DOT: Lujan’s illegal billboard must come down

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The New Mexico Department of Transportation says House Speaker Ben Lujan has been maintaining an illegal billboard for years on land he owns and has ordered him to take it down, The Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting. In a story authored by reporter Kate Nash, the newspaper reports on a letter the department sent to the speaker stating that it “has determined that the billboard structure is non-conforming and illegal and was maintained in violation of the outdoor advertising statute and regulations.” The letter states that the billboard must be removed in advance of an upcoming highway project along U.S. 84/285 near Pojoaque. “Nobody had ever notified me that there’s even a permit required in all these years that it’s been there,” the newspaper quoted Lujan as saying. He added that he will talk to his lawyer and respond to the department’s letter. Continue Reading

Meet the House’s webcasting heroes

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This article has been updated.You’ve heard a lot about them, and maybe you’ve watched their webcasts of House committee hearings. But how often do you get to see the webcasting heroes of this session in action? Here they are. First is Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque and the woman whose courage started the webcasting movement in the Legislature. Here she is in action this morning, webcasting live from a meeting of the Voters and Elections Committee. Continue Reading

Sanchez blames Boitano for webcasting debacle

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The Senate didn’t vote today on whether to allow live webcasting of audio and video of its proceedings, and Majority Leader Michael Sanchez appeared to blame the sponsor of the bill that would allow webcasting for its possible failure. On Saturday, The Senate accepted two amendments to Senate Resolution 3, sponsored by Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque, ensuring that it needs an unlikely two-thirds vote of approval to pass, instead of the simple majority it would have needed had it not been amended. The amendments, proposed by Sen. John Sapien, D-Corrales, restrict allowable camera angles and create an oversight body to handle webcasting. It’s not clear when the Senate will vote on the bill, but it’s essentially up to Sanchez. During today’s meeting of the Senate Rules Committee, Sanchez, a webcasting opponent, said he wanted to “remind the committee” that, when it considered Boitano’s resolution, Sanchez brought up the fact that Sapien would be proposing amendments. Continue Reading

House OKs title insurance reform

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Title insurance reform is an issue that many in New Mexico have been working on for years, and one that gained some momentum on Friday when it was approved on a vote of 59-0 by the House. The Business and Industry Committee substitute for House bills 488 and 357, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Nambé, now heads to the Senate. “Friday’s unanimous, bipartisan vote in favor of the speaker’s bill is a big step toward lowering title insurance costs for homebuyers and homeowners seeking to refinance a mortgage. It is especially urgent given this challenging economic environment,” said Fred Nathan, executive director of Think New Mexico, which has led the charge for title insurance reform. New Mexico has the eighth-highest closing costs in the nation. Continue Reading

Jennings’ strong words heat up hearing

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There was a somewhat contentious exchange in the Senate Rules Committee today when Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings demanded that a cabinet secretary promise to always tell the Legislature the truth even if it would cost him his job. Legislators have complained in the past that some cabinet secretaries in the Richardson administration have been dishonest or, at least, not forthcoming with information. Rick Homans was before the committee today to be confirmed as head of the Taxation and Revenue Department. Homans has been running the department on an interim basis for months. Jennings spoke at length about what he said was a lack of honesty by some cabinet secretaries, and specifically mentioned the secretary of the Human Services Department. Continue Reading

Housing audits ‘didn’t uncover all of the facts’

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As most of the state’s affordable housing system headed toward a scandalous collapse, Meyners + Company audits gave the housing authorities clean bills of health. Why the discrepancy between the audits and reality? Five independent audits of the state’s affordable housing system turned up none of the widespread problems that led to its scandalous and nearly total collapse in 2006, a review of public documents reveals. The five audits, completed by the firm Meyners + Company, didn’t flag any of the major problems that preceded the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority’s default on $5 million in bonds it owed the state. Meyners’ attorney says the company became aware of problems in early 2006, but by the time Meyners says it first notified the state auditor in writing of troubles on May 31, 2006, two newspapers had already reported on alleged misconduct and the attorney general was investigating possible fraud. Continue Reading

Senate continues resisting reform, webcasting

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The Senate set the stage on Saturday for the possible killing a proposal to begin webcasting audio and video of its proceedings, and could vote down the bill as early as today. The body, which has been openly resistant to ethics reform and transparency measures in recent years, also killed an ethics-reform proposal on Saturday. An “ethics sham” is how Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque, characterized things after the Senate killed his bill that would prohibit lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for a year after their final term expires and added amendments to the bill that would authorize webcasting. The latter ensures that the bill needs approval of two-thirds of senators instead of a simple majority and appears likely to doom it. Gov. Bill Richardson was not pleased when senators killed Griego’s Senate Bill 163 on a vote of 14-22. Continue Reading

