Lyons responds to Baca attack, says he’s raising more money because he’s business-friendly

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State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons responded to an attack from his challenger by saying he is receiving more donations from developers and oil and gas companies because he is business-friendly. Democrat Jim Baca released an analysis of campaign contributions to the incumbent Republican Monday, which showed that Lyons had taken more than $117,000 from developers and real estate companies and more than $186,000 from oil and gas companies through May of this year. “It appears to me that a ‘selling of the land office’ is occurring to those who have leases with it,” Baca said. “The amount of money for a candidate from those who do business with the office that he governs is truly unprecedented. This shows that he will truly have a difficult time remaining independent. Continue Reading

Santa Fe case provides perspective on metro court debate in Las Cruces area

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An interesting court case in Santa Fe could provide some perspective on the debate over creation of a metro court in Doña Ana County. Twelve felony counts of records tampering against former Santa Fe Municipal Judge Frances Gallegos were dismissed Friday by District Judge Michael Vigil. Gallegos had been charged after altering public records in drunken driving cases. Essentially, she took the records of 12 cases that had been dismissed or in which the defendants had been found not guilty and changed them to reflect that she sentenced the defendants to jail time. It’s impossible to sentence anyone who has not been convicted of a crime, a fact Vigil said is obvious to those trained in the law, but was not obvious to Gallegos, who is not an attorney. Continue Reading

Baca attacks Lyons’ taking of money from real estate, oil and gas companies as ‘unprecedented’

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State land commissioner hopeful Jim Baca’s campaign has completed a review of contributions to incumbent Republican Pat Lyons and says the land commissioner has taken money from real estate and oil and gas companies on an unprecedented scale. According to Democrat Baca’s review, released Monday, Lyons had taken more than $117,000 from developers and real estate companies and more than $186,000 from oil and gas companies through May of this year. At the end of June, Lyons reported having just under $500,000 in the bank, dwarfing Baca’s $6,977. “It appears to me that a ‘selling of the land office’ is occurring to those who have leases with it,” Baca said in an e-mail. “The amount of money for a candidate from those who do business with the office that he governs is truly unprecedented. Continue Reading

State auditor to look into Highlands’ architect contract as FBI probe continues

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The state auditor will look into a contract to build a $12 million student services center at Highlands University in Las Vegas following a weekend Albuquerque Journal article. The contract is an important part of the dispute between the school’s regents and President Manny Aragon, the former state Senate leader the regents are trying to fire. In the Journal’s Sunday article, the chairman of the regents alleged that the board was kept in the dark about the awarding of that and other contracts. Longtime architecture firm Custer Basarich of Albuquerque was notified it would be awarded the $700,000 contract to design the student center, the Journal reported, though the regents had not yet voted to do that or been informed it was going to happen. The school later cut down the scope of work to a $182,542 price tag, but in doing so, changed it so much from the original request for proposals that the school’s purchasing director refused to sign off on it. Continue Reading

Following Dendahl’s DWI comments, neither campaign addressing the real problem

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There’s a controversy brewing over Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl’s statements last week about Hispanics and American Indians and drunken driving. Dendahl essentially said that a disproportionate number of people with “Spanish last names” are repeat offenders. He then blamed the legislature, saying it wouldn’t enact legislation to deal with the problem because, “Gee, that would be racist.” Dendahl made the comments Wednesday on an Albuquerque talk show. Dave Contarino, Gov. Bill Richardson’s re-election chairman, responded by saying Dendahl “has a history of sticking his foot into his mouth by making insensitive comments and alienating whole classes of people.” Dendahl later said his point is that the legislature needs to enact tougher DWI laws because Hispanics and American Indians have a disproportionately high number of DWIs. According to the statistics Dendahl cited, in 2003, 54 percent of caught drunken drivers were Hispanic and 20 percent were American Indian. Continue Reading

Spaceport launch delayed, reset, again

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The date of the first launch from the Southwest Regional Spaceport has been delayed again, and reset, again. UP Aerospace postponed its Aug. 14 launch late last week, only about a week after the date was announced. It was the third time the launch, which was originally set for March, has been delayed. The company said it was awaiting the arrival of a delayed part for its rocket. Continue Reading

Poll shows skepticism about push for ethics reform

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Most who voted in last week’s poll are skeptical of the push by Gov. Bill Richardson and others to enact meaningful ethics reform next year. Out of 93 voters, 62, or 67 percent, said our state’s leaders will pass new laws that accomplish nothing. 21, or 23 percent, said they won’t do anything, and 10, or 11 percent, said they’ll enact new laws that help successfully change the state’s political culture. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll. It’s located at the top of this page in the right column. Continue Reading

