Latest Stories

BREAKING NEWS: Governor to appoint Murphy children’s court judge

By |

Gov. Bill Richardson plans to name Michael Murphy the new children’s court judge in Las Cruces. Several sources confirmed that Richardson has chosen Murphy over Rusty Babington and Fernando Macias. The Doña Ana County Democratic Party’s central committee will also name Murphy at tonight’s meeting its candidate for the seat in the November general election. The county Republican Party is still considering whether to run a candidate in that election. An influential group of Democrats pushed for the selection of Macias, who has practiced little law in the past decade but has a unique résumé and has been lobbying heavily for the position. Continue Reading

Judge Locatelli defends lawsuit against city

By |

Las Cruces Municipal Judges James T. Locatelli found himself defending his lawsuit against the city Monday during his interview for the vacant district court judgeship.Locatelli and the other municipal judge, Melissa Miller-Byrnes, are seeking a reimbursement of more than $100,000 they spent to defend themselves against ethical complaints filed by the city attorney’s office in 2004. They claim the city has reimbursed other judges for defense costs in the past, and the city’s failure to reimburse them is arbitrary and a violation of the separation of powers doctrine.The dispute began in 2004, when the judges publicly blamed prosecutors for the dismissal of drunken driving and domestic violence cases and called prosecutors and police officers incompetent.Locatelli, whose name was not recommended to Gov. Bill Richardson by Monday’s judicial nominating commission, was asked by District Judge Robert E. Robles why he did not disclose the lawsuit in the appropriate section on his application for the district judgeship.“That’s strictly an oversight on my part,” Locatelli said.When asked to elaborate on lawsuit, Locatelli said he and Miller-Byrnes “feel that the city does have an obligation to pay our legal fees in that matter.”Deputy District Attorney Amy Orlando, another member of the commission, asked whether Locatelli saw a conflict in suing attorneys who appear before him in court. She said she believed there was a conflict because the attorneys are supposed to appear before Locatelli and because the city pays his salary.Locatelli disagreed, saying the dispute has been ongoing for two years, and the city attorney’s office never asked for recusals until the judges filed the lawsuit.“It’s not a conflict,” Locatelli said.Locatelli defended the lawsuit and his criticism of the city attorney’s office as “proper” and “appropriate.”“I did what I thought was right at the time,” he said. “I’ll continue to do what I think is right in the future.” Continue Reading

City councilor suggests using eminent domain, if necessary, in country club land swap

By |

Las Cruces City Councilor Ken Miyagishima is using what is to many a dirty phrase – eminent domain – but to others could be welcome if it means saving some green space at the Las Cruces County Club’s current location.The country club’s members voted last week to swap the land with a developer who plans to build a massive suburb on the east mesa, where the new country club will be built. The developer, Philip Philippou , plans condominiums, businesses and other buildings on the country club’s current location, a 110-acre plot that was once in a fairly rural area but is now surrounded by homes and businesses.Miyagishima says he’ll fight that, even if it means resorting to the controversial tactic. Several states are considering proposals to limit eminent domain.Miyagishima first made his comments last week on the Michael Swickard Show, then again Monday at the city council meeting.According to KVIA, Mayor Bill Mattiace said he won’t allow the use of eminent domain, and insists that compromise is the only solution. Continue Reading

Some Democrats pushing politico Macias, but other judicial applicants are better candidates

By |

Rusty Babington and Mike Murphy are the more qualified of the three candidates the governor is considering for the children’s court judgeship in Las Cruces, but that isn’t stopping many Democrats from backing Fernando Macias. The Doña Ana County Democratic Party meets Tuesday night to decide who to place on the ballot in November. The party could opt for someone who isn’t on the short list sent to Richardson, but the reality is that county Democrats and the governor are working hard to get on the same page, and Babington, Murphy and Macias are the names before the governor. A secret meeting of many Democratic Party leaders is being held tonight to discuss the issue. Democrats want to avoid the embarrassment of 2004, when Gov. Bill Richardson upset the county party by appointing a magistrate judge without first consulting the party. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Babington, Macias, Murphy recommended for judgeship

