Pearce’s failure to refute allegation arouses suspicion

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Many who find their names on a Washington watchdog group’s list of the most corrupt members of Congress tend to lose their jobs. Perhaps that’s why U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce and his staff have so badly botched the response to allegations the group made against the GOP congressman from Southern New Mexico last week. Perhaps Pearce is scared. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington alleges that Pearce failed to report his sale of the assets of Lea Fishing Tools, Inc. to Key Energy Services for more than 540,000 shares of stock in 2003. The group says Pearce was required to report the sale and his failure to do so likely violated the Ethics in Government Act. Continue Reading

City election filing day running smoothly

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Today is filing day for candidates running in the Nov. 6 Las Cruces municipal election, and things seem to be going well. I went to City Hall and visited with Clerk Esther Martinez early this afternoon. Some who had previously announced their candidacies had filed by about 1:15 p.m., while others had yet to do it. District 2 incumbent Dolores Connor was filing her paperwork while I was there. Continue Reading

County settles jail strip-search lawsuit

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Doña Ana County has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit charging its jail with illegally strip-searching inmates. The settlement comes as no surprise. Shortly before the lawsuit was filed last year, attorneys won a similar case against Santa Fe County, and those lawyers were brought on board to help with the lawsuit against Doña Ana County. The Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting today that the seven original plaintiffs will each get $25,000. The case will also be certified as a class-action lawsuit so hundreds of others can be eligible for payments of between $1,200 and $2,400. Continue Reading

Frontrunners to unleash ad blitz; can guv keep up?

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Gov. Bill Richardson was the first Democratic presidential candidate to air television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, but others have slowly followed. Now, the governor is heading into the season where his commercials are going to be surrounded and possibly drowned out by others. The Associated Press is reporting today that the major campaigns have been hoarding money for advertising blitzes in Iowa and New Hampshire that will last the remainder of the year and carry them to the early voting contests. Hillary Clinton stepped up her advertising several weeks ago, and is set to do it again. Barack Obama began airing his first television ad in New Hampshire this week. Continue Reading

Robles, six others recommended for high court job

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Following a day of interviews in Santa Fe, three judges and four lawyers made the cut and will be considered by Gov. Bill Richardson for a vacancy on the New Mexico Supreme Court. Robert E. Robles, chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County, was among those the committee voted to recommend to the governor this evening. The others the commission recommended are: • Albuquerque criminal defense attorney Charles W. Daniels • New Mexico General Services Secretary Arturo L. Jaramillo • Albuquerque lawyer Edward R. Ricco, who specializes in appellate law • Maureen A. Sanders, an Albuquerque attorney who used to run the civil division in the state attorney general’s office • Judge Linda M. Vanzi of the Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County • State Court of Appeals Judge Michael E. Vigil The governor is tasked with making an appointment from among the names recommended by the commission. If he doesn’t like his options, he can ask the commission to reconvene – once – to consider whether to forward the names of any of the other eight applicants for his consideration. The vacancy was created last month by the death of Justice Pamela B. Minzner. Continue Reading

Guv unveils new Iraq video, makes fundraising push

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Gov. Bill Richardson is trying once again to set himself apart from the other Democratic presidential candidates on Iraq as he makes a push to raise $1 million this week, before the end of the third fundraising quarter of the year. In a new, 4.5-minute video released today on his Web site, Richardson highlights his plan to withdraw all troops, including residual troops, from Iraq, and explains how that differs from the plans of all other major Democratic candidates, who would leave residual forces in the war-torn nation. The ad is highly critical of frontrunners Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, and also chastises the mainstream media. Richardson appears to have been given a free pass from the media despite breaking his promise to not engage in negative campaigning against his Democratic opponents, something he’s only started doing in recent weeks. Ignoring that, and ignoring the fact that text that flashes across the screen during the video claims that Joe Biden wants to leave “20,0000” troops in Iraq (you read that right), the video effectively makes the case that Richardson’s Iraq plan is different and better than those of the other candidates. Continue Reading

Denish to meet with south-county activists

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish plans to hold a meeting in Mesquite on Tuesday to learn more about concerns in the south county’s rural areas. I wrote last year about leaders emerging in the rural communities in the south county who are helping make the area more politically active. Getting the acting governor to come to their community and listen to their concerns is a huge step. The meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Mesquite volunteer fire station, 1 Fire House Road. A news release from Denish’s office said issues to be discussed will include recent problems with the Helena Chemical plant and a surface-water treatment facility. Continue Reading

