Portales approves two items on consent agenda

PORTALES — The Portales City Council met in a matter of minutes Tuesday night to approve two items on their consent agenda.

The first item was to declare Jan. 18 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the township. On the agenda was included a description of the proclamation which said the council urges “all citizens to join in the continued effort to follow Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality for all.”

A virtual celebration is scheduled to air 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 18 on KENW 3-1 and 3-2.

Next came new appointments and re-appointments to the Portales Cultural Affairs Committee, as recommended by council member Oscar Robinson and approved by Mayor Ronald Jackson.

New appointees included Greg Dobbins, Juanita Dobbins, Marisol Jimenez, Kelsey Prince, and Amanda Strong. Re-appointments included Rey Coss, Geni Flores, Joan Martinez-Terry, Pilar Moreno, Rica de Peralta Lee, Valerie Shines Warmly Pacini, and Oscar Robinson. Members Darrelyn McCloud, Jasmine Johnson, and Krista Jones were appointed at a separate meeting in Oct. of 2020.

Robinson made a motion to approve the two items on the consent agenda, the motion was seconded by Daniel Boan and passed unanimously.

The civil rights protests which took place in mid-2020 brought new interest in the Cultural Affairs Committee from the Portales community. Jones, McCloud, and Johnson helped put together the candlelight vigil for George Floyd in early June, after which Jones said council member Robinson approached them about joining the committee.

“I hope to bring fresh and progressive ideas that ensure representation of all the individuals of our diverse town. I hope to galvanize the youth in our community, to show them that to truly change things, you have to get active at the local level,” Jones said.

Jones is a science instructor at Clovis Community College. She settled in Portales in 2016 after coming to the area with her father, who was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in 2005.