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Sign compliance vexes Ignacio restaurant

Mr. D's owner claims harassment
A good-sized crowd came to the Ignacio Town Board meeting on June 15. Most members of the public were speaking in favor of Dave Silva, in the background in the blue plaid shirt. Silva says town staff is unfairly singling out his restaurant, Mr. D's, to comply with the town's sign code.

Community members filled the Ignacio Town Board meeting on June 15, mainly to support Dave Silva, who opened Mr. D's restaurant earlier this year in the former Sundown Bakery building at the south end of town. Silva and town staff have been butting heads over sign code issues.

Silva said he wants everything in writing when Town Manager Mark Garcia or Development Coordinator Dan Naiman say he is violating some town requirement or that the town has received 26 complaints about his operation. "If you don't have it in writing, I can't respond, and then you say I'm hostile," he objected. He said there was agreement in a meeting with the town manager a month and a half ago that everything would be in writing, but that hasn't happened.

He agreed that he was in violation with a Pepsi sign and said he took it down. He complained that he is singled out for things that other businesses do. The same requirements and enforcement should apply to all businesses, he said.

"These religious people don't come into my restaurant any more because of what you have said," Silva continued. "That's not right. When you have me backed up into a corner, I'm the only Native American that has a business in this town, and you singled me out. ... I don't mean to be hostile, I just want it (town harassment) to stop. ... I'm complaining because I'm stressed and worried. I work 20 hours a day. I took two nickels, called in every favor I could (to open the restaurant). You are destroying it with hearsay."

Audience member Sage Remington said, "His business was going well for a while, and then there were all these insurmountable obstacles. This business supports two Southern Ute girls. I see discrimination waving its ugly little head." He alleged that another business owner in town was behind the complaints and said, "I want this to stop, this interruption of Mr. Silva's business, or we'll have to take it to the tribal membership that there's a dark cloud of discrimination in this town."

Pete Vigil, a town planning commission member, supported the town's efforts.

"I was one of the people who filed a complaint for the sign they had," he said. "They were asked to move it and they didn't. They parked a pickup on the other side of the street with a sign. These two gentlemen (Garcia and Naiman) did their job."

Silva called the sign code ridiculous and said it needs to be simpler. Audience member Vickie Atencio suggested the code is old and needs to be updated to current standards. "I'm hearing that one page says this, another page says something else," she said.

Audience member Lucy Stewart said, "We like the atmosphere (at Silva's restaurant), and we love the food. Encourage our business so we have a better tax base. ... We don't need any of this back-stabbing. We need good business in town."

Ashley Valencia, who works with Silva in the restaurant, alleged that rumors about the restaurant have hurt their business. "We're trying to make the community better," she said. "The hearsay needs to come to an end."

Mayor Stella Cox told Silva, "We've had this conversation before... You can't pay attention to gossip because you can't control what comes out of peoples' mouths. All you can control is yourself. It has to be a working relationship,"

Silva responded, "When it's coming (complaints, rumors) and you guys are showing with your merit that the gossip is true, that's not right. They (Garcia and Naiman) aren't working with me. They're trying to strong-arm me to do something that's not part of the sign code. Show where we are in violation. ... I never once got a piece of paper about how to go with the code."

Lillian Mestas, who owns a business on Goddard Avenue, agreed the sign code is difficult to understand. "I'm an English major, and I had trouble understanding the sign code," she said and told Silva, "I empathize with you, but there's a protocol that we have to follow. The planner has been working on the sign code. It's a little town, and we want to make it nice."

Town trustee Tom Atencio said the codes are available at Town Hall or online at www.townofignacio.com. "You get your copy of them. ... Familiarize yourself with them. That way nobody can tell you you are not in compliance."

The Times searched the town web site and found a sign permit application form but was unable to find the actual sign code.

Silva persisted, "The town should show me where I'm not in compliance. That's not happening."

Former town board member Linda Moore offered to work with Silva on his issues.

According to minutes from the March 16 board meeting, Patio owner Emily Meisner complained that another restaurant was not being held to the same standards that she had to follow. Everyone should play by the same rules, she said. Those minutes also refer to Silva's unresolved issues under Naiman's report and referred to treating everyone the same in following the code.