Chávez reaches out to progressives through bloggers

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is attempting to reach out to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party through its bloggers. There are quite a few progressive bloggers in New Mexico, and Chávez had a dialogue with several of them on a conference call on Tuesday evening that he said he hoped was “part of an ongoing conversation.” Chávez isn’t well liked, to put it mildly, by many progressives, who recently worked with Republicans to defeat candidates and referenda backed by Chávez, or at least some of his top staffers, in the Albuquerque municipal election. In a recent interview with me, Chávez said he gets “a bad rap” from progressives that isn’t deserved, and cited his work on combating climate change and other issues he says should earn him the support of progressives. In the same conversation, however, Chávez said he wasn’t afraid of the possibility that U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, a favorite among progressive Democrats, might enter the race, saying Udall is “so far to the left.” That comment was one of the points Chávez was asked about during Tuesday’s call. It upset many progressives as it circulated on state and national blogs last week. Continue Reading

Guv defends Clinton, others attack her at debate

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Gov. Bill Richardson stood alone during Tuesday’s Democratic presidential candidate debate as Hillary Clinton’s only defender from the constant attacks of other candidates, and it came back to bite him at the end. That’s because Clinton made a huge mistake at the conclusion of the debate that gave credibility to the tenacious attacks of Barack Obama, John Edwards and Chris Dodd. The three – and Obama and Edwards in particular – spent most of the debate criticizing Clinton as a Washington insider, someone who won’t bring the change she promises and someone who has been spewing doubletalk throughout the campaign. Clinton spent the night attempt to deflect the criticism and, at least for awhile, was successful. But the turn began near the end of the debate, when she was asked about Social Security. Continue Reading

New growth rule doesn’t help Dos Sueños residents

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One of the central questions in Tuesday’s Las Cruces municipal election is whether the city’s growth is out of control. This article is the first in a two-part series that explores that question. Today’s article looks at growth in a new area, while Thursday’s article will consider infrastructure needs in older neighborhoods. By Vicki Nisbett People who moved into homes in an East Mesa subdivision as long as 18 months ago are still waiting for the completion of drainage systems and landscaping and are experiencing problems with weed control and trash accumulation. Residents of Dos Sueños, which is located north of U.S. Highway 70 on both sides of Jornada Road, have phoned numerous times and met with officials from the city and Logos Development, the Philip Philippou-owned corporation that built the subdivision, but many of their concerns haven’t been resolved. Continue Reading

Pearce Senate campaign tour to hit Mesilla on Sunday

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., will be in Mesilla on Sunday to formally tell voters in Doña Ana County that he’s running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. Pearce will make the announcement at noon on the Mesilla plaza, according to an e-mail from the Doña Ana County Republican Party. Pearce plans to make his campaign official on Friday with an announcement in Hobbs, and stop in other cities around New Mexico during the weekend, but he hasn’t yet released other details about the trip. Pearce will face U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson in next year’s GOP primary. The Democrats who have announced they are running are Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez and three lesser-known candidates, Don Wiviott, Jim Hannan and Leland Lehrman. Continue Reading

Teacher needs 16,000 signatures to run for Senate

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A Santa Fe High School teacher has decided to try to gather the signatures necessary to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, the Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting. Zach Boatman, 41, joins some lesser-known Democrats and giants in the Democratic and Republican parties in vying for the seat, which is open for the first time in about three decades. Boatman told the newspaper he decided to run after a recent conversation in one of the English courses he teaches turned to politics, and the students complained about the process. “There’s nobody to vote for,” Boatman told the newspaper. “They’re all the same.” As an independent, he’ll need more than 16,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Continue Reading

State senator questioned by FBI in ongoing probe

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A federal probe that has included the questioning of state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, is the talk of politicos in Santa Fe. At this point, Rodriguez is not accused of any wrongdoing, but she has been questioned by the FBI in connection with a probe related to the Pojoaque Pueblo’s political dealings. Several members of the pueblo have been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury next week, the Santa Fe New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal are reporting, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has demanded the pueblo’s financial records related to political donations for the last 11 years. Rodriguez told The New Mexican for an article published Friday that she hadn’t been served a subpoena and didn’t know what the FBI agents who recently visited her home wanted. She has apparently worked as a consultant for the pueblo since 1993, and is paid about $45,000 per year, she told the newspaper. Continue Reading

Cervantes appears headed toward congressional run

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Though he isn’t confirming it, state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, appears to be headed toward a congressional run. Since news leaked two weeks ago that U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., would vacate his seat to run for U.S. Senate, Cervantes has been actively considering whether to run for the open seat. He told me last week that he would announce his decision before Sunday. That has changed. Cervantes told me today that he will make the decision shortly after the Las Cruces municipal election being held a week from today. Continue Reading

