Omnibus bill would only kill ethics reform, again

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This year’s plan to ensure no significant reform is approved: Put all the proposals into one bill to rally opponents of various pieces of legislation behind a common purpose — voting down one bill In 2007, Rep. Mimi Stewart introduced an ethics reform bill that would have made 13 different changes to the state’s Campaign Reporting Act, including enacting contribution limits, giving the secretary of state subpoena power to investigate potential violations of the act and implementing tougher reporting requirements. At the time, one legislator said to me something to the effect of, “She’s putting all the eggs in one basket. If she would split these up, some would pass. Together, they’re all going to die.” Predictably, 2007’s House Bill 821 did die. Two years later, New Mexico still has no campaign contribution limits. Continue Reading

Reform backers hopeful about Friday’s hearing

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Senate Rules Committee to consider a number of ethics reform proposals The Senate Rules Committee has finally begun to move on a number of ethics reform proposals, and that has reform supporters saying there is reason for optimism despite the committee’s late start on the issue. “The public pressure is pretty clear at this point… and my impression is that our legislators are aware that the public pressure has been raised quite significantly,” said Steve Allen, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. One key reason some are citing for their optimism is that the rules committee gave a unanimous do-pass recommendation on Wednesday to Senate Bill 141, which would allow a judge, in the case of an elected official who commits a felony connected to his office, to impose a fine no greater than the elected official’s salary and benefits in addition to the standard sentence. The bill is sponsored by William Payne, R-Albuquerque. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen and a member of the committee, missed the vote. Continue Reading

Grand jury subpoenas records from Domenici

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As part of the probe into the U.S. attorney scandal, it’s also interviewing today a former White House staffer who played a role in Iglesias’ firing A federal grand jury has subpoenaed records from former Sen. Pete Domenici in its criminal investigation of the Bush administration’s U.S. attorney scandal, The Associated Press is reporting. The subpoena was confirmed “by two private attorneys who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not representing the former senator,” the news service reported. The Washington Post was also reporting on the subpoena, citing “lawyers following the case.” Domenici’s attorney, K. Lee Blalack, would not comment to the AP or Post. The reports come almost a week after Talking Points Memo reported that the grand jury was investigating Domenici’s role in the scandal, with a focus on “whether Domenici and other political figures attempted to improperly press (former U.S. Attorney David) Iglesias to bring a criminal prosecution against New Mexico Democrats just prior to the 2006 congressional midterm elections.” If they did, the article stated, their conduct might amount to obstruction of justice. Here’s what the AP has to say about the investigation’s focus: “Career federal prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy is looking into whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the (U.S. attorney) dismissals,” the article states. Continue Reading

Kilmer continues politicking with DC visit

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Val Kilmer is continuing politicking as he considers running for governor, this time with a visit to Washington, D.C. that includes attending a speech on American Indian issues and paying visits to the offices of at least three members of the New Mexico congressional delegation. Kilmer was in attendance at Tuesday’s speech in Washington by Joe Garcia, of the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo in northern New Mexico, to the National Congress of American Indians. Garcia heads the organization. There Kilmer ran into U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, according to Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla. Following the speech, Kilmer stopped by Udall’s office yesterday and again today, Padilla confirmed. Continue Reading

Senate committee moves into ethics overdrive

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After getting a late start, the committee that’s key to all ethics reform proposals in the Senate is scheduled to move into ethics overdrive this week. But don’t expect the myriad of bills that will be heard this week to have an easy time. Ethics reform proposals have died en masse in the Senate in recent years. The ethics hearings begin Wednesday morning, when two Republican reform proposals get their first committee hearing. The Senate Rules Committee is scheduled to consider Senate Bill 141, which would allow a judge, in the case of an elected official who commits a felony connected to his office, to impose a fine no greater than the elected official’s salary and benefits in addition to the standard sentence. Continue Reading

Guv’s brother-in-law lands exempt state job

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s brother-in-law by marriage scored a high-paying state government job late last year, the New Mexico Independent is reporting. Bill Walsh beat out four other finalists to become deputy director of the New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority, a job that pays him $85,000 per year, the article by Trip Jennings states. Walsh is married to a sister of First Lady Barbara Richardson. He’s an exempt employee who works at the pleasure of Richardson. The agency’s executive director, Wayne Propst, said the agency went through a competitive hiring process before selecting Walsh for the job in November. Continue Reading

Check out analysis of House webcasting debate

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Mark Bralley, a photographer and blogger who keeps an eye on politics, has a lengthy but insightful posting on his blog — What’s Wrong With This Picture? — in which he dissects the webcasting debate in the New Mexico House of Representatives in an attempt to get to the bottom of what’s really going on. With an extensive essay, photos and video, he does a stellar job of analyzing the dynamics, behind-the-scenes maneuverings and other factors in the debate. He reveals a lot about the group that helped Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones start the webcasting revolution — a group of which he is a member. He even mentions me in the context of taking apart comments House Speaker Ben Lujan has made about his stance on webcasting. Continue Reading

