Guv to sign road bill, close book on special session

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Gov. Bill Richardson will sign a road-funding bill approved during last month’s special session of the Legislature at a ceremony today in Albuquerque. House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Dan Silva, D-Albuquerque, provides about $108 million for roads around the state, including $10 million for a road to Spaceport America. Richardson plans to sign the bill during a ceremony marking the opening of a train station in Albuquerque at 1:30 p.m. today. Richardson has already signed House Bill 6, sponsored by Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, D-Nambé, which extends the state’s public financing system to races for appeals judges and Supreme Court justices. The system is voluntary. Continue Reading

It’s been a good month for New Mexico’s ecosystem

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By Gary King April has been a good month for New Mexico’s ecosystem, especially for the humans and certain fish that share it. As attorney general, it is part of my job to protect both, so I am happy to report on two events that positively impacted the air we breathe and the recovery of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. First was the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate greenhouse gases from automobiles, despite its prior refusal to do so. That decision was prompted by a lawsuit brought against the EPA by my office, 11 other states, several environmental groups and several municipalities, including Albuquerque. Our argument was, and still is, that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases fit within the definition of “air pollutants” and therefore the EPA is obliged by the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions of such gases by automobiles. Continue Reading

Developers of massive East Mesa project pledge to donate land for as many schools as necessary

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Developers of a proposed 6,000-acre project on Las Cruces’ East Mesa pledged during a public hearing today to donate land, where the purchase of cheap public land isn’t an option, for as many schools as are needed. The current plan calls for the donation of land for four schools. Following a long dialogue, Kirk Clifton, representing the developers, said the group will donate land for as many schools as are needed in the area, if public land isn’t available. The school district can buy public land for only a few dollars per acre, but within the development, the land will be owned by the company constructing the project. Assuming public land isn’t available, “we will donate land for every school that is needed within this area,” Clifton said. Continue Reading

New Mexico leaders comment on Virginia massacre

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New Mexico’s top politicians expressed shock and sadness today over a massacre in Virginia that left 33 people dead. In case you haven’t heard, the shooting at Virginia Tech University is what the Associated Press is calling “the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.” A gunman killed two people in a dormitory this morning before, two hours later, killing 30 more in a classroom and then committing suicide. “On behalf of all New Mexicans, Barbara and I extend our condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were cut short by this horrific tragedy,” Gov. Bill Richardson said in a prepared statement. “This is a sad day and our hearts go out to the Virginia Tech community as it grieves this loss.” Richardson ordered a review of safety measures at the state’s universities and colleges and the creation of a safety task force to make recommendations for improvements. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici also expressed sadness. Continue Reading

Kissling still paying off 2006 campaign debt

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While U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., has almost $200,000 in the bank for his 2008 re-election campaign, Democratic challenger Al Kissling still hasn’t paid of debt from his 2006 campaign. Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, the other Democrat who has entered the race, didn’t begin raising money until the first week of April and didn’t have to file a report for the first quarter of the year. In a document filed Sunday, Kissling reported raising $1,262.43 during the first three months of 2007. Pearce raised almost ten times that amount during the first quarter. During that same period, Kissling reported expenses of $3,344.97. Continue Reading

Martinez details additional complaints about Iglesias

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I spoke with Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez today about her comments published in the Albuquerque Journal regarding former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, and she said she can detail a number of examples of problems with Iglesias’ leadership. Martinez said she’s speaking publicly now because many have defended Iglesias as a top prosecutor who was doing a stellar job. It’s well documented that officials with the Justice Department thought highly of Iglesias throughout most of his tenure despite the repeated complaints of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and others. But Martinez provided two examples of what she said were poor decisions by Iglesias. About two years ago, Martinez said, a deputy with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department tried to take an undocumented immigrant through a border patrol checkpoint. Continue Reading

