Clovis releases emails regarding anti-abortion ordinance

The city of Clovis last week released “thousands” of emails and other electronic correspondence involving local and state officials, as requested under the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act.

Clovis pastor Farril Defoor and Portales school teacher Logan Brown made the requests last December. Both men have been active in local efforts to successfully pass ordinances aimed at preventing abortion clinics from opening in eastern New Mexico.

Defoor requested from city officials “any and all emails, faxes and any other correspondence from the date of June 1,” according to Clovis City Clerk LeighAnn Melancon.

Brown asked for a more specific list of electronic correspondence that involved Clovis Mayor Mike Morris, Clovis city commissioners, and other city officials.

An example of Brown’s IPRA request was for:

n Any email sent to and received from any city commissioner (Juan Garza, George Jones, Lauren Rowley, Gene Porter, Helen Casaus, David Bryant, Chris Bryant, Megan Palla) and Mike Morris between the dates of October 1, 2022 and December 29th, 2022 that contains the word “abortion” or “sanctuary city for the unborn “or in any way references the ordinance called, “Ordinance Number 2184-2022 Requiring Abortion Providers in the City of Clovis to Comply with Federal Law.”

The city provided both men with thumb drives containing correspondence that falls within the guidelines of the state’s public records laws, Morris and City Attorney Jared Morris said.

Mike Morris said he desired transparency in the IPRA emails matter and even asked the city to make the emails available to the public via a link from the city’s website.

“I believe citizens having the ability to request public records is a good thing and the hallmark of transparency in government,” the mayor said, though “technical issues” prevented posting the information released online.

Brown, a high school science teacher in Portales, said he made his IPRA request for the sake of “transparency.”

“I wanted to make sure that the elected officials in Clovis were being honest to the public. This is why I also requested public records from all of the commissioners, not just Mike Morris.”

After reviewing the information received, Brown said he was “discouraged by the apparent frustration and disdain Mike Morris showed toward some of the citizens of Clovis, some of the city’s pastors, and one of the commissioners that supported the ordinance.”

“Despite these findings, I stand with the Mayor and city commission as they seek to defend the ordinance before the Supreme Court of New Mexico. I am grateful that the commissioners finally listened to the will of their citizens and took a stand to protect human life in the womb in Clovis.”

Defoor said he wanted the emails because, “Myself and other(s) … believe Mayor Morris has not been upright or truthful on several occasions concerning the abortion ordinance and the passing of the ordinance.”

“It is our responsibility to hold our government officials accountable,” Defoor said.

Defoor said one of the subjects he was looking for in the emails dealt with a supposed alternative anti-abortion ordinance.

“(Mike) Morris also said on numerous occasions he had been working on another ordinance for months before we brought the ordinance prepared by our attorneys to the city,” Defoor told The News in an email. “No proof of this was found in the IPRA request. The City Commissioners we spoke to knew nothing of another ordinance being worked on by Morris.”

In his email Defoor went on to write, “It is our responsibility to hold our government officials accountable. Abortion is not just a Christian issue but a moral issue as well. We are not finished fighting. As a Pastor and businessman, I should expect a Mayor and Commissioners who will fight for the betterment of Clovis and its Citizens. To do nothing is consent.”

City officials did not immediately release information about the costs involved in gathering and releasing the correspondence.

“The cost to the taxpayers would just be my time, other employees’ time and the thumb drives,” Jared Morris said. “There was no cost to the parties in this case, they were each given a thumb drive. We are only allowed to charge the actual cost, so in this case the cost of two thumb drives.”

City Clerk LeighAnn Melancon said Friday the city attorney bills monthly and the most recent bill from Jared Morris is from November. Work on the IPRA request took place in December, according to Melancon.

The News contacted Jared Morris Friday about his billing to the city for the IPRA request. He said he did not have a figure immediately available.

“I think I spent a couple of hours at least,” Jared Morris said.

The Eastern New Mexico News on Friday formally requested all of the information provided Brown and Defoor. The News also made a formal request under IPRA for Morris’ bill to the city for reviewing and approving correspondence that was released.

The city has 10 days to respond to IPRA requests.