Last week Ray Powell responded to the Dixon Apple farm ad released by the Aubrey Dunn campaign and though didn’t specifically state that the former owners of the Dixon farm were liars, what he did say certainly sent that message. According to Powell, his office ”quickly provided help,” while the Dixon owners have said that actually isn’t true.
As Powell chose to reject lease proposal after lease proposal, the Albuquerque Journal reported that one administrative hearing officer acting on an appeal found that Powell’s decision-making process in turning down the lease proposal was “not rational and is arbitrary and capricious as a matter of law.”
Another factor Powell wants us to ignore, is that his office did not manage the property properly in the first place! If Powell had cared for the land and groomed it, the fire would have likely have been managed before it reached the Dixon Apple Farm!
But here’s what Powell had to say in response to Dunn’s ad:
Due to careless management of land by Land Commissioner Powell, in the first place, brush grew up, which led to woodland fire, then rains washed away the burned trees, eventually leading to complete devastation of a family farm and source of livelihood!
In June 2011, the Los Conchas fire swept down the mountain, through the orchard and the surrounding area of the land the Mullane family leased. The family was eventually forced to evacuate. When the fire ended, they began planning for floods from summer monsoons. Later in the summer devastatingly severe floods swept through the canyon. And the orchard was destroyed.
When Powell finally responded and visited the property, after he was prompted by Mullane’s messages, he brought TV cameras with him. After the flood destroyed the irrigation system, he came again with the media, and didn’t seem to be there to help the Mullane’s at all. In a meeting with the Mullanes he wasn’t interested in helping them and deal with the land issues, he told them to get an attorney!
Interested in learning more about Aubrey Dunn? Check out his website here and “Like” his Facebook page!
Political Fireball 
Powell’s abuse of power is absolutely outrageous.
He acts as if people are outraged about the fire and flood. (proper land management could have prevented both, by the way).
The outrage is Powell using the power of the State Land Office to decide who the Dixon Apple Orchard was able to sell the lease to.
Why did Powell block qualified buyers from purchasing the destroyed orchard?
Why did Powell allow another (not qualified) entity to purchase the orchard with the same lease agreement that he previously turned down?
Why does Ray Powell abuse the power of the State Land Office?
Even the Albuquerque Journal calls his use of power “arbitrary and capricious”
(google “Ray Powell arbitrary and capricious”).
STATISTS NEED TO GO.
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Time for him to go.
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