NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/category/uncategorized/page/299/)
Las Cruces City Councilor Steven Trowbridge has announced that he won’t seek re-election in November. The District 4 councilor was quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News as saying only that the “time had come.” “My health is fine. My family is fine,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “Also, there’s nothing at City Hall driving me to leave. That’s all it is. Continue Reading
Lists of all 2007 House and Senate committees that include their membership have now been posted on the New Mexico Legislature’s Web site. You can view the House list by clicking here and the Senate list by clicking here. Continue Reading
The company partnering with the Jemez Pueblo in a bid to build a casino in Anthony put out this news release about a proposal by the Tigua tribe of El Paso to build a casino in Chaparral. (You can read about The Tiguas by clicking here or scrolling down.) Jemez/Anthony casino responds to Tigua proposal The recent announcement by the Tigua tribe of El Paso to begin the process of seeking an off-reservation casino on trust land within the state of New Mexico faces overwhelming legal challenges before becoming a reality. Although the planners for the proposed Jemez/Anthony casino project wish them the best on this project, the Fifth Circuit Court has already previously ruled that the Tigua tribe can’t game, the state of Texas has said they can’t game, and the federal government has said they can’t game. Similar to the plan first announced by the Ft. Sill Apache tribe of Oklahoma in November 2004, the Tigua plan faces great challenges and is unlikely to meet with success. Continue Reading
The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education could not announce publicly its decision on former Superintendent Sonia Diaz’s appeal of her firing today because the district did not include a public vote in its notice of the meeting. According to the New Mexico Open Meetings Act, the board can only formally take action in a public meeting if its notice and agenda indicate that will happen. That is designed to give the public advance notice so people can attend. Because it could not act today, the board will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Monday to take formal action and make its decision public, according to district spokeswoman Jo Galvan. That allows three days of public notice for the special meeting, which is what’s required by the open meetings act. Continue Reading
Many I’ve spoken with since Tuesday believe Speaker of the House Ben Lujan revealed his political genius this week with changes in committee assignments that demoralized his detractors and divided those who threatened to shift the balance of power in the House. Those I’ve spoken with aren’t surprised. Lujan, who is from Santa Fe, has been a master politician for a long time. I’m writing, of course, about his demotion of Joseph Cervantes from chair to vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and his removal of Mary Helen Garcia from the Appropriations and Finance Committee. Many I’ve spoken with believe the changes were part of a brilliant scheme that not only scattered his opponents, but also divided the delegation from Doña Ana County. Continue Reading
A federal judge has tossed out most of the complaints stated in a lawsuit alleging that former Doña Ana County Sheriff Juan Hernandez and others rigged the hiring and promotion system to benefit his friends and punish his enemies. In tossing out all complaints made by former Undersheriff Frank Ruiz and most made by another former employee of the sheriff’s department, Annette Apodaca Jones, U.S. District Judge Bruce D. Black ruled that almost all the complaints in the case didn’t meet the legal standards required to proceed. He also dismissed a request to make the case a class-action lawsuit and allow other plaintiffs to join. All that remains is a breach-of-contract claim made by Jones. “The ruling speaks for itself, and now we move on to other important matters that demand the county’s attention,” county spokesman Jess Williams said. Continue Reading
The Tigua Indian tribe of El Paso, whose casino in Texas closed in 2002, has proposed building a new facility on 10 acres near Chaparral in New Mexico. News of the project, reported today by the Albuquerque Journal, further complicates the debate over off-reservation casinos. It’s the second such proposal for Doña Ana County and the third in Southern New Mexico. But it’s also possible that the move by the Tiguas is a political ploy to try to pressure Texas to allow it to reopen a casino there. The Jemez Pueblo and Santa Fe art deal Gerald Peters want to build a casino in Anthony. Continue Reading
Monday’s joint meeting of three county commissions, which was held to discuss the development of Spaceport America, will be televised tonight and this weekend on Comcast Channel 20 in the Las Cruces area. The meeting of the Doña Ana, Otero and Sierra county commissions explored questions about the controversial project and the proposal to raise local gross receipts taxes in the three communities to help fund its development. In April, an election will likely be held in Doña Ana County on whether to raise the tax by 1/4 percent. The meeting will air tonight at 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. It’s being broadcast courtesy of Comcast Cable and the City of Las Cruces’ Public Information Office, which operates the channel as a public access channel. Continue Reading
