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The New Mexico House of Representatives began its official audio webcasts this morning. You can listen to the webcast by clicking here. In addition to the audio feed, the page contains the House’s agenda for the day and other information. It’s a basic but informative page. Legislative Council Service plans to upgrade it fairly quickly. Continue Reading
Val Kilmer says he believes the office of governor is his if he wants it. “If I run, I’m going to be the next governor,” he was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. Kilmer said he hasn’t decided whether to run. If he does, he said, he’ll benefit from being an actor because people will want to meet him. But, the news service’s Deborah Baker quoted Kilmer as saying, he isn’t thinking about running because of his fame. Continue Reading
The actions of the plaintiff and his attorney in the civil pay-to-play lawsuit involving the Richardson administration are creating a media circus. It’s no secret that most judges don’t like their cases tried in the media. That’s why most attorneys don’t turn their clients’ lawsuits into media circuses. So the actions of Victor Marshall and his client, Frank Foy, who is alleging in a civil lawsuit a pay-to-play scheme involving the Richardson administration, should raise eyebrows. This isn’t the ongoing federal, criminal grand jury investigation into allegations that the Richardson administration traded a lucrative state bond contract for $110,000 in contributions to Gov. Bill Richardson’s political committees and his 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Continue Reading
Talking Points Memo says investigation centers on whether the former senator and others improperly pressured the former U.S. attorney to speed a criminal investigation; Domenici disputes report A federal grand jury is investigating former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s role in the Bush administration’s U.S. attorney scandal, according to an Internet news site that won a prestigious journalism award in 2008 for its coverage of the scandal. The criminal investigation, according to an exclusive report by Talking Points Memo, is focused 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,” which, if it happened, might amount to obstruction of justice. Investigators are scrutinizing Iglesias’ allegation that he was fired because “Domenici and others believed that he would not manipulate the timing of prosecutions to help Republicans,” the article states.According to the Albuquerque Journal, Domenici and his attorney dispute the report. “I don’t believe that’s right,” the Journal quoted Domenici as saying. “The suggestion in their story that there is an investigation under way that is focusing on Sen. Domenici is false,” Domenici’s attorney, Lee Blalack, was quoted as saying, but he also said he’s “not privy to everything the U.S. government does.”Talking Points Memo’s article states that the focus on Domenici was confirmed by “a federal law enforcement official, two witnesses who have been recently been asked to answer questions from investigators, and an attorney representing a former Justice Department official who has been told that investigators want to question his client.” Domenici and former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson both called Iglesias in October 2006 to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation weeks before the November 2006 election, in which Wilson was facing a tough re-election battle that she ended up narrowly winning. Continue Reading
In response to a controversy involving the State Land Office and a Las Cruces developer, three Doña Ana County lawmakers are proposing reforms that would increase transparency and accountability in the land commissioner’s dealings. The proposals follow Attorney General Gary King’s finding fault last year with Land Commissioner Pat Lyons’ leasing of land on Las Cruces’ East Mesa to Philip Philippou so it could be developed. The AG’s formal opinion on The Vistas at Presidio land deal states that the lease agreement’s method of compensating Philippou’s company for developing the land is “not comprehended by and in conflict with” a statute that allows developers who improve land for the state to be compensated only for the appraised value of the improvements. In the lease, the land office also agrees to compensate Philippou for other project costs and 40 percent of the change in value of the land as a result of the improvements. The first bill in the package proposed by Reps. Continue Reading
Actor and potential 2010 gubernatorial candidate Val Kilmer visited the Roundhouse today, but a staffer for the governor says Kilmer didn’t meet with Bill Richardson. Eric Witt, the governor’s legislative liaison and film and media industry adviser, said he, not Richardson, met with Kilmer. “Val did not come to see the governor,” Witt said. “He came to see me, actually, and we were just talking about the state of the film industry in New Mexico… and some projects he’s thinking about doing here. That was the extent of it.” Kilmer, who owns a ranch outside Pecos, has been openly considering running for governor in 2010, which would pit him against Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in the Democratic primary. Continue Reading
House Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants, says he believes there’s a strong chance video webcasting of House proceedings will begin no later than the 2010 legislative session. “I feel confident the overwhelming majority of the members of the House want to get us to a professional, reliable video webcast as soon as possible, and hopefully in time for our next legislative session,” Martinez said in an interview. The House unanimously approved on Tuesday official audio webcasts from the floor and some committee meetings that should begin within days. The legislation, House Resolution 2, sponsored by Martinez, also allows committee chairs to decide whether to allow webcasting from their committees’ meetings. The House didn’t make any formal commitment to expand the webcasting to include video, but what Martinez says is true: Most House leaders and many other members have stated their support for video webcasting and their intention to make it happen by the 2010 legislative session. Continue Reading
