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Show Four Corners Co-Chairman Details Views On Headquarters Move to Albuquerque The Times-Independent this week received . a letter addressed ad-dressed to the Editorial Page Editor from L. Ralph Mech- am, Federal Cochairman of the Four Corners Regional Commission, attempting to clarify reasons for the rec-enffly. rec-enffly. announced move of the Commission office from Farmington to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Mecham stated that the decision to move was made by the Commission itself it-self and was not a Federal decision. As Federal Co-chairman, Co-chairman, Mecham stated that he raised the general question concerning the proposed pro-posed move, but that it was made a motion and voted on by the Commission itself. Mr. Mecham said that the decision to move was made from the need to secure the best possible location from which the mission and role of the Four Corners Commis-mjisston Commis-mjisston nvght be carried out. Hiring Problem He clarified the hiring problem faced by the. Commission Com-mission in Farmington and pointed1 out that discussions had shown that the Commission Com-mission was engaged in major ma-jor economic research, planning plan-ning and economic development develop-ment enterprise. His report continued, "We have already obligated nearly $1.3 millioB in economic research spending. spend-ing. But we do not have a single economist on the staff. The present staff has talent but none of them have the professional background to manage and monitor such a major economic research and economic planning program. pro-gram. In order to remedy this serious deficiency, I have interviewed many economists. econ-omists. None of them believe be-lieve that Farmington, which has many other attractions, has the necessary research facilities and consulting backup back-up to serve successfully as the base for this highly complex com-plex undertaking. More Facilities "And, .therefore, with one exception, a newly graduated gradua-ted native of Farmington, none of them are prepared to live there. The need to have adequate research facilities fa-cilities and available consultants con-sultants will be even more acute since the Commission staff must increasingly do research and planning itself. it-self. Until now such research has been contracted out, but this as very costly since the Commission must absorb the expensive overhead costs of the contractors. With a high paid staff we must have experts ex-perts in-house who can do this research and save money. mon-ey. We must get the limited Commission funds directly into demonstration projects, regional project models for economic depelopment, and other programs. We must no longer tie up so much money ,in contracting out research and planning." No Economists Mecham continued that having ha-ving no professional economists econo-mists was to waste money since in many cases research was duplicated. The costs of moving, he stated, will be more 'than offset by the greater efficiency and better bet-ter performance that will be gained. "Divorced' from the necessary facilities and resources re-sources the Commission program pro-gram could become a boondoggle," boon-doggle," stated Mecham. i Other sections of the letter let-ter stated that the Four Corners Cor-ners are would be better served by the move in locations. loca-tions. ". . . the action for the kind of work the Com-mision Com-mision staff must do is in the state capitols, the Federal Fed-eral regional offices, the financial .capitals, the first-raite first-raite economic research libraries li-braries where there are other oth-er research facilities, in consulting con-sulting centers, and in Washington, Wash-ington, D.C. It is from these locations and from these facilities' fa-cilities' that the Four Corners Cor-ners region can best be served. Moreover, each state has funds from the Commission Commis-sion for a full-time, profes sional staff man to work with the local people on projects. It is they who are supposed to be in 'the field working with the local leaders, lead-ers, including Spanish surnames, sur-names, white, and Indian spokesmen. Of course, the Commission staff can and will supplement their activities activ-ities as needed," Mecharu said. Partnership In concluding, Mecham stated again that the Four Corners Commission is not a Federal program. It is a state-Federal partnership to gain economic growth for the region. "The Commission only can act if at least three of the four Governors vote approval along with the Federal Fe-deral Cochairman. Once the action has been taken, it can be reversed only in the same manner. The Federal Cochairman cannot act unilaterally uni-laterally to change a Com- ,r mission policy. In addition, it should be understood ful- j ly that the Commission by- i laws and Federal law pro- ' vide (hat a Governor may ! designate an alternate to represent and to vote for him ' at Commission meetings when ' he cannot be present. It is as j if the Governors were pres- j ent. Presumably such an alternate acts for bis Gov- ' ernor faithfully or he will lose his job." : f |