Farmer Burden

An Abiquiú farmer is suing five members of the Santa Fe Farmers Market's board of directors, alleging that he is being retaliated against for voicing his concerns.

Sean Siefkin was a board member himself until July, when his colleagues voted him off the board. Siefkin accuses the five defendants—Heather Harrell, Jim Whitaker, Pat Romero, Serafina Lombardi and Kimberly Martin—of "unlawfully" forming into an executive committee "with unlimited power," which he argues violates the Farmers Market's governing bylaws.

Siefkin maintains that his firing from the board is retaliation against his questioning of how the executive committee was running the market. The committee also barred Siefkin from vending at the market. This all came roughly one year after he was elected to a three-year term on the board.

Siefkin says the actions violate his First Amendment rights, notably because part of the market takes place on city-owned land.

"They said I can't even step foot at the Farmers Market," he says. "They're saying that they control the public and that I can't go on public property because I'm asking questions."

Siefkin raised concerns at the beginning of the year when the committee fired the Farmers Market's executive director and hired a market director "to run the business without answering to the board." He also says the executive committee started meeting in secret about reviewing the Farmers Market's bylaws.

Filed in the First Judicial District Court last month, the suit asks for damages that include "lost sales as a vendor during his suspension" and "damage to reputation in an amount exceeding $100,000."

Santa Fe Reporter