1/4/2012-Pecos League wins in Santa Fe in extra innings 5-4. The Santa Fe Fuego have their biggest win and they haven't even taken the field. Councilor Ron Trujillo picked up the win, Mayor David Coss picked up the save.
Winning pitcher R Trujillo 1-0,Losing Pitcher P Bushee 0-1, Save D Coss (1)
Santa Fe legend Rod Tafoya was a major force and he wasn't even on the mound. David Coss surprised everyone with his vote of yes bringing the Mountain Lions. City Councilors voted 5-4 to now allow An Ordinace Amending Article 23-6 SFCC 1987 to Permit the Limted Sale and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages at Fort Marcy Ball Park for Professional Baseball Games.
The Santa Fe Mountain Lions needed to win a city council election allowing the team to sell alcohol at Fort Marcy Park. After 3 hours of deliberation and public speaking the votes were split right down the middle forcing the Mayor to break the tie. Carmichael Dominguez, Patti Bushee, Miguel Chavez and Chris Calvert voted against the proposal. Ron Trujillo, Matthew Ortiz, Rosemary Romero and Rebecca Wurzburger voted for the proposal. Mayor David Coss broke a tie to approve the league's proposal to use the ballpark for a new team here and to allow limited beer sales during games. Councilor Ron Trujillo, who introduced the resolution, said he regrets that the proposal was so divisive but sees it as an entertainment opportunity for the city and an encouragement for young, aspiring athletes. Numerous opposition groups gave stories about how bad alcohol is to life, society and how bad it would be for the Mountain Lions to sell alcohol.
What started as a simple proposal to bring pro baseball into Santa Fe turned into a nasty campaign with a large opposition group and arguments that divided many councilors and long time city residents. Longtime local baseball fan Mark Ortiz said "We need baseball in Santa Fe, this a great opportunity." Las Cruces General Manager and longtime Santa Fe Resident Miguel Salcedo said "I knew they would get their heads on straight on get this thing through. This is typical process for Santa Fe." Rod Tafoya said "Someone is going to hit 50 home runs here this summer. A good left handed power hitter. This is a dream of mine." Tafoya has played independent baseball for 13 years and was one of the big stories of the night. He is a left handed pitcher that pitched in the Northwest League for Mal Fichman. Tafoya is currently on Spring Training Roster and was the most popular speaker of the night. "I have played in Tabasco, Mexico, Boise, Piedras Negras, Regina, and all over the US and Mexico. I have never been in a park that didn't sell beer. It would be a stupid idea and no one would try it." His statements were applauded by the standing room only crowd inside of city hall.
The Q and A with Andrew Dunn had mixed reviews
Chris Calvert grilled Andrew Dunn on what profits would be, what the percentage of sponsorships come from beer and if signage could be sold all the way around the outfield. Patti Bushee stated that the hockey team didn't get alcohol. Carmichael Dominguez was a swing vote that went on the no side, he stated he didn't have enough facts or the information he had requested to vote for the baseball team. He didn't believe the Pecos League had enough credibility despite the established tenure and commitment to the State of New Mexico. Miguel Chavez was going to vote no because of alcohol no mattter about baseball or not.
Andrew Dunn commissioner of the Pecos League states: "We want to play baseball in Santa Fe New Mexico. Budweiser is on course to be our biggest sponsor and beer sales are required in every professional sport to make things happen. We don't care about politics and we didn't realize how large of an issue this would be. For those it divided we plan to re-unit them via the game of baseball. We plan on the Mountain Lions being a fixture at Fort Marcy Park for the next decade. This is great day for the city of Santa Fe and the Pecos League."