Documents prove White House involvement in U.S. attorney firings; Domenici spoke to Bush about Iglesias

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Documents that were turned over to Congress today prove that top Bush Administration staffers were intimately involved in the firings of eight former U.S. attorneys including David Iglesias of New Mexico, disproving the Justice Department’s prior assertion that the White House played almost no role. The White House has also revealed that President George W. Bush personally relayed concerns that had been shared with him about a number of U.S. attorneys to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales weeks before the firings. Among those who complained to Bush was U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Statements made Monday evening by the White House in conjunction with the release of records are the latest in a series of admissions the Bush Administration has made only after the media or others alleged that prior statements weren’t accurate. That failure to be up-front about information has increased suspicion that the firings were political and has caused the scandal to explode. The documents don’t necessarily prove political motives, but do show that officials haven’t been forthcoming about how the firings came about. Continue Reading

Let those with bankrolls build their own playgrounds

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This is the second in a series of guest columns debating whether Doña Ana County voters should approve a 1/4 percent gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. Public officials and other readers are invited to participate in this debate. To submit a guest column for publication, e-mail me at heath@haussamen.com. Baseless personal attacks will not be published. By Leon Billstone Another historic opportunity is quickly approaching for Southern New Mexico. Continue Reading

Legislature sends capital outlay bill to governor

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The Legislature sent Gov. Bill Richardson a $622-million capital outlay bill this evening, giving the governor three days to act on it and assuring time at the end of the week to override vetoes before the session ends at noon on Saturday. The approval comes the same day that lawmakers sent the $5.7-billion state budget to Richardson, giving him until Thursday to act on it. Richardson will be busy, having also planned a trip to the East Coast for his presidential campaign that will last all day on Wednesday. Senate Bill 827, sponsored by Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, appropriates more than $622 million for capital outlay projects. Coupled with a pair of other bills, Campos told the Senate the state is appropriating more than $760 million for infrastructure this year. Continue Reading

Cervantes gets to be speaker of the House

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He withdrew last year from a bid to become House majority leader, but State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, got to be speaker for awhile today. Speaker of the House Ben Lujan picked Cervantes to run the floor session while he presented a bill and walked around the House floor to chat with members. While Cervantes was in charge, one of the members asked to make a motion at a point when doing so wasn’t the norm. Cervantes paused for a moment before telling the member to state his motion. The member chuckled. Continue Reading

Senate approves limits on gifts to officials, candidates

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The Senate has just approved a bill that would limit gifts to candidates and public officials in New Mexico, making it the first ethics reform proposal to pass both the Senate and House this year. Though both chambers have approved the limits on gifts, they passed different bills, and slight differences will have to be reconciled before either goes to Gov. Bill Richardson for a signature. Senate Bill 931, sponsored by John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, would prohibit public officials and candidates for state and local offices from accepting gifts with value of more than $100 during legislative sessions and $250 during the rest of the year. It would also prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts whose combined value total more than $1,000 to any state official or candidate for state office each year. It was approved on a vote of 25-15. Continue Reading

Richardson signs cockfighting ban into law

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Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law Monday a statewide ban on cockfighting. “Senate Bill 10 is fair and it is humane,” Richardson said. “I am proud that New Mexico will now move beyond cockfighting and join the 48 states that have already banned this outdated practice.” The ban takes effect June 15. In an interview, the sponsor of Senate Bill 10, Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, said the signing of the bill was one of the greatest moments of her life. She has fought for the ban for 18 years. Continue Reading

Some reforms advance, but ethics commission dies

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There’s a lot happening in the Senate today on ethics reform proposals. Earlier today, the Senate Rules Committee voted to send three House ethics bills on with favorable recommendations: • House Bill 821, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would create a number of new campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political action committees designed to increase the ability of the public to know about the money involved in elections. It would also limit campaign contributions to $2,300 for state races during each election cycle. Primary and general elections are considered separate cycles under the proposal. It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee before it can go to the Senate floor. Continue Reading

