By William T. Beverly, Ph.D.
AGUILAR- Aguilar’s Town Board has named Walsenburg native, John Wiggins to serve as the new Town Marshal. Sources at Aguilar’s Town Hall said the Board interviewed three candidates for the position several weeks ago. They originally netted four applicants (1 from Farmington, 2 from Walsenburg, and 1 from Pueblo), but only three interviewed. Aguilar officials chose John Wiggins over the other candidates due to his experience, certification in Law Enforcement, and his genuine desire to be a part of their promising community.
Marshall John Wiggins’ family is from the Ludlow area. Now 30, he was born in Trinidad and raised in Walsenburg. He lettered in several sports at John Mall High School and attended Otero Junior College to play basketball, before going on to complete an Associates Degree in Business Management at Western International University. Following some business management experience in California, he moved back to Colorado, graduated from the Pueblo Police Academy and served two years on the Walsenburg police force.
Wiggins says he likes, “working with the people in a community as well as being a part of a community.” He plans to move to Aguilar where he will be on-call 24 hours per day; seven days per week. He says he wants “to be nearby.”
Philosophically speaking, Wiggins believes in working with people in the community to prevent crime. He also says, his “door is always open” for working with responsible citizens and community leaders to develop alternative interventions that can help teenagers avoid turning toward criminal behavior and being labeled “criminal” for the first time.
Last week, Ellen Larson, the Mayor of Aguilar hosted a meet-and-greet event at the community center for the citizens of Aguilar to get to know their new marshal. Meanwhile, the 2010 Aguilar Fest is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 16-18, and will include a carnival, golf, BBQ in the park, a Texas Hold ’em tournament, an indoor flea market, parade, car and bike show, and a mud race.
