In light of Metro Court scandal, feds should look into architect’s contract to design Doña Ana County facility

By |

Marc Schiff’s attorney says the only time his client used his architect firm to steal money from the state was when he inflated and falsified invoices for construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. But suspicious circumstances surrounding the firm’s selection to design Doña Ana County’s new building make me skeptical. In the Bernalillo County case, Schiff and two others have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud in what prosecutors call a complex scheme to bilk taxpayers out of $4.2 million. Four others, including former Senate President Manny Aragon, are charged in the case. Schiff isn’t accused of keeping any money for himself, but admits to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars and passing it on to others. Continue Reading

State police increase patrols after Palomas shootings

By |

Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered the New Mexico State Police to increase its presence along the Mexican border in response to violence that has left at least six people dead in Palomas, located across the border from Columbus in Luna County. Officials say the violence is part of an escalating drug war on the Mexican side of the border. Though there has been no related violence in Columbus, victims have fled to the port of entry. “I want to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep New Mexicans in this community safe,” Richardson said in a news release. As a result of Richardson’s order, State Police have indefinitely increased patrols in and around the town of Columbus, located south of Deming. Continue Reading

Chavez leaning toward running for city council

By |

Isaac Chavez, who failed in a bid to unseat state Rep. Andy Nuñez last year, is leaning toward running for a seat on the Las Cruces City Council in November. He would run for the District 4 seat currently held by Steve Trowbridge, who is not seeking re-election. No one has officially declared their candidacy for the seat. “I’m leaning towards it,” Chavez said. “A non-partisan race is pretty attractive to me. Continue Reading

New Richardson TV ads use humor to woo voters

By |

Gov. Bill Richardson has unveiled some humorous and clever television commercials he plans to begin running in Iowa on Thursday. The commercials are designed to “make light of the political establishment’s view of the governor’s campaign for president,” a news release from the campaign states. The first two ads in a planned series portraying a mock job interview were released today and will begin running Thursday. You can watch them at the end of this article. The first begins with the camera on Richardson, who is waiting while an interviewer looks over his résumé. Continue Reading

Senators seek compromise on immigration reform

By |

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is part of a bipartisan group of a dozen senators working behind closed doors on a potential new immigration reform plan, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Instead of a path to citizenship, an expanded guest worker program could be at the center of the new proposal. The bill could come to the Senate floor within days. Then again, it might not. It’s going to be difficult to work out a compromise. Continue Reading

E-mail subscriber service is having problems

By |

The company that runs the e-mail listserve for Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics has been having some technical problems for a couple of days. I apologize to the many of you who subscribe and haven’t been receiving e-mails updating you on the latest headlines on this site. The company plans to have a fix to the problems today, so the e-mail service should be up and running again this afternoon. For those of you who don’t subscribe, you might want to consider it. You get an e-mail in your inbox every morning that shows the headlines from the previous day. Continue Reading

Embattled architect could lose license

By |

An architect who has pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the Bernalillo County Metro Court scandal might lose his license. The Albuquerque Tribune is reporting that the New Mexico Board of Examiners for Architects has issued a notice of possible action against Marc Schiff for violating the code of conduct and other issues. The board says it could suspend or revoke Schiff’s license, fine him and notify a national licensing organization, the Tribune reported. You can read Schiff’s plea agreement in the case by clicking here. Continue Reading

Costner to film presidential election movie in N.M.

By |

As New Mexico’s film industry continues to grow, the newest project is interesting because of its subject. The state announced on Tuesday that Swing Vote, produced by and starring Kevin Costner, will begin filming in Belen and Albuquerque on July 23. The movie follows Bud Johnson, “an apathetic, working class, single father who is thrust onto the world stage after the presidential election comes down to a single vote – his,” a news release from the governor’s office states. “Prodded by his idealistic 12-year old daughter, Bud struggles to make the right choice while being pandered to by politicians who will say and do anything to win.” The movie is the first from Costner’s newly formed production company, Treehouse Films. “We warmly welcome Mr. Costner and Treehouse Films to New Mexico,” Gov. Bill Richardson said in the release. “The subject matter of this project is also of some interest to me.” I’m sure it is. Continue Reading

