The Citizen Recognizes Community Heroes
While The Citizen Media Group is run by journalists and publishes news online, the overarching purpose of our group is to encourage and empower citizens to use the media to make a difference.
To that end, as the year draws to a close, we would like to introduce our “Hero's Voice” program that recognizes community heroes, individuals who:
• Courageously spoke out on important issues, often speaking alone
• Faced actual or potential consequences for going against the status quo
• Effectively used the media to inform others
We thank these three heroes for their courage in using the media to inform their fellow citizens and, in the process, for speaking truth to power:
• Silvio Dell’Angela, 68, spokesperson for the new taxpayers group Stop Wasting Albuquerque Taxes (SWAT)
• Frances Williams, 78, former board member of the Region VII Housing Authority
• Paul Gessing, 31, first full-time president of the Rio Grande Foundation, a free-market think tank
Silvio Dell'Angela 
Silvio Dell’Angela, a Viet Nam Air Force veteran, is no stranger to combat. Four years ago, he and two others discovered and reported waste, fraud and abuse of HUD grants in Albuquerque’s housing program. He took the matter all the way to Congress, and, as a result, was asked to step down from the citizen action committee he served on. He became active in neighborhood associations.
His involvement as spokesman and one of the driving forces behind the opposition to Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez’s proposed $270 million streetcar this fall is his most recent battle.
Stop Wasting Albuquerque Taxes succeeded in stopping what looked like certain hasty approval of the project by the city council. The group is now pushing for an independent economic impact study of the streetcar proposal.
Dell’Angela also rallied SWAT members to oppose a proposed six-month moratorium on new store buildings 60,000 square feet and larger. The moratorium was defeated Dec. 18.
Dell’Angela has fearlessly spoken out, providing important information and an alternative view for the community. He effectively used radio, television, print and internet media outlets to communicate his messages. And SWAT has quickly become an effective citizen watchdog group on city government.
What keeps Dell’Angela going?
“The continued arrogance of this Mayor and City Council,” he says.
Frances Williams (no photo available)
Frances Williams wrote letters to Gov. Bill Richardson and others about problems she saw with the Region VII Housing Authority and Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos, the governor’s housing “czar.” When she got no response, she spoke out in her local newspaper.
Gallegos filed a lawsuit against her to silence her. The case was dismissed in July and she has fearlessly testified before legislative committees.
She also provided important information to The Citizen Media Group for our three-part investigative series on the statewide regional housing authorities published this summer.
Gallegos was forced to resign in August and is now being investigated.
“I tell people New Mexico is not going to be for sale as long as I’m around,” the feisty septuagenarian says.
Paul Gessing 
Paul Gessing blew into Albuquerque in March like a spring tornado, giving power to the Rio Grande Foundation that had languished for lack of leadership since its founding in 2000. The foundation published six studies this year. Paul was involved in four of them, including:
“Governor Railroads Taxpayers,” an analysis of the governor’s Railrunner commuter train; an economic analysis of ballot measures that spelled out to voters how the measures would impact their wallets; and “A Desire Named Streetcar,” the analysis of the streetcar project that helped galvanize citizen opposition to the project.
Gessing’s articulate, persuasive writing resulted in consistent publishing of his op-ed pieces in print and online. He also successfully provided information and alternative views on important city and state projects to radio and television media.
By taking on the favorite projects of the governor, mayor and special interests, he faced potential political backlash, but stayed focused on appealing directly to citizens and fellow taxpayers. The earnestness of this approach proved effective.
Gessing honed his skills while a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., for the National Taxpayers Union, a taxpayer advocacy organization. His articles have appeared in national publications as well as local ones, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report.
In general, he makes the case for Constitutional protections for taxpayers, for the economic benefits of tax cuts and for restraint in government spending. On those topics, so far he’s found New Mexico to be “a target-rich environment.”
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