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Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday Clippings From My Newsroom Floor: An Out Of This World Job, A State Job For Heather's Hubby And The Tweet Of The Week 

Talk about a new job for this century. It's out of this world. Virgin Galactic is advertising for "pilot-astronauts" as it continues preparations to launch tourists into space from the NM Spaceport. From the ad:

Qualified candidates are full course graduates of a recognised test pilot school who are broadly experienced with both high-performance fast-jet type airplanes and large multi-engine types. Prior spaceflight experience is desirable.

Virgin Galactic is dedicated to becoming a world leader in sub-orbital commercial space tourism with a longer term vision to develop space technologies that have the potential to open space to significantly more people and users. Pilot-astronauts are a vital part of its efforts to creating a safe and enjoyable commercial suborbital space flight...


We don't know what the pilot-astronauts will be paid, but astronauts with NASA are paid between $62,000 to $95,000 per year.

A help wanted ad that says "prior spaceflight experience desirable?" Surely, a new world awaits.

Here's a more down to Earth help wanted ad sent to us:


Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico, Inc.
(CAASNM) is looking for a CEO. The Board of Directors will close the search April 22. The CEO is responsible for providing leadership by working with the Board of Directors to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies. CAASNM is a non-profit. Please send or deliver application and resume to Jennifer L. Garcia Kozlowski (jenniek@caasnm.org)

HEATHER'S HUBBY
Jay Hone
While Heather Wilson is out campaigning for the GOP US senate nomination, her husband--attorney Jay Hone--will have the security of a state paycheck to help keep bread on the table. According to the Sunshine Portal, Hone has a new job as general counsel for the General Services Department. He's being paid $93,000 a year. Heather headed up Governor Martinez's transition team. Hone, 58, recently applied for an ABQ metro court judgeship but that post went to another applicant. He had been in private law practice for a number of years.


Getting a new gig in government or elsewhere in the state remains challenging, according to the
AP's monthly analysis:

The AP's index found that the only states not to strengthen in February over January were Maine, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico and Wisconsin. All had higher or unchanged unemployment rates and, except for New Mexico, higher foreclosure rates in February.

Heather isn't the only GOP US senate candidate. Greg Sowards of Las Cruces is running too and calling Wilson "a liberal Republican." The owner of a group of day care centers confirms earlier reports that he has put $150,000 of his own money
into the race:

Sowards announced that his campaign has raised $152,035 in the first quarter. The southern New Mexico businessman contributed $150,000 himself....Sowards especially hopes to appeal to conservatives and Tea Party members looking for an alternative to former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson. Sowards has called Wilson a "liberal Republican."

Waiting in the wings is Lt. Gov. John Sanchez. If he gets in he is also expected to woo conservatives away from Heather.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

From southern NM Congressman Steve Pearce via Twitter:

I've never said to myself "You know what I could really go for? More government".

On our April Fools blog we joked that Pearce had called for abolishing the federal government. Now that was a joke with more than a grain of truth.

NOT MUCH WEIGHT?
Sen. Bingaman
A reader writes about the endorsement retiring Sen. Jeff Bingaman gave Javier Gonzales who is seeking another term as chairman of the NM Democratic Party:

An endorsement from lame duck Bingaman carries all the weight of passing gas in a windstorm!

Sam Bregman and Letitia Montoya are challenging Gonzales. The party election will be held April 30.

Meanwhile, Gonzales released a robocall poll of some 94 members of the state central committee taken April 12 and that showed him well ahead of his challengers.

Javier Gonzales--54.26%--Sam Bregman--37.23%--L. Montoya--8.51%

About 400 Dem central committee members will decide the chairmanship

TOO MUCH EXPORTING?

We end the week with this laugher that popped up in the email:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) – The U.S. policy of exporting democracy abroad has meant that there is very little of it left at home.

That is the grim assessment of a new study commissioned by the University of Minnesota, which predicts that if the U.S. continues to export democracy at its current pace it may completely run out of it at home by the year 2015.

“We have been exporting democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq while there are severe shortages of it in Wisconsin and Florida,” said Professor Davis Logsdon, who supervised the study. “This is madness.”

