Mexico’s ambassador can play politics, too

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Mexico’s ambassador to the United States was in Las Cruces Monday to show House Republicans he can play the political game as well as anybody. Ambassador Carlos de Icaza spoke about immigration issues at New Mexico State University, and spoke later in the day in El Paso. They were two of several stops he plans in cities across the nation. House Republicans, seeking to stall meaningful immigration reform until after the November election, have been conducting hearings on immigration across the nation this summer. They conducted such a hearing earlier this month in Las Cruces. Continue Reading

State might give even more to Virgin Galactic

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A Sunday article in the Albuquerque Journal revealed an interesting little detail that has, thus far, been left out of public statements about the deal between the state and Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic is the company that has verbally agreed to a 20-year lease of a new facility the state is going to build at Spaceport America. But the agreement has not been put on paper, so many remain skeptical about the project. Some legislators opposed the state’s approval earlier this year of more than $100 million to begin construction on the facility, saying they wanted to see Virgin Galactic commit to the state before they pledged money. Their voices were silenced by a larger crowd that went along with Gov. Bill Richardson. Continue Reading

Housing authority was selling properties in Las Cruces to investors instead of needy people

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A supposed affordable housing development in Las Cruces that wasn’t benefiting low-income people was among the final discoveries before the resignation earlier this month of Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos as Region III Housing Authority director. Properties the housing authority planned to develop in Las Cruces were being sold to an investor instead of needy people, the State Investment Council found. That is “beyond the scope of authority of the New Mexico Regional Housing Law” and violates the terms of the housing authority’s bonds, according to a July 6 letter from State Investment Council Lawyer Bryan Otero to the housing authority’s corporations. Gallegos’ resignation is part of a larger scandal that has left the state’s regional housing authorities in shambles. The Region III authority, based in Albuquerque, and the Region VII authority, based in Las Cruces, have been devastated by the problems. During its investigation of the housing authorities, the investment council discovered a 33-lot development near Oñate High School in Las Cruces. Continue Reading

New elections supervisor hopes he can help Torres stay in office until she’s ready to leave

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The new Doña Ana County elections supervisor hopes he can help Clerk Rita Torres stay in office as long as she desires, despite her health problems. Democrat Torres has suffered from health problems that have prompted some to question whether she should resign. Even the county chair of Torres’ political party admits that the clerk’s health may be affecting her job performance. Lynn Ellins, who was hired Friday by Torres to run the November election, said he wanted to make a statement about that, and said it’s all he’ll say about Torres’ health. “I hope I do a good enough job so that, when Rita leaves the office, it’s on her own terms,” Ellins said. Ellins starts work today. Continue Reading

Poll: Most think government shouldn’t be able to regulate campaign signs on private property

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Most who voted in last week’s poll think governments should not be able to regulate campaign signs on private property. Of 100 voters, 66, or 66 percent, said governments should not be allowed to do that. 30, or 30 percent, said governments should be able to do that. 4, or 4 percent, said governments should only be able to regulate the signs of Republicans, and none said governments should only be able to regulate the signs of Democrats. The polls results go against the norm in cities and counties across the state. Continue Reading

Ellins pledges full effort, transparency and cooperation for November election

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Before he moved to Colorado in the 1970s, Lynn Ellins was what you might call a “Rockefeller Republican.” In general, that means one who espoused the more liberal views of Republican Nelson Rockefeller, the former governor of New York and United States vice president. But when Ellins moved from New York to Colorado, he found he was “about as far left a Republican as you can be” in the more conservative state. Ellins, now 69, changed his party registration in 2000. “This was not the Republican Party that I signed up for many years ago,” he said. “My heart was not with it. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Torres puts co-chair of elections task force in charge of November election

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Lynn Ellins, co-chair of the Doña Ana County elections task force, has been hired to run the November election. County Clerk Rita Torres made the decision this afternoon to hire Ellins, a Democrat, as the elections supervisor on a temporary basis. John Caldwell, the county’s head attorney and interim human resources director, said Ellins will serve though the November election. Torres fired the previous elections supervisor, Mari Langford, shortly after the June primary and placed her chief deputy, Cecilia Madrid, in charge of the elections bureau. At the time, Torres, who suffers from health problems that have affected her job performance, said she would not hire an elections supervisor before November. Continue Reading

There’s no proof of widespread voter fraud, but the system does allow for potential misdeeds

