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Gov. Bill Richardson will be in Las Cruces on Friday to sign bills and make an announcement related to New Mexico State University. Richardson will be in the lobby at the Business Complex on campus at 11 a.m., according to a news release from his office. Richardson’s office didn’t say what bills he will sign or provide details about the NMSU announcement. He will appear in Alamogordo and Roswell later on Friday. Continue Reading
After a year of work by the governor’s ethics task force and a legislative subcommittee to help build consensus on ethics reform, the New Mexico Legislature adjourned last week with no major reform being approved. It was the latest disappointing chapter in what has, thus far, been a mostly unsuccessful effort to reform the state’s tainted political system. Though activists have been pushing for four years, major reform proposals including enacting campaign contributions limits, creating a state ethics commission, paying a salary to lawmakers and expanding the public financing system to include statewide offices are left undone. There has been a little progress. Legislators approved in 2006 a law that places limits on gifts to public officials and candidates for office, but it’s a weak law that hasn’t actually reduced lobbyist spending. Continue Reading
Today’s announcement that the Albuquerque Tribune will publish its last edition on Saturday is a reminder of the depressing state of the nation’s newspaper industry that should be concerning to all Americans. It’s also an incredibly sad day for New Mexico. The Tribune has a strong journalistic tradition that includes a Pulitzer Prize. The Trib, for a long time, dedicated more resources than any other paper in the state to hard-hitting, investigative journalism that can have a tangible impact on public policy and people’s lives. As an afternoon newspaper, it was probably doomed long ago. Continue Reading
Heather Wilson came out firing in her first debate with fellow GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce on Tuesday, but Southern New Mexico’s congressman held his own against the tenacious congresswoman from Albuquerque. At the debate, which was held in the heart of Pearce’s House district in Alamogordo, Wilson went on the offensive during her opening statement, highlighting Pearce’s votes for the base realignment plan that included closing Cannon Air Force base and against funding to increase the number of Border Patrol agents in New Mexico by 500. “You can’t talk about securing the border if you’re not willing to spend the money to hire the guys to do the job,” Wilson said of Pearce’s Border Patrol vote. Pearce spent much of the night on the defensive, but his explanations for votes Wilson criticized were usually as effective as her attacks. He said he voted for the base realignment plan that included closing Cannon in part because people in Alamogordo asked him to back the plan, which kept Holloman Air Force Base open. Continue Reading
Laura Sanchez has resigned from her job as executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico after a presidential caucus plagued by problems. Replacing Sanchez is Josh Geise, a veteran Democratic political operative, state party Chairman Brian Colón confirmed in a news release naming him the interim executive director. “As we move forward to November, our singular focus is carrying New Mexico for our Democratic presidential nominee, electing Tom Udall to the U.S. Senate and winning all three open congressional seats,” Colón said in the news release. “This is a historic year in New Mexico and I’m excited to have Josh leading our staff at the party as we move forward to November.” Sanchez resigned over the weekend, and Geise said in an interview that he began work today after meeting with Colón on Monday. He said he doesn’t know how long he will serve as interim director. “I think we’ll sort of address that at a later date,” Geise said. Continue Reading
There were a couple of examples from the 2008 legislative session of lawmakers standing up to their leaders in the name of improving government transparency and increasing scrutiny. House Resolution 1 allows all representatives to pre-file legislation between Dec. 15 and the Friday before the start of the session. The Senate already does this, and it’s a great way to get a jump on the ticking clock of the session. It increases scrutiny and transparency because it lets the discussion begin earlier on important bills. Continue Reading
Second Congressional District candidate Bill McCamley announced several new endorsements today. McCamley received the endorsements of Socorro County Commission Chairman Jay Santillanes, Sierra County Commissioner Walter Armijo, former state Rep. J. Paul Taylor of Mesilla and former Capitan Mayor Benny Coker. “I’m very grateful for the support of these respected public officials,” McCamley said in a news release. “As their endorsements show, our campaign is continuing to pick up speed and strength.” McCamley had previously been endorsed by eight other current elected officials from the Second Congressional District. He’s also been endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Trades Council, which represents more than 7,000 workers in the state. Continue Reading
