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Pearce wins non-scientific poll on CD2 race

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The majority of those who voted in the last non-scientific poll on this site said Republican challenger Steve Pearce would beat U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., in a potential race between the two next year. Of 695 voters, 392, or 56 percent, said Pearce would win such a contest, while 303, or 44 percent, said Teague would win. It’s worth noting that I left this poll up for two weeks. At the end of the first week, Teague had a slight lead. Then, last Monday, Pearce announced that he’s getting into the race for the seat, which he used to hold. Continue Reading

Is the secretary of state’s Web site secure?

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Herrera says it is, but an IT employee who’s on leave and under investigation says people’s usernames and passwords are at risk Secretary of State Mary Herrera claimed in a guest column published today in the Albuquerque Journal that her agency’s computer systems “are now secure,” no data was lost and development of a new campaign finance reporting system is “back on track.” But Brad Allen, an information technologies employee who has been on leave ever since the secretary of state’s Web site and computer systems went offline two weeks ago, said one key vulnerability remains: There is no encryption on the log-in page for Uniform Commercial Code filings. That means when people log into the system to file required business reports, their usernames and passwords could be visible to hackers, Allen said. “Password data should always be encrypted, no matter what,” he said. “Everybody does it. It’s not that hard to do.” http vs. Continue Reading

Teague vs. Pearce battle is a clash of the titans

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The race, which either Hobbs oilman can win, will be one of the most hotly contested and high-profile battles in the nation next year Southern New Mexico, get ready for a deluge of political advertisements and national media attention that will last through November 2010. This week’s announcement that Republican Steve Pearce will try to retake his old U.S. House seat from Democrat Harry Teague sets up what is certain to be one of the most hotly contested and high-profile House races in the nation next year. This is a seat Republicans think they shouldn’t have lost in 2008 after holding it for 28 years. It’s a district John McCain won. So Republicans will pump a great deal of money into trying to take it back. Continue Reading

The point that newsmen find easy to miss

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© 2009 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “Two kinds of newsmen cover stories: those who get the point and those who do not. Most miss the point.” – My news director, years ago People are upset that all three representatives from New Mexico voted for the Waxman Markey “cap-and-trade” bill that passed the House 219 to 212. When I see stories about the anger of people in New Mexico it shows me that some of the news media are point-missers. They do not understand how the House of Representatives operates. This is especially true in the case of District 2 Rep. Harry Teague, an oilman who voted against the interests of his constituents in supporting the bill. Continue Reading

Secretary of state’s Web site back online

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It appears that searchable databases and other parts of the Secretary of State’s Web site are now back online. The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) searchable database is back online, as is the system for UCC filings. And the searchable databases of campaign contributors and candidates and political committees receiving contributions are also back online. The systems went down earlier today. A.J. Salazar, the secretary of state’s elections director, said at the time that the office was in the process of upgrading the systems and they would be back up shortly. Continue Reading

After GOP’s attack, Denish unveils ethics proposals

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Ethics commission, ‘sunshine portal’ and tougher reporting requirements are all on the lieutenant governor’s agenda Days after the state GOP chairman hammered her for standing by the scandal-plagued Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish unveiled today ethics initiatives she plans to push during the 2010 legislative session. Denish, the only declared Democratic candidate for governor in next year’s election, announced her support for proposals to create an independent state ethics commission and strengthen lobbyist and campaign reporting requirements. She also proposed the creation of a new “sunshine portal” — a one-stop shop on the Internet for access to government spending data and other information. “The people of New Mexico deserve a state government that is as open and honest as the people of this state,” Denish said in a news release announcing the proposals. “I am committed to making the changes necessary to ensure that New Mexico’s government and elected officials enjoy the trust of New Mexico’s people.” Denish released a four-page memo that lays out the details of the proposals, which would need Richardson’s approval in order to be considered by lawmakers during the 30-day session. Continue Reading

For N.M. GOP, all eyes are on Heather Wilson

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With Steve Pearce running for Congress, the biggest question for Republicans right now is whether Heather Wilson is going to run for governor Is Heather Wilson going to run for governor or not? That’s the biggest question for New Mexico Republicans, now that former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., has decided to try to regain his old seat in Congress instead of running for governor. Wilson has been saying she’s seriously considering running for governor, but whether she is going to enter the race is a question she isn’t answering right now. She’s currently doing political and elections training for government officials in Sudan and Kenya and writing about her experiences on her Facebook page. Reached via Facebook on Wednesday, Wilson had this to say when asked about the gubernatorial race: “Very far from home right now. Continue Reading

Parts of secretary of state’s Web site down again

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This article has been updated.Days after coming back online, most computer systems that enable database searches and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings via the Secretary of State’s Web site appear to be down again today. As of the publication of this posting, the UCC system is offline, as are the databases for campaign contributors and candidates and political committees receiving contributions. There is no note on the home page of the Web site notifying visitors that the systems are down. Secretary of State Mary Herrera and other officials in her office did not immediately respond to an e-mail requesting an update on the status of work on the systems. Officials have been working to restore the Web site and systems in the office for about two weeks, since unspecified problems knocked out a new campaign finance and disclosure system that has been under development. Officials haven’t specified how the problems with the new site relate to the office’s problems with its other computer systems and Web site.Update, 11:10 a.m. “Upgrades are currently being made and the application will be up again momentarily,” said A.J. Salazar, the secretary of state’s elections director.Update, 4:30 p.m. The site that allows UCC online filing is back up, but the systems that allow searches of the UCC and campaign finance databases are still down. Continue Reading

