[Editor's Note: This is a continuation of a multi-part series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session of Feb. 19, and regular meeting on Feb. 21. It will include more of the four hours of public input but will require additional articles.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

In the continuation of the Grant County Commission regular meeting held on Feb. 21, 2019, Glenn Griffin said to the audience: "What you did to that woman was just wrong," referring to the booing and heckling of a previous speaker, Luanne Brooten, which can be read at http://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/49586-grant-county-commission-regular-session-022119-part-6-more-public-input 

"I'm here unpaid," Griffin continued. "Freeport has a bill of $280 million of property tax not paid since 1990. The benevolent mines will pay you to clean up the water. I worked at the mine. You could put your keys in the water, and they would be copper-plated within 24 hours. I was a union member. The toxic heavy metal contamination will lower property values near Copper Creek. When the mine shifted to ad valorem taxes it reduced their taxes to $2 million. The mines should get a way to pay their fair share of the property tax."

Sean Ormand said he is a lifelong resident of Grant County from a number of generations. "I saw these proposals and I thank the commissioners for allowing us to speak. It's regulation creep. You think they're not too bad, but they add up. I'm a community banker. Regulation creep is killing my industry. The lawmakers don't think of the unintended consequences. New Mexico in 1950 had the same population as Arizona. But Arizona made its state more business-friendly. New Mexico now has 2 million people and Arizona has 7 million, with 2 million in the Phoenix Valley alone. This is my home, but I want New Mexico to take the same approach as Arizona did to attract businesses. These laws on mining are overreach. Tremendous sums of hours and dollars are spent by the mines to fulfill the regulations they have now. We used to be able to say a simple yes to complying with regulations. Now, it's a major process. It is no longer a matter of trust. The mines have been a good corporate citizen. If we lose the mines, we're all done. As for the second amendment issue. These laws are not taking our rights away, they are just infringing on them. Another example of regulation creep."

Audie Brown said he comes with a heavy heart. "I thought of my home that I had left. When I heard of the turmoil at the school district I attended, I chose to come back to be a small part of the solution. Silver Schools is turning corners. Silver is a fantastic school system. We are trying to help our children to attend college, but also to give them the option of going the vo tech route. Whether they go to college, the military or into a job, we want to prepare them. We are working with the community right now in dialogue to prepare the students for whatever route they wish to take. It is thanks to Freeport that we have the funding to develop this program. The loss of Freeport would greatly impact the Silver Schools, as well as Cobre. We're working hard to keep kids here. If they leave, it would be by choice. I pray you open your minds to what you're hearing. There is no more beautiful place to live than Grant County. Please vote against HB 220 and HB 255. I suggest you all go up to Santa Fe," he said to the audience, "and make your voices heard. Please do your part to make sure your voices are heard not just here in the county, but also in Santa Fe." He also spoke to the issue of abortion. "Putting coyotes over children is simply wrong. Babies are children, human beings, from the time of conception."

Sally Smith said she was disturbed by the false information that the bills will close the mines. "I think it's shameful. I've lived in Grant County for 40 years, 25 of which I have been following the mines. I am a co-founder of Gila Resources Information Project. I worked on the Copper Rule. We are trying to remediate 25 square miles of contamination by the mining process. Why do I stand here? I want all our grandchildren to have clean water and clean air. Every corporation needs a watchdog. We are that watchdog to make sure mining is done responsibly. The mines will close when the ore body is done or is no longer economically feasible. It's sad to see fear-mongering on rules that will protect your children's future. If you pour acid on unlined piles, it will creep into the water. This issue has been coupled with the Second Amendment Sanctuary City. It will put a strain on the county. We need tourism to continue to thrive. We need to tamp down fear and have an earnest communication with each other."

Joe Shepard came forward. "You have tough issues in front of you. There are more people here than at a Mustang football game. I thank every veteran for fighting for our rights that allow us to speak. I grew up in San Miguel, Arizona. It no longer has a mine. These bills are like putting a frog in water. When you turn up the heat, the frog doesn't jump out, it just slowly dies. I have a passion for the Gila. I'm here by choice. We need balance, and we need to do it in conjunction with Freeport. We need to stop the mission creep with regulations. I ask you to support the resolutions that oppose HB 220 and HB 255."

Ashley White said she is the small business owner of a micro-dairy, the only one approved in New Mexico. "I'm a small farmer, which is possible only because my husband has a job at the mine. I'm doing this for the community. I'm an R.N., but I resigned. My husband makes more at the mine that my full-time R.N. job did. These bills are not good for the mines. They are devastating and the effects trickle down. What good is a community without jobs, because of regulations? I oppose the gun laws, too. Officers say there are not enforceable. Proponents of the bills say they are not coming for our guns, but one bill allows for the confiscation of guns without due process. That's coming for our guns. Someone who is disgruntled with a family member could report them and red flag them for gun confiscation. I rely on my Second Amendment right. Your First Amendment is protected by your Second Amendment. Murder is already illegal. The words 'shall not be infringed' mean we're not giving an inch so you can take a mile."

