By Carter Bundy
Six weeks from now we’ll know if
By way of disclosure, I’m writing this solely in my personal capacity, but I’m only writing because I personally agree with the endorsements that our members made. Had I disagreed with any of the endorsements, I wouldn’t be writing this both out of respect for our members and also out of personal integrity. Fortunately, I think our members did a thorough, thoughtful job, and so I can let it fly.
None of the candidates running this year is a bad person. No Michael Vicks or Tim Donaghys in this crowd. But I also think there are clear choices for people who want a progressive and/or independent city council, and politics is all about choices.
District 2
Start with District 2: Incumbent Debbie O’Malley, who is bright, active, fair and progressive, amazingly is being challenged by “Democrats.” I put it in quotation marks because Debbie stands for everything right about the Democratic Party. All the races are technically non-partisan, but of course active voters use party affiliation as shorthand all the time.
She cares about her constituents, focuses on the long-term health of the city, and isn’t owned by big-money, out-of-state developers who don’t care whether we end up looking like
Her opponent is literally the face of development in
Developers do just fine getting sweet deals in
District 4
District 4 is a little more difficult for me, because it’s a fairly conservative district represented by a relatively conservative councilor. But that conservative, Brad Winter, has always shown thoughtfulness and respect, and is a pragmatist rather than an ideologue. Further, there’s not a whiff of impropriety about the guy.
Little is known about Winter’s challenger, who didn’t fill out our questionnaire. There’s clear evidence (e-mailing to only the people you want is more difficult than it looks, apparently) that conservatives inside City Hall of both parties are supporting her. Paradoxically, she’ll probably have a tough time convincing conservatives that her stint working for Al Kissling in 2006 squares with the district’s overall profile.
Given her inexperience and the existing e-mail evidence that she’s not even remotely running her own campaign, the independent devil I know (sorry Brad, but you’d be the first to admit you’re not exactly César Chávez!) isn’t so gruesome. Plus Brad’s a guy with integrity and decency, and that’s one thing we can always use, regardless of party.
District 6
District 6 is different. There is a César Chávez-type to rally around. Rey Garduño is a lifelong progressive activist, fighting for everything from clean elections to transparency in government to basic protections for workers. In short: Rey Garduño’s a dream candidate for the strongly Democratic liberal enclave of Nob Hill, the university and surrounding areas.
Blair Kaufman sits on the CNM Board and shows a genuine enthusiasm for education and for his district. Were he not in such a liberal district with such a strong progressive rival in Rey, he certainly would have drawn many Democratic supporters.
With popular incumbent District 6 Councilor and now congressional candidate Martin Heinrich fully supporting the Garduño camp, Democratic support in District 6 seems to be rapidly coalescing around Rey.
Which leads to the discussion of another candidate: P.R. pro Joanie Griffin. She has taken much flak in the blogosphere for having been a lifelong Republican (until briefly after Heinrich announced he wasn’t running for council again), and for being a significant contributor to the Republican National Committee and Heather Wilson (coco at
So on paper, she doesn’t seem to be a very good fit for the district. To be fair, though, she also claims to have given significant contributions to Democrats, and she was one of the top people in Democrat Marty Chávez’s successful race for Mayor in ’05. She’s a hard worker who has strong ties to City Hall, and progressives would be unwise to overlook her strengths or charm.
Only voters and time can ultimately determine whether
Unabashed Republican Kevin Wilson may benefit from having three opponents to his left. That scenario is similar to 2004, though, and the one Republican (also affiliated with developers) still wasn’t able to overcome the staunch liberal profile of the district.
District 9
Finally, Don Harris, a Republican in conservative District 9, is facing a surprising recall effort based, ultimately, on dissatisfaction with his opinions on speed bumps. Those mad about the speed bumps are being used – and badly – by those who don’t like an independent city council.
I have written an entire column on the absurdity of using lightly-attended recalls as a way of overturning fair, regular elections. The recall proponents are disgracing democracy for a combination of frivolity and possible short-term political gain. Even though I don’t have much in common with Republican Harris, we at least share a basic respect for the democratic process and elections.
Any Republican who votes for this recall damn well ought to be signing up for the impeachment of the president, because W’s errors – in the judgment of liberals and conservatives alike – are far more significant than speed bumps. And any liberals who support the recall because they see a chance to take out a Republican are no more principled than the likes of Ken Starr and Newt Gingrich.
We live in a democracy, folks. Live with the results of the elections – for either party – unless/until someone does something significantly corrupt and unethical. Gettin’ good lovin’ in the Oval Office doesn’t count, and neither does any position on speed bumps.
Given the quality of some of these candidates, there’s no excuse to not have a massive turnout on Oct. 2. My picks for Albuquerque City Council include two Dems and two Rs. At the federal level, the GOP may have gone almost totally corrupt, but at the local level, they and Dems alike offer some candidates of integrity and decency. New Mexicans should reward those kinds of candidates.
Bundy is the political and legislative director for AFSCME in