Resolution would put conditions on spaceport tax

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Members of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on a resolution that would put safeguards on tax money that would help fund Spaceport America. The resolution, which a majority of commissioners have said they support, puts some protection on public money that would be spent if voters approve a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase on April 3 to help fund the spaceport. The resolution declares the intent of the county to rescind the tax if certain conditions aren’t met by Dec. 31, 2008: that the state obtains a Federal Aviation Administration license and the acceptance of the accompanying environmental impact statement, that Virgin Galactic signs a lease to use the facility, and that the cost of the Virgin Galactic facility does not exceed $225 million. The wording is even stronger than that of conditions the Legislature placed in 2006 on more than $100 million it appropriated for the spaceport. Continue Reading

Foley says housing bills will be heard Tuesday

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The House minority whip says the Business and Industry Committee will hear three bills related to the state’s housing authority scandal during Tuesday’s meeting. The bills aren’t on the published schedule, which doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be heard. Committee Chair Debbie Rodella, D-Ohkay Owingeh, and other Democrats who previously voted to table one of the bills have agreed to allow all three to be heard, according to Dan Foley, R-Roswell. “They’ve agreed,” Foley said. “I want to thank the chairwoman, Debbie Rodella, for agreeing to hear all three tomorrow.” Rodella could not be reached for comment. Continue Reading

Rove passed on complaints about Iglesias, others

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The Bush Administration is acknowledging that presidential adviser Karl Rove took complaints from Republican officials about U.S. attorneys to the Justice Department, further involving the White House in a situation in which officials had previously asserted it played almost no role. Rove, the White House’s chief political operative, did pass along complaints about David Iglesias, former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, McClatchy Newspapers is reporting. A White House spokesman confirmed that Sunday evening. The Justice Department had previously asserted that the White House was only involved in the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys, including Iglesias, by approving, after the department made the decisions, a list of those who would be fired on Dec. 7. Continue Reading

For Richardson, clock starts ticking on budget today

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s office on the fourth floor of the Roundhouse remained largely empty on Sunday as his staffers sought to avoid accepting the state budget, which was given final legislative approval on Saturday. Meanwhile, the leadership in the Senate also decided to wait to deliver the bill to the governor’s office until this morning as a courtesy. That gives Richardson until Thursday morning to act on the bill, and gives the Legislature until noon on Saturday to override line-item vetoes. The Legislature hasn’t traditionally approved the budget in time for veto overrides before the end of the session, so the new move sets up the last week of the session to be even more hectic than usual. Continue Reading

There is no defense for secret conference committees

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By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek “Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion, debate and publicity” – Lord Acton Those crazy, silly citizens! What gave them the idea that legislators should let them know how their tax money is being spent or what kind of deals are being made to get laws passed? After all, legislators were elected and should be trusted, right? Once again, it appears that the New Mexico Legislature will fail to pass meaningful legislation that would require that conference committees be open to the public. Conference committees are those joint House-Senate select groups that iron out differences between legislation passed in both bodies. Continue Reading

Those who vote in poll like Denish in 2010

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The vast majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said they support Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s bid to win the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Of 439 voters, 268, or 61 percent, said they support Denish, while 70, or 16 percent, said they support Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez. And 101 voters, or 23 percent, said they hope someone else jumps into the primary race. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Attempt to bring back affordable housing bill fails

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Supporters of a proposal to remake the state’s affordable housing system failed today in an attempt to have the House Business and Industry Committee reconsider a bill it had previously tabled. There’s a chance the bill will come back up for reconsideration, and two related bills have yet to be heard by the committee. Minority Leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington and a member of the committee, made a motion today to bring back House Bill 997, sponsored by Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, for consideration. The bill was tabled last week on a vote of 6-5. On the same 6-5 vote, Taylor’s motion was shot down today. Continue Reading

Whistleblower protection bill awaits governor’s pen

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A bill that would give citizens, including government employees, protection and incentive to expose government officials and contractors who defraud taxpayers has been unanimously approved by the Senate. House Bill 770, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, was approved Friday on a vote of 34-0, and now awaits the governor’s signature. It had been previously approved by the House on a vote of 66-0. Though it’s not officially part of the ethics reform package that has been moving through the Legislature, the bill would protect people like Frances Williams, a member of the former Region VII Housing Authority Board who first blew the whistle on the problems that eventually toppled the entire state system last year. After going to the governor’s office and then, when she received little response, to the media, Williams was nearly forced off the board by her peers and was sued by the former director of the Region III authority, Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos. Continue Reading