Guv’s office releases subpoena; NMFA does not

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Is NMFA violating the public records act, or is the governor’s office releasing documents it isn’t legally required to provide? One state agency — the New Mexico Finance Authority — is refusing to release any subpoenas it’s received in a federal grand jury investigation of allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration. But another — the highest state agency, the Office of the Governor — is releasing such documents in response to requests made under the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act. In fact, I made requests using the same language to both state agencies, which are both subject to the public records act, and received the different responses. What conclusion can be drawn from that? Continue Reading

Lawmakers consider spaceport-related bills

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There are a couple of interesting and potentially controversial bills related to Spaceport America working their way through the New Mexico Legislature. House Bill 200, sponsored by Bobby Gonzales, D-Taos, would exempt from the Inspection of Public Records Act any proprietary technical or business information the New Mexico Spaceport Authority obtains related to the possible expansion of a business. Essentially, that would allow the spaceport authority to withhold information it learns about companies considering doing business in New Mexico that, if it were available to the company’s competitors, might harm the company. The state’s Economic Development Department already has a similar exemption from the public records act. The argument is that without such confidentiality, the spaceport authority might not be able to attract space-related companies to New Mexico. Continue Reading

Lawmakers discuss housing authority scandal

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Sen. Mary Kay Papen and Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones appeared on the television show Report from Santa Fe with Lorene Mills this weekend to discuss the housing authority scandal and a reform bill making its way through the current legislative session. Senate Bill 20, sponsored by Papen, a Las Cruces Democrat, would expand reforms approved in 2007 to increase oversight and restructure the state’s affordable housing system. Arnold-Jones, an Albuquerque Republican, has been an equal partner in championing the reform, as has Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. Most of the system toppled in 2006 when the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority defaulted on $5 million in bonds it owed the state. Soon thereafter, the State Investment Council released a report that found widespread misuse of the bond money, which was supposed to be spent on houses. Continue Reading

CDR mystery deepens with Journal article

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“Don’t ask me.” That’s what Joe Gosline said he was told when he inquired in 2004 about how CDR Financial Services went from scoring in the lower half of a group of companies that bid on a lucrative state bond contract to being recommended for the job, according to a weekend article in the Albuquerque Journal. The claims of Gosline, a former controller and chief financial officer for the New Mexico Finance Authority, deepen the mystery about how the company won the contract — which is, of course, the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into allegations of pay to play in the Richardson administration. The grand jury is asking whether CDR received the state investment contract that paid almost $1.5 million in exchange for $110,000 in contributions to two of Gov. Bill Richardson’s political action committees and his 2006 gubernatorial re-election campaign. Gosline has a wrongful termination lawsuit pending against NMFA, the Journal reported. He was fired in 2007 for allegedly sending sexually explicit e-mail and visiting Internet dating sites while at work — allegations he denies. Continue Reading

Furloughs coming to several NM newspapers

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There’s more bad news about newspapers: MediaNews Group is making all employees at its nine New Mexico newspapers — including the Las Cruces Sun-News — take one week off without pay before March 31 in an attempt to avoid layoffs. “We tried everything to avoid this but we still thought that having one week of unpaid leave might alleviate the need for layoffs in the future,” Senior Vice President of Operations Tony Tierno was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. Employees were notified on Friday that they have to take the time off, and were also instructed to not talk with the media about it. In New Mexico, MediaNews owns the Ruidoso News and White Sands Missile Ranger. In addition to the Sun-News, it is the majority stakeholder in the Alamogordo Daily News, Carlsbad Current-Argus, Deming Headlight, Farmington Daily Times, the Four Corners Business Journal in Farmington and the Silver City Sun-News. Continue Reading

Most voters in poll want open conference committees

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The vast majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said the New Mexico Legislature’s conference committees should be open to the public. Of 173 voters, 141, or 82 percent, said the meetings should be open, while 27, or 16 percent, said they should not, and five voters, or 3 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

Land commissioner says Steinborn wants his job

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Responding to lawmakers’ reform bills, Lyons says ‘anti-growth’ agenda includes electing Steinborn as land commissioner in 2010 State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons says a trio of Doña Ana County lawmakers proposing to reform his office have an “anti-growth” agenda and a plan to carry it out that includes electing one of them to replace him next year. Lyons, a Republican who term limits prevent from seeking a third term in 2010, said in an interview that several people have told him Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, plans to run for land commissioner next year. Lyons said he believes the legislator plans to run, and the reform bills Steinborn is proposing along with Rep. Nate Cote, D-Organ, and Sen. Steve Fischmann, D-Las Cruces, are designed to help make that happen. “Part of it is Steinborn running for land commissioner; the other part is their anti-growth agenda,” Lyons said. The legislators, who introduced their reform package earlier this week, say it would improve accountability and transparency in the land office’s dealings. Continue Reading

Flores wins LCPS board race by two votes

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Maria Flores is the new District 3 board member for the Las Cruces Public Schools. She and Merrie Lee Soules split the two provisional ballots that were unsealed at today’s canvassing, County Clerk Lynn Ellins said. Before that, Flores had 527 votes to Soules’ 525 votes, so Flores finished with 528 and Soules finished with 526. Incumbent Gene Gant finished with 311 votes. Ellins said Soules has until Thursday to petition in district court for a recount. Continue Reading