By |

A judicial nominating commission today recommended three candidates to fill the position of children’s court judge in the Third Judicial District in Las Cruces.Those candidates are William “Rusty” Babington, Fernando Macias and Michael Murphy, and their names have been forwarded to Gov. Bill Richardson, who makes the selection.Each brings quite different issues to the table, and there is a lot of political wrangling going on in advance of the Democratic Party’s central committee meeting tomorrow night, where the party plans to place a candidate on the ballot for the November election.I’ll have in-depth analysis of what’s happening later tonight, but I wanted to share the immediate news. Continue Reading

Dendahl has little chance of winning gubernatorial race, but is certain to make it more interesting

By |

The gubernatorial race is suddenly a lot more interesting.J.R. Damron’s departure will result in a brutal, nasty campaign between Bill Richardson and his new Republican challenger, John Dendahl. Dendahl is controversial even within his own party for aggressive campaigning. Richardson is vulnerable on a lot of issues.There are the airplane rides he accepted as gifts. There are the jobs he created without legislative approval that some legislators have called illegal. There are the appointees, magistrate judge and otherwise, who have been huge embarrassments. Continue Reading

Damron says he quit because campaign needs to move ‘in a different direction’

By |

Here is the statement J.R. Damron released today in announcing his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race:“For the good of the state of New Mexico and its citizens, I believe there needs to be a change in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate. Therefore, I have submitted the required Secretary of State form announcing my resignation as the Republican gubernatorial candidate for 2006.The new candidate needs to be competitive, aggressive and articulate to win this race. This candidate needs to engage Richardson in a decisive, bull-doggish manner to bring out all of his many deficient, negative and duplicitous characteristics, and highlight Richardson’s self-serving, abusive treatment of New Mexicans. Full exposure of Richardson’s pay to play, deceitfulness, and cronyism must be brought to all the voters of New Mexico.To this end, I must do what is best for the Republican Party of New Mexico and for the people of New Mexico to win this election in November. Barbara and I have committed 18 months of time, energy and money toward this goal. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: GOP replaces Damron with Dendahl in governor race

By |

The Republicans, at today’s Central Committee Meeting in Albuquerque, accepted J.R. Damron’s resignation as the party’s nomination to take on Bill Richardson in November, and replaced him with John Dendahl, a conservative syndicated columnist and former party chair.Damron had trouble raising money. The change means we have a more interesting race, though Dendahl will have a hard time catching up with Richardson, both in fundraising and votes.You can read more about it from the Albuquerque Journal. Continue Reading

Commission certifies election results, sets details of committee that will examine elections problems

By |

The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners plans to create an ad-hoc committee composed of 7-9 members that will examine operations of the elections bureau, from pre-election planning to post-election reporting.Though the commission wants the committee to make recommendations for changes needed in the office so the commission can adopt official policies and procedures, the board can’t force policy changes on elected Clerk Rita Torres.The commission does, however, control Torres’ budget.Commissioners voted at a Friday afternoon meeting to create the committee. At the same meeting, they voted to certify the primary election results.Torres, who rarely works an eight-hour day, was not present for the meeting.“I’m confident that these numbers today are accurate,” Elections Director Mari Langford told commissioners before all five voted to certify the results.Commissioners created the committee in response to what they perceive to be problems with the primary election. Though last week’s election went more smoothly than some in recent years, the county elections bureau carries a lot of baggage.Then-County Clerk Ruben Ceballos was forced from office several years ago after being convicted of elections violations. He was given a deferred, five year sentence, so the conviction will eventually be erased from his record if he stays out of trouble.And a mathematical error in the county in 2000 resulted in George Bush mistakenly being declared early on the winner of the state’s five electoral votes. Discovery of the mistake shifted the victory to Al Gore.“We’re trying to get to the problems that we’re having,” Commission Chairwoman Dolores Saldaña-Caviness said at the meeting.The committee will consist of an even number of Democrats and Republicans and at least one registered voter who is independent or a member of a minor party, commissioners decided.The commission extended the deadline for applications until Thursday at 5 p.m. Applications must be hand delivered to the government center on Motel Boulevard.Thus far, 14 have applied.Commissioners will select committee members at their meeting on June 27. Continue Reading