Dendahl’s stepson arrested on drug charges

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Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl’s stepson was arrested earlier this month on drug charges. Timothy McKinley, 37, is facing cocaine possession and other charges after an officer found him parked next to a frontage road near Santa Fe earlier this month, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. Dendahl told The New Mexican that those who break the law must face the consequences. “His mother and I will continue to support him any way we can, as we would any of our six children,” he said. Dendahl’s press staffer sent an e-mail Friday afternoon notifying media of the article. Continue Reading

Richardson has good shot at Democratic presidential nomination, sports gamblers say

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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has a pretty good shot at being the Democrat’s nominee for president in 2008, if you believe sports gamblers. According to the site SportsInteraction.com, Hillary Clinton is most likely to be the Democrat’s nominee, but Richardson isn’t far behind. The odds Clinton will get the nomination are 1.72 to 1, according to the site. Richardson and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner are tied for second place, each with 5-to-1 odds of getting the nod. Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards is in fourth, with 6-to-1 odds. Continue Reading

Madrid, Richardson need to show they’re not part of ‘pay-to-play’ system

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Repeatedly in the past few months I’ve read articles about various New Mexico leaders receiving large political donations from companies about the same time they made decisions that favored those companies. Repeatedly, the politicos have said the donations didn’t affect policy decisions. They say they aren’t part of any alleged “pay-to-play” culture that exists in New Mexico. Obviously, the donors think such a system exists here, or they wouldn’t be giving such donations. It isn’t as though corporate giants are giving out of the goodness of their hearts, at least in most instances. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: It appears county investment advisor, not treasurer, is to blame for lost money

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It appears that Doña Ana County’s investment adviser, not the treasurer, is going to have to answer some tough questions about lost public money. In question are two $10 million wire transfers of county money made on April 21 and May 12, both Fridays. Neither was invested until the following Monday, and the county lost some $10,000 in interest because of that. Robert Burpo, a former state representative from Albuquerque, told the county commission during a tough grilling on Tuesday that, had his company, LPL investments, received the money before 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on both Fridays, he would have been able to invest it in time for it to earn interest during the weekend. He said repeatedly he did not know where the money was for those weekends, but said he had not received it in time to invest it. Continue Reading

Development proposals highlight need for detailed city growth plan

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A couple of development proposals currently being considered in Las Cruces are creating some interesting politics. Developer Ken Thurston wants to build more than 1,200 homes north of the city and have it annexed into the city. Naturally, many rural residents in the area don’t like the idea. They want their area to remain rural. Developer Philip Philippou wants to develop the land where the Las Cruces Country Club is currently located as the country club moves to a Philippou development on the East Mesa. Continue Reading

Aragon and at least one current legislator at center of FBI public corruption investigation

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If you were astonished by the state treasurer’s scandal, prepare for an even bigger shock in the near future. At least, that’s the rumor surrounding an FBI probe into the construction of three relatively new government buildings in Albuquerque that are among the largest construction projects in the state’s history: the $41 million Bernalillo County Courthouse, the $34 million Metropolitan Courthouse and the $90 million Metropolitan Detention Center. Now, thanks to some quality reporting by the Albuquerque Tribune, we know the investigation centers in part around former Senate leader Manny Aragon, the currently embattled president of New Mexico Highlands University. Sources tell me the investigation also centers a current and powerful legislator. Those projects involved some of the most prestigious construction and architectural companies in the state, including some that have worked on major projects in the Las Cruces area. Continue Reading

Dendahl hits back at Richardson, Democrats

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Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl hit back Wednesday at Gov. Bill Richardson, who fired the first negative campaign shots within days of Dendahl becoming a candidate last month. During a speech to the Optimists Club, Dendahl tried to emphasize his native New Mexican roots and paint Richardson as someone who’s only here to further his political career. He called the ethical standards in the Richardson administration “disgraceful.” “This year, the U.S. attorney has pulled the scab off the corruption in New Mexico,” Dendahl said, referring to the state treasurer scandal. “But there are no ethics laws in the world that can make unethical people behave in an ethical manner.” “Unlike the current governor, who’s always had his head in the public trough, I bring a business perspective and much successful business experience,” Dendahl said. “And I intend to do two things: one, stay at home, and two, restore a sense of respect for our state employees so they can once again hold their heads up proudly.” I will say this: It’s easy to know how to hit Richardson. Continue Reading

Elections task force to hold public hearings

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The first of four public hearings held by the elections task force appointed by the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners will be July 22 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be in the commission chambers at the county’s government center, located at 845 North Motel Boulevard. The task force plans three additional public hearings – one in Hatch, one in Sunland Park, and the fourth in Las Cruces – to solicit public input about the elections process. The task force is also meeting weekly to discuss what its members are learning and review policies and procedures in the county’s elections bureau. Members elected Republican Maria Silva Sutton and Democrat Lynn Ellins as co-chairs at their first meeting, held last week. Commissioners hope to receive recommendations from the task force by Sept. Continue Reading