This Week: A 'Local' Joins Village Police, Trustee Maynard Announces He Is Not Running for Re-election This Fall, Get a Look at the WeedSac Bike Ride, and More
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New Cloudcroft PD Hire: Mountain Local Alaide “Ali” Manzo
Hear from the Village’s new Peace Officer.
The Cloudcroft Village Council approved the hiring of Ali Manzo as a non-certified police officer at last night’s meeting. As part of her employment requirement, she will need to complete the New Mexico certification program, after which she will be eligible for a pay increase.
Manzo possesses prior law enforcement experience from Arizona, having worked for the Tucson Police Public Safety Communications Center from 2012 to 2021, in addition to working for Tucson Parks and Recreation.
She has been a resident of Cloudcroft for four years and is actively involved in the community. You may remember her from Cloudcroft’s gold-championship Women’s Quadrathlon team.
According to Trustee Foster, Manzo is the first woman officer for Cloudcroft PD.
Manzo’s training and field training will last around 9 months. While she can perform specific duties for the village, Interim Police Chief Chris Swanson said she can carry a weapon during this training period.
Manzo told the Reader:
“I always wanted to work for the police department because in the neighborhood I grew up in, the police presence was so positive.”
“Officers would stop and hang out with us kids while we were out all day and evening. They’d play basketball, and race us, and let us check out the cruiser. So I want to be that kind of influence on kids, too.”
Will Not Run: Trustee and Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Maynard Announces This Term is His Last
Trustee and Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Maynard announced he would not be running for re-election at Tuesday night’s Village Council meeting. He plans to finish his elected term through December, at which point he says he will spend more time with his family.
Just two weeks ago, Maynard underwent pacemaker surgery and is in recovery. “I’ve got to listen to the message in all these things,” he told the Reader.
Maynard stated his primary goal before leaving office: “You know, my biggest thing is that I would love to get rain harvesting as part of our code. I think we need to address that in some way.”
After the village budget is reconciled, he intends to bring up water harvesting as a community effort.
Reflecting on public service, Maynard said, “In a small town, ‘they’ is ‘we’."
"I’ve sat in this room for about 30 years working for the village, or with the village, in these chambers. I've been elected and appointed. I've been beaten up, I've been bragged on, you know, every combination a guy can have, and it's been one of the great honors of my life.”
The next regular local election will be held on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025.
Some sparks flew at Tuesday night’s Village Council meeting over the Lodger’s Tax, the ‘bed tax’ that fuels the village’s tourism promotion efforts. Look forward to the Reader's full report this Sunday on the efforts to get a better handle on tax collections and how tourism dollars are spent.
Your Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. The Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by great businesses like High Altitude:
From the Hearth: The Corn Family’s Journey to the Stove and Spa Store
[Sponsored Content]
One of the first businesses to greet you on your way down the mountain is The Stove and Spa Store.
The Reader visited with Albert “Al” and Beverlyn Corn, founders of the Stove and Spa Store, and their family to learn more about their business and hear their story.
Craftsmanship around Cloudcroft
The Stove and Spa store started over four decades ago. The Corn family's connection to the region goes back even further, with a sheep ranch homesteaded in the 1930s near Timberon and on what is now the McGregor bombing range.
Virgil Albert Corn, Al’s grandfather, is part of this history, noted in archived tax records from 1932, where his patented land is listed. Al’s dad, Albert Lee Corn, was a skilled craftsman who built fireplaces and did outdoor stonework around Cloudcroft.
Reader Reels: WeedSac Ride with Drew Gaines
Mountain Business Roundup: Who's Coming, Going, and Growing
Local favorites for sale, new coffee shop opening, bear sightings, and U-Pick season begins June 11. The Reader has the skinny.
