Ben Lujan, speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives, had a lot of praise for new President Barack Obama in a speech this afternoon, and he also spoke about the state’s economic situation and the need for ethics reform.
Lujan devoted a great deal of his speech, which he gave shortly after being re-elected speaker on a party-line vote, repeating lines from the inaugural address Obama gave earlier today and praising the president’s policy proposals. Lujan’s re-election to the speaker position was expected.
In his speech, Lujan also highlighted the state’s struggling economy, but he said the state is “not affected in the same degree as other parts in the country.”
Still, Lujan said, the Legislature “must be prudent and fiscally responsible while being cognizant that we are working in a very fragile circumstance.”
Referring only briefly to the cloud of controversy that is currently hanging over the Richardson administration and Santa Fe, Lujan said he looks forward to working with the governor, attorney general and others “to strengthen our resolve” in the area of ethics.
“Trust and confidence and integrity are the cornerstones… of our democracy,” Lujan said.