Stats show the reality of the guv’s education record

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By Jose Z. Garcia On Friday, Governor Richardson accepted the “America’s Greatest Education Governor Award” from the National Educational Association, a lobby group for teachers. Among the reasons given for extending the award was his “fighting to put physical education back into elementary schools, and taking junk foods out, increasing teacher pay and restoring collective bargaining rights for educators.” But these accomplishments, after all, have nothing to do with academic achievement and a lot more to do with issues in which the NEA is interested. So we should also ask: Did the Richardson administration, in addition to the benefits cited above, improve the academic record of students in New Mexico, which, for most parents, is the bottom line? In other words, how do Johnny and Maria rank in reading and math? Let’s find out. Continue Reading

AG warns nonprofit following ‘wiggle room’ remark

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The attorney general’s office is already involved in a lawsuit with two progressive nonprofits it wants to force to register as political action committees. Now the AG is issuing a strong warning to a conservative nonprofit that has sprung up in response to its progressive counterparts. “There is talk of at least one emerging nonprofit group that apparently believes it will have more ‘wiggle room’ to get involved in political activity,” Attorney General Gary King said today in a news release.“The truth is they can wiggle as much as they want as long as they comply with campaign finance laws,” he said. “We will continue to advise the Secretary of State’s Office that nonprofits engaging in targeted election-related activities are required to disclose their donors’ contributions and expenditures just like every other political action committee.” The “wiggle room” quote comes from a weekend article in the Albuquerque Journal about the Southwest Citizens Coalition, a nonprofit whose stated aim is to stop progressives from “building a permanent ultra-liberal majority in New Mexico.” Coalition President Allen McCulloch was quoted by the Journal as saying his group is set up as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit under federal tax law. He said that gives it more “wiggle room” to participate in political activity than the progressive nonprofits, which are 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Continue Reading

Metro court architect sentenced to 366 days in prison

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Marc Schiff, a former architect who played an integral role in the stealing of $4.3 million in taxpayer money during construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse, was sentenced today to a year and a day in federal prison. From the Albuquerque Journal: “Senior U.S. District Judge John Edwards Conway told Schiff, ‘I assure you, I take no pleasure in this’ but said Schiff’s submission of false invoices made it impossible for him to sentence him to probation, as his attorney Joseph Riggs had argued Schiff should be. Riggs said the government had led Schiff to believe that his extensive cooperation, which included wearing a wire, would earn him a probated sentence like that received by former Albuquerque Mayor Ken Schultz.” The judge also ordered Schiff to pay $136,000 in restitution. Schiff, once the president of one of the top architect firms in the state, had pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy and one felony count of mail fraud. After admitting to submitting false invoices and then passing on the stolen money to other defendants, he voluntarily gave up his architect license in 2007. Continue Reading

Public option and the free market (Part I)

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By Carter Bundy If America is going to ever improve in the three big areas of health care (access, affordability and quality), we have to have a public insurance option. There are dozens of major reforms that need to be implemented in American health care. Having a public insurance option won’t come close to solving all of our problems. A public insurance option is not sufficient for America to enter the 21st Century of health care, but it is necessary. The problem America is still the wealthiest country in the world. Yet we consistently rank near the bottom of developed nations by almost every measure of health. Continue Reading

City sues Philippou over lingering infrastructure issues

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Almost two years ago, a spokesman for Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou said he expected that drainage improvements in the Dos Sueños subdivision would be completed in 4-6 weeks. The drainage issue was one of many problems with the controversial developer’s subdivision that journalist Vicki Nisbett revealed in an article published on this site in October 2007. And, despite the statement made at the time to Nisbett by Kirk Clifton, development administrator for Philippou’s company, the drainage improvements have still not been completed. Apparently, the City of Las Cruces has had enough. The Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting that the city has filed a lawsuit alleging that Philippou has failed to comply with building requirements in several of his subdivisions and is asking a district court judge to force Philippou to complete the work he started. Continue Reading

High-level regulations hurt the ‘man on the street’

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By Marita K. Noon Each day the news is full of stories about some legislation that is being pushed through. In 2008 Congress passed 285 new bills. Some, such as red-light cameras, have obvious impacts on our lives. Others are more obscure. The hidden impacts often come from regulations that seldom make the news — or if they do, the cost to the average person’s life is unclear. Continue Reading

Pearce will try to recapture CD2 seat

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Former U.S. Rep. Steve Peace, R-N.M., announced today that he will challenge the Democrat who replaced him, Harry Teague, next year. Here is Pearce’s statement:For the past half year, I have stood by and hoped for the best for our state and country. I had hoped Harry Teague would look out for the hard working people of New Mexico.Sadly while I hoped for the best, Harry Teague embraced a reckless set of policies that directly jeopardize our economy and threatens future generations. He went to Washington and quickly voted for massive amounts of wasteful spending, loading up on pork barrel projects and radically increasing the size of government.Now Harry Teague chose to vote for the job-killing cap and trade bill. If this bill becomes law, it will devastate jobs in New Mexico and further cripple the American economy.Harry Teague’s cap and trade bill will:• Hit families with as much as $1500 a year in higher energy costs.• Destroy jobs in New Mexico’s energy sector.• Will cost New Mexico over $200 million in higher electricity bills, but lower costs in California and New York.Harry Teague put his allegiance to the liberal leadership of Nancy Pelosi ahead of the working families of New Mexico. Continue Reading