Governor’s ethics task force to meet May 22

By |

The first meeting of Gov. Bill Richardson’s reconvened ethics task force will be held May 22. The meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. and will be held at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. From Las Cruces, the task force’s membership includes co-chair Garrey Carruthers, dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Business, in addition to Rep. Jeff Steinborn and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley. It is tasked with examining the resistance to ethics reform in the Legislature, coming up with new proposals and determining whether Richardson should call a special session later this year to deal with ethics reform. Continue Reading

Martin will likely get contract extension, pay raise

By |

Members of the New Mexico State University Board of Regents are expected to approve a contract extension for President Michael Martin on Friday that comes with a hefty salary increase. The regents will meet at 8 a.m. Friday in executive session and then are set to meet publicly at 9:30 a.m. to vote on the contract extension. This year, Martin was paid about $294,000. Last year, when approving that salary, the regents also gave him a bonus equal to 10 percent of his salary for outstanding work. They might do it again. Continue Reading

Open meetings, records request complaints are online

By |

Attorney General Gary King has set up a great Web site that contains all complaints about potential violations of the Open Meetings and Inspection of Public Records acts. The site includes the actual complaints filed and, at the conclusion of investigations, responding letters informing complainants of the results of investigations. The Web site increases the public’s ability to know about potential violations and encourages open government in New Mexico. Check it out when you get a chance by clicking here. Continue Reading

Racing league isn’t blasting off, but there’s still time

By |

The Rocket Racing League, which wants to host NASCAR-style races in the skies above Spaceport America and around the world, has lost one of the four teams that had signed on to participate. The Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting today that Leading Edge Rocket Racing, which was the league’s first announced team, has severed ties with the league. That leaves two independent teams and one team owned by the league. The former team’s Monday announcement is the latest setback for the racing league, which hasn’t drawn interest from potential team owners as quickly as officials hoped or originally told the public they planned. Leading Edge’s chief executive officer, Robert “Bobaloo” Rickard, told the Sun-News that his group’s “vision, business practices and communication standards are incompatible with those of the league.” League Chief Operating Officer Tim Gormley said the former team didn’t meet the league’s requirements and backed out, but said the news had no impact on the league’s plans. Continue Reading

Richardson to campaign in New York, Los Angeles

By |

After wrapping up a three-day trip to New Hampshire on Monday, Gov. Bill Richardson will spend the next couple of days in New York before heading back to the Granite State and then to Los Angeles. At a campaign stop Monday in Hooksett, N.H., Richardson said he’ll campaign in New Hampshire even if the state disregards the wishes of the Democratic Party and moves up the date of its primary, according to the Boston Globe. But, acknowledging that he has a way to go in the polls, Richardson asked that the state not move its primary up too much. “I will be here no matter what, but please don’t schedule it for July, because I need some time to compete,” the Globe reported him as saying. The protective New Hampshire and Iowa, which historically have held the earliest primary contests in January of presidential election years, may move up their contests to late 2007 because many larger states plan to move their contests into January and February of next year. Continue Reading

Security must be followed by comprehensive reform

By |

This is a guest column submitted by the Doña Ana County commissioner, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce. Read Pearce’s column, which ran Monday, by clicking here. Al Kissling, Pearce’s other announced challenger, is out of the state and was not able to write a column. By Bill McCamley As a commissioner in the largest border county in New Mexico, I see the obvious necessity of dealing with the immigration issue. It affects every aspect of life in Southern New Mexico. Continue Reading

Lyons should have stuck with bidding process for Las Cruces land, rejected PAC money tied to developer

By |

State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons told the Las Cruces Sun-News on Friday that his office made a mistake in agreeing in December to lease thousands of acres to developer Philip Philippou. He says he should have waited another month to sign the contract. That’s because he chose to seek bids for the state land and then, a little more than a month before the proposals were due, signed two contracts giving Philippou the lease on thousands of acres on Las Cruces’ north and east sides. Several factors add to the appearance of something suspicious. Lyons signed the contracts the week of Christmas when no one was watching. Continue Reading