Politically active law student may run for Congress

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A politically active University of New Mexico School of Law student is adding his name to the list of people considering running for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall. William Consuegra is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, whose membership includes political figures from around the world, and was nominated by Gov. Bill Richardson and former UNM President Louis Caldera to the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He’s also a member of the New Mexico Commission on Public Broadcasting, having been nominated to that position by Richardson. “I have been in conversations with my wife regarding a possible run, and I will make a decision over the holidays after discussing it further with my extended family (my parents and my in-laws) as well as with some friends who know a bit more about New Mexico politics than I do,” Consuegra said today. Consuegra’s wife, Mikelynn Romero, is from Velarde and is a niece of the president of Qwest-New Mexico, Loretta Armenta. Continue Reading

Indian affairs secretary to run for Udall’s House seat

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Benny Shendo, Jr., cabinet secretary for the state’s Indian Affairs Department, confirmed today that he will run for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall. He has been considering the race for some time. “We’re beyond the thinking stage,” he said today. “We are going to move forward.” Shendo, a Democrat, said he hasn’t set a date to formally announce his candidacy, but hopes to make the announcement “within the next couple of weeks.” He said his campaign budget will be “$500,000, minimum.” Raising that amount of money will help him keep pace with the bar that has been set by Santa Fe green builder Don Wiviott, who has pledged at least $325,000 of his own money to the race. The only other announced candidate is Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya. Continue Reading

Gonzales, Maestas won’t seek Udall’s House seat

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Former Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales and Española Mayor Joe Maestas have decided against running for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall, but it appears that Public Regulation Commission Chairman Ben Ray Lujan has decided to run. In announcing today that he won’t run, Gonzales, a member of the Board of Regents at New Mexico Highlands University, cited in a news release the need to balance public service with family. “I am blessed with a fantastic wife and two phenomenal daughters. My daughters are at a critical age where they need a full-time dad,” Gonzales said in a news release. “Being a member of Congress would require a significant time away from home and even less time being an important part of their lives. Continue Reading

NMSU gets away, for now, with stonewalling public

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It is perfectly reasonable for New Mexico State University’s Board of Regents and President Michael Martin to take the position that information about donors shouldn’t be public. I hold the opposite opinion, but have said since the regents began using money from secret donors to compensate Martin in May that there are good arguments on both sides and the issue is, at least in some states, a legal gray area. Apparently, there’s a New Mexico statute that, at least in the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office, backs up NMSU’s assertion. What has been entirely unreasonable and disgraceful is the fact that the university responded to the public debate over whether its position was correct by attempting to keep other, undoubtedly public records secret in an apparent attempt to make it difficult for reporters to inform the public about the situation. For that, the regents and administration should be ashamed. Continue Reading

Guv climbs in N.H. and national polls, falls in Iowa

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After surging in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire for a couple of weeks, Gov. Bill Richardson’s support in national polls is climbing, and he continues to climb in polls in the Granite State. However, his support in recent, independent polls in the all-important state of Iowa has taken a dip in the last week, threatening any gains he’s making anywhere else. Last Wednesday, Richardson’s Real Clear Politics Average of recent polls in Iowa was 9.8 percent. It was 8.5 percent in recent polls in New Hampshire. Today, his average is 8.3 percent in Iowa – down 1.5 percent – and 10.3 percent in New Hampshire – up 1.8 percent from a week ago. Continue Reading

Activist to run for District 6 council seat

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Sharon Thomas, former head of the Quality Growth Alliance, has announced her candidacy for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council. One of her main goals is to “fully involve the city and its citizens in planning our future,” according to a news release from her campaign. “Las Cruces is rapidly transforming itself from a big town to a city,” Thomas said. “We can continue to be reactive, waiting until subdivisions appear and then trying to find a way to cobble them together to make a city, or we can work together to study growth patterns, predict future land use and become good stewards of a vibrant and successful city.” Thomas joins former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran; Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band; and Karen Trujillo, a real-estate broker and president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, in the race. The special election is being held Jan. Continue Reading

Hispano Chamber president to run for city council

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Karen Trujillo, a real-estate broker and president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, announced today that she is running for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council. Trujillo’s top goal, according to a news release from her campaign, is to bring a moderate voice to a council she says is often divided. “The city council has a responsibility to keep the benefits to all Las Crucens in mind when making decisions,” she said. “For example, growth is necessary, but when voting on growth there so many elements that have to be considered to include the city’s resources, infrastructure and strategic plan. I want to focus on preserving Las Cruces, the ‘Cruces’ we all love.” Trujillo joins former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran and Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band, in the race, and others are considering running. Continue Reading

