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Verbatim minutes of meetings is only the first step toward making government more accessible

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners was scheduled to vote today on whether to hire outside help to transcribe verbatim minutes of its meetings. Commissioners delayed the vote to give staff time to figure out how to pay for it, but four of five commissioners said they support the idea. It’s a good plan that has history in county government, which I rehashed last week, so I won’t go into details again here. Some comments from today’s meeting made me decide to share a vision for how the county and other governments can increase accessibility and citizen participation in the information age. The county currently records audio of meetings and keeps minutes that meet the literal requirements of the New Mexico Open Meetings Act – they include the substance of proposals and records of how each commissioner voted. Continue Reading

Commission backs Otero Mesa drilling moratorium

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners voted today to support a moratorium on drilling on the Otero Mesa to allow completion of a study of the water underneath. Commissioners voted 5-0 in support of the resolution. Before its passage, they tacked on a resolution requiring the body to revisit its support of the moratorium upon completion of the study or after three years, whichever comes first. Commissioner Bill McCamley, who presented the resolution, spoke about the region’s drought and growth, saying the area will need more water in the future. A recent study estimated that there could be 57 million acre-feet of groundwater – 15 million of them potable – under the Otero Mesa, which is recharged by surface water runoff that some fear could be polluted by drilling. Continue Reading

Democrats slam Domenici for Gonzales vote

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As expected, the Democratic Party of New Mexico slammed U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici for voting on Monday against a resolution of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Domenici’s vote wasn’t critical, as the resolution failed when a motion to end debate and proceed to a vote received 53 votes, with 38 against it. It needed 60 to pass. Citing Domenici’s involvement in the ongoing U.S. attorney controversy, Democrats had called for him to recuse himself. After the vote, Domenici said he voted against the resolution because there was no precedent for a no-confidence vote and he “is anxious to work on the pressing issues begging the Senate’s time and consideration” instead of “meaningless partisan political endeavors.” The Democratic Party fired back. Continue Reading

Commission delays vote on film-program funding

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners voted today to delay an agreement with the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University designed to help draw films to the area. The Las Cruces City Council has already approved an agreement to provide $25,000 this year to NMSU to help pay an employee whose job will be attracting films to the area. The commission voted to put off approval of similar funding for two weeks to give staff time to determine how they’ll come up with the money. The fiscal year ends at the end of the month, and the county has a tight budget. Assistant County Manager Sue Padilla said it’s possible there will be a surplus at the end of the month that could be used, but it’s more likely that, instead, something else will have to be cut or the county will have to draw from reserve funds the commission doesn’t want to touch. Continue Reading

The U.S. should welcome immigrants with open arms

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By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries sheWith silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus Can anyone fail to be inspired by those words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty? As we debate the issue of immigration, will we be reminded of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words, “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionaries?” Yet the loudest noise lately comes from radicals such as U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who cries out that our nation is at peril because of immigration. He proposes a ban on immigration despite his own family roots, and displays an attitude which is at the very least selfish and stems from being a fear-mongering political opportunist. Continue Reading

Domenici votes against no-confidence resolution

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U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici rejected calls for his recusal and voted today against a resolution of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The resolution failed when a motion to end debate and proceed to a vote received 53 votes, with 38 against it. It needed 60 to pass. Citing Domenici’s involvement in the ongoing U.S. attorney controversy, the Democratic Party of New Mexico called Friday for him to recuse himself from today’s vote. That controversy, which includes the firing of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, was the primary reason Democrats sought passage of the resolution that would have increased pressure for Gonzales’ ouster. Continue Reading

Richardson releases clever TV advertisement, stays at 10 percent in New Hampshire, campaigns out west

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Gov. Bill Richardson began airing today the follow-up to two humorous television advertisements that are likely the primary cause of his recent climb in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. After Richardson began airing the first two so-called “job-interview” ads several weeks ago, he climbed from below the margin of error to between 8 and 10 percent in several polls in both early primary states. The humorous ads, which poke fun at Richardson while highlighting his résumé, have become one of the hot topics of the presidential campaign. Today, Richardson began airing the third ad in the series, a 30-second spot that begins with Richardson talking about his assertion that New Mexico is the clean energy state and has done more than any other to fight global warming. The interviewer looks increasingly frustrated as Richardson touts his record, and finally cuts in to say, “But what I asked you was, “if you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?’” Richardson shakes head at interviewer and looks disappointed. Continue Reading

UNM, NMSU to help pay cabinet secretary and deputy

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The state’s Higher Education Department is in the process of getting a new secretary and deputy secretary. Both will be paid in part by the universities they’re leaving. The premise is simple: University executives are paid more than cabinet secretaries, so to get the top educators to run the department, Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration has to come up with some extra cash. Higher Education Department spokeswoman Laura Mulry said the department will be paying a portion of the salaries for new Higher Education Secretary Reed Dasenbrock and Deputy Secretary Bill Flores, but the University of New Mexico will also help pay Dasenbrock and New Mexico State University will help pay Flores. When the transition is complete, both will work full time for the department, and spend none of their time working for the universities from which they came, she said. Continue Reading

Is Richardson the Hispanic candidate or not?

