Early results

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Here are the results so far with 22 of 108 precincts reporting. The secretary of state Web site is messed up, at least with Doña Ana County’s results.Democrats:Secretary of state:Mary Herrera: 230, 31.9 percentStephanie Gonzales: 222, 30.8 percentShirley Hooper: 134, 18.6 percentLetitia Montoya: 133, 18.4 percentState auditor:Thomas Buckner: 264, 39.2 percentJeff Armijo: 408, 60.7 percentAttorney general:Geno Zamora: 231, 32.1 percentGary King: 374, 52 percentLemuel Martinez: 114, 15.8 percentCommissioner of public lands:Jim Baca: 388, 56.2 percentRay Powell: 302, 43.7 percentPRC District 2:Joseph Calderon: 13, 36.1 percentStephanie Dubois: 23, 63.8 percentPRC District 5:Sandy Jones: 437, 62.8 percentE. Shirley Baca: 258, 37.1 percentCounty commission district 1:No results yetProbate judge:Dino Villani: 118, 16.2 percentAlice Salcido: 413, 56.9 percentNeri Frietze: 194, 26.7 percentMagistrate judge Division 3:Maria Rodriguez: 287, 40.4 percentOlivia Garcia: 423, 59.5 percentRepublican: U.S. senator:Allen McCulloch: 250, 58 percentJoseph Carraro: 83, 19.2 percentDavid Pfeffer: 98, 22.7 percentPRC District 5:Doyle Pruitt: 73, 19.5 percentC. Earl Greer: 107, 28.6 percentD. Kent Evans: 193, 51.7 percentCounty commission District 3Ruben Gonzalez: 21, 21.8 percentMack Haley: 75, 78.1 percent Continue Reading

News update: It really is as bad as they predicted

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I just left precinct 32 at the Branigan Library in Las Cruces, where they had 12 people vote out of 175 registered voters. Four of those voted with provisional ballots and weren’t even people living in that precinct.Four years ago we had 25 percent voter turnout for the primary in this county.There are about 75,000 people eligible to vote today in the primary in this county. We had just over 2 percent of them vote early and absentee, county officials told me late today.I’m still not betting that we get to 10 percent.The polls are closed. We’ll know soon enough. Continue Reading

News update: Rudy Apodaca to fill in on understaffed district court

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Former New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Rudy Apodaca will serve as a district court judge in Las Cruces “at least until the end of the month,” the court’s presiding judge, Robert Robles, confirmed Tuesday.Apodaca, the brother of former Gov. Jerry Apodaca, will start later this week, Robles said.The court is strained because Larry Ramirez resigned last week. The embattled judge had been waiting for the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on a petition for immediate, temporary suspension while the Judicial Standards Commission investigated allegations that he engaged in an ongoing pattern of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments. He said fighting the allegations would have been too expensive and was negatively affecting his health and family.In addition, a judicial nominating committee is currently considering applicants for an eighth district judgeship in Las Cruces, but the new judge won’t be selected for a couple of months.Apodaca was an appeals court judge from 1987 to 2000, and in 2004 authored a popular mystery novel, Pursuit, set mostly in New Mexico. Continue Reading

News update: In Las Cruces, voter turnout ridiculously low

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Analysts predicted low voter turnout in today’s primary election, but this is really sad.I’ve visited nine precincts today, and found disappointing results at all.The worst was at Corbett Center at New Mexico State University. In precinct 54, three people voted by 1:15 p.m., out of 917 who are eligible. That’s 0.3 percent. Precinct 58 had one, just one, voter out of 657 who are eligible. That’s 0.2 percent.The news was a bit better at Conlee Elementary School, where, in precinct 45, 20 out of 598 registered voters cast their votes as of 1 p.m. In precinct 46, it was 20 out of 419, and in precinct 47, it was 38 out of 604.At Sierra Middle School, 17 out of 877 registered voters had cast votes by noon in precinct 34.And at Highland Elementary School, 42 out of 1,108 had cast ballots in precinct 59 by 11:30 a.m. Some 21 out of 896 had cast ballots in precinct 61, and 18 out of 988 had cast ballots in precinct 105.I’m still trying to find out exactly how many early votes were cast, but it was somewhere around 1 percent. Continue Reading

It’s time to vote! Here’s why it’s important; plus, assessor candidate strikes back at Susana Martinez

