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Marquardt touts 12 years of experience as a legislator

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This is the eighth in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties’ preprimary nominating conventions on March 15. Terry Marquardt is quick to point out that he has more legislative experience than any other candidate in the race to replace Steve Pearce in Congress. The Republican was a state legislator from Alamogordo for 12 years, including a stint as the House minority whip. “Southern New Mexico has the opportunity to elect a congressman with 12 years of training and experience,” Marquardt said, adding that he has voted against giving drivers licenses and lottery scholarships to undocumented immigrants and sponsored tax-cut and pro-life legislation. Continue Reading

ABQ mayor stumps for Clinton in El Paso

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Like Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez has spent the last two days campaigning for Hillary Clinton in El Paso. Chávez endorsed Clinton before she won New Mexico’s Feb. 5 caucus. He said today that he has spent the last two days doing radio interviews and working phone banks in El Paso. “I think it’s going well. Continue Reading

Loss of Starchaser a blow, but not fatal, for spaceport

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New Mexico’s fledgling spaceport took another hit last week when Starchaser Industries decided to scrap plans for a theme park in Las Cruces and look instead to the United Kingdom and Florida for operations. But as long as Virgin Galactic is still on board with Spaceport America, and if Sierra County voters approve a gross receipts tax increase next month, the project is a go. Starchaser told the Albuquerque Journal last week that the state’s Spaceport Authority was too focused on Virgin Galactic and didn’t keep its promise to consult the company on spaceport planning. The company also complained about what the Journal paraphrased as “repeated run-ins with local bureaucracies in Las Cruces, including zoning problems and a city land deal that failed after city officials requested more company financial information.” The situation in Las Cruces came up in 2006 when the city was trying to give land at the East Mesa Industrial Park to Starchaser. The city asked for financial information that Starchaser refused to provide, saying it had already provided it. Continue Reading

Obama, Clinton in Texas, Ohio showdowns tonight

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The battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton could come to an end this evening if Obama sweeps four states where Democrats are voting today. But if recent polls are any indication, Clinton may be regaining some momentum in the nick of time. Voters in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont will pick their candidates today. Obama has 11 straight wins. Even Clinton’s husband has said she must win the delegate-rich states of Texas and Ohio to continue. Continue Reading

Developer needs to be a good corporate citizen

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Corporations that partner with taxpayers through their governments have a responsibility to be good corporate citizens. That’s why the El Paso-based Verde Group needs to step up to the plate and, at the very least, denounce alleged human-rights abuses across the border in Lomas del Poleo. Residents and a wealthy businessman both claim ownership of the almost 800 acres of land south of Sunland Park and across the border. The issue is in court, but businessman Pedro Zaragosa has, in the meantime, surrounded the land with a barbed-wire fence and built a compound for armed men. Residents can only reach their homes through a guarded entrance. Continue Reading

Denish to campaign for Clinton in El Paso

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After spending the weekend campaigning in Wyoming for Hillary Clinton, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is headed to El Paso today to campaign for the senator in advance of Tuesday’s critical vote in Texas. Clinton has been losing momentum in recent weeks and is locked in tight contests in Texas and Ohio that most analysts say she has to win to stay competitive against Barack Obama. “This is a historic election, and I am happy to do whatever I can for Hillary Clinton,” Denish said in a release. “I have known her for years and am convinced she has the strength, substance and record to take on the critical issues facing our nation. I’m going to El Paso with my sleeves rolled up to do nitty-gritty campaign work – going to caucus sites, talking to voters and helping Senator Clinton become our next president.” Denish will return to New Mexico on Wednesday. Continue Reading

Judicial candidate faces voter-fraud charge

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To be a judge, a person has to have a keen ability to avoid even the remotest appearance of impropriety. One of two candidates for municipal judge in Sunland Park has failed that test miserably. Horacio Favela was charged by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department on Friday with a fourth-degree felony count of voter fraud after he allegedly voted in 2004 both in El Paso County, Texas and in Doña Ana County. You can read more from the Las Cruces Sun-News. Favela could face up to 18 months in prison if convicted. Continue Reading

Philippou lawyer disputes AG opinion; King talks tough

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An attorney for developer Philip Philippou is joining the state land commissioner in disputing the attorney general’s legal opinion that finds fault with a controversial Las Cruces land deal. Just as important, attorney Ben Silva said, is that the AG opinion doesn’t allege any wrongdoing by Philippou. Meanwhile, Attorney General Gary King is beginning to talk tough after first indicating that his office doesn’t plan to try to enforce the opinion in court. In response to Land Commissioner Pat Lyons’ Friday comments disputing the opinion, King said Saturday that his office will “wait to see what happens next and then decide our next course of action.” “Again, if the land commissioner chooses not to take our advice on this matter, he does so at his own risk,” King said in a statement released by his office. The formal opinion states that the issue of whether the agreement between the land office and Philippou’s Solo Investments is enforceable would have to be decided by the courts, and King’s spokesman said previously that another party that might have legal standing, such as the City of Las Cruces, could file suit. Continue Reading

