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Multiple speakers use public comment period to call for county "general assemblies" and restoration of a 'republican' form of government
Summary
During the public comment period at the Sept. 10 Sandoval County commissioners meeting, several residents urged local 'general assemblies' to restore what they described as a republican form of government and raised claims about U.S. governance structures.
A series of speakers during public comment at the Sandoval County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 10 used their three-minute remarks to urge local grassroots organizing and to call for what they described as a restoration of a "republican" form of government.
Richard DeCesar introduced the group he identified as the "Sandoval County General Assembly for the New Mexico Republic" and said the assembly intends to "restore our freedoms to the American people through our constitutional efforts and through the Sandoval County Assembly." He referenced federal law in his remarks, saying, "According to 28 US code subsection 3002 paragraph 15, the all capital letters United States is a federal corporate government running our country," language he used to characterize current federal authority.
Other speakers, including David Powell, Rob Kropower and Micah Crystal, repeated themes that government authority should be limited and that local assemblies are a means to reclaim self-government. Several speakers invoked historical references and criticized what they described as a "corporate" governing model; one speaker urged counties to form assemblies and prepare candidates oriented to what they called "republican principles."
Speakers also associated their effort with religious and moral language. One commentator, Rhonda Orchard, made claims about criminal networks and urged parents to vet childcare providers; her comments included graphic allegations without documentary evidence presented to the commission.
The commissioners did not take formal action on public comment; the period concluded and the meeting proceeded to scheduled agenda items.
Why it matters
Public comment sessions are the traditional venue for residents to raise concerns or proposals for action by county officials. The topics raised at this meeting — formation of local assemblies and broad constitutional claims — reflect a group of residents pressing for structural political change and continued civic engagement in county affairs.
Ending
No county action resulted directly from those public comments; commissioners continued with the published agenda and later voted on separate items including the landfill resolutions and bond applications.