Citing the study, Speaker of the House John Boehner said today, “It has been clear to me for some time that we must explore alternative forms of government, such as oligarchy or plutocracy.”Noting that democracy originated in Greece, Mr. Boehner added, “We must reduce our dependence on foreign sources of government.”


This is the home of New Mexico politics. Thanks for stopping by this week.


Reporting from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan.

E-mail your news and comments. Interested in advertising here? Drop us a line.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Lost Coss: Santa Fe Mayor Caves On Tax Hike; Voters Clamp Down There & Elsewhere, Plus: Big Money Is Still On "Hill" And: Susana 0 For 2 With Supremes 

Mayor Coss
New Mexico public officials continue to feel unprecedented pressure to clean up their backyards and bring their budgets into line with the new economic reality. That pressure was simply too much to bear for Santa Fe Mayor David Coss (pronounced "cause") and his city council allies. They proposed raising property taxes to solve an $8 million shortfall for the budget year that starts July 1. Coss cracked and is now backing off. Instead of the property tax, he and his council allies, one of whom an angry electorate has started a recall effort against, are going for a one time raid of the city's Wastewater Fund. That fund pays for servicing sewer lines and the like. They take $4 million from there and combine it with other cost savings and get to the $8 million.

Chris Calvert, the city councilor who is being threatened with a recall election for his initial support of the property tax hike, is now running from it like a cat facing a fireman's hose.

Mayor Coss, a former labor organizer, has simply not had the stomach to do what needs to be done--a restructuring from top to bottom of the employee heavy city government. Santa Fe has one government employee for every 43 residents in contrast to ABQ which has one city government worker for every 83 residents, says the Census.

The Wastewater Fund raid is a one time fix and if the economy doesn't take off Santa Fe will be back in the red for yet another year. And just what are the chances the Santa Fe economy will boom with new tourism and increased state government employment? The mayor would be better off betting on the roulette wheel at Buffalo Thunder.

Santa Fe voters join their Rio Rancho brethern in a taxpayer rebellion. Last month voters there rejected a $22 million bond issue for street repair and construction. They will see a property tax decrease as a result. ABQ Mayor Berry didn't dare propose a tax increase when he came in, but instead let the city payroll dwindle through attrition and he ordered pay cuts.

The voting public doesn't want to see blood in the streets, but they want to see the government budgets treated like they have had to treat their own. And that means some real pain.

TAKING THE PAIN

What most voters instinctively know and the political classes are hesitant to accept is that we are in a new era. The long-term outlook is not for a brand new bull market, but for slow growth that will necessitate downsizing. Coss is kicking the can down the road with the $4 million raid. It may see him through another year, but by forcing him to reject a property tax hike voters are telling him they are ready for a city that provides fewer services and has fewer employees.

The problem is that the liberal electoral base of Mr. Coss doesn't support that view. When His Honor gives voters outside of his political base a plan they can believe in, then and only then will a tax increase get a serious hearing.

For the state it can be argued that income taxes were chopped too much by Big Bill during the bull market and when he was looking to put points on the board for his 2008 presidential run. That has meant--by some estimates--at least $300 million less coming into the coffers each year. On the other hand, the gross receipts tax--now 7% in ABQ and over 8% in ABQ--is what our cities mostly depend on to finance local government and raising it further can be a business killer.

CLAMPING DOWN

It's natural for the politicos to look to the more stable and still low property tax to pick up the slack, but with the Rio Rancho bond defeat and the Coss cave-in in Santa Fe they are now 0 for 2. Add to the mix Governor Martinez's popular pledge not to raise taxes during her four year term.

As a sluggish economy, high unemployment and higher prices bedevil them, New Mexico voters are clamping down on the revenue streams going into government at all levels.

The party may be long over but the hangover is going strong. Just ask Mayor Coss.

REAL ESTATE BEAT

Part of Santa Fe's problem is the aftermath of the housing bubble. The latest:

Santa Fe city and county home sales fell slightly from 275 in the first quarter of 2010 to 272 in the first quarter of 2011. The overall median price of homes in the city and county during the quarter fell slightly to $355,000 from $365,000 in the same quarter of last year.

