Governor’s campaign, not his office spokesman, should handle re-election issues

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s government press office is under fire for issuing a campaign statement about the Republican’s selection of John Dendahl to run against him in November. On Saturday, Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley, whose salary is paid by taxpayers, sent out an official governor’s office news release calling Dendahl “a candidate who embraces division and negativity, and who is completely out of touch with what matters most to New Mexicans.” The release was sent from Shipley’s state government e-mail address, with a subject line that read “Governor’s Office issues statement regarding John Dendahl.” It was in the same format as other news releases from that office, which is funded by tax dollars. Dendahl responded Tuesday by sending a letter to Richardson questioning Shipley’s actions, according to the Albuquerque Journal. He said Shipley acted improperly and asked Richardson to clarify the role of state workers in his campaign. Shipley told the Journal his actions were “completely appropriate,” and said the news release was done on his own time and computer. Continue Reading

Domenici either orchestrated Damron/Dendahl switcheroo or has lost his influence, politicos say

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I had several calls and e-mails Wednesday from Republican Party insiders and longtime political watchers about the debate over whether Sen. Pete Domenici had a hand in the Damron/Dendahl switcheroo. The consensus was overwhelming: Either Domenici orchestrated the entire event, or he has lost his influence in his party. Either he was asserting himself as the top politician in the state, or this reveals that he’s no longer the leader of his party. No one seemed certain about which is the truth, but most guess that Domenici orchestrated the replacement of the Republican Party’s gubernatorial candidate. If that’s the case, he’s going after Gov. Bill Richardson, either to take back his position as the state’s leader, or to damage the governor’s potential presidential run, or both. Continue Reading

Comparing the Las Cruces superintendent’s salary with others

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Following the approval last night of Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Sonia Diaz’s contract, I thought it might be interesting to compare her salary with others. Let me preface by saying Diaz is not being paid too much. Some in this community will think that, but I believe you get what you pay for, and New Mexico hasn’t traditionally spent enough on education. Diaz will be paid a base salary of $160,000 annually, plus benefits. Las Cruces is the second largest school district in the state, with about 24,000 students. Continue Reading

House Republican leaders grandstanding instead of taking action on immigration reform

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In a sadly political move, Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to delay action on immigration reform so they can hold hearings throughout the summer around the nation before deciding whether to compromise with the Senate. This grandstanding shows either a lack of understanding of the situation or a lack of compassion by House Republican leaders. While they continue talking, people continue to die in the desert. I hope Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., isn’t involved in this. House leaders already know the issues. Continue Reading

Thoughts on the Damron/Dendahl switcheroo

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There’s a lot of debate about how exactly the J.R. Damron campaign crumbled and John Dendahl stepped into the race. Political blogger Joe Monahan says Sen. Pete Domenici led the charge. An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican seems to confirm some of Monahan’s claims. But a Domenici staffer disputes the claims in an article today in the Albuquerque Journal. And the Wednesday Morning Quarterback, a Republican blog, accuses Monahan of being a Democrat with a political agenda. How do we sort through all this? Continue Reading

LCPS board approves superintendent’s contract

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The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education approved a two-year contract with Superintendent Sonia Diaz at tonight’s meeting. She’s expected to sign the contract in a few days. After that, it will be available for the public to inspect. Under the contract, which begins July 1 and lasts through June 30, 2008, Diaz will be paid an annual salary of $160,000 – almost $30,000 more than the previous superintendent, Louis Martinez. Here are the other terms of the contract: • 30 days annual leave and 12 days of sick leave per year • Monthly car allowance of $800 • Monthly reimbursable expenses not to exceed $400 • Reimbursement of moving expenses • “Transition costs” not to exceed $3,000 • A cellular telephone, computer, internet access and fax machine for use in her home office • A bonus clause will be written into the contract. Continue Reading

Democrats place Murphy on ballot, turn attention to other judicial opening

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Rusty Babington and Fernando Macias pledged support for the newly appointed District Judge Michael Murphy Tuesday evening, and the Democratic Party’s central committee voted to place Murphy on the ballot in November. “I think that he will show the kind of judicial leadership that is necessary on this children’s court,” Macias said. “I think that Mike Murphy is a guy who will do a lot of good for Doña Ana County,” Babington said. Murphy, who was appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson earlier in the day, thanked the Democrats for their support. “Today has been a very interesting and turbulent day for me,” he said. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Governor to appoint Murphy children’s court judge

