Two vying to replace Sen. Joe Fidel

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Gov. Bill Richardson will choose either the Cibola County manager or a Valencia County commissioner to replace the retiring Sen. Joe Fidel of Grants. The Socorro and Cibola county commissions have sent the name of Cibola County Manager David Ulibarri to the governor, the Gallup Independent reports. Valencia County’s commission recommended one of its own members, Ron Gentry, earlier this week. Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told the newspaper he did not know how soon a decision would be announced, but Ulibarri said he had a tentative interview set for today in Santa Fe. Gentry is a former House member and majority leader. Continue Reading

Taos County recommends Paula Garcia

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The Taos County Board of Commissioners has recommended that Gov. Bill Richardson appoint Paula Garcia to represent House District 68. The assistant to that county’s commission confirmed that for me this morning. All five counties have now made their recommendations. Three have gone to Thomas Garcia and two have gone to Paula Garcia. Richardson can make his appointment any time, and it has to be one of those two candidates. Continue Reading

Colfax County commission picks Thomas Garcia

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The Colfax County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to recommend Thomas Garcia as the next representative for House District 68. I’m still trying to find out if the Taos County commission has acted. Colfax County Commissioner William B. Conley of Angel Fire confirmed Thursday’s 3-0 vote to recommend Garcia. Colfax joins Guadalupe and San Miguel counties in recommending Thomas Garcia. The Mora County commission recommended Paula Garcia. Continue Reading

Richardson prefers to wait on redistricting

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With the governor not that interested in congressional redistricting, Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino told the Albuquerque Journal he might not introduce legislation in the 2007 session after all. “To be candid, it all hinges on whether the governor wants to open that can of worms or not,” the Albuquerque Democrat told the newspaper. Richardson isn’t all that excited about it. “The governor prefers to wait until the next round of redistricting in 2011,” spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told the Journal. “But he’s willing to listen to Sen. Ortiz y Pino’s plan.” Speaker of the House Ben Lujan said the same. Continue Reading

National blogger tells Democrats to end affair with Obama, get behind Bill Richardson

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A regular blogger for a national, liberal news Web site says Gov. Bill Richardson should be the Democrats’ 2008 presidential nominee. In a posting on Huffington Post headlined, “Enough with Obama already: We’re electing a president, not a personality,” Russell Shaw wrote that Sen. Barack Obama lacks the experience to be president. Richardson, on the other hand, “does have the experience,” Shaw wrote. “Valuable gubernatorial executive experience running a growing and complex state? Right where he is. Continue Reading

Mora commission recommends a different Garcia

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The Mora County Board of Commissioners has voted to recommend Paula Garcia to Gov. Bill Richardson for the position of House District 68 representative. The position is open because of the resignation of state Auditor-elect Hector Balderas. Richardson is expected to name his replacement by Monday so the new representative can vote for speaker of the House during the Democrats’ caucus meeting. With the speaker race between Ben Lujan and Ken Martinez close to a tie, the new representative could cast the deciding vote. My sources tell me Richardson will appoint Thomas Garcia of Ocate, a big supporter of Lujan. Continue Reading

Lawmakers need to fix Governmental Conduct Act

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The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the 2003 rape and bribery conviction of a former Española judge because judges are exempt from the statute under which he was convicted. We’ve known in Doña Ana County for more than a year that Charles Maestas’ convictions on at least the charges of bribery – under a statute known as “official acts prohibited” – were likely to be overturned. That’s because former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Reuben Galvan, who also faced rape and bribery charges, had a charge of official acts prohibited dismissed in September 2005 because the statute specifically exempts judges. I wrote at the time for the Las Cruces Sun-News that the situation revealed a major flaw in state law. The overturning of Maestas’ conviction furthers that argument and should prompt legislators to act. Continue Reading

Governor’s announcement could precede S.C. trip

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The timeline is becoming clearer for Gov. Bill Richardson’s expected January announcement that he’s forming an exploratory committee to begin a 2008 White House run. He has said he’ll make a formal decision before the Legislature convenes on Jan. 16. And he told Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican that he would make the announcement in New Mexico. According to the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Web site, Richardson is scheduled to be in that all-important state on Jan. Continue Reading