Sure, there's a bunch of Texas millionaires buying property up there and that keeps the median price high, but $355,000? You drive around the City Different and you can tell the guy making money is the one who makes the "For Sale" signs. Sellers in Santa Fe still haven't sobered up and the real estate sits there like a too expensive necklace in the window at Tiffany's--available to the few but not the many. Look out below, Santa Fe.

STILL RICH

While Santa Fe struggles, New Mexico's government-rich Los Alamos County maintains its spot on the top ten list of wealthiest counties in the USA. Forbes has the county--home to Los Alamos Labs--coming in at #6 in the latest data:

Decades of government money spent on nuclear weapons resulted in a bonanza for the local economy. Most of the 18,000 residents of the county (New Mexico's smallest) live in Los Alamos


The median annual household income for the county is listed at $100,423.

With all that cash floating around "The Hill" you would think they would have a couple of good restaurants around there. Or are we missing something?

Then there's the downside of the nuclear industry. From Capitol Hill:

Congressman Ben Ray Luján led the effort to introduce legislation today in the House of Representatives that expands compensation for those exposed to radiation while working in uranium mines or living downwind from atomic weapons tests. Luján’s bill is the companion to legislation introduced in the Senate today by Senator Tom Udall and cosponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman....

RAPIDLY RESPONDING

Sam Bregman, who is seeking to unseat Dem Party Chairman Javier Gonzales at an April 30 party election, has been riding Javier hard, saying the party needs "a rapid response team" to keep the R's on the defensive. Well, maybe he's listening. The Dems were quick to jump on a state Supreme Court ruling that went against the Governor and for state employee labor unions. The Supremes said her firing of two members of the Public Employee Labor Relations Board was against the law and ordered her to reinstate board members John Boyd and Doug Westbrook:

"In barely more than 100 days in office Susana Martinez has yet again lost in the state supreme court for overstepping her authority," said DPNM Chairman Gonzales. "First she was caught making a back-room deal with lobbyists to weaken clean-water protections, now she has been soundly rebuked for attempting to take away employees' rights by dismantling the board assigned to hear worker complaints. Clearly Governor Martinez has a troubling agenda and it appears she is willing to run afoul of state law to do it."

One Republican wag chimed in on the Guv's second loss before the high court in her young administration:

I hear Susana was a good district attorney, but she hasn't won a case since being Governor....

BINGAMAN ENDORSES JAVIER
Gonzales
Back on the Dem state chair race, Javier Gonzales supporters are celebrating a big name endorsement--that of senior Senator Jeff Bingaman who is also one of the over 400 state Dem central committee members who will decide the contest. Says Jeff:

I will cast my vote for Javier Gonzales for state party chair. Javier has the state party on the right track, laying the groundwork for candidate recruitment, fundraising and party building to make sure New Mexico helps re-elect President Obama, elects great Democratic candidates in both open U.S. Senate and House seats, and equally capable Democrats up and down the ballot in 2012....

The Dems decide their chairmanship April 30. Letitia Montoya of Santa Fe is a third candidate.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Dem US senate candidate and ABQ Congressman Martin Heinrich has been endorsed by the Teamsters union. He is the only major announced candidate for the 2012 Dem senate nomination....Bernalillo County has a new web site. It cost $245,000 and took almost two years to complete. We'll let you be the judge on whether it was worth it....

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. Interested in advertising here? Drop us a line.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Hanna Plays Hardball In School Funding Dispute; Is The System Really Being "Gamed?" Plus: Susana's Shopping; Local Enough? And? My Bottom Lines 

It's hardball from education chief Hanna Skandera and the Guv in response to a recent snafu over school funding. They are trying to regain the offensive and pointing their fingers at the school districts, saying that a larger than expected shortfall in school funding could be the result of some districts "gaming" the system.

The stakes are high as one of Governor Martinez's central campaign pledges was to only cut administrative excess, not classroom funding. But her foes are now saying the extra $20 million in cuts that are needed means classrooms will indeed suffer cuts. Susana says the unexpected shortfall can still be resolved by administrative cuts.

