{"id":900,"date":"2006-11-20T14:59:00","date_gmt":"2006-11-20T20:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2006\/11\/concern-about-lujans-leadership-grows-after-housing-authority-scandal-touches-him-and-a-judge\/"},"modified":"2006-11-20T14:59:00","modified_gmt":"2006-11-20T20:59:00","slug":"concern-about-lujans-leadership-grows-after-housing-authority-scandal-touches-him-and-a-judge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2006\/11\/concern-about-lujans-leadership-grows-after-housing-authority-scandal-touches-him-and-a-judge\/","title":{"rendered":"Concern about Lujan’s leadership grows after housing authority scandal touches him and a judge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>After months of whispers, Speaker of the House Ben Lujan has been linked to the state housing authority scandal. <\/p>\n

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

So has a state judge, which should result in an investigation by the Judicial Standards Commission.<\/p>\n

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

The Albuquerque Journal<\/a> revealed today that a Bernalillo<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place> metropolitan judge and a top aide to Lujan have been living, rent-free, in homes owned by the Region III Housing Authority.<\/p>\n

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

The revelation could boost a potential push by Rep. Ken Martinez of Grants or someone else to replace Lujan as House speaker.<\/p>\n

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

The state housing authority structure crumbled in scandal earlier this year that included the defaulting on $5 million in bonds sold to the state and the realization that some homes were being sold to investors and others who didn\u2019t meet income requirements.<\/p>\n

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

You can read the State Investment Council\u2019s report on the situation by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

Former Region III Housing Authority Director Vincent \u201cSmiley\u201d Gallegos resigned in the middle of the scandal, but new revelations about potential misuse of money and other wrongdoing continue to surface. Gov. Bill Richardson has proposed that the housing authorities be abolished and that their work be given to the state Mortgage Finance Authority.
<\/p>\n

Gallegos, a former legislator from Clovis<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, has repeatedly denied misusing money. When asked by the Journal to comment for today\u2019s article, he had this to say: \u201cYou\u2019re asking stupid questions again, and I don\u2019t want to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

But the questions aren\u2019t stupid at all, and the allegations are serious. According to the Journal, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Judge Theresa Gomez resides in a home owned by the housing authority, though she makes $93,000 per year. Lisa Ortiz, who Lujan described as his office manager and who earns more than $71,000 per year, lives in a manufactured home on about 78 acres of land north of Stanley that\u2019s owned by the housing authority.<\/p>\n

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

Neither has been paying rent.<\/p>\n

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

The interim head of the Region III authority, Lawrence Rael, told the Journal that the deals might have been made with hope of future political favors.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThere may have been a political reason, I don\u2019t know \u2026,\u201d he told the newspaper. \u201cIt just looks that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

He did say he doesn\u2019t believe Gomez or Ortiz knowingly took part in such a scheme but, since he took over, the housing authority has demanded that the two pay back rent. Gomez signed a deal in July to buy the home, but Rael has cancelled it.<\/p>\n

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

Gomez told the Journal she has lived in the home for two years and has repeatedly tried to formalize a deal to lease and then purchase it, which she says was her intent all along.<\/p>\n

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

She also revealed that Gallegos has sought her advice on legal matters involving his children, and that she dismissed a traffic citation issued to Gallegos and cancelled a related bench warrant because he said someone used his identity when being ticketed.<\/p>\n

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

Though Gomez said she didn\u2019t treat Gallegos differently than anyone else, she told the Journal that she knows \u201cthe whole issue of not paying rent looks bad, smells.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Creating the appearance of impropriety, regardless of whether there is actual wrongdoing, is a violation of the state Code of Judicial Conduct. Gomez told the Journal her actions created such an appearance, but said she doesn\u2019t take bribes.<\/p>\n

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

Ortiz, according to the Journal, claims she and her boyfriend were \u201cdefrauded and victimized\u201d by the housing authority. That\u2019s a quote from a letter she wrote to Rael.<\/p>\n

