Residents criticize council conduct, petition handling and request accountability; at least one complaint filed with state

Several residents used the June 2 Las Cruces City Council public-comment period to criticize council conduct, accuse municipal staff of obstructing a citizen petition process and to call for council apologies and procedural fairness.

Lynn Moorerer opened the series of remarks by urging elected officials to be accountable and to treat constituents respectfully. Edward Thomas told the council he had filed a complaint with the New Mexico Department of Justice, saying the city clerk and staff delayed and mischaracterized petition-signature processing and that city actions had improperly denied citizens a fair redress process. He said he included a link to a video of the May meeting to support his claims.

Tim Jenkins also spoke and said council members had accused petition signers of wrongdoing and that he and other signers do not have “segregationist tendencies.” Marilyn Finnegan asked that a technical signature question not be used to discount her signed petition entry; she said she had signed and wanted her vote counted. Juan Garcia and other commenters read local opinion pieces criticizing the council’s handling of petitions and the injection of racialized rhetoric into public debate.

Speakers requested apologies from council members and asked for transparent handling of the petition and signature-verification process. The mayor read a closed-session statement and later the council completed its regular agenda; no formal council action to respond to the petition complaints or citizen requests was recorded during the meeting.

The public comments repeated that the petition and its processing had been a source of community frustration; at least one speaker reported filing a formal complaint with the New Mexico Department of Justice seeking review.