Opponents disingenuously use outdated audits in campaign against affordable housing overhaul

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Opponents of a bill that would remake the state’s affordable housing system are passing out a series of outdated audits in an apparent attempt to argue that the system doesn’t need a complete overhaul. Meanwhile Senate Bill 519, sponsored by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, has not yet been scheduled for a hearing in the House Business and Industry Committee. Speaker of the House Ben Lujan and that committee have made moves in recent days most believe are designed to kill the proposal, though Lujan says that’s not his intent. On Sunday the committee, after at least two of its Democratic members spoke privately with Lujan, tabled the House version of Papen’s bill. Then on Monday, Lujan moved Papen’s bill from the Judiciary Committee to the Business and Industry Committee. Continue Reading

Chávez says Wilson won’t win another N.M. election

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez says U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., won’t win another election in New Mexico. His comments come in response to the growing scandal over allegations that Wilson and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., pressured former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to speed indictments in a public corruption scandal in time to sway voters in the November 2006 election. Chávez was quoted today by Congressional Quarterly, which is read by members of Congress and politicos in the nation’s capital and beyond, on the impact the scandal will have on Wilson’s career. “Heather Wilson will no longer be elected in New Mexico,” he said, adding that her actions were “reprehensible.” I was also interviewed for and quoted in the article. Chávez is a prominent Democrat who is currently raising money for a potential 2010 gubernatorial run against Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. Continue Reading

Richardson works to earn American Indian support

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Gov. Bill Richardson is working hard to earn the support of American Indians for his presidential bid. Since announcing his presidential run on Jan. 21, Richardson has made a series of visible moves that clearly support the causes of American Indians. George Hardeen, communications director for the Office of the President and Vice President of the Navajo Nation, said that’s nothing new: Richardson, he said, has provided “consistent support” for Navajos in his years in elected office, and that has won him many friends. “There’s always been a good deal of support for Gov. Richardson,” Hardeen said. Continue Reading

Richardson may have skipped full VP vetting in 2004

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In defending himself against currently vague allegations about inappropriate behavior toward women, Gov. Bill Richardson has repeatedly said he was vetted for vice president by the John Kerry campaign in 2004 and passed the test. Apparently, there’s some disagreement about whether that’s true. The Politico ran an in-depth article today looking at the allegations in which staffers of the former campaign talked about Richardson’s vetting process. Since announcing in January he was running for president, Richardson has been hampered by talk, particularly on liberal blogs, about unspecified and alleged problems with women. In an interview with the publication, Richardson called the talk about his behavior with women “mean-spirited” and said it has “no foundation.” But the publication notes that “many Democrats say gossip about Richardson’s personal behavior is an important factor in keeping an exceptionally well-credentialed politician – a former energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations, who has been elected in a swing state – from entering the top tier of 2008 candidates.” Richardson said, “The Kerry people vetted me for vice president,” adding that he knew that because Washington lawyer and Democratic insider Jim Johnson “has said so.” The Politico got this comment from Johnson – “The Kerry campaign vetted Governor Richardson, and nothing was found that would have prevented him from being chosen as John Kerry’s vice presidential candidate” – but it came only after five days of phone calls and e-mails, and Johnson refused to elaborate or answer further questions. Continue Reading

New members chosen to lead LCPS school board

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The two new members of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education will be its president and vice president, board members decided at Tuesday’s meeting. The 3-2 vote to make Bonnie Votaw president and Connie Phillips vice president bucks tradition and further emphasizes the resounding message of voters in the February election that they want change. The women were joined in the vote by Board Member Gene Gant. Chuck Davis and Leonel Briseño voted against the motion, which came after a separate motion to make Davis president and Briseño vice president was defeated 3-2. Historically, the presidency has rotated between board members based on their district numbers. Continue Reading

House OKs ethics commission but doesn’t fund it

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A bill that would create a state ethics commission was overwhelmingly approved in the House today, but now heads to a Senate that has been reluctant to move on any ethics-reform proposals. House Bill 822, sponsored by Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces, would create a state ethics commission that has the authority to subpoena and investigate complaints against state officials, lobbyists and contractors.It was approved on a vote of 58-4. The bill originally funded the commission in fiscal year 2008 with $500,000, but the Appropriations and Finance Committee cut that provision from the bill on Tuesday. Garcia had previously told me there was a problem because the funding was not included in the budget bill, so I’m still trying to get an answer on how the commission would be funded. The bill will likely go, along with the rest of the ethics reform proposals, to the Senate Rules Committee, whose chair has worked hard to avoid hearings on the proposals this session. Continue Reading

Sen. Griego hospitalized with pneumonia

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Sen. Phil Griego, D-San Jose, has been hospitalized for pneumonia and dehydration, the Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting. Griego is a champion of support for acequias and chairs the Conservation Committee. He might be best known in Doña Ana County for his opposition to the ban on cockfighting sponsored by Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana. It’s that time in the session when sickness sets in. Lawmakers move at a frantic pace in the last 2-3 weeks of a 60-day session. Continue Reading