Education, health care took back seat in state budget

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By Sens. Dede Feldman and Cynthia Nava Voters hear a lot about the importance of education and health care during every election season, but the true test of our elected officials’ priorities can be found in the state’s recently approved budget. Ordinary citizens have been making extraordinary efforts to improve New Mexico this year by participating in town halls, task forces and the like. Yet, in spite of the Herculean efforts of hundreds of citizens who have come together to grapple with tough issues such as the state school funding formula, the inability of small employers to afford health coverage for their employees and the growing number of uninsured people in New Mexico, this year’s budget stops short of making the investments we need to assure a healthy, well-educated New Mexico, now and into the next decade. As chairs of the Senate Education and Public Affairs committees, which deal with two areas that are often played off against one another – schools and health care – we are very disappointed. Continue Reading

Most voters in poll say guv should OK vets museum

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said the governor should sign a bill that would create a veterans museum in Las Cruces. Of 152 voters, 88, or 58 percent, said he should sign the bill, while 64, or 42 percent, said he should not. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Guv signs bill providing alternate path to ballot

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Gov. Bill Richardson signed today a bill that will provide an alternate path to the ballot for Republican and Democratic hopefuls who fail to secure the votes of 20 percent of delegates at their party’s preprimary nominating convention. Under the previous law, Democrats and Republicans could get on the ballot by receiving the votes of 20 percent of delegates at their party’s preprimary nominating convention or, if they failed to do that, by submitting petitions containing enough signatures to qualify. A 2007 change, approved unanimously by lawmakers and signed by the governor, got rid of the second provision, and was designed to increase the power of those who control the major parties. The bill Richardson signed today, Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Majority Leader Michael Sanchez of Belen, takes effect immediately and reverts to the law that was in effect before the 2007 change. It was approved this year unanimously by the Senate and with one dissenting vote in the House. Continue Reading

Denish to campaign in Wyoming for Clinton

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will travel to Wyoming this weekend to campaign for Hillary Clinton, and may also travel to Texas to campaign there. Denish’s Wyoming visit comes in advance of the Democrats’ March 8 caucus in that state. She will promote Clinton at a dinner on Saturday and, at a Sunday breakfast, will “help educate Wyoming voters on the caucus process,” according to a news release from the Clinton campaign. “I am so excited to be on the trail for Hillary Clinton this weekend in Wyoming,” Denish said in a news release from the Clinton campaign. “Hillary Clinton is the candidate I want as our commander in chief – and she is the only one with the strength, experience and record to begin tackling the serious issues that face our country from day one in office.” Denish told me in an interview on Thursday that she may also travel to Texas before Tuesday’s vote there, but plans have not been finalized. Continue Reading

Lyons disputes AG opinion on Cruces land deal

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State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons is disputing a legal opinion the attorney general released this week that found fault with a Las Cruces land deal between the State Land Office and developer Philip Philippou. Lyons’ legal staff, according to a news release, believes that, unless there is a specific law prohibiting an action by the land commissioner, he is “vested with discretion in the exercise of his duties to generate revenue for public education.” That includes the discretion to determine how to market, lease or sell trust lands, the release states. “While I appreciate the attorney general’s input, this opinion attempts to constrain my authority and ability to perform my constitutional duties,” Lyons said in the release. “Consequently, I will continue to perform and execute my duties to the best of my ability, consistent with my oath of office, which is to generate revenue for public schools and universities. The lease in question stands to earn hundreds of millions of dollars for New Mexico’s school children.” Attorney General Gary King’s office has said he has no plans to try to enforce the opinion in court, but has said another party with legal standing could sue. Continue Reading

Guv signs bill to expand housing authority audit

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Gov. Bill Richardson has signed a bill to expand an audit of the state’s regional housing authorities, which have been plagued by scandal in recent years. “Now that the governor has signed this important piece of legislation, we can get to the bottom of the alleged unscrupulous financial dealings we all have been hearing about at the state’s regional housing authorities,” said the sponsor of Senate Bill 8, Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson of Las Cruces. “Scandal has plagued them and even resulted in closing of the housing authority in Las Cruces and elsewhere. An audit should reveal to the public what is going on.” The legislature, after much political wrangling, appropriated $200,000 during the 2007 session for the state auditor to perform an accounting of the housing authority system’s assets. That work is completed, and cost the auditor $70,000. Continue Reading

CD2 Dem race is ‘a lively, spirited contest’

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish on Thursday correctly described the Second Congressional District Democratic primary as “a lively, spirited contest.” Her speech at the Democratic Party’s county convention in Las Cruces was followed by speeches from the four congressional candidates and selection of delegates to the state party’s convention. An enthusiastic crowd heard all four speak. Bill McCamley twice took shots during his speech at “wealthy oilmen from Hobbs.” Though he was speaking specifically about U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce the first time and never mentioned opponent Harry Teague, Teague is also a wealthy oilman from Hobbs, and the implication was clear. And Frank McKinnon, who is running in part because of his opposition to the spread of the nuclear industry in Southern New Mexico, accused McCamley and Teague, without naming them, of being in the pocket of the nuclear industry, and also pointed out that the fourth candidate in the race, Al Kissling, agrees with the others that the United States must increase its use of nuclear power. McKinnon said he wanted one of the other candidates to take on his issue, saying he would have exited the race if one had. Continue Reading