New Mexico Finance Authority rejects requests for subpoenas and the records sought by those subpoenas Though at least two other state agencies have publicly released similar documents, the New Mexico Finance Authority is refusing to hand over subpoenas it has been issued in the federal investigation into allegations of pay-to-play in the Richardson administration. The finance authority is also refusing to release the documents sought by such subpoenas. I and Trip Jennings, a colleague at the New Mexico Independent, sought the records in two separate requests made under the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act. The first, a narrow request, sought only subpoenas that have been issued in the federal investigation. The second, broad request sought all subpoenas related to any federal investigation received by the finance authority, and all documents requested in those subpoenas. Continue Reading
This article has been updated. It appears that the 2009 Las Cruces school board election may be remembered for an anti-incumbent mood. Leonel Briseño and Gene Gant, who have been LCPS board members for eight years, appeared on their way to losing late Tuesday, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. In the District 2 race, Serena Shoop led Briseño with 226 votes to his 123, with two precincts’ votes yet to be counted. And in the District 3 race, Gant was in third in a close race, winning 225 votes to 283 votes for Merrie Lee Soules and 288 votes for Maria Flores. Continue Reading
With a unanimous voice vote, the New Mexico House of Representatives approved audio webcasting of its proceedings today, which means that such webcasting should begin within days. Absent from House Resolution 2 was any formal commitment to expand the webcasting to include video. But most House leaders and other members have stated their support for video webcasting and their intention to make it happen by the 2010 legislative session. In the meantime, Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones is webcasting audio and video from her committee meetings. There has been an intentional effort on the part of House leaders to move the legislation quickly and get audio webcasting started as soon as possible. Continue Reading
While many lawmakers, the governor and attorney general are focusing their ethics reform efforts on high-profile proposals that include creation of a state ethics commission and the enactment of campaign contribution limits, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is taking a different approach this session. Denish announced her support today for three less talked-about bills she said would increase transparency in state government. The first is House Bill 272, sponsored by Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque. It would eliminate exemptions to campaign finance reporting laws and mandate quarterly finance reports for candidates and committees. Currently, in off-election years, reports are only required annually. Continue Reading
Dave Contarino says an allegation that he ordered other officials to make state investments in exchange for a little more than $15,000 in contributions to Gov. Bill Richardson’s 2008 presidential campaign is “a flat-out lie.” The allegation was made public earlier today when Contarino’s name was unsealed as a defendant in a civil lawsuit related to the state’s losing $90 million in the investment deals with Vanderbilt Financial and affiliated companies. Frank Foy, the former chief investment officer for the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board, is alleging in the lawsuit that Contarino instructed State Investment Officer Gary Bland and Bruce Malott, chairman of the educational board, to make the investments in exchange for the contributions. “I never instructed Gary Bland or Bruce Malott to invest in anything,” Contarino said in a statement that was just released. “I wasn’t even chief of staff at the time of this investment. I played no role in this investment and have no recollection of ever meeting Mr. Foy or anyone involved with Vanderbilt Investments.” Contarino, a former Richardson chief of staff and campaign manager, said he was “not aware” of any contributions from people tied to Vanderbilt to the governor’s campaign, and said “this entire accusation is a total fairy tale concocted by Mr. Foy and his attorney.” “This entire lawsuit — by a former employee — is irresponsible, and the claims are ridiculous and untrue,” Contarino said. Continue Reading
Governor’s office calls pay-to-play lawsuit ‘a big joke’ Dave Contarino, Gov. Bill Richardson’s right-hand man who was already at the center of a federal investigation into pay-to-play allegations in the administration, was publicly named today as the man who allegedly ordered another pay-to-play deal detailed in a civil lawsuit. In unsealing the identity of John Doe #2, Frank Foy, the former chief investment officer for the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board, is publicly alleging that Contarino ordered other state officials to make investments with Vanderbilt Financial and affiliated companies in exchange for a little more than $15,000 in contributions to Richardson’s 2008 presidential campaign, which Contarino managed. Foy’s civil lawsuit, filed on behalf of the state, alleges that the state lost $90 million in the investment deals. You can read the lawsuit by clicking here, and the notice of the unsealing of John Doe #2’s identity by clicking here. Contarino wrote in an e-mail that a comment is “coming soon.” Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos released this statement: “This lawsuit is a big joke. Continue Reading
A bill that would open legislative conference committees to the public cleared its first hurdle in the House on Monday. Members of the Judiciary Committee unanimously approved House Bill 393, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces. Approval was expected. The House has overwhelmingly approved opening conference committees for several years. It’s in the Senate that the proposal has been killed by the slimmest of margins on an annual basis. Continue Reading
Here’s an interesting point when considering whether the New Mexico Senate will be more open to ethics reform this year than it has been in the past. The Senate Rules Committee finally held its organizational meeting yesterday. Yesterday. Feb. 2. Continue Reading