‘A huge loss of transparency’

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Analysis: New Mexico’s shifting media landscape means, at least in this transitional period, less coverage of politics and government For people who believe in the media’s mission to bring transparency and accountability to government, the recent news that the online publication the New Mexico Independent was laying off four part-time reporters — the apparent victims of the nation’s economic crisis — was the latest in a string of bad news. Until recently, The Santa Fe New Mexican was joined by the Albuquerque Journal and Tribune and MediaNews Group — which owns the Las Cruces Sun-News, Farmington Daily Times and several smaller New Mexico newspapers — in assigning reporters full-time to cover the happenings at the state capitol building in Santa Fe. But the times haven’t been kind to newspapers as readers have shifted to the Internet, cable television and other media for their news. The Tribune has shut down. MediaNews eliminated its capitol bureau. Continue Reading

No leadership changes for House Democrats

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House Democrats decided on Sunday to keep Sheryl Williams Stapleton of Albuquerque as their whip.She staved off a challenge from Thomas Garcia of Ocate, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The vote tally wasn’t made public or released to caucus members. Stapleton was the only leader challenged, which means Speaker Ben Lujan of Nambe, Majority Leader Ken Martinez of Grants and caucus Chair John Heaton of Carlsbad were elected on Sunday to continue in their leadership positions for another two years. Continue Reading

Guv tops Clinton in poll on who should get State job

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Bill Richardson topped Hillary Clinton in last week’s non-scientific poll asking who should be Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Of 188 voters, 80, or 43 percent, said Richardson should get the job, while 53, or 28 percent, picked Clinton, and 55, or 29 percent, said someone else should get the job. Unfortunately for those who picked Richardson, it appears that Clinton will be named secretary of state after Thanksgiving. Richardson, according to news reports, will be named commerce secretary. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s non-scientific poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

New reports say guv will head Commerce Dept.

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Gov. Bill Richardson has now been fully vetted and will be Barack Obama’s commerce secretary, The Politico and The Associated Press are reporting today.Citing “a top Democratic official,” The Politico said Richardson passed final vetting, but his appointment won’t be announced Monday, when Obama is scheduled to introduce other members of his economic team. The Associated Press, citing “a Democratic official,” said Obama will announce Richardson’s appointment after Thanksgiving. “Richardson wanted to be secretary of State, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to be tapped for that job after Thanksgiving,” The Politico’s article states. “So the Commerce job is something of a consolation prize for Richardson, who ran for president during the Democratic primaries and comes equipped with one of the best résumés in Democratic politics, albeit one weighted down by a reputation for being a headline-seeker and independent operator.” The new reports come after conflicting reports on Friday about whether Richardson would be commerce secretary. After NBC News and FOX News reported Friday that Obama would publicly introduce Richardson as his choice to head the Commerce Department on Monday, CNN reported that Richardson was a “serious contender” for the job, but his selection was not a done deal. Continue Reading

Report: Madrid on short list for interior secretary

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Another New Mexican has joined Gov. Bill Richardson on the list of people being mentioned for possible cabinet-level appointments in Barack Obama’s administration. Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid is on the short list for interior secretary, The Politico is quoting “sources” as saying. Richardson was also said earlier in the week to be a top contender for that position, but there are conflicting reports about whether he will instead be named commerce secretary on Monday. The article is about Hispanics seeking clout and high-ranking appointments in the Obama administration. Another Hispanic being considered to head the Interior Department, according to the article, is Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado. Continue Reading

CNN: Richardson appointment not a done deal

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Despite other reports to the contrary, CNN is reporting that Gov. Bill Richardson is a “serious contender” for commerce secretary but his appointment is not a done deal.“Two sources close to the transition team also said Friday that Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico is a serious contender for commerce secretary, but he could be tapped for another senior post,” the CNN report states. “The sources said they do not consider Richardson’s appointment to the Commerce Department to be a done deal.” There has been a lot of rumor-mongering in this entire process, so it’s difficult to tell what’s going on. It should be noted, in light of the CNN statement that Richardson could get another job, that the governor has also been named as being considered for secretary of state and interior secretary. Richardson has reportedly also told the Obama transition team he’s interested in ambassador to China, special envoy to Latin America or heading the World Bank. Continue Reading

Denish is ready to step up if Richardson leaves

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who would become governor if Bill Richardson becomes commerce secretary, hasn’t received official confirmation that Barack Obama has selected Richardson to run his economic-development department.But Denish likes the idea. “He’d be a great choice for America and for President-elect Obama,” Denish said in a statement released by her office. She added that she is “ready to stand in and step up to meet the challenge” if she does become governor. Beyond that, Denish said, she doesn’t have a comment until she hears “something official from the Obama Administration or from Gov. Richardson.” Continue Reading

Reports: Guv to be named commerce secretary

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This article has been updated. Barack Obama will announce on Monday that Gov. Bill Richardson will be his commerce secretary, two cable news organizations are reporting. The news was first reported by NBC News’ Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell, who say Obama is set to “roll out his economic team on Monday — and will personally announce the team and answer questions — part of an effort to reassure markets.” An instrumental part of that team, according to the report, will be Richardson. FOX News is also reporting that Richardson will be commerce secretary. Both cable news organizations are reporting that New York Fed President Tim Geithner will be Obama’s nominee for treasury secretary. Continue Reading

OK, what about commerce secretary?

