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Former Mesilla town clerk to run for county clerk

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A former Mesilla town clerk has announced her candidacy for Doña Ana County clerk. Yolanda G. Lucero, a native of the area, owns and manages residential and commercial properties throughout the county. She was the Mesilla town clerk from 1978-1982. “Dona Ana County residents expect their elected officials to be fair and ethical; I too believe that government should serve the people openly and maintain integrity in the election process,” the Democrat said in a news release announcing her candidacy. “I will work diligently for the voters and residents of this county who look to the county clerk’s office for the many services it provides.” Lucero attended New Mexico State University from 1991-1993. Continue Reading

Racial blend will mend our world

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© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “I hope that people will finally come to realize that there is only one ‘race’ – the human race – and that we are all members of it.” – Margaret Atwood Something is happening in our society unspoken of by the media, like the metaphor of an elephant in the living room that no one mentions. Young people might not see it but to the rest of us there has been a societal change worthy of note involving the ability to identify a person’s race as one and only one category. Our society has an antiquated attitude about racial identity, where race is neatly tied into categories checked on an “either this or that” form. Someone with a blended ancestry must choose one descriptor. People of different races are producing children of blended race. Continue Reading

Mayor says city will discuss possibility of legal action

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Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said this afternoon that the city will discuss the possibility of legal action after the attorney general said on Wednesday that a controversial land deal that could double the city’s size contains provisions not authorized by state law. “That’s something that obviously we’re going to at least bring to the level of discussion at the council,” Miyagishima said when asked if the city might sue. “We’ll definitely have to discuss it.” Miyagishima said he would also be interested in exploring whether the situation creates the opportunity to make any changes to the city’s May annexation and master-plan approval for The Vistas at Presidio. “I think it could be a good opportunity to institute some of the issues and concerns that were brought up before and, if applicable or enforceable, I would be interested in exploring that,” Miyagishima said. “I’m sure it will be discussed at the council meeting, but we just need to be cautious about it.” Attorney General Gary King on Wednesday released his long-awaited opinion that the lease agreement’s method of compensating Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou’s Solo Investments for developing The Vistas at Presidio is “not comprehended by and in conflict with” a statute that only allows developers who lease and improve land for the state to be compensated for the appraised value of the improvements. Continue Reading

Richardson won’t call special session until summer

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Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that he won’t call a special session for health-care reform until the summer. The decision comes following a meeting today with Senate leaders, Richardson said in a news release. He said he and the senators “agreed to form bipartisan, executive-legislative working groups that will develop consensus on all of the key areas of a universal health coverage plan.” “We all want a productive special session that results in affordable access to health care,” Richardson said. He called the meeting with Senate leaders “productive.” The news will come as a relief to many lawmakers who are focused on re-election and the June 3 primary. Most politicos believed Richardson would be making a mistake to call lawmakers back immediately. Continue Reading

Wiviott is the first House candidate on television

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Don Wiviott became today the first U.S. House candidate from New Mexico to air television commercials promoting his candidacy. The first of two 30-second spots currently running in Northern New Mexico is a humorous attempt to get people to remember the Third Congressional District candidate’s name. “How do you say this man’s name?” the narrator asks as Wiviott’s name appears on the screen. That’s followed by two people struggling to pronounce it before Wiviott appears and pronounces it. The ad goes on to show various people praising Wiviott, then reveals that he’s a Democratic candidate for Congress. Continue Reading

Feds tell tribe it shouldn’t open Akela Flats casino

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The National Indian Gaming Commission has informed to Fort Sill Apache Tribe that it should not open its planned casino at Akela Flats. The action comes a day after Gov. Bill Richardson ordered state police to block public access to the planned high-stakes bingo parlor because the federal government had not ruled on its plans and Richardson had information that the tribe planned to open the facility as early as today. You can read the commission’s letter to the tribe by clicking here. It states that the commission has not made a final determination but has preliminarily concluded that gaming will not be allowed on the land. The tribe plans to open a bingo parlor on land that was taken into federal trust in 2002 with the condition that it was not to be used for gaming. Continue Reading

AG says part of Cruces land deal not authorized by law

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The attorney general says a controversial land deal that helped spark a recent takeover of the Las Cruces City Council contains provisions not authorized by state law. Specifically, the method of compensating Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou’s Solo Investments for developing The Vistas at Presidio is “not comprehended by and in conflict with” a statute that permits compensation only for tangible improvements to the land, Assistant Attorney General Andrea Buzzard wrote in a formal opinion released Wednesday evening that’s also signed by Attorney General Gary King. The land deal was authorized by state Land Commissioner Pat Lyons in December 2006. The impact of the opinion isn’t clear, since it states that the issue of whether the agreement is enforceable will have to be determined by the courts. Potential plaintiffs could include the city or the Las Cruces Public Schools, which benefit financially from the land deal. Continue Reading

