More oversight needed for housing authorities

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The governor’s office completed its review of the state’s housing authorities Friday, and said problems will make it difficult if not impossible for them to survive, the Albuquerque Journal reported. The review cited operational troubles and financial losses at the authority based in Albuquerque, mismanagement and disarray at the authority based in Las Cruces, and questions about how a related non-profit that does much of the construction for the authorities operates. In addition, the review found, some of the authority’s programs don’t serve low- or moderate-income people. That seems to back the claim of Las Cruces-based Region VII Board member Frances Williams, who says that authority built up a debt of several hundred thousand dollars to its Albuquerque counterpart, the Region III authority, while building only four homes that weren’t sold to low-income people. Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos, a former state legislator who runs Region III and is the patrón of the entire system, is suing Williams for slander. Continue Reading

Former clerk’s wife blames politics, says elections problems no worse here than in other counties

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In a letter with a bitter tone that was published Friday in the Las Cruces Bulletin, the wife of former Doña Ana County Clerk Ruben Ceballos congratulated the commission for creating a task force to examine problems with the primary election. Sal Ceballos said it was “comforting” to learn that the commission will appoint a task force to look into the problems, “rather than turn the problems over to the district attorney for prosecution, as was done when my husband was clerk.” Then-County Clerk Ruben Ceballos was forced from office several years ago after being convicted of elections violations. He was given a deferred, five-year sentence, so the conviction will eventually be erased from his record if he stays out of trouble. Sal Ceballos said problems in the clerk’s office “persist… not because of the clerk’s incompetence, as the commission and the district attorney pontificated in my husband’s case,” but instead because the office “is not and has not been funded to the extent that it needs to be.” After Ceballos’ husband left office, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron visited the commission to plead for more staffers in the elections bureau. The commission later added several positions. Continue Reading

Richardson and Bush ask for our trust, but they’re not earning it

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Today there are reasons to criticize the actions of the governor and president. First on Gov. Bill Richardson: The Albuquerque Journal revealed today that Richardson took a day trip earlier this month to Chicago to sit on an immigration panel. It appears likely that a U.S. Smokeless Tobacco jet flew Richardson there and back, according to flight-tracking records obtained by the Journal. I and others have already criticized Richardson for accepting flights from corporations and lobbyists as gifts. Today’s news indicates that he hasn’t stopped. Continue Reading

Governor’s campaign, not his office spokesman, should handle re-election issues

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s government press office is under fire for issuing a campaign statement about the Republican’s selection of John Dendahl to run against him in November. On Saturday, Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley, whose salary is paid by taxpayers, sent out an official governor’s office news release calling Dendahl “a candidate who embraces division and negativity, and who is completely out of touch with what matters most to New Mexicans.” The release was sent from Shipley’s state government e-mail address, with a subject line that read “Governor’s Office issues statement regarding John Dendahl.” It was in the same format as other news releases from that office, which is funded by tax dollars. Dendahl responded Tuesday by sending a letter to Richardson questioning Shipley’s actions, according to the Albuquerque Journal. He said Shipley acted improperly and asked Richardson to clarify the role of state workers in his campaign. Shipley told the Journal his actions were “completely appropriate,” and said the news release was done on his own time and computer. Continue Reading

Domenici either orchestrated Damron/Dendahl switcheroo or has lost his influence, politicos say

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I had several calls and e-mails Wednesday from Republican Party insiders and longtime political watchers about the debate over whether Sen. Pete Domenici had a hand in the Damron/Dendahl switcheroo. The consensus was overwhelming: Either Domenici orchestrated the entire event, or he has lost his influence in his party. Either he was asserting himself as the top politician in the state, or this reveals that he’s no longer the leader of his party. No one seemed certain about which is the truth, but most guess that Domenici orchestrated the replacement of the Republican Party’s gubernatorial candidate. If that’s the case, he’s going after Gov. Bill Richardson, either to take back his position as the state’s leader, or to damage the governor’s potential presidential run, or both. Continue Reading

Comparing the Las Cruces superintendent’s salary with others

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Following the approval last night of Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Sonia Diaz’s contract, I thought it might be interesting to compare her salary with others. Let me preface by saying Diaz is not being paid too much. Some in this community will think that, but I believe you get what you pay for, and New Mexico hasn’t traditionally spent enough on education. Diaz will be paid a base salary of $160,000 annually, plus benefits. Las Cruces is the second largest school district in the state, with about 24,000 students. Continue Reading

House Republican leaders grandstanding instead of taking action on immigration reform