Causing the budget crunch is the increased money needed for a higher number of special education students than anticipated and higher salaries for teachers who have taken advanced training.

Skandera and the Guv had the fingers pointed at them when shortly after the legislative session they dropped their bombshell that the legislature had not cut enough money from the schools. Superintendents and lawmakers said Skandera should have alerted them to the new numbers while legislators were meeting. Others ask where were the legislators? Schools now face a cut of 3.4 percent, not the 1.5 percent approved in the state budget. But the administration says the real issue is the way the districts are counting. From Skandera:

The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) sent a memo to the state’s 89 school districts and local school authorities on Tuesday outlining the audit process currently underway....
“....It’s about transparency and fairness.” said Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera. “Fraud and abuse of the state’s funding system will not be tolerated.....Gaming the system in one district means fewer dollars for well-deserving students in another.”

....Districts receive a determined amount of money based on the number of students....Last week, NMPED discovered unusual spikes in the areas of Special Education and Teacher Training and Experience....Special Education students and their funding units are the most expensive in the funding formula....

This is a notable escalation of the warfare between the administration and the school bureaucracy (and unions) which started when Susana in her first state-of-the-state speech singled out the ABQ Public schools for wasteful administrative spending.

Improving the state's low education rankings would be a major political plum for Martinez, giving her high-powered ammo when she goes before the voters again. Failure would also have major political consequences.


Is there really some "gaming" of the educational system, or is this like those charges about illegal aliens voting in New Mexico, with no one able to show the proof? Looks like we're about to find out.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Reader Denis Norlander writes of the education funding snafu and reminds us of a blast from the past:


Whenever I read about school budgets, I recall Harry Wugalter, who was NM Chief of Public School Finance in the late 60s into the 70s. He approved each district's budget in the spring, with his small staff keeping track of every nickel. Big changes had to be approved by him throughout the year. I don't remember him questioning programs a district was supporting, just the figures.

Preparing for your budget hearing with him was like expecting a visit from the Inquisitor General. But no one could have embezzled $3 million from any district under his watch and there was no confusion over the formula figures. There are others in the state who would remember him better than I do but a then and now comparison might be interesting!

Thanks, Denis. Your mail had us looking for more info and we came up with what appears to be a very good book about the history of NM education. It's called Public Education in New Mexico and covers all 400 years of our settled history. It was written by educators Ernest Stapleton and John Mondragon and published in 2005.

Some of the book was posted on the site that we linked too here and there are some anecdotes about Wugalter and other education heavy hitters. It looks like must reading for state policy makers and others interested in how we got where we are today.


SLOWING THE TRAIN
Judge Murphy
The New Mexico Supreme Court slowed down what was looking like a runaway train in the case of Las Cruces District Judge Michael Murphy. They denied a request from the state Judicial Standards Commission that Murphy be suspended while Special Prosecutor Matt Chandler investigates allegations that Murphy paid a bribe--in the form of campaign contributions--to win his appointment to the bench from the Richardson administration.

The high court looked at all the sealed evidence and decided a suspension was not merited. This follows a series of press leaks describing that evidence and which we debated on the blog the past week. Murphy's attorney said of the high court ruling:

Unjust and improperly leaked information will not change Judge Murphy's determination to dispense justice in his job..


The Supremes didn't give a reason for not suspending Murphy, but you can speculate that if they saw something particularly egregious they would have told him to stay home for a while. Or maybe they just don't want to prejudice the case by throwing gasoline on the fire. To be continued...

SUSANA'S SHOPPING

Governor Martinez recently boasted of being a savvy shopper, describing how she picked up most of the furnishings for the Governor's Mansion at Ashley Furniture in Las Cruces, a national discount store. But that decision did not go down well with everyone, including Vicki Pozzebon, executive director of the Santa Fe Alliance:

As the director of a nonprofit that helps build a local economy and as a supporter of Sen. Wirth's longtime fight to close corporate tax loopholes, I'm thinking of starting a "Why Didn't She Buy Local" campaign to outline the impacts on our local economy of her shopping choices.


