Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Gov. Bill Richardson is “one of a mix” of people under consideration to head the Motion Picture Association of America, the National Journal’s “Under the Influence” is reporting.
The news organization quoted “K Street sources” in its report.
“Richardson makes sense because he has that global international experience, he knows state and federal staff and it keeps the job at an elevated level,” the news organization quoted one such source as saying.
The job is coming open soon. The current CEO of the association, former U.S. Rep. Dan Glickman of Kansas, is retiring in April.
The news comes as Richardson’s most recent approval rating in a publicly released poll was a dismal 28 percent. The poll also showed that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish, who is running to succeed Richardson in office when he leaves at the end of the year, had a slight but tenuous lead in the poll.
Getting the unpopular governor out of the state could increase Lt. Gov. Denish’s chances in the November election by giving her an opportunity to lead the state for a few months beforehand – and also by eliminating Richardson, whose unpopularity may be a drag on Democratic candidates, from the equation.
The job, which is based in Washington, would be lucrative for Richardson. Glickman made $1.3 million in 2008.
At least two others are in the mix for the job, the National Journal reported: Robert Pisano, former vice chairman of MGM and currently the association’s chief operating officer, and Richard Bates, who heads Disney’s Washington, D.C. office.
Both may be unlikely to take the job, the National Journal reported. Bates was just promoted to head Disney’s Washington office, and Padden “is becoming become a senior fellow and adjunct professor at University of Colorado Law School and will be working on strategic planning projects until he leaves the company next year.”
New Mexico has become a favorite destination of the movie industry under Richardson’s leadership by offering tax rebates for filming here and loans for relocating movie-industry companies here.
Richardson has tried to leave New Mexico more than once since becoming governor in 2003, but he failed in his bid to become president in 2008, and he withdrew his nomination to be U.S. commerce secretary last year because he was dogged by a pay-to-play investigation that was later dropped without charges being filed.