On behalf of everyone in Carlsbad, we wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Thomas Wade Frazier, a corporal with the Artesia Police Department who died in a crash Friday morning on U.S. 285 north of Artesia.
The wreck is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police Department. Corporal Frazier began his career in law enforcement in 2005, and he joined Artesia’s force in 2016. In addition to his career, he was also the Fire Chief of the Sun Country Volunteer Fire Department. Frazier and his wife had three young children and he was very active in the community.
Services are pending. All of Eddy County stands together today in mourning the loss of this officer.
Earlier this week, the Current-Argus published an article from Searchlight New Mexico. The article lists the percentage of campaign contributions provided by oil and gas companies and then strongly hints that these contributions might be the primary reason why many state elected officials remain supportive of this industry. “That may be in part due to oil and gas’ influence in state politics,” the article suggests.
This felt like a loaded accusation. Many state officials support the oil and gas industry primarily because it is responsible for employing thousands of their constituents, and because it is accountable for paying a large portion of the state’s budget. Criticism toward state representatives and senators because they also received campaign contributions from their region’s largest employers doesn’t establish any sort of case. The Searchlight article felt like yet another jab at the industry. Many residents of Southeast New Mexico have grown beyond weary of what seems to be an unending attack on oil and gas.
The Carlsbad Police Department held a charity golf tournament over the weekend in support of Special Olympics New Mexico. Thank you to Corporal Orlando Moreno for organizing this event, and we know Corporal Moreno has many more great ideas coming up in support of the community. The Boys & Girls Club is organizing a golf scramble on June 19 at Riverside Country Club.
Reminder: The COVID-19 vaccination clinic-taking place on May 24 at the civic center (4012 National Parks Highway) will be for ages 12 & Up. Students will need a signed consent form and prior registration is preferred, but registration can also be done on location. We will continue to support vaccination options for those who want them.
Finally, we had a great tour of the Avalon Ranch building on Friday. Avalon Ranch is being run through Carlsbad’s LifeHouse Program, but its focus will be as a treatment facility for women with children. This is the replacement for the Crossroads program, which shut its doors several years ago. A lot of work went into getting the Avalon program back up and running, and this is a great development for the community.
Sincerely, Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway