Udall to announce Thursday in ABQ, Friday in Cruces

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., will kick off his campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici with a formal announcement Thursday in Albuquerque, and he’ll make a stop in Las Cruces Friday morning. Udall will make the announcement at 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, according to a news release from his campaign. He will be at Roberto’s Mexican Food in Las Cruces at 8 a.m. Friday to formally announce his candidacy to voters here. Udall plans other stops in Los Lunas on Thursday, in Silver City and Clovis on Friday, and in Las Vegas, Mora, Taos and Santa Fe on Saturday. “As a prosecutor, state attorney general and congressman, I have stood strong for New Mexico values,” Udall said in the release. Continue Reading

AG says NMSU Foundation can keep donor info secret

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The Attorney General’s Office says the New Mexico State University Foundation can legally keep information about donors secret and NMSU did not violate the Inspection of Public Records Act in denying my request for such information. In a letter released Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Glenn, director of the AG’s civil division, wrote that a state statute specifically allows educational foundations to keep information about donors secret. In response to other questions about NMSU’s handling of government transparency laws, Glenn wrote that the NMSU Board of Regents did violate the Open Meetings Act on July 17 but has not violated the Inspection of Public Records Act in handling several other requests related to university and foundation records. The opinion is not a formal, legal ruling, but it comes from the office responsible for prosecuting Open Meetings Act violations and assisting the public in questions on government transparency laws, so it is significant. The question of whether the foundation can legally keep information about donors secret has been an issue since the university started using money from secret donors in May for deferred compensation and a housing allowance for President Michael Martin. Continue Reading

Public money must be controlled by public bodies

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Decisions on how to spend public money must be made by public bodies. That’s the intent of our system of government, and it’s also, quite simply, what’s philosophically right. That’s why the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners made a wise decision on Tuesday by indefinitely postponing action on a proposal to give an El Paso developer control over $128 million in public funds for infrastructure in the Santa Teresa area. The money would have been fronted by the Verde Group to build a sewer system, arsenic treatment plant and other infrastructure; then, 20 percent of gross-receipts-tax revenue collected from three districts in the area – two industrial and one residential and commercial – would have gone to repaying the developer. Each district would have been governed by a five-person board. Continue Reading

Watch video of Wilson’s visit to Las Cruces

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About 30 residents of Doña Ana County showed up at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum on Tuesday evening to meet U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. I’m going to let you see for yourself what Wilson said in the 11-minute video posted below, but I would tell you that the majority of questions she was asked related to immigration and border security. She also talked about veteran’s issues, education and the economy. Wilson let Republicans in the county know she was coming with a robocall the day before her visit, and she was scheduled to hold a fundraiser at La Posta restaurant in Mesilla following it. Here’s the video from the public meeting: Continue Reading

Harassment allegations catch up with PRC’s King

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A jury on Monday awarded $840,000 to a former state employee who claimed that Public Regulation Commissioner David King sexually harassed her. It’s the second time King has faced sexual harassment allegations. The state paid $305,000 in the early 1990s to settle sexual harassment allegations three women made against him when he was state treasurer. I think the situation pretty much speaks for itself. Though the Republican King was easily re-elected last year, he will have a difficult time if he runs for office in the future. Continue Reading

2nd District Democrats square off Wednesday in T or C

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Democratic candidates vying for the right to be their party’s nominee for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce will participate in their first forum Wednesday evening in Truth or Consequences. The forum, being put on by the Sierra County Democratic Party, will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Sierra Grande Lodge, 501 McAdoo Street. State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, retired Presbyterian minister Al Kissling, Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley and Roswell businessman and retired teacher Frank McKinnon have all confirmed that they will attend the forum. Former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague is unable to attend because of a prior commitment. Each candidate will give an introductory and closing statement. Continue Reading

Joy will seek to replace Miyagishima on city council

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Lawrence Joy became today the first person to formally announce his candidacy for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council. An election will be held Jan. 15 to replace Ken Miyagishima, who was elected mayor earlier this month. Several others have said they’re considering running, but none have officially entered the race. Joy announced his candidacy today in a news release. Continue Reading

Richardson Senate petition is bogus, campaign says

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Someone is circulating petitions around Santa Fe seeking signatures for Gov. Bill Richardson to run for U.S. Senate, but Richardson’s presidential campaign says the petitions are bogus and the governor isn’t running for Senate. Still, the petitions have rekindled speculation that if or when Richardson loses the presidential race he will jump into the Senate race. It’s a scenario Richardson insists won’t happen, but some refuse to believe him. The petitions began floating around Santa Fe on Monday, and have been circulated in public places including at least one restaurant. “There is apparently some kind of petition floating around. Continue Reading

