A group dedicated to supporting communities around the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, is still seeking a new executive director, which would be its third in three years, and is planning to discuss the issue Friday.
The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) board of directors will discuss a request for proposals for executive director services during its meeting set for 2 p.m. Mountain Time Friday.
In late July, the two-year contract expired with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC New Mexico), a community development corporation that provided director Eric Vasquez to run daily operations of the coalition. Weeks earlier Vasquez informed RCLC that his organization did not wish to seek another two-year deal.
After much discussion the board decided to keep Chicanos Por La Causa on through August, rather than going with a six-month extension.
The CPLC and Vasquez filled the director’s vacancy created after the forced departure in February 2018 of executive director Andrea Romero, now a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Romero was forced out after a controversy involving more than $2,600 in questionable expense reimbursements for meals and entertainment. Various investigations found no legal wrongdoing but pointed out sloppy financial practices and record keeping during Romero’s four-year tenure.
The agenda for Friday’s meeting also indicates there will be discussion of a DOE grant application as well as the idea of assigning certain coalition activities to its member governments, according to the agenda for the Zoom meeting, which can be found at https://regionalcoalitionnm.org/.
The coalition is a conduit for Northern New Mexico communities seeking a greater voice on state and federal government decision-making in regional economic development and nuclear cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
