This article has been updated.
You may have noticed the new SunCal banner ad that appeared at the top of my site on Thursday. It reminded me that, in the midst of my trip to Santa Fe earlier this week, I forgot to write about a weekend article in the Albuquerque Journal focusing on the money behind the TIDD battle in Santa Fe.
The article highlighted the fact that SunCal has blanketed the state in billboards, TV, radio and internet ads and mailers; flooded the Roundhouse with a team of high-powered lobbyists; and handed out campaign contributions to a number of lawmakers. What do they want?
The approval of a controversial method of financing for their development that commits a percentage of future gross-receipts tax revenue to repay them for their costs. The plan could give SunCal $408 million.
SunCal isn’t the only developer seeking such financing but is the only one with such a visible ad campaign, which is focused on getting people to a Web site that makes big promises about job creation on Albuquerque’s west side if the Legislature OKs its funding.
So what’s the rub? The TIDD funding is actually quite controversial from a development standpoint, but for purposes of this posting, I’m focusing on transparency. We don’t know how much the SunCal media blitz is costing. This from the Journal:
“SunCal spokeswoman Catherine Wambach… declined to say how much the company spent, saying the totals will be available in state-mandated reports 15 days after the legislative session ends later this month.
Providing the numbers in advance of that is ‘not part of our strategy. It’s not part of our messages,’ Wambach said.
She said those figures could give opponents — some of whom are waging an anti-TIDD ad campaign — ‘more fuel for their campaign.’”
Make no mistake. The money involved is huge. There has been a counter-TIDD effort that has included radio ads from SouthWest Organizing Project and ads from others run on an Internet site and in a couple of newspapers. That effort includes an anti-SunCal TIDD Web site and a complaint to the Secretary of State.
But the effort is dwarfed by the SunCal cash.
Like so much else in New Mexico law, it appears that the laws regarding the disclosure of the cash behind such lobbying aren’t entirely clear. This is, after all, an unprecedented effort that appears to be stretching state law and revealing potential flaws.
Without opining on the SunCal proposal and TIDDs in general, I will say this: The public and legislators should know how much money is being spent on such lobbying during the session, when it’s still relevant. If state law doesn’t currently require that, lawmakers should change the law to require such disclosures.
That brings me back to the ad on this site, which represents an infinitesimally small percentage of the money SunCal has spent. If you want to know how much that ad cost SunCal, check out my published ad rates by clicking here.
Update, 2 p.m.
It’s been brought to my attention that Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, proposed a bill this session that would have ensured that the disclosure of lobbying expenses like the SunCal ad blitz would be required. The bill was tabled earlier this week by the House Business and Industry Committee, effectively killing it.
“I specifically brought up SunCal in the hearing and how nice it would be for folks to know how much money was being paid to push this issue,” Steinborn wrote in an e-mail. “With my bill, citizens would know the total number with one click of a mouse and the number related to any and every other lobbyist employer as well.”
“As a member of the media, perhaps you can help give this legislation more of a voice in the future,” Steinborn wrote.
Duly noted.