Wilson doesn’t plan to return cash from indicted CEO

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U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., has no plans to return campaign contributions from a major Republican donor indicted last week on 23 counts of bankruptcy and mail fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and perjury, according to The Hill. Alan Fabian, CEO of the Centre for Management and Technology in Baltimore, was indicted for making $32 million in false purchases of computer equipment to pay for his “lavish spending habits,” the article states. Two GOP presidential candidates – Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani – are returning contributions he made this year. Seven vulnerable House Republicans may be pressured to do the same to avoid criticism from Democrats, The Hill wrote. Wilson is among those seven. Continue Reading

Edwards shifts focus, moves staff out of Nevada

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John Edwards’ presidential campaign is moving staffers out of Nevada to focus on the other early primary states, a major shift in strategy that could benefit Gov. Bill Richardson. Edwards, according to the Associated Press, is moving some staffers from Nevada to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The move comes as he and Richardson are fighting for third place in New Hampshire and Barack Obama is gaining on him for second place in Iowa. Edwards is consistently in third in national polls. The most recent Nevada poll, conducted in late June, had Hillary Clinton at 39 percent, Obama at 17 percent, Edwards at 12 percent and Richardson at 7 percent. Continue Reading

Diaz decision expected within six weeks

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Former Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Sonia Diaz’s arbitration talks with the district ended Thursday with the arbitrator saying he’ll issue a decision within six weeks. Diaz is appealing the school board’s decision to fire her last year following a board investigation into a host of allegations involving her treatment of employees. She appealed to the board, which denied her request in January, leading to the arbitration. It won’t end with her getting her job back, but could result in a monetary settlement. Diaz is now the associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Baltimore County schools, one of the largest districts in the nation. Continue Reading

Romero to run for county commission next year

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Backed by a weighty endorsement, Democrat Vicente “Vince” Romero has announced that he’ll seek the Doña Ana County District 5 commission seat next year. The seat is currently held by Bill McCamley, a Democrat who is running for Congress, leaving the commission seat open in next year’s election. McCamley has publicly endorsed Romero’s candidacy to represent a district that encompasses most of the City of Las Cruces on the county commission. According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Romero is a former worker in the Department of Justice who is an advocate for the elderly and at-risk youth. He’s a veteran of the Army and Navy. Continue Reading

Congressional hopeful raises $10K in first week

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Democrat Martin Heinrich has raised a lot of money and secured some high-profile endorsements in his bid for the right to take on GOP U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson next year, but that doesn’t mean he’ll sail through the primary season unscathed. Albuquerque attorney Jon Adams, another Democrat who wants to take on Wilson next year, secured $10,000 in his first week of fundraising, according to Albuquerque Tribune reporter Kate Nash’s blog. Adams has a long way to go to catch Heinrich, who raised $181,000 during the second quarter of the year, but his first-week total is respectable. Democratic Party insider Bryon Paez is also in the race, but we don’t know anything about how his campaign is going. Before Adams announced his first-week fundraising, it would have been safe to say he was a distant third in this race. Continue Reading

Discussion of guv’s ‘choice’ gaffe continues

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s “choice” remark from last week’s gay-rights forum continues to spark discussion in the mainstream media and on the Internet. As I reported last week, in response to a question about whether homosexuality is a choice or biological, Richardson said “It’s a choice.” When given a second chance to answer the question, he said he’s “not a scientist” and doesn’t “see this as an issue of science or definition” but instead sees “gays and lesbians as people” and doesn’t like to “categorize people.” Richardson later explained the gaffe by saying he was tired from a cross-country flight, didn’t understand the question and doesn’t believe that homosexuality is a choice. He’s been on a campaign to lessen the damage from the Thursday-evening forum ever since. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is openly gay, released this statement on Monday: “Gov. Bill Richardson’s apology for the mistake he made in saying that sexual orientation is a choice did not surprise me, because he has been a strong supporter of our right to be treated fairly throughout his public career. It is especially relevant that he voted consistently on our side from the start of his congressional career in the 1980s, when the issue of LGBT rights had far less support even from Democrats that it has today,” he said. Continue Reading

Pearce defends record on combating meth

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., struck back Monday at those who have attacked his recent votes against bills that included funding to combat methamphetamine production and use by announcing two grants of $100,000 each for drug prevention in his district. In the news release, Pearce announced that he has secured $100,000 each for the Carlsbad anti-drug/anti-gang collation and the Lea County anti-drug coalition. He called meth a “scourge that is rapidly infecting our neighborhoods around the country. The problem is particularly dangerous in our area, and this funding will help us continue to fight for the future of our young people.” The release doesn’t say when the money was secured, but also announces that, to date, Pearce has secured “well over” $1 million “in federal funding for meth prevention, education and treatment efforts.” The release also points out that Pearce sponsored last year a bill that would have created a national registry for convicted felony drug dealers similar to the sex-offender registry, and sponsored a bill this year that would provide funding to study the best ways to treat addicts. Pearce also pointed out in the news release that he has “held dozens and dozens of town-hall meetings to try and let New Mexicans know the devastating consequences of methamphetamines.” Pearce was attacked last week by the Democratic Party of New Mexico for his recent vote against a bill that included $975,000 to help combat meth in rural New Mexico – money he helped get included in the Commerce and Justice and Science Appropriations bill. Continue Reading

