In light of Metro Court scandal, feds should look into architect’s contract to design Doña Ana County facility

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Marc Schiff’s attorney says the only time his client used his architect firm to steal money from the state was when he inflated and falsified invoices for construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. But suspicious circumstances surrounding the firm’s selection to design Doña Ana County’s new building make me skeptical. In the Bernalillo County case, Schiff and two others have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud in what prosecutors call a complex scheme to bilk taxpayers out of $4.2 million. Four others, including former Senate President Manny Aragon, are charged in the case. Schiff isn’t accused of keeping any money for himself, but admits to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars and passing it on to others. Continue Reading

If anyone can make the spaceport work, it’s Homans

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I’m writing a political column for the Albuquerque Tribune that will run every other Wednesday beginning today. I’ll also publish the columns on this site on the days they run in the Tribune. Here’s the first: New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans stood on a street corner in Las Cruces on April 3 and held a sign encouraging passing motorists to vote for a tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. That was the same day I first heard he might run for Congress next year, and I wondered what would happen to the spaceport if Homans left his job. He is the glue that has held together a fragile project with no certainty of success. Continue Reading