Residents urge action on hospital transparency, a 'chop shop' and multiple San Mateo property disputes at county meeting

Several residents used the public-comment period at the Sept. 22, 2022 Cibola County Commission meeting to raise unresolved local concerns ranging from hospital transparency to property disputes in San Mateo.

Joan Kowalski told commissioners she can no longer access hospital meetings because the Cibola General Hospital stopped posting board minutes online in June of the prior year. "They stopped doing it since last year in June," Kowalski said, asking the county to encourage the hospital to restore minutes on its website so residents can follow governance without physical attendance.

Resident Ronnie Pynes said there is a "chop shop" operating in his neighborhood and urged enforcement of county ordinances on permitted numbers of dogs and vehicles. He asked the commission what steps it would take to address the alleged illegal activity.

A commenter identified as Mrs. Rowe raised an ethics question about photographs taken of commissioners at a County Health "Clean-the-Scene" event in San Mateo, asking whether posting those photos so close to an election could constitute campaign advertising for a commissioner seeking re-election; the transcript records no county response.

Shawn Gonzalez, speaking for his father Sunny Gonzalez of San Mateo, listed a series of property-related allegations and asked the county for assistance. He alleged two roads in San Mateo have been blocked, that a resident named Justin Gibson filed what Gonzalez called a falsified deed claiming purchase of four properties though Gonzalez said Gibson purchased two from Rudy Marquez, that Gibson maintains large amounts of trash and has extended fencing beyond his property line to fence off a public road, that GS parcel mapping is incorrect for some properties, and that a Veronica Salazar is residing on property she does not own. The transcript records these as claims raised during public comment and does not show a staff or commissioner response that resolved them.

Residents also raised an immediate public-safety concern: Leonardo Torrez said flooding on County Road 57 could prevent emergency vehicles from reaching people and that the flooding was causing property damage, asking the commission where the road sits in the county's repair priority list.

None of the public comments resulted in recorded formal action at the meeting. Several of the claims (for example, the alleged falsified deed and blocked roads) would require records checks and possible code-enforcement or legal follow-up; the transcript does not show those follow-ups occurring on the record.

The commission's agenda included administrative items and votes that proceeded after public comment; the meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.