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I know it’s a bit cheesy to write on Election Day about why it’s important to vote.So call me cheesy.This primary election is important because no one expects much from the voters. Analysts and candidates predict that voter turnout to be at an all-time low.What a great time to show our leaders that we are paying attention to what they’re doing.This primary election is also important because both major political parties have been rocked by scandal in recent months – the Democrats at the state level and the Republicans at the federal level. Many of our leaders are giving us little reason to believe in them or the political system.What a great time to take control of our government by electing honest leaders.Many say you can’t complain if you don’t vote. I think that’s crap. Since when is free speech dependent upon a citizen exercising his responsibility to vote?But it is important that people vote. Continue Reading

News update: Feds trying to build stronger case against Vigil

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The FBI is digging deeper into former State Treasurer Robert Vigil’s past as it attempts to build a stronger case against him.Sources confirmed that the FBI was in contact with the state auditor’s office last week to discuss Vigil. The agency has also been in touch with other state departments in recent weeks.The first trial in the public corruption case against Vigil ended with a hung jury last month. A new trial date has not been set, but sources say prosecutors, who had 11 of 12 jurors on board with a conviction on at least some of 24 counts last time, are trying to build a much stronger case for round two.What they’ll find isn’t clear, but sources tell me there are still many politicos who cringe any time the feds dig deeper into Vigil’s past. They’re afraid of what might be found.Then again, many believed more heads would roll during the first Vigil trial, but the only casualty was the political career of Guy Riordan, who Richardson removed from the state game commission after testimony implicated him in wrongdoing.Riordan has not been charged. Continue Reading

Housing authority scandal grows, AG probes LCPS vending machine money, and your voting locations

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Friday’s announcement that the Region III Housing Authority defaulted on a $2.5 million bond wasn’t a shocker, and shouldn’t have surprised Gov. Bill Richardson.That housing authority is run by Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos, a former state legislator whose tenure has been plagued by scandal for months.There are a number of regional housing authorities in the state, all quasi state agencies whose board members are appointed by the governor. In theory, the authorities build or fix up affordable homes, without spending taxpayer money, though bonds that are repaid with profits from home sales.Several years ago Richardson tasked Gallegos, who was in charge of the Region III authority in Albuquerque, with restarting housing authorities in other areas of the state, including the Region VII authority that is supposed to serve Doña Ana, Sierra and Socorro counties.Region VII has not done that.The scandal began several months ago when Emma Ortiz, who Richardson put in charge of Region VII, was ousted after being at odds with Gallegos. Region VII hadn’t done much in several years of operation, besides building up a debt of several hundred thousand dollars to Region III, according to Region VII board member Frances Williams.Williams accused Gallegos in March of mismanaging the housing authorities and improperly selling homes to investors instead of low-income families, and questioned where the money has gone since only a few homes have been sold in Las Cruces and not a single one has been built or fixed up in the rest of Region VII.Gallegos responded by suing Williams for slander. The lawsuit is pending in district court in Las Cruces.At the time, the Richardson administration and attorney general’s office both said they were looking at the housing authorities. The Richardson administration was reviewing the operations and finances of the authorities. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: District Judge Ramirez resigns

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District Judge Larry Ramirez of Las Cruces resigned late Friday, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News.The governor’s office said it had not received a resignation letter from the judge. The newspaper quoted Ramirez’s attorney, who said his resignation was effective today.Ramirez had been waiting for the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on a petition for immediate, temporary suspension while the Judicial Standards Commission investigated allegations that he engaged in an ongoing pattern of sexual harassment and making inappropriate comments.Gov. Bill Richardson heaped praise on Ramirez last weekend during a fundraiser for Patricia Madrid, who is trying to unseat Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Sources tell me Ramirez’s resignation had been in the works for several weeks.Ramirez had a history of problems. He was on judicial probation following an incident in which he inappropriately hushed a defense attorney in court and another incident in which he admitted to improperly involving himself in is son’s alcohol-citation case.There were two prior investigations by the Administrative Office of the Courts into Ramirez’s conduct. One found in 2004 that sexual harassment had occurred, and Ramirez had to undergo counseling and sexual harassment training. Months later, the second found that Ramirez had engaged in improper conduct in the courtroom, leading to him being reassigned away from the juvenile drug court.The commission could still ask the high court to ban Ramirez from ever again seeking judicial office. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Board picks Sonia Diaz to head Las Cruces Public Schools

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Sonia Diaz, former superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut, is the new leader of the Las Cruces Public Schools.The Board of Education made the announcement late Friday, following a day of candidate interviews at the Hilton Las Cruces.“It will be my pleasure to work with you,” Diaz said. “Together we are going to make this an incredibly, remarkably successful system for all students.”All five board members voted to hire Diaz, pending contract negotiations. A starting date and salary have not been set, but Board member Leonel Briseño said the board hopes to vote on a final contract at Tuesday’s meeting.“I believe Dr. Diaz can bring healing and raise the educational bar in this district,” said Board member Gene Gant.Diaz was most recently the deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Miami/Dade County Public Schools in Florida. She brings a doctorate in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University to the table.But her hiring is not without controversy. Many in the community wanted the board to hire Charles White, a former LCPS deputy superintendent and the only local candidate to be named a semifinalist. Continue Reading

