Hispano Chamber president to run for city council

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Karen Trujillo, a real-estate broker and president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, announced today that she is running for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council. Trujillo’s top goal, according to a news release from her campaign, is to bring a moderate voice to a council she says is often divided. “The city council has a responsibility to keep the benefits to all Las Crucens in mind when making decisions,” she said. “For example, growth is necessary, but when voting on growth there so many elements that have to be considered to include the city’s resources, infrastructure and strategic plan. I want to focus on preserving Las Cruces, the ‘Cruces’ we all love.” Trujillo joins former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran and Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band, in the race, and others are considering running. Continue Reading

One legislative campaign begins, another ramps up

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A GOP educator has formally announced his campaign to replace Brian Moore in the New Mexico House, and a Democrat who has been in the race to unseat state Sen. Clinton Harden for some time is ramping up his campaign. Dennis J. Roch, assistant superintendent for the Tucumcari Schools, announced his candidacy fro the District 67 House seat on Thursday. “Dennis knows the district and the issues,” Moore said in a release from Roch. “He will make a superb representative for northeastern New Mexico.” Roch plans to make education the centerpiece of his campaign, saying “New Mexico residents want decisions about their children’s schools made by local boards of education, not by bureaucrats in Santa Fe or Washington.” In addition to being a professional educator, Roch has been a member of the state Public Education Commission since 2004 and chaired it since 2006. Roch also cited agriculture, respect for property rights and the Second Amendment as important issues. Continue Reading

Sandel won’t run for Congress

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The recent death of his grandmother is one of the reasons Farmington City Councilor Jason Sandel cited this weekend in announcing that he won’t seek the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall, who is running for U.S. Senate. “Enduring this experience provided me with a fresh perspective on my personal life in that it reinforced the importance of spending quality time with my family,” he said in a prepared statement. “I know that my time with those I love is relatively short and I really don’t want to squander it.” Sandel, 33 and a Democrat, also cited the fact that he has a six-year-old daughter and a son who is due to be born in February. In addition, he is working on several major projects through the family business, Aztec Well Servicing, and was recently elected chairman of the Four Corners Safety Council. “More importantly, our business model from day one has been for employees to be treated like family, and that is difficult to do from Washington D.C.,” he said. Continue Reading

Ron Paul wins non-scientific Iowa poll

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More voters in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site picked Ron Paul to win the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3 than any other Republican presidential candidate. But the vote was close. Paul had 78 votes, or 28 percent, while Mike Huckabee had 72 votes, or 26 percent, and Rudy Giuliani had 62 votes, or 23 percent. Mitt Romney had 45 votes, or 17 percent; Fred Thompson had 10 votes, or 4 percent; and John McCain had six votes, or 2 percent. Continue Reading

State Rep. Moore won’t seek re-election

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State Rep. Brian Moore, R-Clayton, announced today that he will leave the Legislature when his current term ends in December 2008. The decision opens a third seat in the state House currently held by a lawmaker who has been part of a bipartisan coalition that often stood up to the speaker during this year’s session. Moore, 55, said the 2008 session will be his eighth, and it’s time for new blood. “I think the time is right for me. Eight years is a long time,” the District 67 representative said. Continue Reading

Enthusiastic crowd greets Udall in Las Cruces

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall appeared in Las Cruces to announce his Senate run today in front of an enthusiastic crowd full of high-profile officials. Among the more than 50 people who showed up to hear Udall speak at Roberto’s Mexican Food in Las Cruces were Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones, state Reps. Joseph Cervantes and Jeff Steinborn, Doña Ana County Commissioners Bill McCamley and Oscar Vásquez Butler, Las Cruces City Councilor Nathan Small, District Judge Jim Martin, Magistrate Judge Olivia Nevarez Garcia, congressional candidate Al Kissling and county commission candidate Vince Romero. The other high-profile Democrat in the race, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, hasn’t held a public rally in Las Cruces to compare with this event. On the GOP side, events held by U.S. Reps. Continue Reading

Former judge to run for District 6 city council seat

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Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Curran will run for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council, the Las Cruces Bulletin reported today. “As Las Cruces enters its second century, I see a bright future for the city I have called home since 1989,” Curran said in his announcement. He joins Lawrence Joy, the owner of a direct mail advertising firm and the voice of NMSU’s marching band, in the race. Several others have said they’re considering running. The special election is being held Jan. Continue Reading