Congressional redistricting proposal is DOA

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There’s been some talk recently about shifting boundaries and making New Mexico’s Congressional District 1 friendlier to Democrats. But the proposal to redistrict and take some Democrats from Congressional District 2 in exchange for some Republicans is dead on arrival, a diverse group of sources told me. Joe Monahan reported Wednesday that Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque will introduce a bill in the 2007 session that will move rural, Republican Torrance County out of the 1st District, which is currently represented by Republican Heather Wilson, and into the 2nd District, which is represented by Republican Steve Pearce. The plan would also move all of Democratic Valencia County from Pearce’s district to Wilson’s. Currently, the county is split between the two districts. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Co-chairs for Senate finance

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Tim Jennings of Roswell and John Arthur Smith of Deming will co-chair the Senate Finance Committee, Democratic leaders decided tonight. The compromise was reached shortly after 5 p.m. following hours of meetings involving members of the Committee’s Committee. This is still a proposal that must be approved by entire Senate, but most consider that a technicality that won’t be a problem. Referring to the massive amount of money available to increase the state’s budget this year – $723 million – Smith said he’s looking forward to a challenge. “I think it’s going to be a tough year because of all the dollars,” he said. Continue Reading

North Koreans to visit Richardson in Santa Fe

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A North Korean delegation is coming once again to visit Gov. Bill Richardson in Santa Fe. Richardson’s office announced today that a North Korean delegation will visit Friday to discuss the upcoming multi-lateral talks about its nuclear weapons program. The North Koreans asked for the meeting, Richardson’s office said in a news release. The U.S. State Department has granted two North Korean diplomats permission to travel to Santa Fe. “While I will not be acting as an official representative of the administration, I am pleased to do whatever I can to help increase understanding between our two countries and help move the six-party talks forward,” Richardson said. Continue Reading

Udall gets seat on Appropriations Committee

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., was given today a coveted seat on the House Appropriations Committee. Udall, who represents Northern New Mexico and is entering his fifth term in Congress in January, is one of 37 Democrats on the powerful committee. The committee is chaired by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis. “To serve on the Appropriations Committee will put me in a better position to serve New Mexico,” Udall said in a news release. “I will continue to fight for our shared priorities, like assisting our veterans, improving access to health care, making education more affordable and protecting our natural resources. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Wingenroth named magistrate

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Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed Democrat Kent Wingenroth to replace Carlos Garza on the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court. Richardson made the announcement earlier today that he has appointed Wingenroth, a retired New Mexico State Police officer, to the bench. “It’s a pretty big honor,” Wingenroth said, adding that he was full of “excitement about being appointed and excitement about working with the people again, like I did as a state police officer.” Wingenroth has lived in Doña Ana County since 1981 and holds a criminal justice degree from York College in York, Penn. He is a 1981 graduate of the New Mexico State Police Academy and retired as a senior patrol officer in 2001. He was awarded officer of the year honors by the state police three times. Continue Reading

Richardson says he isn’t involved in speaker race

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A spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson called today to say my assertion that the governor is involved in the speaker of the House race is false. Jon Goldstein said the governor is moving quickly to fill vacancies created by the resignations of Rep. Hector Balderas of Wagon Mound and Sen. Joe Fidel of Grants because constituents have asked him to do so. He said Richardson has been very careful to stay out of the speaker race. “He’s getting requests from constituents to hurry up and make an appointment so they can go to them with the capital outlay requests,” Goldstein said. “It’s kind of ridiculous to conclude he’s jumping into the leadership race just because he’s moving quickly.” As I pointed out earlier today, it’s not just that Richardson is moving quickly – it’s that the governor has pushed five county commissions to act in a four-day period that just happens to give him barely enough time to make an appointment before Monday’s caucus meeting. Continue Reading

Richardson wants Dems to pick him in Denver

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A decision could come later this week on whether Democrats host their 2008 national convention in Denver or New York, according to the Albuquerque Journal. As a presidential hopeful who would love to formally secure his party’s nomination just 400 miles from his hometown of Santa Fe, this is something for which Gov. Bill Richardson is lobbying hard. Richardson, according to the newspaper, has helped secure money for the event and also the support of Harry Reid of Nevada, who will be the Senate majority leader when Congress starts up again in January. Mike Stratton of Denver, a political consultant who many believe is preparing Richardson to run for president, sits on the committee that is working to bring the event to Denver from Aug. 25-28, 2008. Continue Reading