NMSU handles one controversy with integrity, creates appearance that it has something to hide on the other

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New Mexico State University has been under scrutiny lately for two controversies. One involves the mismanagement and abuse of time and materials in the Office of Facilities and Services, and the other involves the university’s attempt to keep information about donors secret. The university has handled the first appropriately, taking steps to ensure the integrity of a police investigation and communicating openly with the public and media about the situation. That has made the university’s attempt to stonewall the media on the second situation even more jarring. News first became public in May that university police were investigating the possibility that employees were using school funds and materials for construction projects on private homes. Continue Reading

DOT project negotiations on hold pending reviews

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The state has halted negotiations on a contract for redevelopment of the Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Santa Fe until reviews of the project’s integrity are complete. The decision came after Gerald Peters, whose company SCS Development is negotiating a contract with the state for the project, made the request, according to a news release from Peters’ company. Peters also requested that the state lift confidentiality restrictions it has cited in refusing to comment on or release documents about the project. “A transparent and open process and the conclusion of the governor’s investigation are needed steps to reconcile reality and perception regarding this project,” Peters said in the release. Gov. Bill Richardson has asked DOT to review the headquarters project and another DOT project that was recently cancelled, and is also in the process of hiring independent council to review both projects. Continue Reading

Showdown over medical marijuana may be coming

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State and federal officials may be headed to a showdown over New Mexico’s new law that legalizes marijuana for medical use, which is contrary to federal laws on possession and distribution of the drug. On Tuesday, members of a regional drug task force that works with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration put out a news release after seizing marijuana plants from the southeastern New Mexico home of a wheelchair-bound man who was licensed by the state to possess and smoke marijuana. The news release states that “federal charges are expected.” “Citizens of New Mexico need to be aware that they can still be prosecuted on the federal level even though New Mexico has a law permitting marijuana for medical use,” the release states. Agents didn’t have a search warrant, and were actually allowed by Leonard French to enter his home in Eddy County, the Albuquerque Journal reported, because he thought he was doing nothing wrong. French, one of 38 New Mexicans approved so far for the new state program, lost use of his legs 20 years ago in a motorcycle accident and suffers from chronic pain and muscle spasms, the Journal reported. Continue Reading

Guv’s bad day includes another primary calendar shift, a boost for Dodd and ethical questions about donors

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There’s a triple play of bad news for Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign today. Wyoming Republicans have decided to hold their presidential nominating contest on Jan. 5, the Associated Press is reporting. While recent shifts in the calendar have left open the possibility that no contests would be held in December, the decision by the state’s GOP, unless it’s reversed, all but ensures a December contest in Iowa. In addition, the nation’s firefighters union has given its endorsement to Chris Dodd, whose previously non-presidential campaign now has the potential to compete with or move ahead of that of Richardson. Continue Reading

Denish to hold open forum Thursday in Las Cruces

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While in Las Cruces on Thursday for the New Mexico Municipal League’s annual conference, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will give members of the public a chance to ask questions and share concerns. Denish will hold an “open forum” from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday in the Luna Room at New Mexico State University’s Corbett Center. Denish spokeswoman Kate Nelson said there will be an opportunity for members of the public and those attending the municipal league conference to ask questions and share concerns with the lieutenant governor. “I know that she’s very interested in hearing what the public’s concerns are as well as those of members of the municipal league,” Nelson said. Gov. Bill Richardson will be in New Mexico on Thursday, so Denish won’t be the acting governor during her trip to Las Cruces. Continue Reading

Ethics task force wraps up work on Thursday

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The state’s ethics task force will wrap up its work on Thursday by finalizing its report to the governor. The task force has already agreed on recommendations that include: • Expansion of the voluntary public campaign financing system to the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, land commissioner, treasurer and auditor in 2010, and to the offices of governor and lieutenant governor in 2014. • Campaign contribution limits equal to the federal limit of $2,300, with an exception for local governments that already have lower levels in place. • Additional employees in the secretary of state’s office to help with faster notification and publishing online of campaign finance reports. • Requiring employers to disclose lobbying contracts. Continue Reading

Convictions reinstated in Baby Brianna’s death

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The New Mexico Supreme Court today reinstated the convictions, on all but one count, of the father and uncle of Baby Brianna, the 5-month-old girl whose 2002 death shocked the Las Cruces community and led to tougher state penalties for child killers. The court today reinstated all but one conspiracy charge against each for the rape and killing of the girl, District Attorney Susana Martinez confirmed. She said her office and the attorney general had not yet read the opinion, so she didn’t have details. “All I can say is, thank God that we don’t have to do this again,” Martinez said, referring to her intent to retry the case if the convictions were not reinstated. The decision comes two months after the court reinstated the conviction of Brianna’s mother Stephanie Lopez. Continue Reading

Former state insurance official pleads not guilty

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A former state deputy insurance superintendent indicted last week on charges of extortion, mail and wire fraud and corrupt solicitation pleaded not guilty on Monday, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Joe Ruiz is accused of offering to reduce administrative fines for insurance companies if they donated to specific charities, including one that sold children’s books Ruiz authored. He’s also accused of pressuring one company to settle a claim for a state senator who isn’t identified. Ruiz, who is facing 31 felony counts, was released on his own recognizance, the Journal reported. Five companies paid a combined $102,000 in donations and weren’t fined, the Journal reported, while five others refused and had to pay reduced fines. Continue Reading

