Town councilors trespassed from property

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 08 February 2024 08 February 2024

By Roger Lanse

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, at about 3:16 p.m., Cecilia McNicoll of Silver City contacted the Silver City Police Department requesting criminal trespass warnings be issued to 'Nick Prince,' Silver City District 2 Councilor and 'Stan Snider,' Silver City District 3 Councilor, for 211 N. Texas Street (4 units), which McNicoll owns and rents to business owners. Prince was issued an indefinite CTW to the property on Feb. 7 and Snider was to be issued the same when located.

According to an SCPD blotter report, McNicoll stated the two went into the property she owns, individually, on different days, and slandered her name by asking her tenants how much McNicoll charges for rent, whether the recent raise in rents were a 'hardship,' the tenant's relationship with the landlord, and about McNicoll's character. "All this during business hours and in front of customers," McNicoll told the Beat. "They should have asked me. Asking tenants these questions put my tenants on the spot and caused a reaction in me."

McNicoll stated Prince came into the Wild West Weaving and Artisan Bakery shop on Feb. 1, and Snider on Feb. 6.

It appears McNicoll had applied for a vacancy on the Planning & Zoning Commission, and she believes Prince and Snider were concerned because she was a realtor and couldn't be impartial.

Prince stated to the Beat, he has worries that, as a realtor, McNicoll could have a conflict of interest in P&Z matters, as he stated and is recorded in the minutes of the Jan. 30, 2024, Silver City Town Meeting, "he is concerned about her conflict of interest and her participation in the real estate industry and is concerned about it becoming an issue in the Planning & Zoning Commission."

Mayor Ken Ladner told the Beat he was surprised when Prince and Snider didn't approve his appointment of McNicoll to the P&Z. McNicoll's appointment was eventually disapproved by council 3-1 with District 4 Councilor Guadalupe Cano also voting 'nay,' while District 1 Councilor Rudy Bencomo voted 'aye.'

Prince told the Beat he considered the issuance of a criminal trespass warning to himself "extraordinarily aggressive" and a "pretty radical response" and that his Feb. 1 visit to the property was only meant to be a social contact. He said he has never met or talked to the property owner.

Snider told the Beat he is out of town and although he was advised via telephone of the CTW by an SCPD officer, he has no idea why it was issued, saying, "I don't think I did anything wrong."

The two were advised by SCPD officers they were no longer welcome on the property and if they do return it is an arrestable offense.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.