What really pisses me off about the City of Santa Fe permanently cancelling its triathlon (please see: City calls off event) is that, if it can’t even put on an event, how in the Hell can it be a resource in the fight against substance abuse? Further, the parks department has to limit pool because there aren’t enough lifeguards. We have real problems in our community, yet the City can’t even mind its own business.
Whether we realize it or not, Santa Fe’s opioid problem isn’t just about prescription pills or heroin. While those are obviously part of the overall problem, they aren’t the root cause of the problem. Poverty, bullying in our schools, income disparities, genetics that have been formed over generations, and other socio-cultural factors are really what cause people to seek refuge in opiates of any kind. Because the root cause of the problem is layered and social in nature, the solution will also need to derive from a widespread, systemic approach. This approach will require our schools, families, and unfortunately, our local government. But the City of Santa Fe has time and time again proven inept.
To me, the failing of the parks department is a symptom of a failing organization. The City is very top-heavy, with a City Manager, Chief of Staff, and Deputy City Manager all collecting salaries in excess of $100,000 each. But as has been reported, the Deputy City Manager tried to pull a fast one and provide her loyalists (please see: Raises) with illegal pay increases. This type of behavior should never be tolerated by an official whose salary could be used to recruit and/or train lifeguards who could then allow our children to cool off in City-operated pools. Or that salary could be used to organize the triathlon, which has seemed to be a community event that seemed to be a family affair in some cases.
But no, the City would rather that Santa Fe remain a largely poor city with limited services and no additional events. Our opioid problem will remain as such because of the disjointedness of the local treatment community. And when the local government can’t be used as a resource that could assist in organizing the community against the opioid problem, the disjointedness will remain.