Guv orders state police to block access to bingo parlor

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Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered the state police to block access to a planned “illegal casino” that an Oklahoma tribe is planning to open between Las Cruces and Deming. Richardson took the action against the Fort Sill Apache’s facility at Akela Flats, according to a news release, after receiving no assurance from the federal government that it would act on the tribe’s plans.The action comes after the state learned the facility could open for business as soon as Thursday. “We have emphatically stated our opposition to what clearly would be an illegal gaming operation in the State of New Mexico,” Richardson said. “Because the federal government is abdicating its responsibility, I have no choice but to take immediate and forceful action to protect the citizens of New Mexico and the integrity of our gaming laws.” The tribe plans to open a bingo parlor on land that was taken into federal trust in 2002 with the condition that it was not to be used for gaming. State police will block members of the public from entering the facility but not tribal members and employees. Continue Reading

Community leader wants to replace Carraro in Senate

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Sander Rue, a community leader on Albuquerque’s west side, announced today that he’s running for the District 23 state Senate seat being vacated by Joe Carraro. Carraro is running for Congress and has said he won’t seek re-election to the state Senate. “I’ve lived in Albuquerque for 45 years and in District 23 for 14 years, and I understand the challenges that our neighborhoods face,” said Rue, 54 and a Republican. “As our next state senator, I’ll fight to improve our roads, cut taxes to create more jobs and reduce overcrowding in our west-side schools.” Rue, a small businessman, is the founding president and current vice president of the Rancho Sereno Neighborhood Association. He’s also a member of the board of directors for Petroglyph Little League. Continue Reading

Clinton and Obama should thank Nader, not trash him

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Hillary Clinton blamed Ralph Nader this weekend for Al Gore’s 2000 loss to George W. Bush. She’s hardly the first to make such a statement, but the comment reveals the patronizing attitudes that still pervade her party. Barack Obama wasn’t much nicer, saying Nader “did not know what he was talking about” when he claimed there was no difference between Bush and Gore. But it’s Clinton’s comments that really got to me: She said categorically that Nader “is responsible for George W. Bush.” She’s wrong. You know who is “responsible” for Bush being elected? Continue Reading

Newman cites son’s service in explaining war stance

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This is the seventh 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. Monty Newman believes that America needs to stay in Iraq. So do many other Republican candidates for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce, but Newman’s view is perhaps unique because his son Ryan is an Iraq war veteran. “He felt strongly that you need enough boots on the ground in order to secure the country,” Newman said of his son’s experience. Continue Reading

McCain’s ace in the hole

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By Carter Bundy I don’t like most Republican policies. But there are plenty of well-meaning Republicans who I do like, and I respect ones who are honest about their positions and their reasoning. For example, I vividly recall one day last year when GOP Sen. Rod Adair and I were in agreement that New Mexico’s Public Employee Retirement Association needs to actively fight for shareholder returns against insider deals that erode shareholder value. It’s memorable because I’m pretty certain it’s the only time we’ve agreed on a major issue at the Roundhouse. But the guy tells you where he is, thinks through his positions, stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t mislead anyone. Continue Reading

Pearce claims preprimary victory, calls it a huge upset

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Steve Pearce is predicting that he will easily win the March 15 preprimary nominating convention in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, and claims that will be a huge upset because he’s the underdog in the race. The first half of that prediction – that he’ll win – didn’t come as a surprise to me. But the claim that he’s the underdog in the race I found to be a little bizarre. Preprimaries are about the party insiders – the most active, conservative Republicans in the state. Pearce is easily the more conservative candidate and most analysts have said he is the favorite not only in the preprimary, but also in the June 3 primary against Heather Wilson. Continue Reading

Random thoughts on several issues

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By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek I’ve been writing columns about public issues and politics for more than 25 years, and once in a while there are several things on which I want to comment, rather than just one topic. This also happens when I’ve been busy doing other things and the deadline to submit this column creeps up on me. Such is the case today. So, here are a few random thoughts that I hope the reader will find of interest. Oil and politics A couple weeks ago, I wrote about oil and politics, and it got some thoughtful responses, both on Heath’s blog, and in several e-mails sent to me. Continue Reading

Luna County GOP will redo its convention

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The Republican Party of Luna County will have to redo its selection of delegates to the state preprimary nominating convention because some people were unfairly excluded last weekend from trying to become delegates. State GOP spokesman Scott Darnell said the county party chairman decided to redo the process after the state party discovered that this year’s convention chairman “improperly restricted who could run for and become a state convention delegate.” That happened because the convention chairman assumed “that a standing rule from a previous convention carried over to this year’s convention concerning who should be nominated and serve as a Luna County delegate, and that is an incorrect assumption.” Darnell said the problem was unintentional. Saturday’s 9 a.m. meeting to redo the convention means the delegate hunt for the GOP’s Second Congressional District candidates that has been unusual and drawn a lot of interest isn’t over. I’m not sure what it means for the congressional candidates, because at least two of them had been claiming they won all five delegates from Luna County at the county party’s first convention. A Republican candidate for the Second Congressional District seat needs 28 delegates to appear on the ballot. Continue Reading