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At this rate, spaceport tax supporters might be able to declare victory today, even though all provisional ballots won’t be counted until Friday. My newest tally has tax supporters with 8,793 votes, or 50.6 percent, and opponents with 8,588 votes, or 49.4 percent. That’s a difference of 205 votes, or 1.2 percent. Elections workers have sorted through 158 provisional ballots from 39 precincts. They have rejected 10. Continue Reading
It’s looking increasingly unlikely that spaceport tax opponents will win the election. Elections workers are flying through the tallying of provisional ballots. So far, 99 have been considered. Eight were rejected. Of the remaining 91, 48 were in favor of the tax and 43 were opposed. Continue Reading
Doña Ana County Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins said his office opted to spend Thursday recounting ballots in the spaceport tax election because of computer problems on election night. Those problems meant officials weren’t entirely confident in the results, so they recounted the results three times by hand and once using computers. That work led to the new, unofficial results released today. The numbers didn’t change much – tax supporters lost 78 votes and opponents lost 47 – but in such a close race, it mattered. Ellins also noted that, thus far today, elections workers have rejected fewer than 5 percent of provisional ballots. Continue Reading
Including the provisional ballots that have been tallied, the results in the spaceport tax election now look like this, according to information I’ve received: FOR: 8,719, 50.5 percent AGAINST: 8,545, 49.5 percent Provisional ballots left to be considered: 540 Continue Reading
Gov. Bill Richardson is becoming a frequent visitor to Las Cruces. In what will be his fifth trip to the city of the crosses since announcing on Jan. 21 that he’s running for president, Richardson will sign a number of bills at a public event Friday afternoon, his office said this morning. Details are still being worked out, but the event will likely be held around 4 p.m. The visit will be squeezed between out-of-state trips. Richardson returns tonight from a campaign trip to New Hampshire, and leaves Sunday for North Korea to try to secure the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean war. Continue Reading
Elections officials in Doña Ana County announced revised unofficial results from the spaceport tax election this morning that have tax supporters ahead by 173 votes, or 1 percent, with 571 provisional ballots to consider. The unofficial count now has 8,703 votes, or 50.5 percent, in favor of enacting the tax and 8,530 votes, or 49.5 percent, opposed, officials announced at this morning’s county commission meeting. The new numbers, announced this morning, come after elections officials spent Thursday performing three hand counts and a computer recount. They do not include any provisional ballots. The previous unofficial results gave spaceport tax supporters a 204-vote, 1.2-percent lead – 8,781 votes to 8,577 – with 541 provisional ballots to be considered. Continue Reading
Former state Treasurer Robert Vigil has to report Monday to begin serving his prison sentence, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Vigil will serve a 37-month sentence at a prison in Austin for his conviction on one felony count of attempted extortion using his elected office. Continue Reading
A day after the spaceport tax election in Doña Ana County, elections workers were double checking unofficial results and beginning the process of sorting through provisional ballots. County officials didn’t release any new numbers today. The last numbers reported give spaceport tax supporters a 204-vote, 1.2-percent lead – 8,781 votes to 8,577 – with 541 provisional ballots to be considered. County spokesman Jess Williams said no new information would be released until the commission convened as the canvassing board Thursday morning. One question that remained Tuesday night related to the polling place at Booker T. Washington Elementary in Las Cruces. Continue Reading
Former Senate President Pro Tem Manny Aragon and three others will be arraigned Monday on charges that they stole $4.2 million from taxpayers, according to the Albuquerque Tribune. Aragon hasn’t yet spoken publicly about the indictment, so this will likely be his first public appearance since being charged last week. The four were indicted in a massive public corruption scandal involving the construction of the $83-million Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse. They’re facing felony charges of conspiracy, money laundering and mail fraud, and are accused of misusing the state’s approval process of funds for the project to pocket money for themselves. Read the indictment by clicking here. Continue Reading
Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced today that he’s running for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Steve Pearce, R-N.M. McCamley, a Democrat, will have to face Al Kissling in a primary to earn the right to take on Pearce next year. There’s also a possibility that other Democrats, including State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, will enter the race. The stars will have to align for a Democrat to take down Pearce, Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff said. Pearce, 59, was first elected in 2002 and has fought off challenges from strong Democrats in the past. McCamley said he’s up to the task. Continue Reading
Gov. Bill Richardson has signed a bill that imposes limits on gifts to public officials and candidates for state offices. He also said he will line-item veto part of another ethics bill that was approved this year by the Legislature. Senate Bill 931, sponsored by John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, takes effect June 15. It prohibits public officials and candidates for state offices from accepting gifts with value of more than $100 during legislative sessions and $250 during the rest of the year. It also prohibits lobbyists from giving gifts whose combined value total more than $1,000 to any state official or candidate for state office each year. Continue Reading
A little more than a week ago, Gov. Bill Richardson spoke to group of young Democrats in New York City. Here’s video of his speech. Click here to read one woman’s take on it. Liza Sabater was quite impressed with New Mexico’s governor. Apparently, Richardson spent the majority of his time answering questions rather than giving a speech, and Sabater wrote that Richardson “charms the pants off of NYCers.” The video comes from The Daily Gotham. Continue Reading
If historical trends are an indicator, Doña Ana County will enact a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America, but this election, in the case of early and absentee ballots, has already bucked tradition. So the reality is that the election is too close to call. “We knew this would be a close election and that’s proven true, as tonight the vote is simply to close to call,” Gov. Bill Richardson said Tuesday night. “What is clear is that the voters of Doña Ana are both cautious with public investment and hopeful in seeking to create a high-tech, high-wage economy and improve math and science education for Southern New Mexico.” Unofficial results, with everything but provisional ballots counted, give spaceport tax supporters a 204-vote, 1.2-percent lead – 8,781 votes to 8,577. But there are 541 provisional ballots yet to be dealt with, and they have the potential to change everything. Continue Reading
I’m not sure where the discrepancy is, but the county’s official count has the spaceport tax supporters up by 273 votes. I have them up by 260. Either way, all that remains, besides provisional ballots, is a precinct from Chamberino. A cartridge that contains the vote totals was left in the machine there, said Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins, and he had to send someone down there to pick it up. He’s hoping to have the cartridge by 11 p.m. That cartridge is unlikely to decide this election tonight, however. Continue Reading
Absentee ballots are split down the middle, and it’s appearing increasingly likely that the spaceport tax is going to come down to provision ballots. Of absentee ballots, 238 opposed the tax and 224 favored it. The total count, with all but one precinct reporting, is 8,754 votes, or 50.8 percent, for the tax, and 8,494 votes, or 49.2 percent, opposed. That’s a margin of 260 votes, or 1.6 percent. There are at least 349 provisional ballots. Continue Reading