AP: Investment firms gave more than $640K to guv

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Some of this information has been previously reported, but The Associated Press’ Barry Massey is out today with a new article that takes a comprehensive look at donations to Gov. Bill Richardson from firms with state investments. In all, according to Massey’s analysis, “Money managers, brokers and their marketing agents that secured public investment business in New Mexico in recent years have given more than $640,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaigns and political organizations since he first ran for governor in 2002.” That’s of course reported in the context of the investment scandal plaguing New Mexico and other states. You can read the AP article by clicking here. Continue Reading

Bill Clinton makes ‘surprise trip’ to North Korea

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There was talk in June about the possibility of sending Gov. Bill Richardson or former Vice President Al Gore to North Korea to negotiate the release of two U.S. journalists who were sentenced to 12 years in labor camps there. Instead, former President Bill Clinton made what The Associated Press is calling “a surprise trip” to North Korea today “amid an international standoff over the country’s nuclear program and concerns about two U.S. reporters imprisoned in Pyongyang since March.” Clinton’s visit “comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s string of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N. resolutions, and calls from Washington for amnesty for the two reporters,” the article states. Continue Reading

AG disappointed by judge’s ruling in nonprofit dispute

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The office of Attorney General Gary King isn’t happy with today’s decision that attempting to force two nonprofits to register as political action committees violates their First Amendment right to free speech. “We are disappointed in the outcome of today’s ruling and we will take some time to thoroughly review the court’s decision before deciding our next course of action. We are assessing our options and will likely make that public in a few days,” King said in a statement released by his office. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mary Herrera wrote in an e-mail only that her office and the AG “will be reviewing the opinion.” Earlier today, U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera issued a 30-page decision stating that mailers like this one sent out by New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO) — which is a project of the Center for Civic Policy (CCP) — and SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) two to three months before last year’s June primary don’t meet the narrow definition in federal law of political activity and thus can’t be regulated as such. King has said the mailers cross the line between issue advocacy and political campaigning as defined by the state’s Campaign Reporting Act, alleging that they were designed to help progressive legislative candidates win elections. Continue Reading

Court sides with nonprofits in dispute with SOS, AG

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Judge says nonprofits’ mailers are ‘precisely the type of political expression that is constitutionally protected’ by the First Amendment This article has been updated.A federal judge sided with two nonprofits today in ruling that an attempt by the Secretary of State’s Office to force them to register as political action committees violates their First Amendment right to free speech. The 30-page decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Judith C. Herrera, states that mailers like this one sent out by New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO) — which is a project of the Center for Civic Policy (CCP) — and SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) two to three months before last year’s June primary don’t meet the narrow definition in federal law of political activity and thus can’t be regulated as such. The mailers, Herrera wrote in her decision, didn’t mention any election in which the legislators might be running. Instead, they focused on an upcoming special legislative session on health care reform, cited positions taken by lawmakers in the regular session that had just ended, warned of influence corporate interests might have been trying to buy with campaign contributions and urged recipients to contact their legislators. “Rather than being unambiguously campaign-related and the functional equivalent of express advocacy for the defeat of a particular candidate, the ads identify an issue, give the recipients information related to that issue, and urge them to contact their legislator with respect to that issue,” the decision states. Continue Reading

Colón to resign party job, run for lieutenant governor

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News is all over the Internet this morning — and has been confirmed by my sources — that Brian Colón will resign his position as chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico later this week and announce that he’s running for lieutenant governor next year. Colón, 39, enters an already crowded primary field, but many Democrats expect him to compete heavily for the nomination. 770 KKOB-AM reporter Peter St. Cyr reported that the party’s first vice chair, Annadelle Sanchez, will become interim party chair, and a special election to replace Colón will be held within 60 days. Colón did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue Reading

Women dominate governor’s race, at least for now

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Though others are likely to enter the race, right now it’s just three women officially vying for the right to be governor No woman has ever been governor of New Mexico, but there’s a good chance that will change next year. Though there will likely be other candidates entering the 2010 gubernatorial race, there are currently only three who have said with certainty they are running. All three are women. On the Democratic side, there’s the party’s likely nominee, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who has been running for governor for years and already has about $2 million on hand for her campaign. On the Republican side, there are two: Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, who entered the race earlier this month, and state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones of Albuquerque, who has formed an exploratory committee and said last week that she will make her candidacy official in a few weeks, as soon as she recovers from knee surgery. Continue Reading

More layoffs at The Santa Fe New Mexican

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The worst part about having to write about more layoffs at a New Mexico newspaper is that this probably isn’t going to be the last time I have to do it. Regardless, several people lost their jobs and others saw their hours slashed in half in a round of cuts announced Friday by The Santa Fe New Mexican. In all, the equivalent of 12 full-time jobs were cut. The cuts come almost exactly a year after the newspaper eliminated the equivalent of 16.5 full-time jobs to cut expenses. The number of pages the newspaper publishes each day has also been cut in the last year. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say Bingaman is most ethical

