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Sierra Count spaceport tax vote is today

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Voters in Sierra County head to the polls today to decide whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 of a percent to help fund Spaceport America. As I reported on Monday, the vote is critical to the future of the planned spaceport and the state’s hopes for economic development in Southern New Mexico. If you live in Sierra County and haven’t yet voted, please do so today. It’s your right and responsibility. Polls are open until 7 p.m. I’ll have coverage of the results this evening. Continue Reading

GOP radio ad attacks Obama over ‘bitter’ remark

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The state Republican Party is currently running radio ads in several rural New Mexico communities attacking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for comments he made at a recent fundraiser in San Francisco. Obama said many rural Pennsylvanians respond to their economic plight by becoming “bitter” and clinging to guns, religion, hostility toward people who are different from them and anti-immigrant and anti-trade sentiment. It’s a comment that has led to attacks from Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain, who say Obama’s comments are offensive to rural voters throughout the nation. The GOP ad began running late last week in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Hobbs, Las Vegas, Portales, Raton and Roswell. It will run through this week. Continue Reading

Guv says special session in May isn’t likely

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Gov. Bill Richardson now says he won’t likely call a special session until late in the summer after he had productive meetings with two Senate leaders last week. Richardson met with Senate President Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, and Senate Finance Chair John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, in separate meetings last week. “The governor is leaning toward a special session later in the summer following productive meetings last week with Sen. Jennings and Sen. Smith,” Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said today. “The governor came away from those meetings with the belief that there is a desire to move forward with negotiations that will result in universal health coverage.” During this year’s legislative session, the House approved Richardson’s universal health-care plan after rewriting it, but the Senate was unwilling to consider the proposal. Richardson said immediately following the session that he would call a special session to address universal health care. Continue Reading

Dunn becomes first GOP CD2 candidate on TV

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Aubrey Dunn became today the first Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate to air television ads, and he’s starting with a 30-second spot that introduces him to voters. Here’s the ad: It’s currently running on two network television stations based in Roswell and on cable television throughout the district. The ad begins with Dunn talking about how he’s a workaholic and a rancher. He talks about “hard work and character and honesty” as values his father taught him, and says America needs to work on ways to strengthen families. Democratic 2nd District candidate Harry Teague has been on the air for almost two weeks, but Dunn is the first GOP candidate on the air. Continue Reading

Former Gov. Carruthers endorses Tinsley in CD2

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Former Gov. Garrey Carruthers has endorsed Ed Tinsley’s candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Steve Pearce. Carruthers, now the dean of the Business College and vice president for economic development at New Mexico State University, cited Tinsley’s business experience as a reason for his endorsement. Carruthers and Tinsley are both Republicans. “Ed’s wide-ranging business experience, consistent conservative values and extensive knowledge of the issues facing New Mexico make him the only candidate in the race that will effectively represent the voters of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District from day one,” Carruthers said in a Saturday news release from the Tinsley campaign. Carruthers said, in “what are very uncertain economic times,” the district needs “a congressman who doesn’t require on-the-job training and isn’t a career politician.” He cited Tinsley’s 30 years as a rancher as “the kind of real-world experience” the district needs, and said it demonstrates Tinsley’s dedication to the land and people of the 2nd District. Continue Reading

Critical vote on spaceport looms in Sierra County

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Tuesday’s tax vote in Sierra County may not quite be a do-or-die moment for Spaceport America, but supporters of the tax say if it isn’t approved the task of constructing the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport will become much more difficult. “This is very pivotal and, really, Sierra County holds this key to the future,” said Steve Landeene, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. He said rejection of the tax on Tuesday would be “a major setback” for the spaceport. Approval of the proposed 1/4-percent increase in the gross-receipts tax would generate about $2.3 million for the spaceport, but the Sierra County tax is important for several other reasons. Among them: • Doña Ana County approved a similar tax increase last April that would generate an estimated $49 million for the spaceport, but under state law that money can’t be collected and spent unless another local government approves a tax increase and joins the county in forming a regional spaceport district. • The state is also hoping to get $6.6 million from Otero County, but the commission there says it won’t ask voters to consider a tax hike unless Sierra County approves the tax. Continue Reading

White wins non-scientific Republican CD1 poll

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Darren White will win the First Congressional District Republican primary. Of 318 voters, 237, or 75 percent, picked White to win, while 81, or 25 percent, said Joe Carraro will win. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Despite advantages, Udall can’t celebrate yet

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While Democrat Tom Udall is vastly outraising the two Republicans in the U.S. Senate race and leading in the polls, one of New Mexico’s top political analysts says it’s too early for him to celebrate. “November is a long way off,” said Brian Sanderoff, whose company Research and Polling Inc. is the top polling firm in the state. “If the election were held today, Udall would beat Wilson or Pearce comfortably… Come November, the circumstances will be different.” Udall began April with almost $2.6 million in the bank, while GOP candidate Heather Wilson had $1.2 million on hand and GOP candidate Steve Pearce had a little more than $854,000. During the fourth quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, Udall bested the combined fundraising efforts of both GOP candidates. He’s saving most of that cash because he doesn’t have a primary opponent, while Pearce and Wilson are spending money in what has become an increasingly contentious primary battle. Continue Reading