Now Mattiace says he won’t challenge election or sue

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Former Las Cruces Mayor Bill Mattiace has decided he won’t contest the results from the election that tossed him from office earlier this month and won’t sue those who made comments about him that he claims may have been defamatory. At least, that’s what he told the Las Cruces Bulletin for an article published today. It seems likely this is the final chapter in the back-and-forth about whether Mattiace will contest the election. It began when Mattiace called new Mayor Ken Miyagishima on election night and conceded the race. “Mayor-elect Miyagishima, congratulations. Continue Reading

Prominent author tests waters for congressional run

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A nationally known fiction writer who lives in Albuquerque is testing the waters for a possible congressional run. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, author of the New York Times bestseller Dirty Girls Social Club and other books, wrote recently on her blog that she’s thinking about jumping into the Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by Heather Wilson. “So, after years of analysis and writing about the issues facing our nation, I, your favorite progressive bestselling Latina author and screenwriter, have begun to test the waters for a possible run for congress in NM District 01!” she wrote on her blog. “That’s the district man-handled by Heather Wilson (aka W’s mini-me) for so many years. Now, another Bushie wants the gig. Continue Reading

Comments are back, with a couple of changes

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Effective immediately, this site’s comments system has been reactivated. There are a couple of changes you should know about: • You must now have a Google account to submit comments for publication. If you don’t have an account, you can create one by clicking here. It’s free and easy. After you do that, you’ll be able to submit comments the same way you did before, with one exception: Underneath the box where you enter your comment, you’ll have to enter your Google username and password. Continue Reading

Cervantes, McCamley strong at first candidate forum

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Joseph Cervantes and Bill McCamley both gave strong performances during the first forum for Democratic candidates for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce. Al Kissling also did well – a sign that he’s come a long way from his failed 2006 run against Pearce. A prior commitment kept Harry Teague from attending the forum in Truth or Consequences, and the fifth candidate in the race, Frank McKinnon, said he’ll be happy to get out of the race as soon as one of the other candidates agrees to take up his most important issues – opposing two nuclear waste reprocessing plants being built in the southeastern corner of the state, phasing out the nuclear industry and improving government regulation of polluting industries. Cervantes used the two-hour forum to try to convince the approximately 40 people in attendance that his seven years in the Legislature – and record of results – makes him most qualified for the job. McCamley frequently cited his own accomplishments as a Doña Ana County commissioner in arguing that he’s the candidate with a proven record of results. Continue Reading

Mayor, councilors to hold town-hall meetings

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Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima is making good on his campaign promise to hold town-hall meetings in each district shortly after being elected. The city announced today the schedule for the district meetings, which will be held in December. Each will also be attended by the councilor who represents that district. Here’s the info: • District 2 – Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. at Club Fusion, 101 E. Union Ave. Continue Reading

Udall says he won’t respond to negative attacks

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall said today he won’t respond to negative attacks that are coming at him from all sides as he formally begins his campaign for Senate. Udall made the comment during a phone interview today with New Mexico bloggers. He’s been under attack from the other Democrats in the race – Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez says he’s too liberal and has betrayed New Mexicans in supporting cuts at the state’s national laboratories, and alternative media publisher and editor Leland Lehrman says he lacks the courage and willingness to represent the state’s Democrats because he won’t support impeachment of the president and vice president. The Republicans in the race – U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson – have also been highly critical of the proposed lab cuts. Continue Reading

Lehrman to formally announce longshot Senate bid

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Alternative media publisher and editor Leland Lehrman will make official his longshot bid for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici with an announcement on Friday. Lehrman plans to make the announcement at the rotunda in the Roundhouse in Santa Fe at noon, and hold an interview with reporters beginning 30 minutes before that. He also plans a party at 7:30 p.m. at the Green Palace, 209 E. Palace Ave. in Santa Fe. Lehrman has a tough road ahead. Continue Reading

At crunch time, guv gets hot in Iowa, New Hampshire

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With 36 days until the Iowa Caucus and 41 days until the New Hampshire Primary, Gov. Bill Richardson is suddenly climbing in the polls and back on to the list of Democratic presidential candidates who must be taken seriously. Since he rearranged staff to increase his presence in Iowa and New Hampshire at the beginning of November, Richardson has climbed in polls in both states. On Nov. 9, his Real Clear Politics average of recent polls in Iowa was 7.8 percent, and his average of recent polls in New Hampshire was 6.8 percent. Today, his average in Iowa is 9.8 percent, and in New Hampshire it’s 8.5 percent. Continue Reading