“Barren of the Trees”
News, Aug. 27
To the Editor:
It is a relief to see more coverage of the sacrificed trees at Fort Marcy in the August 27-September 2, 2025 issue of the Santa Fe Reporter article, “Barren of the Trees.”
Zozobra offered a yearly ritual for releasing human sorrow. The lost tree offered that solace to anyone, everyone, 24/7 without disruption or drama
Jo Ann Sullivan, Glorieta
A Tale of The Two Santa Fes
Drawn to New Mexico 27 years ago by distant memories of relations who were once “big wheels” in Silver City, and by my grandfather, who painted landscapes of pueblos, cowboys and canyons in his Tucson flat, we set down roots in the South Capitol neighborhood. Our daughters walked to neighborhood schools and friends’ homes; and we never locked the door. On Barcelona Road, where I lived for two decades, the neighborhood was a celebration of diverse faiths and the arts—with CCA and the Santa Fe Children’s museum within a stone’s throw of my home. In those years, I lived adjacent to open fields, and was frequently visited by coyotes, rabbits, the occasional bobcat, and a resident murder of crows.
Since moving to a more urban neighborhood—which is also wonderfully diverse—LGBT, Hispanic, Native, I have come to understand the essential truth about our great little city: There are two distinct Santa Fe’s
As we head into elections, this fundamental understanding of Santa Fe is all but ignored by the ruling fiefdoms. This city remains deadlocked by a government by committees and commissions which—collectively, create inertia, especially in the absence of strong leadership. A very few people control each sector of life, culture and commerce in the capital city, in real estate, the arts, politics, music, media, a reality that impedes growth and progress. There are enormous private fortunes here, but they are largely uninvolved in the development of what could be a world-class city.
A few painful examples will demonstrate these points: Santa Fe’s “mega projects,” the so-called “Midtown Campus” and The Railyard are still incomplete after 25 years. The Railyard is still a laggard when it comes to pedestrian and public safety issues—as well as lacking a permanent performance stage.
Santa Fe’s massive fail—in losing out to Boulder in the competition for the Sundance Film Festival, is diagnostic of how utterly unprepared this city is for taking a quantum leap into the future. This epic loss cost the state huge economically.
The reconstruction of Paolo Soleri Amphitheater will take decades on “Santa Fe time;” a new midsized venue would put us on the map with important tour promoters and generate millions of dollars.
That monument to state-sponsored genocide—the Plaza obelisk, was toppled five years ago and the fate of that special place will lie with one commission or another—which is the equivalent of Trump’s “two weeks.”
Santa Fe’s governance is fundamentally a culture of mediocrity; something that the electorate has come to expect. Talk of moving to a weak mayor or part-time mayor, is evidence of how entrenched the status quo remains.
The Santa Fe I live in—along with my neighbors, is one in which drug trafficking, homelessness, gun violence and property crimes are ever present realities. While national publications and websites justly celebrate Santa Fe as a best destination, the other Santa Fe is beset by a surge in adolescent violence.
Many well-intentioned Democrats in office, have little to no direct personal or professional knowledge of public safety. Consequently, there is a huge disconnect in the city—and an extraordinary disparity in crime rates among neighborhoods.
If Santa Fe—and New Mexico, are going to embrace a brighter future, we are going to have to address the structural and cultural cause of cross-generational poverty, homelessness, addiction, suicide, and violence among our diverse communities. We are the “Mississippi of the Southwest”—in terms of health and educational outcomes, because our leaders do not lead from out front—they follow and pander to their various constituencies.
We are a wonderful town with a population of 90,000 and the problems of a big city. However, therein lies the potential for change— we are still small enough to fix what ails us.
Eric Radack, Santa Fe