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With all the uproar about alleged voter fraud, I thought it might be interesting to look back at the 2004 election, which is often the springboard for such allegations. Kate Nelson of the Albuquerque Tribune summed up the political climate at the time of the 2004 election well in a Jan. 29, 2005 article: “(It was alleged that) apolitical slackers in search of the $7-a-voter bounty some groups were paying simply opened phone books to borrow the fill-in-the-blanks necessities,” she wrote. “County clerks were deluged with good forms and bad. The election was looming. Continue Reading

Richardson’s criticism of Dendahl backfires

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On Wednesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl filed his first campaign finance report, a month late, and the campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson criticized the fact that almost half of Dendahl’s contributions came from the oil and gas industry. Richardson’s campaign asked for it, and Dendahl gave the appropriate response –Richardson has taken almost 10 times as much oil and gas money. Dendahl reported raising $59,700 as of July 3. At that point, he had spent only $1,373. More than half – $25,000 – came from the oil and gas industry. Continue Reading

Democrat Kissling shakes up campaign staff

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Democrat Al Kissling has shaken up his campaign staff as he attempts to jumpstart an operation that has failed to raise one-tenth of the money secured by his opponent, Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. In an e-mail sent Thursday to supporters, Kissling announced that he has “made several changes in personnel,” including the departure of his former campaign manager, Roger Flemming. Flemming has been replaced by Loveless Johnson III of Santa Fe, a former director in the Clinton U.S. Department of Energy. According to Kissling’s e-mail, Johnson “has successfully managed four winning congressional campaigns of current and past members of Congress.” In addition, Kissling has hired a “full-time travel assistant, David Anderson from the Democratic Party of New Mexico.” “Stay tuned as Loveless rounds out the staff with a field coordinator and other personnel,” Kissling wrote. Kissling also wrote that a “new and improved” Web site will be unveiled within the next week at www.kisslingforcongress.com. Will it help? Continue Reading

U.N. secretary-general coming to Santa Fe to dine with old friend Richardson

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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan of Ghana will attend a dinner at the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe later this month. Annan and other guests will attend a dinner on Aug. 21 hosted by Gov. Bill Richardson and his wife, according to Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley. Shipley said Annan is on vacation and visiting his friend Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Though the two will likely discuss some hot topics that might include North Korea, the Middle East and Iran, that’s not the purpose of the trip, Shipley said. Continue Reading

In congressional race, AG Madrid having a hard time defending herself against attacks

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It’s been a rough week for Patricia Madrid. The New Mexico attorney general is working hard in her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. this year. It’s one of the most hotly contested races in the nation, so it’s inevitably a nasty contest. Madrid, a Democrat, has been plagued during the campaign by allegations that she failed to investigate the state treasurer’s office and stop the corruption there several years ago. Wilson unveiled the inevitable television commercial last week accusing Madrid of doing nothing to stop the problems in the treasurer’s office that eventually led to the federal indictments of the past two state treasurers and others. Continue Reading

State toughens regulations for serving alcohol to minors and intoxicated people

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Gov. Bill Richardson announced tougher regulations Thursday for serving minors and intoxicated people. The new regulations allow the state to revoke a liquor license following three convictions for sales to minors, intoxicated people or a combination of both during a 12-month period. The old standard was five offenses. The regulations take effect Oct. 15. Continue Reading

Garza vows to fight for job, but says he is partly responsible for trouble that led to suspension

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Suspended Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza is vowing to fight to keep his job, but also admitting that he is responsible for some of the trouble in which he finds himself. Garza appeared tired during an interview broadcast Wednesday evening on ABC-7. He learned earlier in the day that the New Mexico Supreme Court suspended him, with pay, for 90 days while the Judicial Standards Commission investigates serious allegations against him. The court has sealed the file, so the allegations aren’t known publicly and Garza can’t reveal details. He did, however, tell the station that “they’re not criminal matters, but they’re serious enough that I need to answer to them.” Garza, a Democrat, surprised me by saying politics isn’t to blame for the allegations against him. Continue Reading

Court: City doesn’t have to reimburse municipal judges for defense of ethical complaint

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A district judge has denied a request to force the City of Las Cruces to reimburse its municipal judges for the cost of defending themselves against an ethical complaint filed by the city attorney’s office. District Judge Jerald A. Valentine ruled Wednesday that the judges, Melissa Miller-Byrnes and James T. Locatelli, “have not pointed to any duty that requires (the city) to pay” their legal fees, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Those fees topped more than $100,000. You can read Valentine’s decision by clicking here. The judges claimed the city’s failure to pay violated the separation of powers doctrine. Continue Reading