We use the statistic that 45 cents of every dollar spent at locally owned stores in our community multiplies up to 4x in our local tax base. Only 13 cents stays in our community when a dollar is spent at a big box store. If she wants to help NM businesses she needs to understand that her choices have serious impact. Think Local First!

Ashley is a franchise operation and if the franchisees are New Mexico residents it gives them more of a connection to local communities than other "big box" stores. Ashley Furniture in Las Cruces was described by the Guv as "locally owned."

THE GUV'S PURSE

But where did Susana get the money to buy $26,000 worth of furniture? She says her total budget was $62,000. We get this email inquiry on that:

Joe, I have never known of a governor receiving money from the state to furnish the private portion of the governor's mansion. It is my understanding that until Kathy Carruthers (wife of former GOP Gov. Garrey Carruthers) got a governor's Mansion Foundation established, governors paid for all the furniture in the house. I wonder where Susana found the money?

I remember the Johnson's (Gov. Gary and wife Dee) paying to furnish the new guest quarters and then donating the furniture when they left. As I recall, the Richardsons donated all the furnishings in the residential portion of the mansion when they left because their private home in SFe already was furnished. I can understand the Martinezs wanting new furniture because Bill's big cigars permeated everything.

We asked Guv spokesman Scott Darnell where the specific funding for the furniture came from but haven't heard back yet.

MY BOTTOM LINES

We had a typo up for a while Tuesday that made it appear Heather Wilson had defeated Steve Pearce in the 2008 GOP US Senate primary. A lot of readers pointed that out. Heather was not among them....We pegged ABQ GOP City Councilor Brad Winter's age at about 57 on the Tuesday blog. Actually, he will turn 59 on April 22....Need a break from La Politica? Here's the place for all your New Mexico golf news....

Lt. Governor John Sanchez is still
sounding like he will be a candidate but when will he announce he will challenge Heather Wilson for the GOP Senate nomination? "It's still 14 months before the primary," said Sanchez when asked this week if he is coming in. We blogged that a Sanchez entry could be expected by the end of the month, but it could be longer. He is the only serious anti-Heather candidate around and can pace himself....

The Republican Party of Bernalillo County will host its "Reagan Legacy Dinner" featuring former GOP US Senator Harrison "Jack" Schmitt as speaker this Saturday, April 16th, at the ABQ Embassy Suites Hotel. Tickets are $60 each with info here.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. Interested in advertising here? Drop us a line.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Heather Raises Healthy Amount Of Cash But Tea Party Keeps Her On The Run, Plus: Winter Draws City Council Election Foe, And: Do You Have Enough Chile? 

Heather Wilson
The tea party already has Heather Wilson on the run. The former ABQ GOP Congresswoman, seeking the GOP US senate nomination next year, refused to comment when asked if she favored the 11th hour budget deal put together last week to the keep the government operating:

"Rep. Wilson will not be commenting on this story," said spokesman Christopher Sanchez.

Most GOP Senate candidates around the nation are opposing the deal, saying it did not go far enough in cutting the budget. Conservative southern NM Congressman Steve Pearce says he will vote against the deal for that reason.

Wilson faces a likely GOP primary challenge from Lt. Governor John Sanchez who has been courting tea party types and accusing Wilson of being a "relic of the past." Her refusal to talk about the budget deal shows the tricky balancing act she has in satisfying the nominating wing of her party, but not going so far that it would put at risk her chances with more moderate voters in the 2012 general election.

Sanchez is not yet in the race so he hasn't been asked how he feels about the budget deal. And it's not as if he doesn't have the same challenge as Heather. If he drifts too far right, moderate New Mexico will drift away from him. Insiders say Pearce is pushing the Sanchez candidacy. Pearce defeated Wilson when the two faced off for the GOP senate nod in 2008.

THE CASH COUNT

Money will be a key factor in the GOP senate contest and Wilson says she is off to a good start. From her campaign:

Wilson’s Federal Election Commission quarterly report shows that in just 24 days, Wilson raised $303,394 from over 1,100 donors. 87% of her contributions came from New Mexicans. Nearly 70% of all donations were $100 or less, and more than $32,000 was raised online, demonstrating Wilson’s ability to continue growing her grassroots base.