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In a sadly political move, Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to delay action on immigration reform so they can hold hearings throughout the summer around the nation before deciding whether to compromise with the Senate. This grandstanding shows either a lack of understanding of the situation or a lack of compassion by House Republican leaders. While they continue talking, people continue to die in the desert. I hope Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., isn’t involved in this. House leaders already know the issues. Continue Reading

Thoughts on the Damron/Dendahl switcheroo

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There’s a lot of debate about how exactly the J.R. Damron campaign crumbled and John Dendahl stepped into the race. Political blogger Joe Monahan says Sen. Pete Domenici led the charge. An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican seems to confirm some of Monahan’s claims. But a Domenici staffer disputes the claims in an article today in the Albuquerque Journal. And the Wednesday Morning Quarterback, a Republican blog, accuses Monahan of being a Democrat with a political agenda. How do we sort through all this? Continue Reading

LCPS board approves superintendent’s contract

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The Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education approved a two-year contract with Superintendent Sonia Diaz at tonight’s meeting. She’s expected to sign the contract in a few days. After that, it will be available for the public to inspect. Under the contract, which begins July 1 and lasts through June 30, 2008, Diaz will be paid an annual salary of $160,000 – almost $30,000 more than the previous superintendent, Louis Martinez. Here are the other terms of the contract: • 30 days annual leave and 12 days of sick leave per year • Monthly car allowance of $800 • Monthly reimbursable expenses not to exceed $400 • Reimbursement of moving expenses • “Transition costs” not to exceed $3,000 • A cellular telephone, computer, internet access and fax machine for use in her home office • A bonus clause will be written into the contract. Continue Reading

Democrats place Murphy on ballot, turn attention to other judicial opening

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Rusty Babington and Fernando Macias pledged support for the newly appointed District Judge Michael Murphy Tuesday evening, and the Democratic Party’s central committee voted to place Murphy on the ballot in November. “I think that he will show the kind of judicial leadership that is necessary on this children’s court,” Macias said. “I think that Mike Murphy is a guy who will do a lot of good for Doña Ana County,” Babington said. Murphy, who was appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson earlier in the day, thanked the Democrats for their support. “Today has been a very interesting and turbulent day for me,” he said. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Governor to appoint Murphy children’s court judge

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Gov. Bill Richardson plans to name Michael Murphy the new children’s court judge in Las Cruces. Several sources confirmed that Richardson has chosen Murphy over Rusty Babington and Fernando Macias. The Doña Ana County Democratic Party’s central committee will also name Murphy at tonight’s meeting its candidate for the seat in the November general election. The county Republican Party is still considering whether to run a candidate in that election. An influential group of Democrats pushed for the selection of Macias, who has practiced little law in the past decade but has a unique résumé and has been lobbying heavily for the position. Continue Reading

Judge Locatelli defends lawsuit against city

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Las Cruces Municipal Judges James T. Locatelli found himself defending his lawsuit against the city Monday during his interview for the vacant district court judgeship.Locatelli and the other municipal judge, Melissa Miller-Byrnes, are seeking a reimbursement of more than $100,000 they spent to defend themselves against ethical complaints filed by the city attorney’s office in 2004. They claim the city has reimbursed other judges for defense costs in the past, and the city’s failure to reimburse them is arbitrary and a violation of the separation of powers doctrine.The dispute began in 2004, when the judges publicly blamed prosecutors for the dismissal of drunken driving and domestic violence cases and called prosecutors and police officers incompetent.Locatelli, whose name was not recommended to Gov. Bill Richardson by Monday’s judicial nominating commission, was asked by District Judge Robert E. Robles why he did not disclose the lawsuit in the appropriate section on his application for the district judgeship.“That’s strictly an oversight on my part,” Locatelli said.When asked to elaborate on lawsuit, Locatelli said he and Miller-Byrnes “feel that the city does have an obligation to pay our legal fees in that matter.”Deputy District Attorney Amy Orlando, another member of the commission, asked whether Locatelli saw a conflict in suing attorneys who appear before him in court. She said she believed there was a conflict because the attorneys are supposed to appear before Locatelli and because the city pays his salary.Locatelli disagreed, saying the dispute has been ongoing for two years, and the city attorney’s office never asked for recusals until the judges filed the lawsuit.“It’s not a conflict,” Locatelli said.Locatelli defended the lawsuit and his criticism of the city attorney’s office as “proper” and “appropriate.”“I did what I thought was right at the time,” he said. “I’ll continue to do what I think is right in the future.” Continue Reading