![\"John](\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Vasquez-John-336x294.jpg\")
Courtesy photo<\/p>
John Vasquez<\/p><\/div>\n
The county had been promoting\u00a0the community meeting<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Vasquez since May 2 but gave no advance notice that he wouldn’t be in attendance.<\/p>\n Vasquez<\/a>, a Democrat who represents District 5 on the commission, is tending to a death in his family, according to a county news release. In addition to missing Monday’s meeting in Do\u00f1a Ana, he will miss two other community meetings this week.<\/p>\n County staff will still be on hand for the public meetings Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the\u00a0Radium Springs Community Resource Center, 12060 Lindbeck Road<\/a>, and Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the\u00a0Hatch Community Center, 837 Highway 187<\/a> (West Hall Street).<\/p>\n Vasquez, who also missed Tuesday’s commission meeting, has been under scrutiny for a string of controversial votes\u00a0since taking office in January that included allowing additional fireworks sales<\/a> that benefited a campaign contributor and firing the county manager<\/a>\u00a0without explaining that decision to the public.\u00a0At the time, Vasquez\u00a0told NMPolitics.net his vote to fire Julia Brown was “was based 100 percent on my desire to provide the best leadership for our county.” He\u00a0didn’t elaborate.<\/p>\n After voting to fire Brown, Vasquez was inundated with criticism, and he deleted his Facebook account — one avenue people were using to communicate with him about his vote.<\/p>\n Vasquez hasn’t responded to an email or text message from NMPolitics.net asking for more details about his family situation or why people weren’t informed he would miss Monday’s meeting until they showed up to it. The county released no additional information.<\/p>\n Dozens of people showed up to Monday’s meeting. After staff announced that Vasquez wouldn’t be there, some walked out. Others booed.<\/p>\n