Enchantment State News

Several New Mexico mayors have asked Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to prepare to reopen the state.

Nineteen mayors signed a letter requesting that Grisham consider the economic impact of COVID-19 and the other consequences of the pandemic shutdown. They also encourage her to support the New Mexico Business Coalition’s New Mexico Let’s Get Back to Business plan.

The state issued a stay-at-home order effective March 24, ordering non-essential businesses to close. On April 6, it was extended through the rest of the month. New Mexico reports 2,823 COVID-19 cases and 104 deaths. More than 58,000 people have been tested.

NMBC President Carla Sonntag said the governor and other officials must consider the bigger picture.

“Every COVID-19 death is tragic but so are deaths from increased suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, canceled screenings and other maladies, which aren’t being accounted for in the state’s model,” Sonntag said in a news release. “These are the unintended consequences of the lockdown and associated economic devastation. The letter does not call for rash or sudden opening of the economy all at once, but points out, ‘When unemployment numbers are skyrocketing, local businesses are shut down across the state, and the hospitals we’re depending on to take care of us are furloughing employees and declaring bankruptcy, something’s out of whack.’”

The letter asks the governor to reopen New Mexico carefully — but quickly.

Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun echoes that sentiment. She told Enchantment State News that she is proud of her town but it needs to move ahead. Red River, a resort town of around 500 people in Taos County, is in north central New Mexico.

“Our community is very resilient and we are handling things as well as could be expected,” Calhoun said. “April and early May are typically slower for Red River, so the most notable difference with businesses right now is having restaurants doing take-out only.”

There have been some inconveniences, she admits, but Red River responded in admirable fashion.

“We did have some of the international students from Peru stranded here at the beginning until they could return home in early April,” Calhoun said. “One of the local churches has a food bank and is helping provide food for our locals that are currently out of work. We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful area and people are getting out and walking while maintaining social distancing.”

She said Grisham is doing the best she can in an unprecedented situation.

“I think the governor has done a very good job of handing the crisis,” Calhoun said. “She was very quick to react and issue the stay-at-home order and I think, because of this, we haven't experienced the number of cases and deaths as some of our neighbors. I'm pleased to hear her talk about future plans to prepare for reopening our state.”

The mayor said the key thing is to prepare.

“I think it is important that we have a plan going forward when the time is right to begin easing restrictions,” Calhoun said. “I hope the governor continues to work with local communities throughout the state to ensure a safe reopening for each individual area.”

Red River’s grocery store has continued to stay open throughout the entire crisis. Supplies were limited, however, and there weren't enough drivers available to make scheduled deliveries in the early weeks of the pandemic. Once again, the small-town spirit was evident.

“The staff at the store were willing to come in no matter how late or early to unload trucks to ensure that our local people had everything they needed in terms of food and supplies,” Calhoun said. “They worked long hours and truly helped keep our community calm and running as smoothly as possible even while knowing the risks they continue to face daily working with customers.”

City workers responded the same way.

“Our staff at the town have adjusted hours and continued to come in daily to make sure things are running smoothly and people have a point of contact for questions,” she said. “Our first responders and law enforcement are always our heroes. They continue to work day in and day out, interacting with the public and risking exposure to this virus.”

Calhoun said the New Mexico Business Coalition has a good plan to get back to business and she supports it.

“All any of us can do right now is plan for the future and the new normal that we have facing us,” Calhoun said. “I think it is very important that we rely on the governor and her staff to look at the data and make the decisions to keep up safe. I think our job is to be prepared so that when it is safe to return to work, we do it using the best possible practices to make sure we don't see a resurgence of this COVID-19 virus.”

Calhoun said Red River has exercised caution while looking to the future. On its website, it asks visitors to stay away until the pandemic crisis passes.

“The town has canceled all of the events that happen on Memorial Day weekend. We are also looking at our June events and whether they will need to be canceled,” she said. “July and August is our busy tourist season. We are hoping that by being cautious now, we will be able to save that portion of our summer business.”

Eunice City Manager Jordan Yutzy responded to Enchantment State News questions on behalf of Mayor Billy Hobbs. Eunice, in Lea County in southeastern New Mexico, has a population of around 3,000.

“The community as a whole is handling the pandemic well but we all are ready to get back to what the new normal will be,” Yutzy said. “We have seen a significant drop in our gross tax receipts.  When all this started in February our GRT went down $153,000 for the month. When you add in the significant drop in oil it has been two blows to our economy all within one month.”

It’s a small town with a modest, locally based economy, he said.

“We don’t have large box retailers in our town; we have a Dollar Store, Family Dollar and a Lowe’s Grocery store combined with our small locally owned businesses,” Yutzy said. “Our economy relies on workers from out of town eating at our restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Main Street used to be busy all day and now it is a ghost town. Local residents are being laid off with all the small businesses closed.”

Eunice needs a chance to resume business, especially as there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 reported, he said.

“We are asking the governor to look at the facts and not treat each location the same,” Yutzy said. “We have had no cases in Eunice the entire time of the pandemic. The health department has been in Eunice testing for over two weeks with no one qualifying for testing.

“We see the need for the closure in the larger cities with a large part of their population testing positive but not out here, not with no cases in town,” he said. “Our residents will eventually get fed up with the closures and drive to Texas to get services they can’t any longer get in town. This puts the town at greater risk of exposure.”

Yutzy said a careful, gradual process would be the best approach.

“We are asking the governor to allow us to reopen all businesses in three phases. Phase one will open up with 25 percent occupancy, phase two will raise the occupancy to 50 percent and phase three will increase to 75 percent,” he said. “With so many workers that travel all day we need to open to allow them a place to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also need to get all of our small businesses such as hair salons and barber shops back open to provide services to the residents.”

 Yutzy said many members of the community have stepped up in the face of this crisis. He points to Dillion Hill, owner of Thunderbolt Services.

“Instead of laying off his workers, he has kept them on the payroll and been working with the city to clean all the city streets of grass and sand,” he said. “This has taken a huge load off of our public works department.”

Yutzy said the New Mexico Business Coalition’s plan to resume business makes sense to town officials.

“It is a good plan, we need to get the economy back up and going this is the only way to get not only gross receipt taxes back up but to get people using oil again,” he said. “Without a plan, small towns like us will continue to suffer and many might not be able to come back.”