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Pearce to make Senate run official Nov. 2 in Hobbs

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., will formally announce his candidacy for Senate on Nov. 2 in Hobbs, his hometown. After that, Pearce said in a news release that it is his “intent to visit as many cities as possible in the first few days.” “Hobbs was a natural choice for me to start the campaign tour because it is where I learned my conservative New Mexico values of hard work, determination and integrity given to me by my parents,” Pearce said. “This campaign will be about ideas. This campaign will be about the future of our country. Continue Reading

Mattiace wants to finish major infrastructure projects

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This article is part of a series running this week profiling the candidates in the Nov. 6 Las Cruces municipal election. By Vicki Nisbett Las Cruces Mayor William “Bill” Mattiace said he decided to seek another term as the city’s leader because he wants to see some projects finished that were started under his watch. Those projects include swimming pools, an aquatic center, a convention center, the new city hall and downtown revitalization. Announcing his re-election bid on the steps of city hall on Sept. Continue Reading

Miyagishima wants slower growth, better planning

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This article is part of a series running this week profiling the candidates in the Nov. 6 Las Cruces municipal election. By Vicki Nisbett Though he’s run unsuccessfully for mayor twice before, Ken Miyagishima said the public knows Mayor Bill Mattiace better than when Miyagishima ran against him in 2003. Because of that Miyagishima, 44, said the Nov. 6 race will be different. Continue Reading

Madrid decides against another congressional run

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Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid has decided against running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Madrid notified the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other groups today that she won’t run. “I think that this is a Democratic year and I would have been the strongest person in the race, but this is just not the year for me,” Madrid said in a telephone interview. That’s largely due to the fact that her father, who lives in Las Cruces, is not well. “I’ve spent quite a number of years away from my family, particularly in my last year in office, and they need me and I need them,” she said. Madrid also spoke about her job as a consultant for a powerhouse Washington law firm, and said she’s truly enjoying it. Continue Reading

Chávez secures big-name support, raises $560K

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is lining up some prominent supporters despite unease among some Democrats about his campaign. In the wake of attempts by some to find another top-tier Democrat to enter the race, Chávez has put together a strong team. His campaign will be run by Mark Fleisher, a top operative among state Democrats. Nationally-known firms will handle media, fundraising, polling and other issues. He also said today, during an interview in Las Cruces, that those who have signed on to his campaign include Ed Romero, the former ambassador to Spain and a close friend of Gov. Bill Richardson, and Jamie Koch and Johnny Cope, giants in the state Democratic Party who are close to Richardson and involved with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Continue Reading

Judge tied to housing scandal suspended without pay

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Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Judge Theresa Gomez will be suspended without pay for her role in the state housing authority scandal. In an order issued Wednesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court accepted a petition from the state’s Judicial Standards Commission and suspended Gomez for two weeks without pay. In addition, Gomez will have to pay $17,000 in back rent to the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority. The order comes about a month after the high court rejected the commission’s petition to reprimand Gomez and require her to pay the back rent. The court’s members said at the time that they wanted to suspend the judge and asked the commission to come back with a new petition. Continue Reading

Listen to The Morning Show podcast

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Today on The Morning Show with Alan Riehl, I discussed – again – the fallout from Sen. Pete Domenici’s retirement and the 2008 election. We also talked about the upcoming Las Cruces municipal election, Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential run, the controversy dogging Mesilla Mayor Michael Cadena and whether state Rep. Joseph Cervantes will run for Congress. You can listen to the 44-minute podcast by clicking here. Continue Reading

Longstanding dispute colors municipal judge race

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The race for Las Cruces Municipal Court presiding judge in some ways comes down to a longstanding fight between the current judges and the city’s police and prosecutors. The incumbent, Melissa Miller-Byrnes, is being challenged by Conrad F. Perea, a private-practice attorney who was a police officer in Las Cruces for 20 years. With the exception of the District 4 city council contest, which has no incumbent, this is the only race in the Nov. 6 election where the city’s unions – including police and firefighter groups – didn’t endorse the incumbent, opting instead to put their weight behind Perea’s candidacy. The dispute exploded in 2004 when the court’s other judge, James T. Locatelli, wrote a letter to the Las Cruces Sun-News alleging incompetence by police and prosecutors. Continue Reading