State senator calls meeting after her own bar cited; legislators air concerns about liquor rules and laws

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The enforcement and administration of liquor regulations and statutes is being questioned by a group of state lawmakers that includes a powerful senator whose Las Cruces bar was recently cited for serving an intoxicated person. The concerns of more than 50 alcohol-industry representatives from around the state and several legislators were aired during a July 16 meeting in Mesilla that included harsh criticism of what some called “Gestapo” tactics by the state agencies that enforce administrative rules and criminal laws governing bars. The meeting was called by Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana and the majority whip, and was held seven weeks after her bar, Victoria’s, was cited. The meeting, which included representatives of the state’s regulation and licensing and public safety departments, was not announced to the public before it was held. Garcia said her concerns have “been ongoing for quite some time” and have “nothing to do with the citation for Victoria’s.” As a follow-up to the meeting, the Legislative Finance Committee sent a letter to the state’s Alcohol and Gaming Division last week stating that “public concerns have generated questions from LFC members regarding the administration and enforcement of alcohol license regulations.” The letter was written at the direction of Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming and chair of the LFC. Continue Reading

Richardson climbing in national polls

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A new national poll of likely Democratic primary voters has Gov. Bill Richardson’s support climbing to 7 percent, the highest it’s been in any recent national poll. The American Research Group poll, conducted Thursday through Sunday, surveyed 600 likely Democratic primary voters and has a margin of error of 4 percent. Hillary Clinton leads in the new poll with 36 percent of the vote, while Barack Obama has 21 percent and John Edwards has 16 percent. Joe Biden is at the margin of error with 4 percent, while no other candidate is above 1 percent and 12 percent said they are undecided. Richardson was at 3 percent in the group’s July poll, 5 percent in June, and 2 percent in the three months before that, so it’s his best showing thus far. Continue Reading

Nava to hold top Gadsden job for at least a year

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Two weeks after it made her the interim chief, the board of the Gadsden Independent School District decided Thursday to strip “interim” from the title of now-Superintendent Cynthia Nava, also a state senator from Las Cruces. Nava will have a one-year contract to head the district, the board decided on a 4-1 vote at its Thursday meeting. That will allow the board time to conduct a full search for a new superintendent who will be hired next summer. Nava can apply for the job. The Gadsden board’s goal, according to a news release, is to have “a seamless transition.” The majority of board members, the release states, support Nava and are “confident that she will build on the success of her predecessor and keep the district consistent during this time of transition.” Should she apply for the job next summer, Nava has been given an edge over other applicants, as long as she meets expectations this school year. Continue Reading

Miyagishima asks whether he should run for mayor

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Las Cruces City Councilor Ken Miyagishima is asking for input on whether he should run for mayor. Miyagishima, who over the last few months has stood alone on the council in opposition to the city’s rapid growth, has previously said he was considering running. On Saturday, he sent an e-mail to hundreds of people he communicates with weekly asking for their input. The e-mail has the tone of one written by a candidate. “Many of us share a vision of Las Cruces in which existing neighborhoods matter and where new development occurs through an inclusive and orderly process. Continue Reading

Voters in poll want ethics and health-care reform

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Those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site believe universal health care and ethics reform are important topics for legislators to tackle next year. Of the 157 who voted, 58, or 37 percent, said universal health care is more important, while 51, or 32 percent, said ethics reform is more important, and 39, or 25 percent, said they are equally important. Nine, or 6 percent, said neither is important. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Sun-News says donor records should be public

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The Las Cruces Sun-News today endorsed my assertion that information about those who give to the New Mexico State University Foundation should be public. Today’s editorial further pressures the university to do the right thing. In the media, I’ve been the lone voice calling for the release of such records since the university announced in May that it was using money given by secret donors to boost the compensation of President Michael Martin and former men’s basketball coach Reggie Theus. Not anymore. “Martin assures us that outside contributions to his compensation package would never factor into his decisions in guiding the university. Continue Reading

Sanchez named state Democratic Party director

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Laura Sanchez, a native of Deming, is the new executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Party Chairman Brian Colón made the announcement today in a news release. “Laura Sanchez is a model New Mexico Democrat. Her education and experience will help me advance the electoral prospects of Democrats at all levels,” he said. “Sanchez’s knowledge of the state, her life story, legal background and work experience in legislative bodies and with advocacy groups make her tremendously qualified for this demanding job.” Sanchez said she is “honored and thrilled” to be selected. Continue Reading