Article tells all about influential businessman

You might recall me writing during this year’s legislative session about a proposal to provide a $30 million loan guarantee for a tilapia farm in Hidalgo County. The proposal was killed by lawmakers because it came up at the last minute, and many thought something smelled fishy.

The project was pushed by Johnny Cope, the chairman of the state Transportation Commission and a close friend of Gov. Bill Richardson. At the time, he was a director of the New Mexico Tilapia Corporation.

Turns out he’s one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the state. The Albuquerque Journal did a profile of him this weekend that has politicos talking.

It’s an interesting read. Check it out by clicking here.