It turns out that outgoing U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico was one of several across the nation forced to resign following the November election, and the process of replacing them is creating a controversy in the nation’s capitol. When lawmakers reauthorized the Patriot Act last year, they also approved a little-known provision that changed the rules on appointing U.S. attorneys. Previously, an interim attorney would be appointed by the U.S. district court in the area, and would serve until a nominee of the president was confirmed by the Senate. The Republican-controlled Congress and White House changed that. Now, interim appointments are made by the U.S. attorney general, and can serve until the end of the tenure of that administration. Continue Reading
The Las Cruces City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to grant a three-year contract extension and a five-percent raise to City Manager Terrence Moore. The decision came at the end of a performance evaluation held because Moore has completed his second year as city manager, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. The council will formalize its decision at its Feb. 5 regular meeting. “I am extremely impressed with city council’s unanimous support of Mr. Moore as city manager,” Mayor Bill Mattiace was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Continue Reading
The search for an interim superintendent of the Las Cruces Public Schools has officially begun, while former Superintendent Sonia Diaz’s hearing to appeal her firing is scheduled to be held today and tomorrow. The school board, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News, decided Tuesday night to set in motion a search that should have an interim superintendent in place by the end of February. Advertising will begin immediately, the newspaper reported. The board is seeking a candidate who has previous superintendent experience in New Mexico, has a current or renewable license and has been involved in the education system within the past two years. With the timeline selected, the board plans to announce its decision on Feb. Continue Reading
Speaker of the House Ben Lujan told the Albuquerque Journal that his move to replace Rep. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces as chair of the Judiciary Committee had nothing to do with last year’s battle over who would lead the House. Cervantes supported Ken Martinez’s failed bid to become speaker. Lujan told the Journal the same thing he told Cervantes: His decision had to do with Cervantes’ bid for majority leader. “To me, it seemed (Cervantes) wasn’t happy or satisfied being judiciary chair,” Lujan said. The message here seems to be that Lujan controls everything. Continue Reading
Rep. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces doesn’t believe the reason Speaker of the House Ben Lujan gave for removing him from the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. Cervantes said he met with Lujan for 20-30 minutes earlier today, and Lujan told him he was replacing him as chair of the committee with Al Park of Albuquerque because Cervantes had sought the position of majority leader. When Majority Leader Ken Martinez announced he would challenge Lujan for speaker, Cervantes said he would seek majority leader if Martinez did not. Cervantes later withdrew when Martinez’s speaker bid failed and he was nominated to continue as majority leader. In today’s meeting, Cervantes said, Lujan “was generous with praise. Continue Reading
After supporting House Majority Leader Ken Martinez’s failed bid for speaker last month, reps. Joseph Cervantes and Mary Helen Garcia of Las Cruces have lost influential committee positions. Garcia learned late today that Speaker of the House Ben Lujan had replaced her with Rep. Joni Gutierrez of Las Cruces on the Appropriations and Finance Committee. Cervantes, who had been chair of the Judiciary Committee, will now serve as vice chair. Al Park of Albuquerque, the previous vice chair, will now be chair, Lujan decided. Continue Reading
On the opening day of the 2007 Legislature, comments by the governor and speaker of the House may reveal the fight to come over ethics reform. Richardson has proposed a comprehensive package of reform proposals that include the creation of a powerful state ethics commission, limits on gifts and campaign contributions, more frequent and detailed campaign finance reporting and public financing for judicial races. Richardson pointed out that some legislators sat on the task force that made recommendations to the governor that served as the framework for his proposal. House Majority Leader Ken Martinez of Grants was among those who endorsed the task force recommendations after sitting on the committee for months. “These recommendations are now before the Legislature,” Richardson said in today’s state of the state address. Continue Reading