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U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman won last week’s non-scientific poll on this site asking which member of New Mexico’s congressional delegation is the most ethical. Of 256 voters, 87, or 34 percent, picked Bingaman, while 79, or 31 percent, picked Sen. Tom Udall. Forty-six, or 18 percent, picked Rep. Martin Heinrich; 34, or 13 percent, picked Rep. Harry Teague; and 10, or 4 percent, picked Rep. Ben Ray Luján. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Martinez campaigns on ‘voter fraud’

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But was it voter fraud or incompetence that the district attorney’s office prosecuted in 2003?Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez claims in a news release sent today that, “on her watch” as Doña Ana County district attorney, the county clerk “was successfully prosecuted for voter fraud — convicted of five felony counts of violating the election code.” A look at the facts reveals a slightly more complicated situation. Then-Clerk Ruben Ceballos was removed from office in 2003 after being convicted of five felonies for violating the state elections code — failing to file voter registrations in a timely manner, failing to notify voters of precinct changes, appointing unregistered voters as poll workers, unlawfully changing a polling place, and failing to destroy unused absentee ballots. But are those problems proof of voter fraud or incompetence? In a Nov. 20, 2003 article published in the Las Cruces Sun-News, Martinez’s chief deputy district attorney, Susan Riedel, was quoted as saying this about what led to the charges against Ceballos: “There was no training of employees, no attention to detail. Continue Reading

Colón is considering running for lieutenant governor

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Brian Colón, chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, is seriously considering running for lieutenant governor next year and plans to make a decision in “less than two weeks,” according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Colón did not respond to a request for comment. He would be joining a crowded field of Democrats seeking the party’s No. 2 spot on the ballot in 2010. Already in the race are Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano and state Sens. Continue Reading

Controversial developer Philippou’s problems grow

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The problems for controversial Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou are growing. A new lawsuit accuses Philippou of fraud in promising a company he hired to help build a golf course in Las Cruces that water would be available for construction, when in fact it was not, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported today. You can read the lawsuit, filed by Golf Works, Inc., by clicking here. In addition, the Albuquerque Journal published an article about the City of Las Cruces taking steps to force Philippou to pay outstanding utility bills and deal with an exposed sewer line in one of his developments. The new issues come weeks after the city filed a lawsuit alleging that Philippou has failed to comply with building requirements in several of his subdivisions and asking a district court judge to force Philippou to complete the work he started. Continue Reading

Arnold-Jones says she is running for governor

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In a letter to supporters, Arnold-Jones talks about increasing transparency, says New Mexico ‘can be so much more’ State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, said today that she is running for governor next year and plans a formal announcement sometime in August. “I am running,” Arnold-Jones said today in an interview. She made her candidacy official in a letter sent to supporters on Sunday. “If you have not heard, I am running for Governor of the State of New Mexico,” Arnold-Jones wrote. “Why? Continue Reading

Turner wins this site’s non-scientific poll

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Doug Turner won the last non-scientific poll on this site, which asked, if Heather Wilson doesn’t run, who will win the GOP gubernatorial primary next year. Of 2,660 votes cast, 925, or 35 percent, went to Turner; 797, or 30 percent, went to Allen Weh; 723, or 27 percent, went to Susana Martinez; and 215, or 8 percent, went to Janice Arnold-Jones. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Progressive in the historical sense of the word

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This is one of several guest columns that were submitted in response to this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you? By Stephen Jones Let me respond to your call for political (or is it philosophical) self-identification with the term progressive. I am a progressive. I identify most closely with the ideal of progressivism and notnecessarily with a political party, though in recent years I have voted, not surprisingly, increasingly Democratic. By progressivism I mean to say I believe in a democratic worldview that champions direct participation and action in citizenship. Continue Reading

Kokesh’s candidacy is interesting, but can he win?

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‘Revolutionary patriot’ takes to the campaign trail, but UNM professor says Ron Paul’s support won’t be enough to defeat Rep. Ben Ray Luján in 2010 Ron Paul and his army of supporters want Republican Adam Kokesh to be the next congressman from Northern New Mexico. Kokesh has been active for years in Paul’s Campaign for Liberty movement. Support from Paul and his group have already helped the Iraq war veteran turned antiwar activist raise about $55,000 — most of it from out-of-state donors — for his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. next year. But does that level of energy and attention from outside New Mexico mean a libertarian-leaning Republican has a shot at unseating an incumbent Hispanic Democrat in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, a Democratic stronghold? Not likely, says Gabriel Sanchez, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. Continue Reading