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Gov. Bill Richardson plans to name Michael Murphy the new children’s court judge in Las Cruces. Several sources confirmed that Richardson has chosen Murphy over Rusty Babington and Fernando Macias. The Doña Ana County Democratic Party’s central committee will also name Murphy at tonight’s meeting its candidate for the seat in the November general election. The county Republican Party is still considering whether to run a candidate in that election. An influential group of Democrats pushed for the selection of Macias, who has practiced little law in the past decade but has a unique résumé and has been lobbying heavily for the position. Continue Reading

Judge Locatelli defends lawsuit against city

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Las Cruces Municipal Judges James T. Locatelli found himself defending his lawsuit against the city Monday during his interview for the vacant district court judgeship.Locatelli and the other municipal judge, Melissa Miller-Byrnes, are seeking a reimbursement of more than $100,000 they spent to defend themselves against ethical complaints filed by the city attorney’s office in 2004. They claim the city has reimbursed other judges for defense costs in the past, and the city’s failure to reimburse them is arbitrary and a violation of the separation of powers doctrine.The dispute began in 2004, when the judges publicly blamed prosecutors for the dismissal of drunken driving and domestic violence cases and called prosecutors and police officers incompetent.Locatelli, whose name was not recommended to Gov. Bill Richardson by Monday’s judicial nominating commission, was asked by District Judge Robert E. Robles why he did not disclose the lawsuit in the appropriate section on his application for the district judgeship.“That’s strictly an oversight on my part,” Locatelli said.When asked to elaborate on lawsuit, Locatelli said he and Miller-Byrnes “feel that the city does have an obligation to pay our legal fees in that matter.”Deputy District Attorney Amy Orlando, another member of the commission, asked whether Locatelli saw a conflict in suing attorneys who appear before him in court. She said she believed there was a conflict because the attorneys are supposed to appear before Locatelli and because the city pays his salary.Locatelli disagreed, saying the dispute has been ongoing for two years, and the city attorney’s office never asked for recusals until the judges filed the lawsuit.“It’s not a conflict,” Locatelli said.Locatelli defended the lawsuit and his criticism of the city attorney’s office as “proper” and “appropriate.”“I did what I thought was right at the time,” he said. “I’ll continue to do what I think is right in the future.” Continue Reading

City councilor suggests using eminent domain, if necessary, in country club land swap

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Las Cruces City Councilor Ken Miyagishima is using what is to many a dirty phrase – eminent domain – but to others could be welcome if it means saving some green space at the Las Cruces County Club’s current location.The country club’s members voted last week to swap the land with a developer who plans to build a massive suburb on the east mesa, where the new country club will be built. The developer, Philip Philippou , plans condominiums, businesses and other buildings on the country club’s current location, a 110-acre plot that was once in a fairly rural area but is now surrounded by homes and businesses.Miyagishima says he’ll fight that, even if it means resorting to the controversial tactic. Several states are considering proposals to limit eminent domain.Miyagishima first made his comments last week on the Michael Swickard Show, then again Monday at the city council meeting.According to KVIA, Mayor Bill Mattiace said he won’t allow the use of eminent domain, and insists that compromise is the only solution. Continue Reading

Some Democrats pushing politico Macias, but other judicial applicants are better candidates

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Rusty Babington and Mike Murphy are the more qualified of the three candidates the governor is considering for the children’s court judgeship in Las Cruces, but that isn’t stopping many Democrats from backing Fernando Macias. The Doña Ana County Democratic Party meets Tuesday night to decide who to place on the ballot in November. The party could opt for someone who isn’t on the short list sent to Richardson, but the reality is that county Democrats and the governor are working hard to get on the same page, and Babington, Murphy and Macias are the names before the governor. A secret meeting of many Democratic Party leaders is being held tonight to discuss the issue. Democrats want to avoid the embarrassment of 2004, when Gov. Bill Richardson upset the county party by appointing a magistrate judge without first consulting the party. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Babington, Macias, Murphy recommended for judgeship

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A judicial nominating commission today recommended three candidates to fill the position of children’s court judge in the Third Judicial District in Las Cruces.Those candidates are William “Rusty” Babington, Fernando Macias and Michael Murphy, and their names have been forwarded to Gov. Bill Richardson, who makes the selection.Each brings quite different issues to the table, and there is a lot of political wrangling going on in advance of the Democratic Party’s central committee meeting tomorrow night, where the party plans to place a candidate on the ballot for the November election.I’ll have in-depth analysis of what’s happening later tonight, but I wanted to share the immediate news. Continue Reading