Colón makes his resignation official

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There was no news release, no public announcement, and little fanfare, but Brian Colón resigned from his position as chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico this weekend as expected, apparently with the intention of entering the lieutenant governor’s race. Colón made his resignation official in a Friday letter to the state party’s vice chair, Annadelle Sanchez, which was posted at Democracy for New Mexico. His resignation took effect Saturday. “I am proud and humbled by all we have accomplished together. We had clear electoral success at all levels of government. Continue Reading

Former judge’s voter-fraud trial starts today

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Now here’s an actual voter-fraud case being prosecuted by the office of Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez. The trial of a man who’s accused of “fraudulently registering as a candidate for Sunland Park municipal judge and fraudulently voting” starts today, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. Horacio Favela, 49 and a Democrat, is accused of falsely declaring himself a resident of Sunland Park so he could vote and run for judge there while he was living in El Paso. He allegedly voted in El Paso County in Texas and in Doña Ana County in 2004. In Doña Ana County, Favela voted using an address for a small trailer located next to a tortilla business in which he is a partner. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say AG not tough enough on corruption

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Attorney General Gary King has not been tough enough on public corruption. Of 458 voters, 403, or 88 percent, said the AG isn’t doing enough, while 36, or 8 percent, said he is, and 19, or 4 percent, said they don’t know. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

What about the Region VII Housing Authority records?

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Why were they abandoned in the agency’s former office for almost two years? What information do they contain? When the Las Cruces-based Region VII Housing Authority shut down in August 2006, board members said the agency’s records would be sent to Region III in Albuquerque. So why did the government records remain essentially abandoned in a privately owned office building in Las Cruces until almost two years later, when they were finally picked up by Brian Colón, a private attorney working on the State Investment Council’s (SIC) lawsuit that’s attempting to recover money lost when Region III defaulted in 2006 on $5 million in bonds it owed the state? Good question. Continue Reading

Is Colón’s work on housing authority lawsuit a conflict?

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Whistleblower says Democratic Party chairman’s dual roles create ‘the perception of conflict of interest;’ Colón says there is no conflict The chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico traveled to Las Cruces on May 14, 2008 to pick up documents left behind when the Region VII Housing Authority shut down in August 2006. But Brian Colón wasn’t acting in his role as party chair. Colón is an attorney, and his law firm is suing two defendants on behalf of the State Investment Council (SIC) to try to recover money lost when the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority defaulted in 2006 on $5 million in bonds it owed the state. With a subpoena in hand, Colón met with Edgar Lopez, who had been Region VII’s landlord, filled his car with boxes of government records and headed north on Interstate 25. Colón confirmed in an interview that his work on the case includes investigation, research and communicating with the SIC on behalf of his law firm, Robles, Rael & Anaya. Continue Reading

Gore’s ‘climate protection’ campaign comes to NM

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Al Gore’s “climate protection” campaign has opened an office in Albuquerque to help New Mexicans shift to clean energy. The Alliance for Climate Protection, whose board is chaired by Gore, officially opened its Repower New Mexico office on Thursday. The office will be staffed with five employees. “New Mexican families need to know a clean energy economy will create millions of well-paying jobs and save Americans money on their energy bills,” New Mexico Director Brandon Pinette said in a news release. “We at Repower New Mexico are extremely excited to open our Albuquerque office; it will be a hub for all New Mexicans who want to see our economy grow into a cleaner, brighter future, instead of being mired in the dirty energy policies of the past.” The “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization,” according to the release, “is educating New Mexicans about how shifting to a clean energy economy helps solve the climate crisis and address other pressing national problems facing our country today.” The group has recruited more than 3,000 members in New Mexico in the past few months, according to the release. Continue Reading

Montoya, Huerta back Gonzales for Dem Party chair

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Debate about who should be the next chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico is quickly evaporating as other candidates and potential candidates are announcing their support for New Mexico State University Regent Javier Gonzales. The only other announced candidate, Sandoval County Democratic Party Chairman David Montoya, dropped his candidacy today and endorsed Gonzales. “Nothing is more important to me than making sure that we elect Diane Denish Governor. The Lt. Governor and I share a commitment to the core principles of this party — health care, education, creating good paying jobs, and fighting to protect the civil rights of every New Mexican,” he wrote. “I am therefore withdrawing my candidacy for Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and endorsing the candidacy of my good friend, Javier Gonzales.” Almost immediately, the outgoing chairman, Brian Colón, appointed Montoya as “senior advisor to the chairman and director of party strategy.” There was also a group urging Michael Ray Huerta of Las Cruces to run for party chair. Continue Reading

Gonzales announces Dem Party chairman candidacy

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New Mexico State University Regent Javier Gonzales confirmed today that he’s seeking the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. “In consultation with my family and friends, as well as consultation with Democratic Party leaders, I’ve concluded this is an ideal opportunity for me to join with other good Democrats in New Mexico in pushing our progressive agenda forward,” Gonzales said in a statement released this afternoon. Gonzales is seeking to replace Brian Colón, who is expected to announce his resignation on Friday and run for lieutenant governor. Gonzales had previously been saying he was considering running for lieutenant governor, but his new statement appears to put an end to any talk of that. “I’ve long searched for where I can best serve New Mexico, and I believe I’ve found the right place where I can best serve all New Mexicans,” he said of the party chairmanship. Continue Reading