Pearce raises $114,436 in first three months of 2007

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is off to a quick start on fundraising for the 2008 election. On the first-quarter report filed Sunday, Pearce reported raising $114,436 in the first three months of 2007. He reported expenses of just under $50,000 and has almost $200,000 on hand. Pearce reported contributions of just over $75,000 from individuals and $39,100 from political action committees – the majority of them oil and energy PACs. Pearce is raising money and doing other work in Doña Ana County, where he has already drawn two Democratic challengers – Al Kissling, who he defeated in 2006, and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley. Continue Reading

Richardson, Republican donors and a tornado

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Gov. Bill Richardson apparently held a fundraiser that involved a number of Republican donors in Texas on Saturday, shortly after returning from North Korea. A local blogger there has quite a tale on his site about Richardson, Barry Goldwater Jr. and a tornado. He also calls Richardson “generally handsome,” which I’m betting our governor doesn’t get very often. Check it out by clicking here. Continue Reading

Richardson winning in N.M. poll, but not by much

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A new poll conducted by students in a New Mexico State University government class shows that Gov. Bill Richardson can’t even take New Mexico for granted in his presidential run. The poll, conducted by students in Jose Garcia’s political research skills course, found that 33 percent of Democrats in New Mexico preferred Richardson, while Hillary Clinton had support of 23 percent, Barack Obama had 19 percent and John Edwards had 18 percent, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. The remainder selected “other” or were undecided, the newspaper reported. Among Republicans surveyed, 34 percent favored Rudy Giuliani, 23 percent favored John McCain, 9 percent favored Mitt Romney and 37 percent favored another candidate or were undecided. The survey of 205 New Mexicans was conducted April 3-7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percent. Continue Reading

Articles show problems with Iglesias’ tenure, but leak of information might also be used against Domenici

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Doña Ana County’s district attorney and Bernalillo County’s sheriff have jumped into the fight over whether former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was competent. Meanwhile, news also leaked this weekend that, sometime shortly after the November 2006 election, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., took his complaints about Iglesias directly to President Bush. In a weekend article published in the Albuquerque Journal, District Attorney Susana Martinez and Sheriff Darren White said Iglesias’ office was unresponsive to their needs on specific cases. The Journal reported that the sheriff wanted help from Iglesias’ office getting wiretaps for the probe into the murder of Deputy James McGrane in 2006, but received no help. Martinez said she had to threaten to go to Bush to get the federal office to take over a drug-related kidnapping and murder case that crossed state lines. Continue Reading

Those who vote in non-scientific poll divided over whether Cervantes should run for Congress

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Those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site were divided over whether state Rep. Joseph Cervantes should run for Congress. Of 146 voters, 75, or 51 percent, said he should run, while 71, or 49 percent, said he should not. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

I’m taking a few days off

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It’s been a busy few months between the legislative session (and special session), the U.S. attorney scandal and the spaceport tax election. With that in mind, I’m taking a few days off to spend time with family and recharge. If there is any breaking news the rest of this week, I’ll have short updates. Otherwise, I’ll be back Monday morning with more on New Mexico politics. – Heath Haussamen Continue Reading

Richardson instrumental in North Korea’s disarming

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Gov. Bill Richardson is once again gaining international attention for his diplomatic skills. This time, his long relationship with the North Koreans paid off in allowing him to help smooth the way for the implementation of that nation’s agreement shut down its nuclear weapons program. The North Korean government agreed on Feb. 13 to do so, but had done little to meet the 60-day deadline to begin shutting down the program. The country was insisting it would do so only after $25 million in frozen funds were released. Continue Reading

The race to run against Wilson is heating up

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The race to be the Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., in 2008 has really heated up in the last few days. Following news that New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans and Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich might both jump into the race, I was contacted by a third potential candidate on Tuesday. Terry Brunner has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the past, but he wanted me to know he is meeting with officials from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today and also talking with veteran pollsters about the race. Brunner is state director for the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and ran Bingaman’s re-election campaign last year. “I’m still considering it,” Brunner told me, adding that his job has provided him the opportunity to work on many of the same issues he would handle as a congressman. Continue Reading