‘Um, duh,’ most voters in poll say

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said “Um, duh” when asked if the New Mexico Legislature is trying to kill ethics reform. Of 145 voters, 97, or 67 percent, gave that answer, while 39, or 27 percent, said “Ethics? What are ethics?” and nine, or 6 percent, said, “No, they just have their heads buried in the sand.” Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Bill seeks more disclosure from investment firms

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A bill that would require additional disclosure from investment firms seeking to do business with the state has cleared the House and is awaiting a hearing in a Senate committee. In light of the pay-to-play allegations dogging the Richardson administration — which, in the federal grand jury investigation and the separate lawsuit brought by Frank Foy, have to do with state investments — the bill seems especially relevant. House Bill 876, sponsored by Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque, would require companies seeking contracts with the state that deal with alternative investments — those other than stocks and bonds – to disclose the employment of any third-party marketers it’s employing to help secure the contract, including public relations firms and lobbyists. If the bill is enacted, the relevant agencies — the State Investment Council, Educational Retirement Board and Public Employees Retirement Association — will be required to pass on those disclosures in reports they make publicly several times a year, and also annually to the appropriate legislative oversight committee. With the current scrutiny of campaign contributions from the firms at the center of the pay-to-play allegations against the Richardson administration, the disclosure of any additional information about who is helping those firms would seem to make it easier for the public to understand the money involved. Continue Reading

AG postpones housing authority grand jury

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Sen. Papen is among those who are frustrated that the case hasn’t moved forward Attorney General Gary King has delayed his plan to take the drawn-out investigation of scandal in the state’s affordable housing system before a grand jury, and that has some frustrated. Witnesses in the case had been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury in February, but that never happened. Multiple sources confirmed that the housing authority grand jury was postponed, but King’s office, which never confirmed its grand jury plans in the first place, won’t say now why the grand jury has been delayed. As is customary, AG spokesman Phil Sisneros would say only that his office doesn’t comment on the status of investigations. The delay frustrates Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces. Continue Reading

Senate webcasting debate to be webcast

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The Senate could vote Friday on whether to give final authorization to webcasting and establish the ground rules. The New Mexico Independent will be webcasting the webcasting debate. Joining NMI’s Gwyneth Doland on the liveblog accompanying the webcast will be the Santa Fe Reporter’s Dave Maass and hopefully some other prominent panelists. Anyone can join the chat while they’re watching the debate. Senate Resolution 3, sponsored by Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque, is 19th on the agenda for Friday’s Senate floor session, but if and when the bill is considered is really up to Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who isn’t the biggest fan of webcasting. Continue Reading

Guv wants more than ‘temporary ethics reform’

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In response to a Senate committee’s approval earlier this week of a campaign contribution limits bill that would sunset two years after it takes effect, Gov. Bill Richardson called today for the approval of permanent ethics reform. “I’m pleased that this issue is moving forward, but we don’t need temporary ethics reform,” Richardson said in a news release. “I urge legislators get me a bill with a firm and permanent cap on campaign contributions.” The bill, unanimously approved by members of the Senate Rules Committee, would limit contributions from individuals to $2,300, from political committees to $5,000 and from political parties to $10,000 per calendar year. It would take effect on Jan. 1, 2011 and includes a sunset clause of Jan. Continue Reading

Letters seek leniency for Aragon

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If you haven’t checked out the letter former Senate President Manny Aragon has written to a federal judge seeking leniency in the imposing of fines and restitution for his role in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse scandal, you should. Also interesting are the letters a number of high-profile New Mexicans — including Senate President Pro-Tem Tim Jennings and Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan — wrote in support of Aragon’s plea for leniency. You can check out the letters by clicking here, and the Albuquerque Journal’s article on the letters here. Aragon pleaded guilty in October to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. He was accused of pocketing more than $600,000 in the scheme in which prosecutors say he and several others stole $4.2 million in taxpayer money by inflating and falsifying invoices during construction of the courthouse. Continue Reading

Lujan’s support should clear path for housing reform

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Once accused of trying to kill an overhaul of the state’s housing authority system, Lujan is now shepherding it through the House In 2007, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Sen. Mary Kay Papen accused House Speaker Ben Lujan of trying to torpedo their attempt to reform the state’s affordable housing system. But this year, he’s shepherding their housing authority reform bill through the House for them. The move, announced Monday, indicates a great deal of consensus behind Papen’s Senate Bill 20, which unanimously passed the Senate this weekend. With Lujan’s backing, the bill is likely to sail through the House. The governor has endorsed it. Continue Reading