Pearce nets $70K at Roswell fundraiser

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., raised $70,000 on Friday evening for his 2008 re-election bid, the Roswell Daily Record is reporting. The Roswell fundraiser was attended by about 100 people, the newspaper reported. The cash will provide a boost to Pearce’s campaign as the end of the third quarter approaches on Sept. 30. Candidates have to file finance reports for the quarter by Oct. Continue Reading

Las Cruces’ 2007 city election should be interesting

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The day before candidates have to file official declarations, the 2007 Las Cruces municipal election is already shaping up to be quite interesting. The city’s growth is the primary issue in the mayoral and council races. In the judicial race, a dispute between the judges and city attorneys and police is a key issue. The outcomes of all races, at this point, are difficult to predict. And on Tuesday, when candidates will officially jump into the race, we could learn of additional candidacies that further shake up the city’s political scene. Continue Reading

Miller-Byrnes is apparently seeking re-election

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The presiding judge of the Las Cruces Municipal Court is apparently seeking re-election on Nov. 6. Melissa Miller-Byrnes’ campaign signs began appearing around Las Cruces this weekend. Miller-Byrnes hasn’t responded to a recent voice mail left on her office phone asking whether she would seek re-election. An announcement of her candidacy hasn’t been submitted to this site or published in local newspapers. Continue Reading

Poll voters aren’t optimistic that guv will be president

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Though Gov. Bill Richardson sounds confident that he’s going to win the presidency, 95 percent of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site are not. Of 198 voters, 76, or 38 percent, said Richardson will still be governor at the conclusion of the 2008 election season, while 47, or 24 percent, said he’ll be secretary of state; 20, or 10 percent, said he’ll be a U.S. senator; 19, or 10 percent, said he’ll be vice president; and nine, or 5 percent, said he’ll be president. Twenty-seven, or 14 percent, said it’s too soon to say. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Pearce refuses to explain why group’s claim is false

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is still refusing to explain why a watchdog group’s accusation that he failed to report a financial transaction he was required to disclose is false. Pearce spokesman Brian Phillips said Thursday the office was preparing a news release “with accompanying documents” in response to the allegations made earlier this week by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Today, Phillips put out the release, without any “accompanying documents.” The release accused CREW of being an “extreme leftist” group whose motive in publishing false allegations is “to tarnish Republicans and suppress the vote in 2008.” But the release failed to back up that claim or explain why CREW’s allegation is wrong. I made another request for an explanation after I read the release. Phillips refused. Continue Reading

Shackling controversy erupts before Robles’ interview

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Days before he is to interview for a spot on the New Mexico Supreme Court, Robert E. Robles, chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County, finds himself in the middle of a controversy over whether juveniles should be shackled in courtrooms. There’s a chance Robles will be asked to explain the situation to the committee that will interview him for a spot on the state’s high court on Monday. The current policy requires that juvenile detainees remain shackled. Earlier this week Robles issued a new order, effective Oct. 1, requiring that juveniles be unshackled in courtrooms unless prosecutors get approval from the judge to keep a detainee shackled during proceedings. A judge can only grant such an order if there are “specific, factual allegations sufficient to establish reasonable grounds to believe that the child, if not restrained, will pose a particular threat to the safety of himself or others in the courtroom,” according to Robles’ order. Continue Reading

Biden attacks Richardson’s experience at forum

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Gov. Bill Richardson and four other Democratic presidential candidates all promoted similar plans for universal health care during a forum in Iowa on Thursday, but Joe Biden stood out, most notably for an assault on Richardson. It was Biden who first pointed out that all the candidates’ plans are similar. “It’s not the plan,” the New York Times quoted him as saying. “It’s the man or the woman pushing the plan.” Richardson focused on his plan’s call for cutting costs through preventative health care and reducing bureaucracy, the Times and Associated Press reported. Richardson said he had the best knowledge and experience to deal with the situation because, as a governor, he was “the only one up here who has actually had to deal with health care.” Biden told the governor that improving health care in a state of 2 million people and believing that qualifies you to fix the national system is similar to playing halfback in high school and believing it qualifies you to play professional football. Continue Reading

Pearce preparing response to group’s allegations

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is preparing a response to allegations that he failed to report a financial transaction he was required to disclose and may have advocated for drilling on the Otero Mesa in exchange for campaign contributions from those with ties to oil companies. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington made the allegations Tuesday when it included Pearce on its list of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress. You can read the details about the allegations against Pearce by clicking here. A Pearce spokesman has called the allegations “lies” but refused, to this point, to elaborate. I’ve been pushing since Tuesday for the opportunity to interview a Pearce staffer about the situation. Continue Reading