Wilson reports $282,000 in cash on hand. She says of her 1,139 contributors that 985 of them were from New Mexico.

Some analysts ask how much of this cash is "low hanging fruit," designed to show early muscle and drain momentum away from opponents, but with fund-raising slowing in the months ahead.

Wilson mentioned her on-line fund-raising and we could be hearing more about that method in this campaign. National conservatives who are not fond of Wilson could put their fund-raising prowess to work on the Internet and raise a ton of dough for Sanchez.

We could be looking at a campaign between these two that costs each of them $2 million or more.

Sanchez is expected to make his official entry into the Senate race this month.

GOP Senate candidate Craig Sowards of Las Cruces, owner of a group of day care centers, is expected to finance his own primary effort. Insiders expect him to report about $150,000 in cash on hand when his report for the first quarter is filed with the FEC. Reports are due April 15. One of our analysts says look for Sowards to raise about $300,000--most of it his own--by the time the June 2012 primary rolls around.

WINTER DRAWS FOE
Winter vs. Tallman
Veteran Republican ABQ City Councilor Brad Winter appears to be in pretty good shape to win a fourth four year term in the October city election, but with a fickle public ready to turn on any incumbent at a moment's notice, Winter will have to make his case and he will have at least one candidate offering himself as an alternative.

70 year old William Tallman, a Democrat and a former deputy city manager in Santa Fe, says he will seek Winter's NE Heights seat. He came to New Mexico from Rhode Island and has spent 33 years in local government management. From the Rhode Island press:

Tallman had worked as a public administrator in Norwich, Conn.; Moline, Ill.; Hamilton, Ohio; and Newcastle, Pa. He is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1968. He obtained a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Cincinnati in 1972.

There's more about him here.

Tallman spent 14 months in his Santa Fe post in '07 and '08. He says he has lived in his ABQ city council district for five years, and adds:

I am very familiar with municipal government operations and issues. I have engaged the services of a very competent, intelligent and hard working campaign manager and plan to conduct a grass roots campaign with lots of door to door canvassing.

Winter, who turns 59 this month, is a native of Albuquerque and a top administrator for ABQ public schools. He was first elected to the council in 1999. He made an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2005. Some insiders say that race changed Winter, making him less of a consensus seeker, but he is a respected if now a more circumspect councilor than in his early career.

Winter beat his 2007 council opponent in a landslide. He believes his experience and a good working relationship with fellow Republican and Mayor Richard Berry are reasons he should be re-elected. He says if he wins this year it will be his final term.

By the way, do you remember who Brad defeated to become a city councilor back in '99? Well, it was none other than Sam Bregman, who was ousted after one four year term. Sam is now a candidate for Dem Party chairman, challenging Javier Gonzalez at a state Dem central committee meeting scheduled for April 30.

SOLD!
Kilmer
We haven't heard much about actor Val Kilmer lately. He caused quit a stir last year when he toyed with the idea of running for Governor here. But now it appears Val's ties with the state may soon be loosened. From the WSJ:

Actor Val Kilmer is contracted to sell his 6,000-acre New Mexico ranch for an undisclosed price, according to a listing broker. It is also listed as "under contract" on the Sotheby's website. The sale price and the buyer could not be learned. Mr. Kilmer's lawyer, Ralph H. Scheuer, says that before the property sells, "a lot of contingencies have to be filled" and it is not actually in contract. The property most recently listed for $18.5 million; it originally came on the market in 2009 for $33 million. About 30 miles east of Santa Fe, the Pecos River Ranch has roughly six miles of a popular trout-fishing river running through it and is home to wildlife....

THE BOTTOM LINES


Here is funeral service info for Los Alamos area GOP State Rep. Jeannette Wallace who passed away Friday:

Wallace will lie in state from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.Wednesday at the State Capitol in Santa Fe....A public service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos. Wallace, 77, succumbed to various illnesses after a brief visit to the hospital in February.....


If you absolutely must have something to worry about today, you can take note of the fact that New Mexico's chile crop has dropped to levels not seen since the early 70's. You do have enough in your freezer, don't you?