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Is Bill Richardson running as a Hispanic or as an American who’s proud to be Hispanic? There’s a fine line between the two, but the New Mexico governor, until recently, repeatedly insisted the latter is the case. “I’m not running as a Hispanic,” Richardson told FOX News in December. “I’m running as an American who’s proud to be a Hispanic.” That’s not what he said during a campaign stop in Colorado on Friday. “I am the Latino candidate,” the Pueblo Chieftain quoted Richardson as saying during a news conference in that city on Friday. Continue Reading

Bernalillo sheriff to chair Giuliani campaign in N.M.

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Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White will be the chairman of GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani’s campaign in New Mexico. White chaired President Bush’s 2004 campaign in New Mexico. He is one of the brightest stars among New Mexico Republicans, and is on a short list of people party insiders are mentioning as potential gubernatorial candidates in 2010. He’s popular in Bernalillo County and has star power that could easily spread around the state. Bringing him onboard is a plus for Giuliani’s New Mexico campaign. Continue Reading

Domenici pressured to skip AG no-confidence vote

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Democrats in the U.S. Senate have scheduled later today a vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, forcing their GOP colleagues into a tough position – perhaps none more difficult than that of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico. With a number of GOP congressmen already calling for Gonzales’ resignation, do Republicans vote for the resolution, or do they side with the president? Should Domenici even cast a vote? Brian Colón, chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, called late Friday for Domenici to recuse himself from the vote. In a news release, the party cited “Domenici’s central role in the U.S. attorney scandal that has sparked calls for the resignation of” Gonzales. Continue Reading

Most who vote in non-scientific poll say NMSU Foundation should have to release donor list

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site say the New Mexico State University Foundation should not be allowed to keep its donor list secret. Of 149 voters, 95, or 64 percent, said the foundation should not be allowed to keep the list secret, while 49, or 33 percent, said it should be allowed to keep it secret, and 5, or 3 percent, said they are undecided. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Media follows as Richardson walks in another’s shoes

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Though the event was billed by his campaign as being closed to the media, a reporter with the Las Vegas Sun apparently got to accompany Gov. Bill Richardson on Thursday on his journey with the Walk a Day in My Shoes campaign. So did a reporter for the Associated Press and another for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Photographers and at least one TV cameraman were also along. Richardson spent a few hours with a single father who is a social worker in Las Vegas, both at his home and work. The Sun article included an interesting observation. Continue Reading

On proposed drilling moratorium, Pearce plans to back whatever position the Interior Department takes

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., hasn’t taken a position on a proposed moratorium on drilling on the Otero Mesa because he wants to see what the experts in the Interior Department think about the idea. Pearce plans to wait for the Interior Department to take a position and support it, spokesman Brian Phillips said. “There’s all this political rigmarole, but why don’t we let the experts tell us what they need,” Phillips said. The proposed delay in leasing land for oil and gas drilling has the support of three of New Mexico’s elected officials in Washington – Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Tom Udall and Republican Sen. Pete Domenici – who have written letters to the Interior Department asking that the Bureau of Land Management put its planned drilling program on hold to allow completion of a water study. A 2006 federal study estimated that there could be 57 million acre-feet of groundwater – 15 million of them potable – under the Otero Mesa, which is recharged by surface water runoff that some fear could be polluted by drilling. Continue Reading

17 months before election, Steinborn holds fundraiser

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In yet another sign that we’re in a state of perpetual election cycles, state Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, is holding a fundraiser on Saturday. He’s up for re-election in November 2008. The event is billed on the invitation as a “special reception” sponsored by a number of people, including former state Rep. J. Paul Taylor, Doña Ana County Commissioner Karen Perez and Don Kurtz, one of the organizers of the Quality Growth Alliance. The invitation requests a $50-per-person donation to “talk with Jeff” and “enjoy good food and wine.” It will be held at a home on the west side of Las Cruces, outside Steinborn’s district, which includes parts of the north side of Las Cruces and runs along the west side of Interstate 25 to Radium Springs. In his first six months in office, Steinborn has been an active representative who was one of about 10 elected officials who helped work out a compromise on reform of the state’s housing authority system during this year’s session. Continue Reading