New Mexico Municipal League to meet in Cruces

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The New Mexico Municipal League will hold its annual conference in Las Cruces beginning Wednesday, and it’s expected to attract 1,000 officials from around the state, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. Las Cruces Mayor Pro-Tem Dolores Connor is set to become the organization’s president-elect if her re-election bid is successful in November. She’s currently the league’s vice president. Those who will be in town to give presentations include Lt. Guv. Diane Denish, state Treasurer James B. Lewis and Environment Secretary Ron Curry. Continue Reading

DOT projects growing into a larger scandal

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Either a project is subject to the state’s procurement code or it isn’t. The fact that the Richardson Administration wants to have it both ways on its Department of Transportation headquarters redevelopment project in Santa Fe is unacceptable. When the state issued a request for proposals that offered a developer the right to most of the DOT’s 25 acres in Santa Fe in exchange for the construction of a facility of at least 300,000 square feet on the property, it stated that the project “is not governed by the New Mexico Procurement Code,” the Albuquerque Journal reported. When the Journal requested documents related to the project last spring, the state cited the procurement code in denying the request. When news broke last week that state officials were discussing a scaling-back of the DOT facility from 300,000 square feet to approximately 170,000 square feet, the state again cited the procurement code in refusing to discuss the issue. Continue Reading

ABQ Tribune to shut down if it can’t be sold

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The parent company of the Albuquerque Tribune has put the newspaper, a popular publication among the state’s political junkies, up for sale, and will shut it down if a buyer can’t be found. The Tribune has survived much longer than most afternoon newspapers across the nation, in part because of its strong journalistic tradition and penchant for comprehensive reporting. But its circulation has dropped from 42,000 in 1988 to about 10,000, the newspaper said in an article announcing the move. The paper is owned by E.W. Scripps Company. Newsroom employees were informed of the decision this morning. Continue Reading

NMSU audit identifies $628,000 in cost overruns

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The audit that led last week to changes at New Mexico State University’s Office of Facilities and Services identified cost overruns totaling more than $628,000 on nine projects, and a university document indicates that all senior managers have been temporarily reassigned or placed on leave while the situation is addressed. I reported last week that one employee is facing misdemeanor charges of larceny and embezzlement and four were placed on leave as a result of the university’s investigation. In addition, authority over OFS has been moved from Senior Vice President Ben Woods to a team led by an administrator who works directly for the president as the university begins to address the problems. University President Michael Martin sent an e-mail to the university community Monday evening announcing the release of the audit, stating that, “in keeping with a philosophy of transparency in operations, we have decided to release their report even though our internal review is not yet completed.” You can read the audit, conducted by R.L. Townsend & Associates of Plano, Texas, by clicking here. The nine projects examined by the auditors included work on three parking lots and two roads, in addition to utility and roof projects. The actual costs for the nine projects overran the estimates by a combined $628,148, auditors found. Continue Reading

Richardson’s new book earns positive review

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The first review I’ve seen of Gov. Bill Richardson’s new book says its “strength… could boost his candidacy” for the presidency. The book, which is scheduled to be in stores on Nov. 2, is called Leading by Example: How We Can Inspire an Energy and Security Revolution. John Fout, political correspondent for TheStreet.com, read an advance copy, and was impressed. I’ve requested a review copy but have not yet received a response from Richardson’s campaign or government office. Continue Reading

Protesters greet Bush at Domenici fundraiser in ABQ

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About 100 people protested today against President Bush and U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici about 300 feet from a home where Bush attended a fundraiser for the GOP senator who is up for re-election next year, the Associated Press is reporting. And Don Wiviott, one of three Democrats vying for the right to take on Domenici next year, took advantage of the event to attack Domenici for his votes on the Iraq war. Domenici has broken with Bush on Iraq policy – saying he wants a withdrawal of American troops to begin in the spring – but he doesn’t support Democratic proposals to bring troops home now or cut funding for the war. “Instead of standing up to George Bush, Pete Domenici has continued to vote with him 100 percent in support of the war, and it is no surprise the president is now rewarding him with a million-dollar fundraiser,” Wiviott said in a news release. “Saying one thing and doing another is apparently a hard habit to break in Washington, D.C. I’m running to change all that.” There is no immediate word on how much Domenici raised at the fundraiser, held this afternoon at the home of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Mayor Larry Abraham. Continue Reading

Bob Johnson was a mentor and an inspiration

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In 2002, then-Attorney General Patricia Madrid filed charges against five members of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education for violating the New Mexico Open Meetings Act. It was the second time in the state’s history the act was enforced with criminal charges. All five board members were later convicted and fined for violating the act after secretly giving the former superintendent almost $1 million in incentives over the course of several years to try to keep him in Las Cruces. Public disclosure and the resulting action by the attorney general would not have happened without Bob Johnson, the head of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government who died on Saturday following a stroke. He was 84. Continue Reading