Las Cruces may restrict cell phone use while driving

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Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima says the city council will consider banning the use of cell phones without hands-free sets and sending text messages while driving. The issue will be discussed at the council’s Sept. 14 work session, Miyagishima wrote today in an e-mail to constituents. Miyagishima wrote that he does not support a complete ban on cell-phone use while driving but believes hands-free sets should be required. He said the meeting comes “in response to public concerns as well as recent reports about the dangers of ‘Texting while Driving.’” Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Española already require those who talk on cell phones while driving to use hands-free sets. Continue Reading

Meet Doña Ana County’s new elections supervisor

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After going seven months without one, Doña Ana County has a new elections supervisor. Bob L. Bartlesmeyer was recently hired for the job, the county announced this morning in a news release. The position has been vacant since County Clerk Lynn Ellins took office in January. Bartelsmeyer has more than 25 years of experience in elections management, including 22 years as the county clerk in Lawrence County, Missouri — a position to which he was elected at age 21 and then held for six consecutive terms. Most recently, he served as absentee ballot coordinator in Palm Beach County, Fla., according to a news release from the county. He has attended Oral Roberts University and Missouri State University. Continue Reading

Christian university professor running for governor

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A faculty member at a Christian university in Hobbs is joining the race for governor. Republican Nathan Krekula writes on his campaign Web site that he supports the development of new energy technologies and protecting natural resources along with support for the oil and gas industry. He also writes on his Web site about the importance of education, religion and free enterprise. Krekula is an assistant professor of biology at University of the Southwest, which according to its Web site is a “a Christ-centered educational community dedicated to developing men and women for a lifetime of servant leadership by emphasizing individual faith, responsibility, and initiative.” He was in the U.S. Army for 12 years and worked in the health-care industry for 15, according to his Web site. He has a doctorate degree in epidemiology from Walden University. Continue Reading

Town-hall violence isn’t helping anything

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Many conservatives are angry about bailouts, tax-increase proposals, cap-and-trade legislation and health-care reform. Fine. But instead of resorting to violence, they need to take a seat at the table. A libertarian activist in Albuquerque crossed a line on Friday when he advocated physical violence against members of left-leaning groups at town hall meetings on health-care reform. I’m not giving the guy the publicity of linking to his page or publishing his name, but I will tell you that he posted messages on Twitter stating that people should use “retaliation… be it verbal or physical” against members of ACORN and the Service Employees International Union if they decide to attend or disrupt town-hall meetings and should “hurt them. Continue Reading

Colón makes his resignation official

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There was no news release, no public announcement, and little fanfare, but Brian Colón resigned from his position as chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico this weekend as expected, apparently with the intention of entering the lieutenant governor’s race. Colón made his resignation official in a Friday letter to the state party’s vice chair, Annadelle Sanchez, which was posted at Democracy for New Mexico. His resignation took effect Saturday. “I am proud and humbled by all we have accomplished together. We had clear electoral success at all levels of government. Continue Reading

Former judge’s voter-fraud trial starts today

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Now here’s an actual voter-fraud case being prosecuted by the office of Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez. The trial of a man who’s accused of “fraudulently registering as a candidate for Sunland Park municipal judge and fraudulently voting” starts today, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. Horacio Favela, 49 and a Democrat, is accused of falsely declaring himself a resident of Sunland Park so he could vote and run for judge there while he was living in El Paso. He allegedly voted in El Paso County in Texas and in Doña Ana County in 2004. In Doña Ana County, Favela voted using an address for a small trailer located next to a tortilla business in which he is a partner. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say AG not tough enough on corruption

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Attorney General Gary King has not been tough enough on public corruption. Of 458 voters, 403, or 88 percent, said the AG isn’t doing enough, while 36, or 8 percent, said he is, and 19, or 4 percent, said they don’t know. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

What about the Region VII Housing Authority records?

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Why were they abandoned in the agency’s former office for almost two years? What information do they contain? When the Las Cruces-based Region VII Housing Authority shut down in August 2006, board members said the agency’s records would be sent to Region III in Albuquerque. So why did the government records remain essentially abandoned in a privately owned office building in Las Cruces until almost two years later, when they were finally picked up by Brian Colón, a private attorney working on the State Investment Council’s (SIC) lawsuit that’s attempting to recover money lost when Region III defaulted in 2006 on $5 million in bonds it owed the state? Good question. Continue Reading

Is Colón’s work on housing authority lawsuit a conflict?

