Clovis' Chandler first of three to leave stream commission

Clovis’ Caleb Chandler was the first of three members to resign abruptly from the state’s Interstate Stream Commission last week, but he declined Monday to discuss his departure.

With a brief email Oct. 10 to Gov. Susana Martinez, Chandler announced his resignation effective immediately and stated his “sincere appreciation” for the “opportunity to serve the people of New Mexico.”

“Best wishes to you as you continue to work hard for the citizens of our state,” concluded the email.

Chandler had served the previous year and a half as chairman of the state’s water resources commission but declined to say more in a telephone interview this week.

Fellow commissioners James Wilcox and Jim Dunlap resigned by email Oct. 11, with Dunlap expressing concern over adherence to state statutes and lack of direction from State Engineer Tom Blaine.

The ISC is tasked with protecting, conserving and developing water resources across the state, while Blaine’s office administers water rights throughout the state. Dunlap said Friday that Blaine, who was appointed by Martinez in 2014 as secretary and ninth member of the ISC, was overstepping his authority.

A Blaine spokesperson said Friday that Blaine and Chandler had been working to set up a meeting.

Dunlap said Friday that commissioners and their attorneys had tried to meet with Blaine to review statutes detailing the separate duties and responsibilities of the offices but Blaine refused.

“The state engineer is more of a regulator of state water, and we’re the ones who are supposed to protect and conserve and follow the compacts. We were not able to do that with this kind of administration going on,” Dunlap said Friday. “The longer he was in there, the more it became clear that it was going to be just some kind of a program in which everything had to flow through him. That’s not the way the statutes are written.”

Blaine’s spokesperson Melissa Dosher-Smith said Blaine was “well aware of the statutory authority and responsibilities” of the offices and is still committed to working with ISC commissioners.

Martinez’s office announced Friday the appointment of two replacements to the ISC: Carolyn Hollifield of Roswell and Samuel Gonzales of Aztec.