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I reported earlier that Gov. Bill Richardson is being named as a possible interior secretary since it’s becoming increasingly likely that Hillary Clinton is going to be nominated to be Barack Obama’s secretary of state.Now the Washington Post blog The Fix is reporting that Richardson, according to “a Democratic official close to the proceedings,” has emerged as a “serious contender” to head the Commerce Department. The job was originally thought to be going to Penny Pritzker, who was finance chairwoman for Obama’s campaign, but she has removed herself from consideration because of business ties and her concern that she wouldn’t survive the vetting process. Sources close to Richardson have whispered for weeks that, in addition to expressing interest in secretary of state, the governor told Obama he was interested in commerce secretary, ambassador to China, special envoy to Latin America and head of the World Bank. Continue Reading

Balderas named to board of national Latino group

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State Auditor Hector Balderas was elected to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Board of Directors on Thursday in Washington, D.C.The group is a national, non-partisan organization that has a network of more than 6,000 governmental, political and business leaders who conduct civic projects, training and technical assistance, and information dissemination on behalf of the Latino community. There are 24 members on the board. “I’m honored to serve on the NALEO board with distinguished public servants from throughout the country who are committed to advancing issues that not only are of particular concern to Latinos but to all Americans,” Balderas said in a release. “My primary focus will be educational outreach to Latino communities in an effort to reduce the high school dropout rate and promote higher educational standards.” At 35, Balderas is the youngest Hispanic statewide elected official in the nation. Earlier this year, he was named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the country by Hispanic Business Weekly magazine.Balderas is frequently mentioned for a possible appointment to lieutenant governor if Bill Richardson leaves the state and Diane Denish becomes governor. Continue Reading

Could Richardson be the interior secretary?

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With it becoming increasingly likely that Hillary Clinton is going to be nominated to be Barack Obama’s secretary of state, Bill Richardson’s name is popping up for another job: secretary of the Interior Department.The Associated Press lists Richardson as a candidate for the job along with former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif. In such a role, Richardson would deal largely with western land issues about which he is already familiar. He would also deal extensively with the oil and gas industry and American Indian tribes. Richardson’s spokesmen aren’t commenting on anything related to a possible job in the Obama administration. While Richardson has been angling for secretary of state, his name has also been mentioned for a few other roles, including commerce secretary, but the chatter about two — ambassador to China and interior secretary — is the loudest. Continue Reading

Former state representative dies

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Former state Rep. Russell Autrey, who also served as a deputy chief of staff Gov. Garrey Carruthers, has died. Autrey, who from 1977-1980 was the representative for the seat currently held by Joni Gutierrez, D-Mesilla, died Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, Nev., according to an obituary published earlier this week in the Las Cruces Sun-News. He was in Las Vegas “to complete a construction project,” according to the obituary, but was living in Anchorage, Alaska. Autrey was vice chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee from 1979-1980, according to legislative records. Continue Reading

ENMU regents’ president killed in auto accident

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This article has been updated. The president of the Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents was killed today in a traffic accident near Portales.Alva C. Carter Sr., 68, was pronounced dead at the scene following the single-car accident, the Portales News-Tribune reported. The newspaper quoted State Police Capt. Jimmy Glascock as saying Carter was driving east on N.M. 202 near the intersection with U.S. Highway 70 when, “for unknown reason, his vehicle traveled off the south side of the road and struck a tree, which caused the vehicle to overturn.” The vehicle came to rest upside down. “The Eastern New Mexico University community is saddened to learn of the sudden death of Mr. Alva Carter, president of the ENMU Board of Regents,” Steven Gamble, ENMU president, said in a statement released by the university. “Mr. Carter’s commitment to the university and his strong support of this community was well-known, and he will be sorely missed. Continue Reading

Yates Petroleum gives $500K to Domenici Institute

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Yates Petroleum Corp. is putting up big money to help establish the Domenici Public Policy Institute at New Mexico State University.The company has given $500,000 to the effort, the university announced in a news release. The institute’s aim is to provide a location for scholars to research the work of the retiring Sen. Pete Domenici and to help advance issues on which he has worked. “Sen. Domenici has been a dedicated public servant to the nation, to the people of the state of New Mexico and to those in Artesia and Eddy County,” Peyton Yates, a director on the board of Yates Petroleum Corp., an Artesia-based energy company, said in the news release. “The Domenici Institute will be an advocate for the issues central to the senator’s beliefs and will be a resonating force for the application of sound science to national environmental policy. Continue Reading

The first meeting of the true blue delegation

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Yes, this is the first photograph of the new “true blue” New Mexico congressional delegation. From left to right, the members are 3rd District Rep.-elect Ben Ray Luján, 1st District Rep.-elect Martin Heinrich, U.S. Sen.-elect Tom Udall, 2nd District Rep.-elect Harry Teague and Sen. Jeff Bingaman.The group met on Wednesday for the first time since the election. They gathered in Bingaman’s Washington office, where this photo is taken. It’s quite stunning, really, to see the five Democrats together. Somehow it makes the fact that, come January, there will be no Republicans in the delegation seem more real. Continue Reading