N.M. among Bush states that could go to Dems in ’08

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A Washington Post blogger is ranking New Mexico this week as the third most likely state to switch from Republican to Democrat or vice versa in the presidential race this year. The Fix’s Chris Cillizza writes in a post today that, though President Bush won New Mexico in 2004, either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be favored over John McCain in November. That comes despite a SurveyUSA poll released Thursday that has McCain leading both Democratic presidential candidates in potential head-to-head match-ups in New Mexico. Cillizza refers to New Mexico’s open Senate seat and three open House seats, saying “no state has more competitive contests at the federal level than the Land of Enchantment.” That “level of fluidity” means millions of dollars will pour into the state. “McCain (an Arizona senator) gives Republicans a fighting chance in the state due to his neighbor appeal, but the state has been trending Democratic of late and either Clinton or Obama will be favored in the fall,” Cillizza wrote. Continue Reading

Really sustainable power for our world

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© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ‘til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” – Thomas Edison, 1931 Edison recognized that oil and coal were not sustainable energy solutions in the long run. They would work for many decades, but their utility was finite. At some point the stockpile of oil resources must dwindle while the competition for it increases. Continue Reading

Judge says magistrate candidate can stay on ballot

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A candidate for Doña Ana County magistrate judge whose petition signatures were challenged in court did gather enough valid signatures to qualify and will appear on the ballot for the June primary, a district judge has ruled. Judge Jerald A. Valentine ruled Wednesday that Frank Rivera submitted 135 valid signatures. He needed 128 to qualify for the ballot. Rivera could not immediately be reached for comment. In validating Rivera’s candidacy, Valentine found that 46 of the 181 signatures Rivera collected were invalid, but he still had enough to stay on the ballot. Continue Reading

McCain tops both Dems in new poll of N.M. voters

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John McCain is beating both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a new poll of New Mexico voters that tests potential head-to-head presidential election matchups. McCain had a three-point lead – 49 percent to 46 percent – over Clinton and a six-point lead – 50 percent to 44 percent – over Obama in the SurveyUSA poll released today.The survey of 490 registered voters in New Mexico was conducted from Friday to Sunday and has a margin of error of 4.5 percent. McCain led Clinton among men by 14 points but trailed Clinton among women by six points. He led Obama among men by 16 points but trailed among women by three points. McCain topped Clinton in every age group except among 18-34 year olds. Continue Reading

Pearce continues attacking Wilson’s missed votes

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce continued today his attacks on primary opponent Heather Wilson for being in New Mexico campaigning this week instead of voting on bills in Washington. Today, Wilson missed her 22nd vote of the week, the Pearce campaign stated in a news release sent this afternoon. She has missed votes on “expanding opportunities for college students to get loans to pay for school” and “an important vote to add FISA legislation to a bill,” according to the release. The release points out again, as the Pearce campaign did on Wednesday in a separate news release, that Wilson missed a vote on Tuesday on whether to strip sanctuary cities – those that refuse to help the federal government enforce immigration laws – of their tax-exempt status. The proposal failed on a tie vote, 210-210, so Wilson could have cast the vote that would have led to House approval of the proposal. Continue Reading

Here’s another ‘only-in-New-Mexico’ story

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The Associated Press is reporting on a little-noticed bit of funding approved by the Legislature and governor this year to pay a New Mexico company to clean trash cans in a handful of communities around the state. Blast-N-Clean will get $162,500 after legislators appropriated the money to almost a dozen communities even though many of those communities didn’t ask for money to clear their outdoor garbage containers. But, as is often the case, the question of why lawmakers would appropriate the funds for this purpose when local communities didn’t ask for it is answered simply: The company hired a former lawmaker to be its lobbyist. Joe Nestor Chavez is a Democrat who represented Albuquerque from 1997 to 2000 in the Legislature. Click here to read the bill that includes the funding, and you’ll notice that it doesn’t mention the company, even though that’s where the money is going. Continue Reading

New online publication’s aim is watchdog journalism

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There’s a new, online publication in New Mexico whose aim is the sort of hard-hitting but fair government-watchdog journalism that is often lacking in today’s mainstream media. The New Mexico Independent launched on Tuesday. There are still some kinks to be worked out, but there are several articles already published on the site. Let me tell you up front that I’m one of nine fellows who have been hired to report part-time for the site. The site is published by the Center for Independent Media, a non-profit in Washington that also publishes The Washington Independent and similar news sites in four other states. Continue Reading