{"id":2134,"date":"2007-08-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-08-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/08\/left-right-and-decent-in-albuquerque\/"},"modified":"2009-08-22T14:10:53","modified_gmt":"2009-08-22T20:10:53","slug":"left-right-and-decent-in-albuquerque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/08\/left-right-and-decent-in-albuquerque\/","title":{"rendered":"Left, right and decent in Albuquerque"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Carter Bundy<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Six weeks from now we\u2019ll know if Albuquerque<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> is truly an independent, intelligent beacon of the Southwest or if it\u2019s backsliding into another ugly sprawl, insider-dominated fiefdom.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

By way of disclosure, I\u2019m writing this solely in my personal capacity, but I\u2019m only writing because I personally agree with the endorsements that our members made. Had I disagreed with any of the endorsements, I wouldn\u2019t be writing this both out of respect for our members and also out of personal integrity. Fortunately, I think our members did a thorough, thoughtful job, and so I can let it fly.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

None of the candidates running this year is a bad person. No Michael Vicks or Tim Donaghys in this crowd. But I also think there are clear choices for people who want a progressive and\/or independent city council, and politics is all about choices.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 2<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Start with District 2: Incumbent Debbie O\u2019Malley<\/a>, who is bright, active, fair and progressive, amazingly is being challenged by \u201cDemocrats.\u201d I put it in quotation marks because Debbie stands for everything right about the Democratic Party. All the races are technically non-partisan, but of course active voters use party affiliation as shorthand all the time.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

She cares about her constituents, focuses on the long-term health of the city, and isn\u2019t owned by big-money, out-of-state developers who don\u2019t care whether we end up looking like Phoenix<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Her opponent is literally the face of development in Albuquerque<\/st1:city><\/st1:place>. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 growth is coming, and we ought to embrace our future as a growing, exciting boomtown. But how that growth comes makes all the difference. Debbie\u2019s opponent is actually the lobbyist (\u201cgovernment relations\u201d) person for homebuilders. Yikes.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Developers do just fine getting sweet deals in Albuquerque<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> as it is. I like Debbie\u2019s independence and the fact that she\u2019ll protect the city\u2019s finances from being fleeced by well-connected corporations of all types, while still promoting smart growth.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 4<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 4 is a little more difficult for me, because it\u2019s a fairly conservative district represented by a relatively conservative councilor. But that conservative, Brad Winter<\/a>, has always shown thoughtfulness and respect, and is a pragmatist rather than an ideologue. Further, there\u2019s not a whiff of impropriety about the guy.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Little is known about Winter\u2019s challenger, who didn\u2019t fill out our questionnaire. There\u2019s clear evidence (e-mailing to only the people you want is more difficult than it looks, apparently) that conservatives inside City Hall of both parties are supporting her. Paradoxically, she\u2019ll probably have a tough time convincing conservatives that her stint working for Al Kissling in 2006 squares with the district\u2019s overall profile.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Given her inexperience and the existing e-mail evidence that she\u2019s not even remotely running her own campaign, the independent devil I know (sorry Brad, but you\u2019d be the first to admit you\u2019re not exactly C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez!) isn\u2019t so gruesome. Plus Brad\u2019s a guy with integrity and decency, and that\u2019s one thing we can always use, regardless of party.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 6<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 6 is different. There is a C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez-type to rally around. Rey Gardu\u00f1o<\/a> is a lifelong progressive activist, fighting for everything from clean elections to transparency in government to basic protections for workers. In short: Rey Gardu\u00f1o\u2019s a dream candidate for the strongly Democratic liberal enclave of Nob Hill, the university and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Blair Kaufman sits on the CNM Board and shows a genuine enthusiasm for education and for his district. Were he not in such a liberal district with such a strong progressive rival in Rey, he certainly would have drawn many Democratic supporters. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

With popular incumbent District 6 Councilor and now congressional candidate Martin Heinrich fully supporting the Gardu\u00f1o camp, Democratic support in District 6 seems to be rapidly coalescing around Rey.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Which leads to the discussion of another candidate: P.R. pro Joanie Griffin. She has taken much flak in the blogosphere for having been a lifelong Republican (until briefly after Heinrich announced he wasn\u2019t running for council again), and for being a significant contributor to the Republican National Committee and Heather Wilson (coco at ” target=”_blank”>dukecityfix.com<\/a> deserves credit for breaking that story). <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

So on paper, she doesn\u2019t seem to be a very good fit for the district. To be fair, though, she also claims to have given significant contributions to Democrats, and she was one of the top people in Democrat Marty Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s successful race for Mayor in \u201905. She\u2019s a hard worker who has strong ties to City Hall, and progressives would be unwise to overlook her strengths or charm.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Only voters and time can ultimately determine whether Griffin<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s conversion is sincere or opportunistic, but given that she has opposition with impeccable Democratic credentials, even if she is sincere (in brief interactions she comes across that way to me), her battle will be brutally tough.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Unabashed Republican Kevin Wilson may benefit from having three opponents to his left. That scenario is similar to 2004, though, and the one Republican (also affiliated with developers) still wasn\u2019t able to overcome the staunch liberal profile of the district.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 9<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Finally, Don Harris<\/a>, a Republican in conservative District 9, is facing a surprising recall effort based, ultimately, on dissatisfaction with his opinions on speed bumps. Those mad about the speed bumps are being used \u2013 and badly \u2013 by those who don\u2019t like an independent city council.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I have written an entire column<\/a> on the absurdity of using lightly-attended recalls as a way of overturning fair, regular elections. The recall proponents are disgracing democracy for a combination of frivolity and possible short-term political gain. Even though I don\u2019t have much in common with Republican Harris, we at least share a basic respect for the democratic process and elections.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Any Republican who votes for this recall damn well ought to be signing up for the impeachment of the president, because W\u2019s errors \u2013 in the judgment of liberals and conservatives alike \u2013 are far more significant than speed bumps. And any liberals who support the recall because they see a chance to take out a Republican are no more principled than the likes of Ken Starr and Newt Gingrich.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

We live in a democracy, folks. Live with the results of the elections \u2013 for either party \u2013 unless\/until someone does something significantly corrupt and unethical. Gettin\u2019 good lovin\u2019 in the Oval Office doesn\u2019t count, and neither does any position on speed bumps.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Given the quality of some of these candidates, there\u2019s no excuse to not have a massive turnout on Oct. 2. My picks for Albuquerque City Council include two Dems and two Rs. At the federal level, the GOP may have gone almost totally corrupt, but at the local level, they and Dems alike offer some candidates of integrity and decency. New Mexicans should reward those kinds of candidates.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Bundy is the political and legislative director for AFSCME<\/a> in New Mexico<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>. The opinions in his column are personal and in no way reflect any official AFSCME position. You can learn more about him by clicking here<\/a>. Contact him at carterbundy@yahoo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carter Bundy Six weeks from now we\u2019ll know if Albuquerque is truly an independent, intelligent beacon of the Southwest or if it\u2019s backsliding into another ugly sprawl, insider-dominated fiefdom. By way of disclosure, I\u2019m writing this solely in my personal capacity, but I\u2019m only writing because I personally agree with the endorsements that our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bundy-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2134\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}