Bookmark this site

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The Las Cruces Sun-News is removing its link to my blog from its Web site. If you have been accessing my blog through that site, you need to bookmark this page or write down the Web address, http://haussamen.blogspot.com.You can bookmark it by clicking on the link at the top of the page. Continue Reading

News update: Sen. Adair arrested in Roswell for failing to pay speeding fine

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Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, was arrested Thursday morning on an outstanding warrant for failing to pay a speeding ticket.According to court records, Adair was cited in March in Santa Rosa for driving 85 mph in a 55 mph zone. A warrant was issued later that month after Adair failed to show up in court.Adair was not booked into the county jail in Roswell after his arrest, a source tells me, because he resolved the citation beforehand.The source told me Adair’s arrest was “purely, purely political.” The source said a local Democrat who keeps an eye on such things reported the warrant to authorities.The arrest comes in the midst of a bitter Republican primary in Roswell that has pitted two factions against each other in a public battle for control. Signs have been torn down and letters to the editor of the Rowell Daily Record have accused candidates and politicos on both sides of wrongdoing.It is highly unusual for anyone to be arrested on an outstanding bench warrant, especially a controversial Republican state senator days before a bitter primary election.I’m surprised Adair was ever cited. The unspoken rule is that legislators are allowed to speed to Santa Fe. If they are pulled over, police officers almost always tell them to slow down, but don’t cite them.It should not be that way, but it’s normally the reality.Not so in Adair’s case, apparently. Continue Reading

LCPS superintendent to be picked today, faces tough task, and Richardson appoints magistrate

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The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education is set to pick the next superintendent today. I listened for three hours Thursday night while the four candidates answered questions.Each said the right things. Sure, there were some significant differences. One is religious and another advocates for strict separation of church and state. One will run the school district like a corporation, while another will focus on personal relationships.But they all used the buzz words, like rigor and results and accountability. Continue Reading

Democrat Baca, Republican Evans on defense in PRC primaries, and NMSU workers vote to unionize

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Public Regulation Commissioner E. Shirley Baca says she has missed only 21 percent of meetings in 2005, most because she was traveling on PRC business.Her challenger in the Democratic primary, Sandy Jones, sent out a mailer three weeks ago accusing Baca of not being physically present at 38 percent of PRC meetings in 2005. Jones said Baca was present by telephone “for a few minutes” at 10 percent of meetings he counted as absences.I asked Baca to respond. She had a PRC paralegal create an official attendance record based on minutes of meetings.(That a PRC staffer paid by taxpayers spent time pouring over minutes of 160 meetings and creating a document so Baca could respond to a campaign attack is questionable, but that’s a topic for another time.)The paralegal found that, out of 160 meetings in 2005, Baca was physically present for 110, or 69 percent. She attended another 16 by telephone, raising her attendance record to 79 percent, the document states.Baca was absent from 34 meetings last year, the document states – 28 to attend conferences and conduct other official business, two because of a death in her family, and four for “personal” reasons.Baca said she missed two meetings because she took a week off to “kind of get my breath back” after the drug possession charges against her were dropped last year. In case anyone doesn’t know, she was arrested at the Albuquerque airport for allegedly possessing marijuana.Baca claimed she was framed. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Prosecutors won’t file charges related to Doña Ana County special audit

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Prosecutors have completed their review and will file no criminal charges related to the 2004 special audit of Doña Ana County government.Shari Weinstein, chief deputy district attorney in Santa Fe, confirmed Wednesday that her office has closed the case after reviewing the results of an investigation by the New Mexico State Police.“We’re not pursuing any criminal charges,” Weinstein said. “If there were any possible criminal charges from our point of view, the statute of limitations has run.”A source told me that police and prosecutors believe there were several misdemeanor violations but no felonies, and the statute of limitations on the misdemeanors expired before the audit began.The Santa Fe district attorney’s office took the case because Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez had a conflict of interest. She and her staff are housed by the county, which was in the process of designing its new building and her new offices at the time of the audit. One of three findings referred to prosecutors involved the architect selection.The audit found widespread problems as recently as 2004, but the state auditor said it appears most identified problems have been fixed. Three findings were referred to prosecutors:• The county set up a loan agreement with landowners to repay its 1999 water bonds, which were used to build a water and sewer system in Santa Teresa. Continue Reading