Your Wednesday Review continues after this brief message. The Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by great businesses like The Elk Shed:
Cloudcroft VFD Now Accepting Donations for Annual Garage Sale Fundraiser
Held 5/24 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 5/25 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Donations can be dropped off at the Cloudcroft Fire Department, located at 1100 James Canyon Highway. They should be dropped off on the west side of the building; please don't block garage entry. Call 575-921-9966 for more info.
Cloudcroft Reader recently reached a new milestone. We now have more than 10,700 followers on Facebook.
While celebrating our followers, we want to encourage and advance our future leaders. If you have any interest in learning more about how Cloudcroft works and may want to help, join us. Open to locals and seasonals. Get plugged in—it’s free.
Leadership Cloudcroft is a new initiative designed to address an old problem in Cloudcroft: developing volunteer leaders who are prepared to take charge.
Leadership Cloudcroft aims to help cultivate the next generation of community champions to address our mountain village's unique challenges by identifying and preparing community leaders who are prepared to take charge in volunteer, civic, business, and community roles.
Now, with at least one Trustee position with no incumbent running for re-election, is a good time to run for office. If that is something you are considering doing, the Leadership Cloudcroft program is a great way to help prepare you to serve and let voters know you are committed.
Graduates will receive a certificate, $100, and a hearty handshake.
Promote Your Business
Learn about sponsorship opportunities for your business in support of the Reader. Contact us for more information at sponsorship-info@cloudcroftreader.com
Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by great companies like:
Tularosa Communications
Internet that keeps you connected.The Stove and Spa Store
We offer a variety of services to ensure your hearth and spa dreams are met!The Lodge at Cloudcroft
Landmark Choice Among New Mexico ResortsDusty Boots Motel and Cafe
Have a beautiful, restful nightInstant Karma
Adventure Within: Transformative Yoga, Ayurvedic Wisdom, Nourishing Organics, Fair Trade BoutiqueOff the Beaten Path
Eclectic gifts & original artworkFuture Real Estate
Raise your expectations.Ski Cloudcroft
You’re going to love Ski CloudcroftCloudcroft Therapeutic Massage
Maximizing Movement, Quality of Life Improvement.High Altitude
Your favorite little outdoor outfitter on Burro Avenue.The Elk Shed
Purveyors of Southwest Mountain Goods & FineryPeñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative
For all the ways you love to connect
The Cloudcroft Reader is the most widely read publication serving the greater Cloudcroft community, with 2,800+ email subscribers and 10,700+ Facebook followers. We do the reporting that no one else does.
Reach the people engaged with Cloudcroft — locals, seasonals, and visitors. Position your business just one click away.
‘Why We Sponsor the Cloudcroft Reader’
Meet Robin Faux, Co-Owner of Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage and a business sponsor of the Cloudcroft Reader.
[Sponsorship Testimonial]
“The Cloudcroft Reader fills a need that we've long had in our community: staying up to date on what’s happening in the village.”
"Jim and I appreciate the style in which the stories are told. We like the use of long quotes, allowing your subject and source to speak for themselves.”
“I’m thinking of the article about the village resignations—-quotes from the village employees and trustees gave me a stronger sense of each party’s intentions. I better understood where each person was coming from.”
“The Hotshots interview made me feel like I was sitting at the table enjoying a beer with them, savoring their stories. I had a whole new appreciation for the grueling realities of the job.”
“You provide a window into the community free from speculation and assumption.”
Sponsoring the Reader is also good for business:
“As a business sponsor, Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage, we want our logo and contact information near those stories that matter. It reminds people that we're here. We began our sponsorship in late November when things usually slow down, and I immediately saw the results. I'm still seeing the same client load I saw in the summer.”
“When people read the Cloudcroft Reader and see our logo, they start thinking, ‘I need to book an appointment.’”
“The Reader works for Cloudcroft, and it works for our business.”
If you want the Cloudcroft Reader to continue chronicling the Cloudcroft community, we need your support. Pledges from individuals like you fuel our efforts. Please join us today.
Cloudcroft Stars support local news. Thank you.
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