Here’s my take on E. Shirley Baca’s defeat

By |

I’ve been asked several times why I believe Public Regulation Commissioner E. Shirley Baca lost her re-election bid in the primary.Baca gave us her take for the first time during Thursday’s PRC meeting. She attributed her defeat to low voter turnout and negative campaigning by her challenger in the Democratic primary, Sandy Jones.“It’s a sad thing when you lose due to nasty campaigning,” the Las Cruces Sun-News quoted Baca as saying. “Anybody that resorts to this kind of nasty and negative campaigning, this is going to be an indicator of what kind of commissioner they would be.”Is anyone surprised that this is Baca’s explanation? She has spent years blaming others when scandals cropped up. Now she’s pointing a finger at Jones and voter turnout, which I guess means she’s blaming her would-be supporters, who, had they bothered to vote, would have allegedly given her victory.I have a different opinion.Baca did little campaigning, at least compared to Jones, though she has a reputation for being a workhorse when it comes to getting voters to the polls.Jones’ negative campaigning worked, but only because he latched on to what was already there and rode it to victory. Continue Reading

Ramirez resignation creates difficulty for Dems

By |

The resignation two weeks ago of former District Judge Larry Ramirez creates an interesting situation for the Democratic Party.Applications for his replacement were due Thursday, and the judicial nominating commission meets Monday to recommend candidates to the governor, who will make an appointment.Meanwhile, the Doña Ana County Democratic Party meets Tuesday to decide who to place on the ballot for that judgeship in November.A similar situation existed in 2004. When then-Magistrate Judge Anne Segal lost her primary bid to unseat Ramirez, she resigned her magistrate position and moved to Arizona.Richardson sought advice from State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, who suggested he appoint Maria E. Rodriguez to replace Segal. He did.Upset that it wasn’t consulted, the county’s Democratic Party revolted. Two days after Rodriguez’s appointment, the party shafted the governor’s pick by selecting Richard Silva to run for the seat in November 2004, giving Rodriguez only a few months on the bench.It was a huge embarrassment for Richardson, who began reaching out after to that to several other county Democratic leaders before making major decisions.Sources tell me Democrats are making efforts to avoid a similar situation.Don’t forget that the Republicans also get to place someone on the ballot in November. This could become an interesting race. Continue Reading

Nine apply for Las Cruces district judgeship

By |

Nine applications were received by today’s deadline for the judicial vacancy on the Third Judicial District Court due to the recent resignation of Larry Ramirez.The District Judicial Nominating Commission will meet at 9 a.m. on Monday at the courthouse to interview the applicants.The applicants are:• Terri J. Abernathy• William R. Babington, Jr.• Frederick Kennon• William Michael Kinsella, Jr.• James T. Locatelli• Fernando R. Macias• Michael T. Murphy• Rita Nuñez Neumann• Melissa J. Reeves Continue Reading

New group seeks to reshape American politics by electing non-partisan presidential ticket

By |

There is a new movement whose supporters want to reshape the American political system.Unity08 is a group of citizens “deeply concerned that the wheels have come off our political system, that the American Dream is slipping away, and that time is short to get things back on track,” according to the movement’s Web site.What does that really mean? This is an impressively non-partisan group that includes some hefty members who are fed up with the Democratic and Republican parties alike and want to see change, now. They are committed to the election of a “Unity Ticket” in 2008 that includes a president and vice president from each party or who are members of other parties or independents.You might be thinking, “So what? There have been attempts to change the system before.”That’s what I thought the first time someone sent me a link to Unity’s Web site a few days ago. Then I got the link from another person. Continue Reading

Senator defends Majority Leader Sanchez

By |

I wrote earlier this week about a group of Democrats who are criticizing Senate Majority Floor Leader Michael Sanchez. Sen. Phil Griego of San Jose recently sent a letter to his Democratic colleagues complaining about Sanchez’s leadership.I received a call from one Democratic senator who supports Sanchez, saying he is “professional” and has cut down on personal attacks on the Senate floor.The senator said the group that opposes Sanchez is small and shrinking, and a challenge to his leadership, should one emerge, would fail.Still, the senator said, the debate is healthy.“It’s great to have enough differences that people are questioning,” the senator said. “But, I’m thankful that Michael is here. I think he’s a gentleman. I think he’s run the floor extremely professionally. Continue Reading