Carraro to challenge White in U.S. House primary

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State Sen. Joe Carraro, R-Albuquerque, will formally announce Thursday that he is running for the First Congressional District seat being vacated by Heather Wilson. He informed supporters in an e-mail sent Monday evening that he will run, and that he will make the announcement at 4 p.m. Thursday at George O. Breace VFW Post 401 in Albuquerque. Carraro’s decision comes despite significant pressure from Washington GOP insiders to clear the way for Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White to become the party’s nominee for the seat. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio has sent White a $5,000 contribution – the maximum allowed – from his political action committee, The Freedom Project, to be used specifically in the primary. And the retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici plans to host an event for White in Washington next week. Continue Reading

Talk to focus on expectations for female candidates

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An expert on the different expectations women face when running for office will be the final speaker tonight at New Mexico State University’s “Women, Politics and the Media” course and a subsequent public symposium. Dan Kully, founder of the West Coast office of Laguens Hamburger Kully Klose in Seattle, will speak at 7 p.m. in the Creative Media Institute’s Digital Media Theatre in Milton Hall. His talk, “Television: Different Expectations for Women Candidates,” is open to the public. Kully, a producer, director, editor and cinematographer, has achieved renown for developing one of the most compelling and effective media consulting operations outside of Washington, D.C. In 2006, he was the lead partner on the team that helped elect Jon Tester to the U.S. Senate in Montana and Gov. Bill Ritter in Colorado and helped defeat the so-called property rights measures in Washington and Idaho. “I’ve worked with Dan and admire his expertise in helping candidates get their message across,” said Lt. Governor Diane Denish, co-teacher of the NMSU class. Continue Reading

Wilson to stop in Las Cruces on Tuesday

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U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson is kicking off her Senate campaign with a tour of the state that will bring her to Las Cruces on Tuesday. She will be holding a public forum from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces, on Tuesday. The GOP representative’s “statewide listening tour” follows a similar tour by GOP U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who is also running for Senate. New Mexico’s third representative, Democrat Tom Udall, is also running for the Senate seat and plans a similar tour in the near future. Wilson’s tour began Sunday in Santa Rosa. Continue Reading

Lawmaker seeks AG opinion on spaceport tax delay

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A state representative has asked the attorney general to weigh in on whether Doña Ana County can delay collection of a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax to help fund construction of Spaceport America. The county commission has voted to delay collection, currently scheduled to start on Jan. 1, until at least July because voters in Sierra and Otero counties haven’t yet decided whether to implement the tax. The move is backed by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, but the state’s Taxation and Revenue Department says the county’s vote to delay the tax isn’t valid because it can only be delayed by amending or repealing the ordinance that allowed the April tax election. There’s not time to do that before the tax takes effect. Continue Reading

Tinsley, Cornelius make congressional runs official

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Republicans Ed Tinsley and Bob Cornelius both made official last week their candidacies for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce. They’re the first Republicans to enter the race. On the Democratic side, state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, retired Presbyterian minister Al Kissling, Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, Roswell businessman and retired teacher Frank McKinnon and former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague are all running. Tinsley, a rancher and restaurant-chain owner, ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2002. He said in a news release last week that he has “waited for the right time and circumstances to make a run for this congressional seat,” and the time is now. Continue Reading

Chávez hits Udall over proposed lab funding cuts

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez is hitting U.S. Rep. Tom Udall hard as the two battle for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. In a weekend news release, Chávez announced that he is meeting in Los Alamos today with employees of the national lab located there. A pending and controversial bill that Udall supported would cut about $400 million from the budget for the state’s two labs compared to the previous fiscal year. “Numerous members of the LANL community have been in touch with us about this devastating blow,” Chávez said in the release. “(Today) I’ll be taking the message up to the hill to Los Alamos that New Mexicans must send a senator to Washington who will stand up for them, not someone who supports job cuts at our state’s national laboratories.” Then the attack, from Chávez campaign manager Mark Fleisher: “Tom Udall now has the dubious distinction of being the only member of Congress from New Mexico in history to vote in favor of decreased funding and cutting jobs at LANL and Sandia,” he said. Continue Reading