeal takes place next week, after this week’s public hearing. The motion will likely be along the lines of accepting the appellants’ arguments, which stops the metal recycling plant from moving forward. But with the commission chopped in half, two to two, with Otero-Kirkham out and assuming Medina is in opposition to the plant, that kills the appeal by a tie.

The metal plant wins, unless the appellants or others decide to challenge it at a higher level, say, in court.

Want to know why this page isn’t updated often? Because Valencia! isn’t interested in editorializing.

This page is for reader comments and, thus far, we haven’t received too many. If you’ve got something to say, please send it in so we can get this page active.

Please email your comments and pay attention to our guidelines.

Also, we’ve been working to get two or three monthly columnists lined up. We’ll keep working on it. Want to write monthly? Let us know. Any genre works. We’d love to have a food critic who can visit restaurants around Valencia County and give us their opinion.

Valencia! published an article late last week explaining how the Valencia County Commission seriously questioned whether or not to give Sheriff Rene Rivera just over $1,000 to help in a murder investigation.

We tried to write the article in a way that showed how strange the debate was. While you’d think the county commission would quickly approve such a small amount of money for an investigation into a double homicide, in front of the public last week, the commission turned it into a full debate.

The commission, at moments and with Commissioner Georgia Otero-Kirkham as the exception, almost looked like it was prepared to deny Rivera the money he needed. They bombarded him with questions, forcing him to explain his investigation process, as if there was no trust that he — an elected official no less important — knew what he was doing.

Ken Wright, a farmer from Bosque, writes in about the conservancy district’s Monday night meeting:

The Board of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) ventured out to meet about 125 people in Belen on April 27th. “Items From The Floor” has been moved to near the start of the meeting and about ten farmers brought up the serious problems they face and gave their solutions. The seed has been planted, let’s see if the board can follow thru and solve them.

This rare out of Albuquerque meeting was suggested by Eugene Abeita, the board member that represents the district at large. Luckily the rest of the board thought it was a good idea. Thank you to the board for working together.

There will be an MRGCD election on June 2 to pick two Bernalillo County seats, and one each in Sandoval and Socorro. Any one that is a property owner in those counties between the east and west hi line ditches can vote. Tract size doesn’t matter and both owner and spouse (if named on the deed) can vote.

Monday’s meeting was positive for at least one reason: The MRGCD board listened to what farmers had to say about their land and their efforts to irrigate it. The comments weren’t positive, because farmers are having trouble getting the water they need, but the board listened.

Valencia! reported this week that the Valencia County Action Commitee (VCAC) and a related group calling itself Citizens for Change placed a new large sign calling for a four-lane Highway 47 and a bridge across the Rio Grande, between Los Chavez and Tome-Adelino.

VCAC also has been intimately involved in fighting to get the county hospital built and is responsible for the pro-hospital signs around the county.

What VCAC managed to do this week with its new push for the four-lane Highway 47 and bridge is shift the hospital debate away from an argument for healthcare to a debate over development.

It’s the worst decision the pro-hospital movement could have made, because now the hospital opposition is reframing the debate. Up to this point, the pro-hospital movement, which includes VCAC, has successfully painted the plaintiffs who filed the hospital lawsuit and their supporters as anti-hospital and, by implication, anti-healthcare. But the debate was reframed this week, with the anti-hospital locals transforming themselves into a pro-agriculture movement, with the help of the ill-conceived four-lane and bridge attack on the historic community of Tome-Adelino.

Should this new pro-agriculture movement stick with its message and target that message to the agricultural communities, they could successfully sway more public opinion against the hospital.

Public opinion might not matter so much soon, however. The New Mexico Court of Appeals is “ready” to schedule and hear the county hospital appeal.

Commission Chairman Pedro Rael verbally attacked local journalist Julia M. Dendinger last week. The Valencia County News-Bulletin reported it this week. The commission called an emergency meeting and Rael got a bit testy:

“I want to verify that this is truly an emergency because Ms. Dendinger with the News-Bulletin turns us into the AG’s office every chance she gets,” Commissioner Pedro Rael said. “I am also requesting that another reporter cover these meetings since she brings an atmosphere of hostility to the meetings.”

It’s sad to see Rael do that at a public meeting. Elected officials shouldn’t be attacking journalists, who are the purveyors of information in a free society. Journalists are also tasked with holding officials accountable by asking questions, which is what the News-Bulletin has done when asking the New Mexico Attorney General questions about the legality of county actions.

The News-Bulletin has shown courage by publishing Rael’s accusation — “atmosphere of hostility” — in the paper. It must have the courage to continue publishing everything that happens at county commission meetings.

Keep up the good work, and don’t let them hold you back. Elected officials try to intimidate to keep the truth from being reported, and it’s sad to see it happening in Valencia County.

Sen. Michael Sanchez is now getting kicked for his vote on domestic partnerships.

If Sen. Michael Sanchez is seriously thinking about running for governor, as some locals are chattering about, why’s he letting himself get kicked around on SB649 and talked down on Joe Monahan’s blog?

Monahan said of potential gubernatorial candidates, including Attorney General Gary King:

If King doesn’t run and actor Val Kilmer demurs, who else will go? Insiders say Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez does not seem as probable a candidate as a few months ago.

While there will be some detractors, Valencia County would be thrilled to have a local as governor. It’s time for Sanchez to work an offensive, if he’s inclined to run.