Mark Osborne said since 1976, he has worked at Chino Mine. "Miners' goals are to raise families and support them. My wife and I, how are we going to retire? She has leukemia. I am participating in the company insurance. The first months of her treatment two years ago would have cost us thousands without the insurance. She nearly died last month from a heart attack caused by a medication. If these bills pass and I happen to be laid off, I must try to keep employment with Freeport. We want to stay here. My options are different. I stay with Freeport to keep my wife alive. If I lose my insurance, I may have to sit and watch her die. Those who are dissatisfied with this state, can find another place to live."

Autumn Robinson said she speaks for moms that use their Second Amendment rights. "Many times, my husband is out of town. We have the right to protect ourselves. No one here is working to get guns out of criminal hands. It is not possible. Criminals will always find ways to get guns. My gun is my protection."

Don Luhrsen said he is a resident of rural Grant County. "Silver City is not all of Grant County. I see people I know and don't know on the roads, but everyone waves on my way to town. I support the sheriff on the Second Amendment sanctuary county. The citizenry of our country was given that right because it needs to protect itself against government. The Legislature says it may overrule what the counties decide. Power has gone to their heads. One member of this commission is proposing raising taxes on cattle-producing lands. My taxes would go up seven times. On the west side of the county, taxes for one landowner could go up to $1.8 million. Commissioner Browne, when you said it's only fair, what you mean is that it will put people out of the cattle business. The land will just sit there, and maybe that's what you want."

Peter Weiman (spelling?) said he is a neighbor to the mine. "When I turn on my faucet or order a glass of water, is it safe to drink? If the mine continues to do monitoring and my water is safe, why are folks in Santa Fe proposing a solution to a problem that does not exist? If the mines close, it would be an extreme impact. Some call it fear-mongering. I call it reality. When we moved here, we knew we were moving into a mining community. We didn't try to change it to what we came from. I recently read an EPA report on the 50 million gallons of toxic waste coming from mines. Six of the worst are in California and some are in Colorado, but not one is in New Mexico. To the co-founder of GRIP, that sounds responsible to me. People in Santa Fe don't care if Silver City is one of the ghost towns of New Mexico. I read in the Grant County Beat an article about the Silver City Library thanking Freeport for $22,000 for programming. It was one of a number of grant donations from Freeport."

Luis Terrazas said it was amazing what "we've seen here. We've seen everyone come together and express their opinions. Now they have to take the responsibility to vote. The Morenci Mine is growing. Why is ours regressing? I think it's because of the willingness of Arizona to work with the mines. I think the problem is New Mexico. Freeport has 800 test wells around the mines that ensure our drinking water is good. I've seen a few who support the bills, but most oppose them. How many are with the Sheriff? Most of those here are with him. We have woken up a sleeping giant. The Legislature is crazy this year. How many of you here are for killing a baby at nine months? (no one raised a hand that this author saw). I would like to see the Commission pass unanimously to oppose all of these bills and to support the mines and the sheriff."

Robert Lucero of Hanover said he does not agree with everything that happens at Freeport. "But I also agree to disagree with mistakes. It's not just us. We need to put our Creator into this solution. I'm a gun owner, a gun carrier. As soon as I put on my pants, I put on my gun. I have had people come onto my property and kill my animals. You take away my guns, I still have a slingshot."

James Rogers said he is a fourth-general miner. "My dad worked at the smelter and at Gila Regional Medical Center. I'm hearing about GRIP. There was a situation. Countless of us miners from New Mexico and Arizona came together to prevent something happening. About the groundwater, the mines do everything in their power to protect the water. I have to follow the rules, not just ones I have to, but ones I want to. I have cleaned up messes. Every night, I pray to God that my job is still there the next day. Come for a day with me. I will show you how we follow the rules."

Chuck Gray said he was born in Grant County. "When I got out of high school, the mine wasn't hiring. I went to work for the Department of Prisons. I was comptroller of a U.S. penitentiary in California. 'Are there any existing laws that will prevent you from getting a gun?' I asked a convicted felon. He said no. The rate of recidivism in that penitentiary was 50 percent. If these laws do not suppress felons, they are not protecting us, the law-abiding citizens. These laws will have no impact on the criminal element."

The next article should complete the public comment portion of the meeting.

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