House votes to open conference committees

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On a vote of 53-5, the House has just passed a bill that would open legislative conference committees to the public. With 10 days remaining in the session, House Bill 297, sponsored by State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, now heads to the Senate, which has twice killed similar proposals by one vote this session. The House is set to vote later today on a second but different proposal to open conference committees, House Concurrent Resolution 1, sponsored by Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants. Cervantes’ proposal would amend the New Mexico Open Meetings Act to require that conference committees be open meetings, unless the House and Senate provide for exemptions in their joint rules. It specifically exempts caucus meetings and meetings of panels investigating ethical conduct of members. Continue Reading

The gloves are off: Domenici attacked by colleagues

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There was a sense of solemnity on Tuesday when members of the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed allegations that a colleague, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., may have violated ethical rules by pressuring a prosecutor to speed a public corruption probe. That mood appears to be gone. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. and the chair of Tuesday’s hearing, made reference at the meeting to the fact that some of the issues would be difficult to discuss because they involved Domenici. He and the others pushed David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, to fully disclose the details of his conversation with Domenici, but they did so delicately. Today, however, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is chaired by Schumer, sent out a news release pointing to what could be interpreted as inconsistencies in Domenici’s statements about the matter and calling into question his honesty. Continue Reading

Denish pushes affordable housing overhaul proposal

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has come to the defense of a bill that would remake the state’s troubled affordable housing system, a proposal that appears to be on the chopping block. A series of events on Sunday and Monday led most to believe that Speaker of the House Ben Lujan and the House Business and Industry Committee are in the process of killing Senate Bill 519, sponsored by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces. Denish, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, met with members of the committee on Tuesday, and said they were receptive to her pleas for the bill. However, she said, “I didn’t get a commitment from the committee chair to hear the bill soon.” The chair, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Ohkay Owingeh, refused to speak to the newspaper, saying she was too busy. The bill, which Papen is carrying for the governor, would shut down the state’s scandal-plagued regional housing authorities and replace them with a system overseen by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, whose board Denish chairs. Continue Reading

Iglesias reveals political motivation, but the truth might still mean censures for Wilson and Domenici

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It was clear during a lengthy day of testimony today that politics are at play in the investigation into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, but there are also serious allegations being probed. Those made by David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, are among the most grave. Politics aside, one thing seems clear: Regardless of which versions of October phone calls are closer to the truth, the two members of Congress who called Iglesias to inquire about a pending public corruption probe could be guilty of ethics violations that might earn them censures. As it did Monday in the case of Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint today against Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. It asked the House Committee on Standards for Ethical Conduct to investigate whether her call to Iglesias violated ethics rules. Many analysts say Congressional rules prevent direct contact with prosecutors about pending cases, even if no pressure is applied. Continue Reading

Former LCPS workers sue, claim they were forced out

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Two former top administrators of the Las Cruces Public Schools have filed lawsuits alleging they were improperly forced out last year by former Superintendent Sonia Diaz, who they claim was acting on behalf of the school board. Former Chief Financial Officer Jack Jenkins and former Chief Operations Officer Jerry Laws allege interference with and breach of their contracts and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking damages that include compensation for medical and psychological effects, lost wages and other benefits, damage to reputation and attorney fees. The lawsuits were filed Wednesday in the Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces by the attorney for Jenkins and Laws, Lawrence Pickett. Read Jenkins’ complaint by clicking here and Laws’ by clicking here. Continue Reading

House panel begins hearing on fired U.S. attorneys

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The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law is about to begin its hearings on the fired U.S. attorneys. You can watch live by clicking here. I’m not going to post updates on this hearing as frequently as I did during the Senate hearing, but will report any new information and specifics about testimony provided by David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico. Scroll down to read about this mornings’ Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Update, 12:45 p.m. The House subcommittee hearing is on a bill that would repeal a provision of the Patriot Act that wasn’t known by most until the U.S. attorney scandal erupted. Continue Reading

Panel OKs bills to open conference committees

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A House committee approved Tuesday two proposals to open legislative conference committees to the public. Members of the Appropriations and Finance Committee voted unanimously to send both bills to the House floor. House Concurrent Resolution 1, sponsored by Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants, was approved without controversy. House Bill 297, sponsored by State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, was approved after a motion to table it failed. Democratic Reps. Continue Reading

Committee holds hearing on fired U.S. attorneys

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I began coverage at 8 a.m. of this hearing, and updated the posting frequently as the hearing progressed. Below is a fairly chronological account of what happened. I’ll also be covering a House subcommittee hearing later today and will have analysis of the situation this evening or tomorrow morning. The Senate Judiciary Committee is about to begin its hearing on the Bush Administration’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys, including the former head of the New Mexico office, David Iglesias. You’ll be able to watch it live on C-SPAN 3 by clicking here. Continue Reading