Mountainair Town Council appoints new EMS Director

On December 5, 2023, the Mountainair Town Council conducted a regular meeting, during which it appointed Josh Lewis as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) director. The Town Council had previously appointed Betty Nelson as EMS director, but she resigned. In a unanimous three-person vote (Mayor Pro Tem Gayle Jones recused herself because of her role in the town's EMS program), the Town Council approved Lewis as the new EMS director.

During the comments by Public Works Director Carl Archuleta, Jr., Archuleta and Mayor Peter Nieto discussed how someone was shoving materials into the wastewater system to cause clogs. Nieto said, "You can't mess with the water system or sewer system, things like that. That is... you can go to jail for like a really long time - prison for like a really long time. So we just want to remind the public, if you guys see anything or hear anything, make sure just to let people know that they cannot be putting stuff in there. And when I say things that are like not regular, I'm talking like police caution tape, like I mean that's not going to go down a toilet, VCR tape that's not going to go down a toilet, things like that."

Archuleta confirmed to Mayor Pro Tem Gayle Jones that the blockage was located on West Acoma Street. Mayor Nieto reiterated that tampering with the wastewater system was a crime and said the town had an idea of who was responsible.

Finally, Mayor Nieto stated that the town was having a Christmas parade at 5:30 PM on December 21, 2023, which would be followed by festivities at the Dr. Saul Community Center. The mayor said the town had planned a New Year's Eve Dance from 7:00 PM to 12:30 AM beginning Sunday, December 31, 2023.