Napolitano to speak at 2009 Domenici conference

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is one of a number of high-profile speakers who New Mexico State University has lined up for the 2009 Domenici Public Policy Conference it’s holding next month. Other speakers announced Wednesday by the university include Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright, former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, Nuclear Energy Institute Senior Vice President Alex Flint, and David Walker, former head of the Government Accountability Office and the subject of the documentary “I.O.U.S.A.” Former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici will also be speaking at the conference, which will be held Sept. 16 and 17. This is the second year of the conference. Named for New Mexico’s longest-serving senator, who retired last year, NMSU’s Domenici Institute aims to bring together what a news release called “some of the best minds in the country” to focus on significant national issues. Continue Reading

Fixing public education is ‘a huge priority’ for Turner

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The likely GOP gubernatorial candidate also says honest government ‘is a function of leadership’
Doug Turner says there’s been a lot of talk in the Republican gubernatorial primary race about ending corruption, with candidates expressing anger and using buzz phrases like “clean up Santa Fe.”
But the 40-year-old public relations professional, who is likely to officially join the 2010 gubernatorial race in the coming weeks or months, said a focus on ending corruption “only goes so far.”
“To have an honest government is a function of leadership,” Turner said. “… I believe you have to be for something, instead of against things.”
What’s Turner for? “Figuring out how to fix public education in this state is a huge priority for me,” he said during an interview Tuesday in Las Cruces. During a week in which the public learned that only 54 percent of high school seniors graduated in New Mexico in 2008, Turner said public schools “should not be paid” for the number of students enrolled at the beginning of the year regardless of whether those students finish the year. Turner, a member of the New Mexico Charter Schools Association’s board, is a fan of charter schools and vouchers. Continue Reading

Padilla forming Lt. Gov. exploratory committee

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Matthew Padilla, a law student and former U.S. Navy officer, plans to take an official step toward becoming a candidate for lieutenant governor next week by forming an exploratory committee. Padilla, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to supporters that he will file the paperwork to create the committee with the Secretary of State’s Office sometime next week. Padilla wrote that he is “even more determined to add a fresh new perspective to New Mexico politics” after learning this week that almost half of high school seniors in New Mexico didn’t graduate in 2008. Padilla had previously called the “education emergency” one of his top three priorities. “Together we can begin to change the culture of failure in our education system, while taking the steps needed to promote local sustainable (green) development, as we maintain and strengthen our state’s emergency preparedness system,” Padilla wrote in the e-mail to supporters. Continue Reading

Colón to resign party chairmanship on Saturday

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This article has been updated.Brian Colón will resign from the position of chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico on Saturday to launch a bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, the party confirmed today on its new blog. From the party’s blog: “As many informed Democrats (and those New Mexicans who follow politics) know, our elected party, Chair Brian Colon, is slated to resign as Democratic Party Chair. Although other blogs had stated that this announcement would happen today (Wednesday), Chairman Colon confirmed that he would make his announcement on Friday (August 7) and it would be effective the following day. He is seeking higher elected office with the Party as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.” Sources confirmed earlier this week that Colón would resign his position as chairman and join the lieutenant governor’s race. Already in the lieutenant governor’s race are Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, state Sens. Continue Reading

Rep. Campos joins lieutenant governor’s race

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The lawmaker and Santa Rosa mayor will formally announce his candidacy next week State Rep. Jose Campos, D-Santa Rosa, announced today that he’s running for lieutenant governor next year. Campos, who is also the mayor of Santa Rosa, “will formally announce his candidacy” on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Rudolfo Anaya/Bless Me Ultima monument in Santa Rosa, according to a news release. Click here for a map. Campos’ goals include “job growth, economic stability and improved quality of life through the expansion of renewable energy, innovation in education and vocational training, and the promotion of high quality, accessible, and affordable health care,” the news release states. Campos has been a lawmaker for six years — he chairs the House Voters and Elections Committee — and the town’s mayor for almost 12 years. Continue Reading

Guv goes on TV to talk about release of journalists

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This article has been updated.Gov. Bill Richardson may not have been the one to secure the release of two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea moments ago (that was Bill Clinton), but Richardson is going on national television to talk about it. Richardson has sent two tweets (messages on Twitter) today about television appearances. “Tune into MSNBC for my interview on North Korea,” one tweet states. “Tune into CNN at 2pm MT for my interview on the Situation Room,” the other states. Meanwhile, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White posted his own tweet about the Bill-Bill dynamic earlier today. Continue Reading

NM legislative staffers win national awards

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The director of New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee, David Abbey, has won a national award for his work on budgetary issues. Abbey was named the 2009 winner of the Legislative Staff Achievement Award by the National Association of Legislative Fiscal Officers, according to a news release. In addition, Erlinda Campbell, analyst and administrator for the Senate President Pro Tem office, received the leadership staff award for her contributions to the New Mexico Senate and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) leadership staff section. Abbey, who has been LFC director for 12 years, was recognized “for his work on the solvency plan for the 2009 budget shortfall and for his ongoing work on public policy and the legislative process,” the release states. New Mexico is one of the few states in which the Legislature proposes a state budget. Continue Reading