Corruption?
There are a lot of people watching what has happened in the Town of Edgewood over the last few years. It’s been heartbreaking to see how people we were supposed to trust have instead taken advantage of their positions, wasted town tax dollars, and significantly reduced town services. Some even violated the law to get what they wanted and to drain town coffers for their personal benefit. Citizens for an Open and Responsible Edgewood has tried to expose such actions.
Now, we are sharing with you a July 20, 2021 article posted on “Retake Our Democracy” and another in Las Cruces Sun News (7-17-2021) that involves Edgewood’s town attorney, Marcus Rael, and another of his clients. Again, involving questionable behavior and questions of impropriety. Few could miss the parallels and similarities to Edgewood’s situation which also appears fraught with legal conflicts and unethical actions here. Connecting the dots, “Eye on Edgewood” posted this recent opinion piece on social media.
8/6/2021 UPDATE: Marcus Rael of Robles Rael & Anaya has been disqualified in the Avingard/PNM case before the NM PRC for alleged conflict of interest.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An attorney representing an international energy company involved in a utility merger in New Mexico has been disqualified because of an alleged conflict of interest stemming from ongoing contracts with the state attorney general’s office.A hearing examiner with the state Public Regulation Commission issued the order Friday [August 6, 2021], saying Marcus Rael Jr. can no longer represent Iberdrola in connection with the utility case. The order pointed out that the New Mexico Supreme Court has held that disqualification based on a conflict of interest claim should take place before any substantive hearings get underway.” (READ: full AP article here)
Quote From “Eye on Edgewood” (July 20, 2021):
“Statewide corruption associated with Edgewood Town Council Marcus Rael and Attorney General Hector Balderas has been alleged by five watchdog groups from Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque and widely covered by New Mexico news broadcast and print sources. In complaints filed with the disciplinary board of the New Mexico Supreme Court, the State Ethics Commission, and the State Auditor, the five groups allege that Rael used his influence with his former classmate and legal associate, Hector Balderas to benefit his client, Avangrid, a global energy giant.
This allegation sounds familiar to us and explains a lot of otherwise mysterious behavior by Acting Mayor John Abrams. For example, We were puzzled when Councilor Abrams blocked the effort to assure that Edgewood residents could participate fully in the formation of the new Commission/Manager government. He insisted on requesting an opinion from the Attorney General on the issue. He confidently guaranteed the letter would be forthcoming. It didn’t come.
At the next meeting he again assured everyone he would get the letter, even if he had to camp out on the AG’s front porch. As the local paper pointed out, He didn’t get it.
Now we know the source of his confidence. He was sure the AG was in his pocket. After all, an associate AG provided an opinion, on request, that John Abrams and his lackies in Planning and Zoning flogged all over the internet to semi-successfully subvert the implementation of the new form of government voted in by Edgewood citizens. John Abrams was publicly frustrated when he didn’t get his response.
We also know why he didn’t get the response he was hoping for. The corrupt relationship was exposed. Marcus Rael and John Abrams were radioactive.
It also explains why John Abrams was so eager to pay Marcus Rael so much money to defend the Town from having to follow the Town’s own resolutions. $93,000 wasn’t that much for an inside track to the Attorney General’s office. Even the approximately $180,000 for no visible work product paid to Rael to investigate the EPCOR takeover was a good investment.
It works out well for Marcus Rael, too. If Edgewood knew they had a lock on the contest to condemn EPCOR water, it would be worth it (in their minds) to pay Robles, Rael, and Anaya the two million dollars or so it would cost to prosecute the takeover. A friendly Attorney General could provide that guarantee. The complaint against Rael and Balderas describes exactly that kind of transaction where the AG allegedly flipped the decision towards Rael’s client – a foreign owned electric utility – against the recommendation of the expert consultants.