Liberal rhetoric on energy takes us nowhere

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By Mario Sanchez The New Mexico of my grandfather has long been the backdrop of the quintessential Rockwellian image of small-town America, a place in which Democrats were conservative and Republicans were, well, conservative. This was a New Mexico in which Republicans and Democrats alike were proud to be the cradle of the atom, and those many pump jacks slowly bobbing up and down around our landscape were a sign of prosperity, ensuring the future of American supremacy. So, what happened? Did we loose the Cold War? Coup? Continue Reading

One legislative campaign begins, another ramps up

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A GOP educator has formally announced his campaign to replace Brian Moore in the New Mexico House, and a Democrat who has been in the race to unseat state Sen. Clinton Harden for some time is ramping up his campaign. Dennis J. Roch, assistant superintendent for the Tucumcari Schools, announced his candidacy fro the District 67 House seat on Thursday. “Dennis knows the district and the issues,” Moore said in a release from Roch. “He will make a superb representative for northeastern New Mexico.” Roch plans to make education the centerpiece of his campaign, saying “New Mexico residents want decisions about their children’s schools made by local boards of education, not by bureaucrats in Santa Fe or Washington.” In addition to being a professional educator, Roch has been a member of the state Public Education Commission since 2004 and chaired it since 2006. Roch also cited agriculture, respect for property rights and the Second Amendment as important issues. Continue Reading

Sandel won’t run for Congress

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The recent death of his grandmother is one of the reasons Farmington City Councilor Jason Sandel cited this weekend in announcing that he won’t seek the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall, who is running for U.S. Senate. “Enduring this experience provided me with a fresh perspective on my personal life in that it reinforced the importance of spending quality time with my family,” he said in a prepared statement. “I know that my time with those I love is relatively short and I really don’t want to squander it.” Sandel, 33 and a Democrat, also cited the fact that he has a six-year-old daughter and a son who is due to be born in February. In addition, he is working on several major projects through the family business, Aztec Well Servicing, and was recently elected chairman of the Four Corners Safety Council. “More importantly, our business model from day one has been for employees to be treated like family, and that is difficult to do from Washington D.C.,” he said. Continue Reading

Ron Paul wins non-scientific Iowa poll

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More voters in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site picked Ron Paul to win the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3 than any other Republican presidential candidate. But the vote was close. Paul had 78 votes, or 28 percent, while Mike Huckabee had 72 votes, or 26 percent, and Rudy Giuliani had 62 votes, or 23 percent. Mitt Romney had 45 votes, or 17 percent; Fred Thompson had 10 votes, or 4 percent; and John McCain had six votes, or 2 percent. Continue Reading

State Rep. Moore won’t seek re-election

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State Rep. Brian Moore, R-Clayton, announced today that he will leave the Legislature when his current term ends in December 2008. The decision opens a third seat in the state House currently held by a lawmaker who has been part of a bipartisan coalition that often stood up to the speaker during this year’s session. Moore, 55, said the 2008 session will be his eighth, and it’s time for new blood. “I think the time is right for me. Eight years is a long time,” the District 67 representative said. Continue Reading

Enthusiastic crowd greets Udall in Las Cruces

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall appeared in Las Cruces to announce his Senate run today in front of an enthusiastic crowd full of high-profile officials. Among the more than 50 people who showed up to hear Udall speak at Roberto’s Mexican Food in Las Cruces were Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones, state Reps. Joseph Cervantes and Jeff Steinborn, Doña Ana County Commissioners Bill McCamley and Oscar Vásquez Butler, Las Cruces City Councilor Nathan Small, District Judge Jim Martin, Magistrate Judge Olivia Nevarez Garcia, congressional candidate Al Kissling and county commission candidate Vince Romero. The other high-profile Democrat in the race, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, hasn’t held a public rally in Las Cruces to compare with this event. On the GOP side, events held by U.S. Reps. Continue Reading

Former judge to run for District 6 city council seat

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Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran will run for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council, the Las Cruces Bulletin reported today. “As Las Cruces enters its second century, I see a bright future for the city I have called home since 1989,” Curran said in his announcement. He joins Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band, in the race. Several others have said they’re considering running. The special election is being held Jan. Continue Reading

Now Mattiace says he won’t challenge election or sue

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Former Las Cruces Mayor Bill Mattiace has decided he won’t contest the results from the election that tossed him from office earlier this month and won’t sue those who made comments about him that he claims may have been defamatory. At least, that’s what he told the Las Cruces Bulletin for an article published today. It seems likely this is the final chapter in the back-and-forth about whether Mattiace will contest the election. It began when Mattiace called new Mayor Ken Miyagishima on election night and conceded the race. “Mayor-elect Miyagishima, congratulations. Continue Reading