Land commissioner debate Friday in Las Cruces

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The state commissioner of public lands and his opponent will debate Friday evening in Las Cruces. The debate between Republican incumbent Pat Lyons and Democratic challenger Jim Baca is hosted by Southwest Consolidated Sportsmen and is part of the group’s 19th annual banquet. The banquet begins with a social at 6 p.m., and continues with dinner at 7 p.m. The debate is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. and last a little less than an hour. The event is being held at the Best Western Mesilla Valley Inn, 901 Avenida de Mesilla. Tickets are $20 per person. Continue Reading

Richardson, Lujan help Cote raise cash, but Marquardt has hefty bank account, spends more

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Campaign finance reports submitted Monday in most of the local races are not yet on the secretary of state’s Web site, but I can get started by reporting on those that are already posted. In the House District 53 race: Republican incumbent Terry Marquardt began the reporting period with $28,542 in the bank. He raised $12,890 and spent $25,248, leaving him with $16,184 in the bank. The majority of contributions to Marquardt came from various political action committees and corporations, including $750 each from a PNM PAC and a smokeless tobacco company. His campaign donated more than $8,000 to other Republican candidates, including several state representative candidates. Continue Reading

Check out the League of Women Voters guide

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The League of Women Voters has come out with its statewide guide to the Nov. 7 general election. You can view it online by clicking here. The guide includes a list of important election dates and a guide to frequently asked questions. It also includes responses to questions from candidates for statewide offices and federal congressional offices, and information on proposed constitutional amendments and bond issues. Continue Reading

Four proposed constitutional amendments appearing on general election ballot

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Four proposed amendments to the New Mexico Constitution are on this year’s general election ballot. They are: • Constitutional Amendment 1: Repeal constitutional provision prohibiting ownership of land by persons not eligible for citizenship. • Constitutional Amendment 2: Exempt financial obligations incurred under certain lease-purchase agreements from the cap on indebtedness for the state and for school districts. • Constitutional Amendment 3: Create the water trust fund to support projects that will preserve and protect the state’s water supply. • Constitutional Amendment 4: Permit state funds to be used for paying for the cost of land acquisition and the cost of construction or renovation of affordable housing. Continue Reading

Who needs to debate when you have money?

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign has spent $4.9 million since July, but what’s even more shocking is that he has at least $3 million to spend in the final four weeks of this election season. The next round of campaign reports were due Monday. You can find them on the secretary of state’s Web site by clicking here. Richardson reported raising just over $3 million since July and has now raised $11.6 million for this campaign. He spent about $8 million on his 2002 campaign. Continue Reading

Dendahl on multiculturalism and immigration

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Gov. Bill Richardson has still not agreed to debate Republican challenger John Dendahl, so here’s a column Dendahl wrote about multiculturalism and immigration, taken directly from his Web site. It was published in the Albuquerque Journal on April 7 of this year. Put All Citizens on Same FootingBy John Dendahl “‘Multiculturalism’ has a nice ring, no? I argue here to the contrary, that this term has been hijacked to cover an un-American trend boding nothing but ill. “Immigration talk is all the rage these days in the U.S. Senate. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: High court rejects GOP lawsuit

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Justices of the New Mexico Supreme Court have unanimously denied the Republican Party’s challenge to several recent election decisions made by the secretary of state’s office. The high court announced its decision shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. “The ballot remains as it is,” said Sam Thompson, spokeswoman for Attorney General Patricia Madrid. The Republican Party filed the lawsuit Sept. 27 against Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Madrid, whose office advises Vigil-Giron. Continue Reading

Though early voting has begun, handicapped voters can’t vote

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Doña Ana County is currently unable to supply visually and other disabled voters casting early votes with a special ballot marking machine because a key component for the machine – the programming disc – has not been received from the vendor hired by the state to produce it. The problem is affecting all 33 counties in New Mexico, according to a news release from Doña Ana County. Under the state’s newly implemented voter system, all counties are required to use these machines, known as “Automarks,” to assist the disabled voter in marking his or her ballot. Visually disabled voters, among others, can use the Automark, which reads the ballot aloud and marks the appropriate spot on the paper ballot inside the machine. The ballot is then inserted into another machine which reads the ballot and tallies the vote. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: High court to hear GOP lawsuit

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The New Mexico Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this afternoon regarding the Republican Party’s lawsuit against the secretary of state and attorney general. The hearing is a 4 p.m. today in Santa Fe. The lawsuit alleges that two Republican candidates were unfairly denied spots on the Nov. 7 general election ballot and that the Democrats illegally placed a candidate on the ballot. At issue is the secretary of state allowing Democrats to place Hector Balderas on the ballot for state auditor and denying Republican attempts to place Roger Gonzales of Mora on the ballot for Balderas’ House seat and Barbara V. Johnson of Albuquerque on the ballot for a district judgeship in Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Paper slams Pearce proposal on road disputes

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A Salt Lake City newspaper has slammed U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., for his proposal to clarify road rights-of-way in the West. Pearce introduced legislation last week that would require a state or county wanting to claim ownership of a route across federal land to present an official map, from any era, or an aerial photograph showing the road existed prior to 1986, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. That includes roads that run through national parks, wilderness study areas and defense installations. Such a map or photo would give the state or county control over the road, regardless of the federal government’s desire for its use. “There have been many proposals for clarifying road rights of way in the West,” the Tribune editorial states. Continue Reading

The international scene: Support peace in Uganda

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If I may discuss international politics for a moment… Today there are hundreds of activists in Washington, D.C. learning about the tentative peace talks now taking place in Uganda. Rebels with the Lord’s Resistance Army, who have fought and oppressive, brutal, 20-year war in the northern part of that country, have agreed to talks with the Ugandan government that might end the war. Tens of thousands of civilians have been maimed or killed by the rebels, and more than 25,000 children have been abducted from towns and camps and forced to be soldiers or sex slaves. The government has massed people into what it calls “protected villages” that has almost 2 million people displaced and an estimated 1,000 dying each week. I wrote in April about an event in Las Cruces that was part of a larger effort to bring attention to the situation. Continue Reading

More profiles of election contests

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Check out the Las Cruces Sun-News profile of the Doña Ana County assessor race between Democratic incumbent Gary Pérez and Republican challenger H.F. “Junior” Adams by clicking here. Check out the Associated Press profile of the state treasurer race between Democrat James Lewis and Republican Demesia Padilla by clicking here. The article was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Continue Reading

Running for re-election, campaigning in Florida, and talking about nukes – all in a day’s work

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Gov. Bill Richardson was in Florida on Monday campaigning for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis (instead of educating New Mexico voters by debating his own opponent here), and talking with the national media about North Korea’s apparent nuclear weapons test. The Albuquerque Journal’s ABQNews Seeker blog has the most humorous account, detailing Richardson’s interview Monday with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Richardson apparently called Blitzer “Chris” twice during the interview, obviously referring to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, who Richardson also spoke with Monday. That left Blitzer to scratch his head and ask, “I wonder who he’s talking about,” according to ABQNews Seeker. “It’s hard to keep track when you’re in West Palm Beach running hard for re-election as governor of New Mexico,” notes the blog’s Bruce Daniels in his posting. Continue Reading

Garza’s trial before commission starts today

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The Judicial Standards Commission trial of suspended Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza begins today. The trial is expected to last three days. It will cover at least six different investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by Garza. If the commission finds any misconduct by Garza, it will ask the New Mexico Supreme Court to discipline him or even remove him from the bench. Only if the case is sent to the high court will the results of the commission trial become public. Continue Reading