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Whistleblower says Democratic Party chairman’s dual roles create ‘the perception of conflict of interest;’ Colón says there is no conflict The chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico traveled to Las Cruces on May 14, 2008 to pick up documents left behind when the Region VII Housing Authority shut down in August 2006. But Brian Colón wasn’t acting in his role as party chair. Colón is an attorney, and his law firm is suing two defendants on behalf of the State Investment Council (SIC) to try to recover money lost when the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority defaulted in 2006 on $5 million in bonds it owed the state. With a subpoena in hand, Colón met with Edgar Lopez, who had been Region VII’s landlord, filled his car with boxes of government records and headed north on Interstate 25. Colón confirmed in an interview that his work on the case includes investigation, research and communicating with the SIC on behalf of his law firm, Robles, Rael & Anaya. Continue Reading

Gore’s ‘climate protection’ campaign comes to NM

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Al Gore’s “climate protection” campaign has opened an office in Albuquerque to help New Mexicans shift to clean energy. The Alliance for Climate Protection, whose board is chaired by Gore, officially opened its Repower New Mexico office on Thursday. The office will be staffed with five employees. “New Mexican families need to know a clean energy economy will create millions of well-paying jobs and save Americans money on their energy bills,” New Mexico Director Brandon Pinette said in a news release. “We at Repower New Mexico are extremely excited to open our Albuquerque office; it will be a hub for all New Mexicans who want to see our economy grow into a cleaner, brighter future, instead of being mired in the dirty energy policies of the past.” The “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization,” according to the release, “is educating New Mexicans about how shifting to a clean energy economy helps solve the climate crisis and address other pressing national problems facing our country today.” The group has recruited more than 3,000 members in New Mexico in the past few months, according to the release. Continue Reading

Montoya, Huerta back Gonzales for Dem Party chair

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Debate about who should be the next chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico is quickly evaporating as other candidates and potential candidates are announcing their support for New Mexico State University Regent Javier Gonzales. The only other announced candidate, Sandoval County Democratic Party Chairman David Montoya, dropped his candidacy today and endorsed Gonzales. “Nothing is more important to me than making sure that we elect Diane Denish Governor. The Lt. Governor and I share a commitment to the core principles of this party — health care, education, creating good paying jobs, and fighting to protect the civil rights of every New Mexican,” he wrote. “I am therefore withdrawing my candidacy for Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and endorsing the candidacy of my good friend, Javier Gonzales.” Almost immediately, the outgoing chairman, Brian Colón, appointed Montoya as “senior advisor to the chairman and director of party strategy.” There was also a group urging Michael Ray Huerta of Las Cruces to run for party chair. Continue Reading

Gonzales announces Dem Party chairman candidacy

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New Mexico State University Regent Javier Gonzales confirmed today that he’s seeking the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. “In consultation with my family and friends, as well as consultation with Democratic Party leaders, I’ve concluded this is an ideal opportunity for me to join with other good Democrats in New Mexico in pushing our progressive agenda forward,” Gonzales said in a statement released this afternoon. Gonzales is seeking to replace Brian Colón, who is expected to announce his resignation on Friday and run for lieutenant governor. Gonzales had previously been saying he was considering running for lieutenant governor, but his new statement appears to put an end to any talk of that. “I’ve long searched for where I can best serve New Mexico, and I believe I’ve found the right place where I can best serve all New Mexicans,” he said of the party chairmanship. Continue Reading

Fact over fiction on fishing

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By Marita K. NoonThis commentary has been removed in its entirety because of factual inaccuracies. Noon is the executive director of CARE (Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy), an Albuquerque-based nonprofit organization that is advocating for citizen rights to energy freedom. Contact her at marita@responsiblenergy.org. Continue Reading

Napolitano to speak at 2009 Domenici conference

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is one of a number of high-profile speakers who New Mexico State University has lined up for the 2009 Domenici Public Policy Conference it’s holding next month. Other speakers announced Wednesday by the university include Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright, former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, Nuclear Energy Institute Senior Vice President Alex Flint, and David Walker, former head of the Government Accountability Office and the subject of the documentary “I.O.U.S.A.” Former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici will also be speaking at the conference, which will be held Sept. 16 and 17. This is the second year of the conference. Named for New Mexico’s longest-serving senator, who retired last year, NMSU’s Domenici Institute aims to bring together what a news release called “some of the best minds in the country” to focus on significant national issues. Continue Reading

Fixing public education is ‘a huge priority’ for Turner

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The likely GOP gubernatorial candidate also says honest government ‘is a function of leadership’
Doug Turner says there’s been a lot of talk in the Republican gubernatorial primary race about ending corruption, with candidates expressing anger and using buzz phrases like “clean up Santa Fe.”
But the 40-year-old public relations professional, who is likely to officially join the 2010 gubernatorial race in the coming weeks or months, said a focus on ending corruption “only goes so far.”
“To have an honest government is a function of leadership,” Turner said. “… I believe you have to be for something, instead of against things.”
What’s Turner for? “Figuring out how to fix public education in this state is a huge priority for me,” he said during an interview Tuesday in Las Cruces. During a week in which the public learned that only 54 percent of high school seniors graduated in New Mexico in 2008, Turner said public schools “should not be paid” for the number of students enrolled at the beginning of the year regardless of whether those students finish the year. Turner, a member of the New Mexico Charter Schools Association’s board, is a fan of charter schools and vouchers. Continue Reading