TUESDAY OCTOBER 9, 2007
NEWSPAPER REPORTERS FROM ALBUQUERQUE, SANTA Fe and Las Cruces appeared at the courthouse first thing in the morning. Lee Ann flattened the collar of her blouse over a fitted navy blue suit jacket and invited the two men and one woman to take seats in front of her desk. Caroline served coffee and left the pot, sugar, and powdered creamer on the bookshelves.
Bill Joffe of the Albuquerque Journal started off the session by congratulating Dax County on receiving the biggest windfall in the nation.
“Actually,” Lee Ann said, “the financial analysis by the Associated Press is misleading because so much of the money will end up going into the state funding formula for schools. Basically, the money will take care of essential needs that we have not been able to fund for years.” Remembering Harley’s instructions, she added, “So, you see, it’s not a windfall.”
She explained that with the founding of the U.S. Forest Service in 1908, Congress approved a revenue-sharing program to placate rural counties, allotting them twenty-five percent of the funds generated by commercial activity on the new forest. Local governments appeared satisfied until the 1980s when logging declined due to court-ordered enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. As a result, by the 90s, county payments fell seventy percent nationwide. She defended the “windfall,” saying, “This fiscal allotment seems likely to be a one-time deal. Congress is promising to change the funding formula in 2012, once again lowering the amounts the counties would receive.”
The reporters scribbled on their pads.
“In New Mexico,” Lee Ann continued, “logging on the five national forests plummeted to a quarter of the usual amount and by 2003 three major sawmills closed around the state, Brand one of them. We’re a very depressed area. Our population is declining. Young people leave the county after high school and don’t return. We haven’t had a school bond issue pass here since 1989.”
The Santa Fe reporter, Melanie Coulter, said, “Controversy has been voiced over the handout. Adversaries claim the money undermines local governments from promoting economic diversity and encouraging new business.”
Lee Ann crossed her legs. Her low heels, worn only for special occasions, pinched her toes.
“How would you suggest we promote economic development when the federal government owns four fifths of our county’s land? It isn’t possible to convince a population subsisting on welfare to support a shopping center. Low-income families, who for generations have cooked almost every meal at home, don’t dine out. Brand can support one restaurant, Vera’s Cafe. The only time the Brand New Motel turns off the Vacancy sign is during hunting season.”
She rose to refill her coffee cup. These people hadn’t a clue what living in the wilderness meant. News from this part of the state pertained to environmental issues and crime, the most recent articles addressing the relocation of the Mexican gray wolf and the shooting of Geraldine Pierce by her “mentally challenged” grandson.
Las Cruces reporter Jim Kraft flipped a page of his notebook.
“Several New Mexico counties have voted to use the money for large, one-time purchases. Do the Dax County commissioners have a plan in effect for the money?”
Harley, Saul, and Ed had coached her—be congenial, fend them off, tell them nothing. Sweat trickled between her breasts. If the useless window opened, she’d jump out and catch a ride on that cloud floating over the Dax County Bank.
“Considering the sizable sum of money, and the fact that this might be a short-lived allocation program, the Dax County commissioners will not act quickly, but intend to evaluate the settlement with the utmost thought and consideration.”