Grassroots, Richardson-backing Web site goes AWOL

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A grassroots Web site formed to help promote the presidential campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson is down because of technical problems. America for Richardson, which has earned some national attention and been a visible promoter of Richardson, has gone offline at a bad time for the governor, just as the frontrunners for the Democratic Party’s nomination are beginning huge advertising pushes that will continue until the first contests in December or early January. Other than Richardson’s official Web site, America for Richardson is the primary source of information about his campaign on the Internet. The site has already been down for several days. “America for Richardson is offline due to technical difficulties with the site’s hosting company,” said Ken Camp, a Richardson supporter who helps run the site. “The bloggers at America for Richardson are working to get the site back online as quickly as possible.” Continue Reading

County leads way on increasing public involvement

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It was the Las Cruces City Council that found itself embroiled in controversy earlier this year over whether to approve a 6,000-acre development on Las Cruces’ East Mesa despite some residents’ cries that there wasn’t enough public input in the process. But it’s the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners that is taking the lead on ensuring public involvement in future development. The commission, on a vote of 5-0, approved an ordinance change on Tuesday that requires developers asking for subdivision approval or zoning changes involving 100 acres or 100 lots or more to first hold a town-hall meeting with area residents. Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, who proposed the change, said it stemmed from the controversy over Philip Philippou’s East Mesa project, The Vistas at Presidio. “I thought the people who were calling for more public input had a point,” he said at Tuesday’s commission meeting, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Continue Reading

2008 will reshape New Mexico’s political landscape

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For those who are interested in politics, there won’t be a more interesting place to be in 2008 than New Mexico. For starters, it’s a presidential election year, and New Mexico is a swing state. And for the first time, a New Mexican – Gov. Bill Richardson – is a serious presidential contender. To top it off, Sen. Pete Domenici’s retirement has just about every politician in the state looking for a way to move up. Three of New Mexico’s five seats in Washington – all solidly in Republican hands before Domenici changed everything – are up for grabs. Continue Reading

Rawson won’t run for Congress, will seek re-election

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State Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, has decided to forgo the “rare opportunity” of running for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., because of family considerations. Rawson made the announcement in an e-mail this morning. “Moira and I have the rare privilege of having all of our family and extended family living in Doña Ana County. The present joy of having three sons living at home, two sons working full-time in our family business (Rawson Builders Supply), and one son getting married in January cannot be sacrificed or replaced. These are precious times with our parents and our sons, along with their growing families,” Rawson said. Continue Reading

Sadness and gratitude for the salt of the earth

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By Carter Bundy This past week was a tough one for the labor community in New Mexico. Three of our best, most respected leaders passed, and no matter how active we are, they brought things to the table that simply can’t be replaced. Manny Herrera: the people’s representative State Rep. Manny Herrera, from Bayard, lost his battle with cancer. He was a rock-solid representative from salt-of-the-earth country, and made us all proud to be associated with labor. Just last year, some of our members in Santa Fe met with Rep. Herrera to seek his support for increasing the minimum wage and for the right of child care providers to form unions. Continue Reading

District 4 hopefuls seek better infrastructure, services

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Steve Trowbridge’s decision to leave the Las Cruces City Council means District 4 is the only seat for which voters won’t be able to pick an incumbent on Nov. 6. Three relatively young but experienced candidates are vying for the right to replace Trowbridge on the council. Isaac Chavez, 35, ran unsuccessfully last year against state Rep. Andy Nuñez. He’s also a member of a number of community boards and chairs the Citizens Review Board for Child Abuse and Neglect. Continue Reading

Rawson to announce Congress decision on Wednesday

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State Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, will announce on Wednesday whether he is running for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. Rawson sent me an e-mail today stating that he’ll send a news release on Wednesday announcing his decision. I called him, and asked whether he would also hold a news conference. He said he hasn’t “finalized all the details yet,” but said the announcement will come sometime in the afternoon. Rawson, the owner of Rawson Inc. Builders Supply in Las Cruces, is the Senate minority whip and the only Republican legislator from Doña Ana County. He has the potential to be a formidable candidate. Continue Reading