Sunshine reduces conflicts of interest in government

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By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek “The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.” – John Gardner, founder of Common Cause Lately, there have been accusations flying back and forth about conflicts of interest involving public officials. Some say state Land Commissioner Pat Lyons has a conflict of interest because he accepted a campaign donation from a local developer and later gave that developer a state land contract on the East Mesa of Las Cruces. Some say city Councilor Gil Jones has a conflict of interest because his brother is married to the sister of the wife of a local developer who regularly seeks development approvals from the council. County Commissioner Bill McCamley has been accused of a conflict of interest because he voted on a development proposal brought forth by someone who donated to his campaign. Continue Reading

Democrats off to quick start in online fundraising

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At least two Democrats trying to unseat New Mexico’s Republican representatives in Washington, D.C. are off to a quick start in raising money online. Bill McCamley, who is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., has received 17 contributions totaling $5,395 through ActBlue, an online contribution Web site for Democratic candidates. Martin Heinrich, who wants the seat held by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., has received 31 contributions totaling $4,450. The site is an example of how Democrats have effectively used the Internet to organize in ways the GOP has missed. Pearce has a campaign Web site up, but people can’t contribute to through it. Continue Reading

Swickard’s interviews now available online

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The Morning Show with Michael Swickard has been podcasting portions of shows for a couple of months. Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce was on the show, and today, one of his Democratic challengers in 2008, Bill McCamley, was on. Swickard frequently tackles political issues. Check out the podcasts when you get a chance by clicking here. Continue Reading

New polls confirm Richardson’s support in Iowa and New Hampshire, lack of support in South Carolina

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Gov. Bill Richardson is holding steady in Iowa and New Hampshire in two new polls, but his support in South Carolina is dismal. The newest polls by American Research Group have Richardson at 9 percent in New Hampshire and 8 percent in Iowa, which puts him in fourth place in both states. His support in South Carolina, however, is only 1 percent. He’s tied for last place in that state and is well below the margin of error. April polls done by the group had Richardson at 5 percent in Iowa and 3 percent in New Hampshire. Continue Reading

Duke City starts experiment in public financing

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Today marks the start of a weekly column on this site written by Whitney Cheshire, a conservative New Mexico campaign consultant. If you missed last week’s announcement, read it by clicking here. By Whitney Cheshire The Duke City starts its experiment in taxpayer-funded campaigns this year – But does anybody want to guess about the Mayor Marty Chávez factor? We’ve got some good Albuquerque stuff for you today… YO! You’ve found the WMQB at our new home. Continue Reading

Former magistrate wants to collect unemployment

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Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza, who was removed by the Supreme Court last year after testing positive for cocaine, is trying to draw unemployment from the state. The Administrative Office of the Courts is fighting Garza’s attempt. The high court removed Garza from the bench in November after the Judicial Standards Commission found that he had used cocaine and abused his position to benefit a woman with whom he had a personal relationship. Unemployment applications aren’t public record, so most details of Garza’s attempt to collect unemployment from the state aren’t known, but Arthur Pepin, director of the AOC, confirmed that his office is “resisting his attempt to collect unemployment, and we expect the situation to be resolved in the next two to three weeks.” Garza refused to comment. In addition to removing him from his elected position, the high court ordered Garza to pay $16,760 to the commission for reimbursement of the costs of its investigation and barred him from ever again seeking or holding judicial office in New Mexico. Continue Reading

Richardson holds his own during TV grilling

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Gov. Bill Richardson took a beating on Sunday from the host of NBC’s Meet The Press, but he managed to stay calm and composed and held his own during a tough round of questioning. All things considered, I don’t think he’ll gain in the polls as a result of the hour-long interview, but I also don’t think he’s going to lose support. Tim Russert asked a series of questions on just about every controversy or flip flop in Richardson’s past. None appeared to catch Richardson off guard. Though many of his answers weren’t completely satisfying, under the circumstances, his performance was about as good as could be expected. Continue Reading

Guv can redeem debate performance this week

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Gov. Bill Richardson has a busy schedule this week that includes an opportunity to redeem himself after a poor performance in the first democratic presidential candidate debate several weeks ago. Richardson will spend much of today in Boca Raton, Fla., attending fundraisers, according to a news release from his campaign. On Wednesday, he’ll make stops in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to attend fundraisers. He’ll spend Thursday in New Mexico and will attend a fundraiser in Santa Fe in the evening. On Friday, he’ll attend fundraisers in Gallup and Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Richardson needs to take LFC audit seriously

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When a new report finds nepotism and other problems with a state agency, I’d expect an ethical governor, or one who wants to be viewed as a reformer, to express concern and vow to implement change. Instead, Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday accused the Legislative Finance Committee, which conducted the audit of the state Personnel Office, of “nitpicking.” His response gives lawmakers another excuse to ignore his calls for ethics reform. The LFC on Thursday released an audit that said the Personnel Office deviated from hiring practices for several months in 2005 and 2006, practiced nepotism and violated the state procurement code and travel rules, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Serious findings. I’ve written recently about the weight a procurement code violation can carry. Continue Reading

Most voters in non-scientific poll unhappy with Wilson

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said they disapprove of the job U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., is doing. Of 163 voters, 104, or 64 percent, said they disapprove, while 52, or 32 percent, said they approve, and seven, or 4 percent, said they’re not sure. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Balderas keeping campaign promise to fight fraud

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State Auditor Hector Balderas is off to a quick start in his first six months on the job. Thus far, the Democrat has fulfilled his campaign pledge to focus on combating fraud and mismanagement in state government with several actions: • He’s creating a fraud hotline for callers who want to provide information about potential misuse of public money. He’s also increased constituent services, including hiring someone to deal with the media, in an effort to educate the public about what the office does. • He has secured money to hire two investigators to help fill in the gap that exists between an audit being completed and a case being ready for prosecution. The lack of an investigative unit to take audit findings and determine whether there was criminal activity behind them has allowed several audits in Doña Ana County to fall through the cracks in recent years. Continue Reading

Richardson names new higher education secretary

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Gov. Bill Richardson today announced his appointment of Reed Dasenbrock, who has spent most of his professional career at New Mexico State University, as the new secretary of higher education. He replaces Beverlee J. McClure, who is leaving to take the position of president and CEO of the Association of Commerce and Industry. “We’ve made great progress on our higher education agenda over the last four years,” Richardson said in a news release. “I’m confident Dr. Dasenbrock will keep driving that agenda forward.” Dasenbrock, who is currently provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico, said he will work with presidents and boards of regents from all of New Mexico’s universities and colleges to continue to implement a common agenda for higher education. “For New Mexico to have the vibrant, forward-looking economy that it needs to have in the 21st century, every aspect of the state educational institutions need to work together to promote student success, educational affordability and high-quality education and research programs,” Dasenbrock said. Continue Reading

Check out profile of undocumented immigrant

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Of all the sticky points in the nation’s immigration debate, the toughest issue is what to do about undocumented parents who have children who are citizens. Kate Nash of the Albuquerque Tribune has an excellent article today profiling a woman who is in such a situation. The article beautifully captures the complexities of the immigration debate. Read it by clicking here. Continue Reading

Longtime GOP leader dies after battle with cancer

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A longtime Republican Party leader in Doña Ana County has died after a protracted battle with cancer. Mike Laurance died Thursday in Las Cruces. He was 65. Laurance was a former chairman of the county’s Republican Party and former southern regional political director for the Republican Party of New Mexico. “Mike was a mentor to me and so many others,” said Ceil Levatino of Las Cruces, the state party’s 1st vice chair. Continue Reading