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

Ortiz revealed how the deal came about in her letter to Rael. She said she and her boyfriend were looking for a way to buy the property. During a trip to Lujan\u2019s office, Gallegos overheard Ortiz discussing it with her boyfriend by telephone. He offered to purchase the home, make improvements, and resell it to Ortiz, she claims, despite her concern that she might not qualify for such assistance.<\/p>\n

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

The purchase was to take place after Ortiz and her boyfriend sold another home but, with Gallegos\u2019 permission, they moved in to the home in November 2005 while awaiting the other home\u2019s sale.<\/p>\n

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

Which brings us back to Lujan.<\/p>\n

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

One of Ortiz\u2019s roles is as a gatekeeper of access to Lujan. Ortiz claimed she didn\u2019t give Gallegos special treatment. Though she told the Journal she thinks Gallegos \u201cwas just trying to be courteous\u201d in helping her with the home purchase, she said the housing authority he ran victimized her and her boyfriend.<\/p>\n

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

Lujan told the Journal he only learned recently that Ortiz lived in the home, and said he never discussed it with Gallegos. He said he\u2019s been friends with Gallegos since the two began serving together in the House in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

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

In an interview today, Lujan told me he doesn\u2019t know why anyone would think giving Ortiz special treatment would earn them political favor.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cMy staff\u2019s personal life is their personal life. I don\u2019t get involved in any of that,\u201d Lujan told me.<\/p>\n

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

Many have been telling me for months that Gallegos spends a lot of time in Lujan\u2019s office during legislative sessions. Lujan told me it\u2019s true that Gallegos spends a lot of time \u201cin my outer office\u201d where the public is welcome.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIn my inner office, he doesn\u2019t spend a lot of time,\u201d Lujan said.<\/p>\n

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

But some House members doubt that and have been pushing for Martinez<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> or another House Democrat to make an attempt to oust him as speaker because of this and other scandals. Now Lujan\u2019s opponents have on-the-record evidence of a link, and some told me they believe the effort to oust Lujan will pick up speed.<\/p>\n

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

There are many Democrats in the House who are pushing for an end to the corruption that has rocked their party in recent months. The party has had to deal with some scandal very publicly, including the convictions of the last two state treasurers.<\/p>\n

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

Some speculate that reform Democrats might push Lujan to quietly resign from his position as speaker while he still has dignity.<\/p>\n

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

On the other hand, evidence in today\u2019s Journal article isn\u2019t damning for Lujan \u2013 in fact, it doesn\u2019t definitively implicate him in anything \u2013 and one of his supporters told me there\u2019s no threat of Lujan losing any dignity.<\/p>\n

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

Lujan told me there won\u2019t be a challenge to his leadership.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThere is absolutely no truth to that,\u201d he said. \u201cMy members are evidently satisfied with my leadership, and there will be no challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

But there is concern among some House Democrats. Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces, wouldn\u2019t comment on whether there will be a challenge, but said she is \u201cdisappointed with the headlines about our speaker. We have to have trust in our speaker, and if any of this was taking place behind closed doors, I\u2019m not alright with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s unusual to find a House Democrat willing to say anything publicly that challenges Lujan\u2019s authority. That\u2019s a sign of growing dissent.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Garcia said she hopes to carry ethics reform legislation in January that will include the potential creation of an ethics commission, but isn\u2019t certain it has any chance of being approved.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m concerned if I bring forth this legislation that it will not have its due process because we\u2019ve had a lot of problems with the integrity of our Democratic leadership,\u201d she said, without naming Lujan or anyone else. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After months of whispers, Speaker of the House Ben Lujan has been linked to the state housing authority scandal. So has a state judge, which should result in an investigation by the Judicial Standards Commission. The Albuquerque Journal revealed today that a Bernalillo County metropolitan judge and a top aide to Lujan have been living, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}