Jim White (Courtesy photo)
On a 4-1 vote, Bernalillo County Commissioners selected Republican Jim White this evening to replace Albuquerque Mayor-elect Richard Berry as the representative of House District 20 in the state Legislature.
White’s appointment is effective immediately, so he can participate in the special session that begins Saturday.
County commissioners selected White, 67 and a retired Air Force colonel and former state GOP treasurer, after voting against a motion by Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins to delay the selection for 48 hours so the group could consider other potential candidates. The motion died on a similar 4-1 vote.
While no one else was nominated for the position, there had been talk earlier in the day that several other people were interested, including Democrat Josh Anderson, political director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union.
White, who ran for the House seat in 2006 and lost to Berry, said he’s looking forward to serving his new constituents and is preparing for this weekend’s special session.
He also said he’s inclined to run for the seat in next June’s primary election.
“We’ll see how the process goes, and what happens in the next six months, and we’ll take it from there, but right now I’m inclined to do that,” he said.
If he doesn’t seek re-election, he’ll leave office at the end of 2010.
Getting up to Speed
After his selection, White said he’ll focus on getting his credentials together before the start of Saturday’s special session in Santa Fe to balance the state’s soaring budget deficit.
White said he’ll be talking to legislators to catch up on the situation. He said he’s prepared to make cuts across the board to balance the budget.
“Given that all programs are of equal importance, the logical thing is to cut all of them equally,” he said.
But he acknowledged that it may not be that simple when he said, “we’re going to find out that some programs may be more important than others. So we’ll have to find some way to cut some budgets and not cut others, or cut them partially.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” White said. “Certainly there will have to be some cuts.”
White said his military career and education have prepared him for his new position.
“I was in the military for 27 years, and it was rewarding for me. I want to carry that type of service forward,” he said. “When I left the military I thought I was a better person for it. I feel the same way about getting into the Legislature.”
“I’ve got some skills and some education, I’ve got some background, and I’ve got some ethics and standards that I’ve lived by, and I want to take those up to Santa Fe and contribute up there, too,” he said.
GOP leadership pleased
Earlier in the day, House Republican Leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington, told NMPolitics.net that he’d meet with White all day on Friday in anticipation of his possible appointment. He said the GOP leadership would take White through “a crash course, and utilize all the resources we have to bring him up to speed in 24 hours.”
“Jim brings in excellent leadership skills that will continue to provide strong representation for the citizens of District 20,” Taylor said.
House Minority Whip Keith Gardner, R-Roswell, welcomed White to the Legislature in a statement released after his selection.
“The learning curve will be steep, but Jim is an Air Force retiree, a man with leadership skills, and we have no doubt that he’ll be able to step in and serve the citizens of District 20 very well,” Gardner said. “We look forward to working with him this week as he begins to take on this very important task.”