Councilor avoids motion to censure over Native holiday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – An apology by Albuquerque City Council President Rey Garduno on Monday ended days of infighting over how an Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation was handled. A councilor who had intended to request a vote to censure Garduno revoked the motion.

Garduno’s apology for public comments that were critical of three members who did not sign the proclamation came during a City Council meeting in which the agenda said he would also propose a measure that goes further in ensuring the second Monday of October each year is recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Councilman Dan Lewis’ announcement that he would not move to censure drew applause from people attending the meeting to support Garduno’s proposal for the city to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day with a resolution.

A resolution would go further than the proclamation introduced at an Oct. 7 Council meeting and would codify the counter holiday to Columbus Day in the city charter.

“It’s an important step that many cities across the country have taken, and it’s especially important for our city because of its location, proximity, and relationship to the great Native nations of the Southwest,” Garduno said in a statement.

Albuquerque officially observed Indigenous Peoples Day for the first time this year through Garduno’s proclamation, which was signed by a majority of Council members. It made Albuquerque one of a growing number of cities to recognize a holiday honoring the history and contributions of indigenous cultures as the U.S. observed Columbus Day.

The federal holiday commemorating the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus has evolved over the years into cause for parades and pageantry by those seeking to honor the Italian explorer, and protest by those who argue his arrival to the Americas ushered in centuries of mistreatment of Native Americans.

Lewis had argued that Garduno’s proclamation put before councilors as they gathered to meet earlier this month was hastily introduced and included “overtly political” language that read “as a not-so-subtle indictment” of the region’s European forebears.

Lewis also took issue with public comments from Garduno that criticized councilors who did not sign the proclamation. He said he recognizes the contribution of Native Americans and likely would have signed a proclamation in recognition of their cultures if he was provided opportunity to suggest changes.

For councilors, that opportunity for input comes with the new resolution before the City Council, Garduno said. Unlike proclamations, resolutions are subject to lengthy discussion and, if passed, must be signed by the mayor before becoming a city ordinance.

“While I personally stand by the language of the proclamation, I recognize that the City Council, by its very nature, is a place where compromise can result in more unanimous outcomes for the good of the community,” Garduno said. “I look forward to working with my City Council colleagues on that resolution as it works its way through the Council process.”