By Gary K. King Before being elected your state attorney general, I served in the Legislature for 12 years. An important lesson I learned during that time was that getting legislation passed and enacted into law is an often complicated and lengthy process. With that lesson in mind, I am assured that my legislative agenda as attorney general was a successful one during the 2008 session, and the results will benefit New Mexico in a number of ways. Many of you may remember that my top priority for this session was to get a law passed that would make it a crime to engage in the practice of human trafficking. Senate Bill 71, sponsored by Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, creates such an offense for the first time in New Mexico. Continue Reading
State Auditor Hector Balderas was the only New Mexico elected official to meet on Friday with a delegation from the Czech Republic that is in America to exchange ideas about transparency and ethics in democracy. The U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program is what brought the delegation of high-level prosecutors, law enforcement officers and directors of non-governmental organizations to New Mexico and other states. “It is an honor to meet representatives from the Czech Republic to exchange knowledge and ideas about ethics in government,” Balderas said in a news release after meeting with the group in Santa Fe. “As a burgeoning democracy, the Czech Republic is undergoing numerous challenges in developing systems for accountability and transparency. I hope our dialogue continues for months and years to come, and that I can be a resource in assisting them with government reform.” The State Department’s goal for the program is to allow others to explore how governments in the United States combat corruption, learn about the role watchdog agencies and other non-governmental organizations play in ensuring transparency, gather ideas for judicial and ethics reform and learn about whistleblower protections. Continue Reading
The following column was submitted in response to a Feb. 12 column written by Jim Kadlecek. By Harry Teague I am running for Congress to bring New Mexico values to Washington and to deliver on the things that matter to the working families of New Mexico. I am not running for Congress, as Jim Kadlecek suggested in a recent column, to do favors for any industry. When I was 17 years old I went to work in the oil fields for a $1.50 an hour. Continue Reading
This is the fifth 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. When Ed Tinsley ran for Congress in 2002, he didn’t have the experience to understand the inner workings of Washington. One of the focuses of Tinsley’s 2008 campaign is the fact that he now has that experience. After Tinsley, the owner of the K-Bob’s chain of restaurants, lost the 2002 Republican primary to Steve Pearce, he became heavily involved in the National Restaurant Association, serving as chairman of its board in 2006. Continue Reading
The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said state Rep. Joni Gutierrez, D-Mesilla, will hold off a June primary challenge from Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus M. Caro. Of 177 voters, 102, or 58 percent, said Gutierrez will win, while 75, or 42 percent, said Caro 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
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall will make a brief public appearance in Las Cruces on Saturday. Udall will be at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Doña Ana County, located at 414 North Downtown Mall, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. His visit will precede a 2 p.m. visit by the state party’s chair, Brian Colón, who will be in Las Cruces as part of a statewide listening tour to discuss with Democrats in Doña Ana County their concerns and questions about the party. For more information, call 523-0470. Continue Reading
By Diane Denish The Legislature holds 112 lawmakers. Add in one governor and one lieutenant governor, and you can get 114 officials’ viewpoints of what was or wasn’t accomplished in any particular legislative session. One thing we’ll all agree on is this: The work can be tough and frustrating, but the goal is always to do what’s right for New Mexico. Even so, there are bound to be winners and losers, and our just-completed session was no different. Here are just a few: Winner: Pre-K. Continue Reading
© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “The idea that the United States can’t guard its own border is silly. It’s a sign that we’re not serious about this.” – Newt Gingrich, then-speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in 1995 Our nation treats its borders unlike every other nation in the world. Mexico condemns us for wanting to do on our southern border exactly what it does on its southern border. In Mexico, sneak-in people have no legal status, no driver’s licenses, etc. We have a de facto open-border policy because our politicians have been and are paralyzed by political exigencies. Continue Reading