Guv defends Clinton as his poll numbers drop

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The bad news continues for Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign. I wrote on Monday about his decline in the polls. Today, three new polls further confirm his sinking support. To top it off, the National Journal has moved Richardson from fourth in its rankings among Democratic presidential contenders to sixth. In addition to being behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, he’s now also ranked by the publication behind Chris Dodd and Joe Biden. Continue Reading

Frietze is trying to divert attention, accuser says

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The woman who has filed an ethics complaint against Las Cruces City Councilor Jose Frietze says she does not believe she had to keep it confidential, despite Frietze’s claim to the contrary, and said he’s trying to deflect attention from his own actions by accusing her of having political motives. Jackye Meinecke said she hesitates to “add to the fire” by saying much more because Frietze has “increased the decibel level of this complaint” with talk of a deposition and his own accusations. Meinecke filed the complaint on Oct. 17 alleging that Frietze violated the city ethics code by failing to disclose land transactions between his non-profit and Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou during council meetings at which he voted to approve Philippou’s projects. On Friday, Frietze’s attorney filed a motion seeking the immediate dismissal of the complaint or, in the alternative, that the city require an immediate deposition, under oath, for Meinecke, and order that she preserve all documents, phone records and electronic communications related to the complaint. Continue Reading

It’s crunch time: With debate tonight, guv airs new ad

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It’s crunch time, and the first Democratic presidential candidate debate of the home stretch – the final weeks before the primary contests begin – will be held tonight. For Gov. Bill Richardson, it’s a chance to stand out while the frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, bombard voters in Iowa and New Hampshire with advertising. The official Democratic National Committee debate will be broadcast on MSNBC beginning at 7 p.m. MST. Meanwhile, Richardson will begin running a new television advertisement in Iowa today that will air in tandem with an ad about his rescue of American hostages from Iraq that I wrote about last week. The new ad appears to be the culmination of the brilliant ad campaign Richardson’s firm has put together – some ads poking fun at the governor, others highlighting his experience. Continue Reading

Women’s equality activist to speak at NMSU

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An activist in the woman’s equality movement who is an adviser to the presidential campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson will speak on Tuesday at New Mexico State University about being in the media spotlight. As the woman who led a protest at the 2003 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., Martha Burk knows all about being in the media spotlight. Her talk is part of a speaker series accompanying a course on women and the media being co-taught by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. The talk will begin at 7 p.m. in the Creative Media Institute’s Digital Media Theatre in Milton Hall. It is open to the public. Continue Reading

Cope joined Chávez team after campaign made claim

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Hobbs oilman Johnny Cope will serve on the finance committee for the U.S. Senate campaign of Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, but said he did not agree to do so until after Chávez listed him among the committee’s members last week. “There was a little mix-up there, but the answer is I’m going to raise money for Marty, and if he wants me on his committee, I’m fine doing it,” Cope said today. Cope’s statement reveals further uncertainty about Chávez’s Thursday announcement of the members of his committee. The confusion comes at a time when many Democrats, unsatisfied with their candidates who are vying for the right to take on either US. Rep. Steve Pearce or Heather Wilson in the Senate race next year, are pushing for Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish or U.S. Rep. Tom Udall to enter the race. Continue Reading

Polls indicate that guv’s presidential bid is in trouble

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With no more than 66 days until the first presidential nominating contest, Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign appears to be in trouble, at least if poll numbers are any indication. In recent weeks, Richardson’s support in polls in the critical states of Iowa and New Hampshire and in national surveys has dropped. The dip has coincided with major advertising blitzes by frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but also with a rise in the polls by some other second-tier Democratic candidates. At this point, Richardson’s frequently cited status as the leader of the second tier of Democratic presidential candidates isn’t certain. Consider these facts: • On Oct. Continue Reading

Spaceport authority supports delay in collection of tax

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The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is backing up Doña Ana County’s assertion that collection of a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax to help fund construction of Spaceport America should be delayed until at least July because voters in Sierra and Otero counties haven’t yet decided whether to implement the tax. County commissioners voted earlier this month to delay the tax until at least July because, though commissioners in Sierra and Otero counties have said they plan to schedule elections on possible gross receipts tax increases to help fund the spaceport, neither has done it. Approval from another county is critical because no tax money can be spent, under state law, until at least two governments approve an increase and form a tax district. But the state’s Taxation and Revenue Department says Doña Ana 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 on Jan. Continue Reading

Mattiace outraises Miyagishima, has more on hand

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Mayor Bill Mattiace has raised significantly more than his challenger, District 6 Councilor Ken Miyagishima, for the Nov. 6 municipal election, but he hasn’t spent as much, leaving him with a lot of cash to spend in the final days of the campaign. According to the reports due Thursday, Mattiace had raised $45,000 to Miyagishima’s $31,000, but Miyagishima had spent more – $28,000 – than Mattiace’s $24,000. That leaves him with about $21,000 on hand to Miyagishima’s $3,000. Most of Mattiace’s large contributions came from family members, including one $10,000 gift from a brother-in-law in Florida. Continue Reading