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. Interested in advertising here? Drop us a line.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Monday, April 11, 2011

Susana's First Hundred Days: Heavy On Symbolism, Light On Substance, Plus: Skandera's Scare Gets Them Shouting, And: More On The Las Cruces Leaks 

Martinez (AP)
Governor Martinez has completed her first 100 days in office as well as her first legislative session, leaving no reason to think her popularity has either cratered or wildly surged. In the past week her handlers had her popping up in every corner of the state conducting symbolic bill signings--most of it not very earth shaking--but tailor made for TV news. While insiders see Martinez as a tough and sometimes severe former prosecutor, the picture given to the public through the media is that of a happy warrior. It's pretty good image management (The Guv also did not shy away from using her veto pen).

This transition from the most activist administration in state history--that of Big Bill--has been much more notable for the symbolic than the substantial. A friend with roots deep in the rural traditions of northern New Mexico described it in Spanish and it comes out like this in the translation:

Susana is like the hen who cackles much, stomps her feet and makes the most noise in the barnyard. She gets a lot of attention, but this is a hen that doesn't lay any eggs.

Whether correct or whimsical, another narrative about this administration that has currency among the political classes is that Martinez and her team are dead serious about getting her the VP slot on the 2012 GOP presidential ticket. That is the explanation given as to why the administration doesn't seem particularly concerned about seeking consensus, but instead is focused on keeping her conservative credentials pure and attractive to the national Republican nominating wing.

In this school of thinking her thin legislative record is of little importance. As the nation's first female Hispanic Governor, symbolism, not necessarily substance, will be key in trying to get her to national prominence.

SKANDERA'S SCARE

Skandera (AP)
Martinez has thrown out more than mere symbolism when it comes to public education (at least that's the view from this corner). She advocated for three legislative proposals, only one of which made it to her desk. She also promised not to make any cuts to the public education classroom. But then came that major snafu, with Hanna Skandera, the new hot-button Secretary of Education. Now that the legislators have gone home, she discloses there has been a beauty of a mistake (or misunderstanding) in figuring out how much money is going to be needed for special ed students and teacher salaries. It means school budgets will have to be trimmed by 3.4 percent not the much smaller 1.5 percent that was approved at the just concluded legislative session.

Skandera tired to spin that the mishap really was no mishap at all:

Is there someone to blame? Absolutely not. This is data, data turned in on a regular basis same on the same time frame as last year. The same process to follow.


But school superintendents, already being pressed hard for cuts, did not take it kindly, even as the Governor asserted the new round of cuts will still not impact the classroom, a judgment educators call into question.

Martinez was on her way to seizing the moral high ground in going after excess administrative costs in the public schools--especially with the ABQ public schools and Superintendent Winston Brooks who she called on the carpet. But the new shortfall shocker sent the momentum back the other way. That doesn't mean Martinez hasn't hit a public nerve over PIO's gone wild at APS and other examples of excessive overhead that she has wagged her finger at. Her education department's foul-up, however, does mean she is going to have to spend more political capital to get her way.

HOLLYWOOD BASHING


Part of this Governor's campaign to prove her bona fides to a national Republican audience is her continued chastisement of the state's film industry and "Hollywood," that elite enclave so resented by social conservatives. The latest example came in Susana's budget signing message:

The key to protecting our core priorities was trimming the film industry subsidy by nearly $25 million. Without this reduction, we would have faced deep cuts to schools and health care services. Balancing the budget on the backs of our children while continuing to give Hollywood a free ride was unacceptable to me from the start. I’m pleased that we were able to reach a suitable compromise that continues to welcome the film industry to New Mexico.

Well, never mind that $25 million in a $5.4 billion budget isn't the fiscal savior claimed by the Fourth Floor, let's talk about that back-handed compliment. First, you accuse Hollywood of getting a "free ride" but then claim our state welcomes the film industry. Those freeloading Hollywood producers the Guv speaks of might not be too kind when it comes to selecting New Mexico as a shooting location if given the choice between us and a state that offers similar incentives. But perhaps this concern is secondary when you are courting the national nominating wing of the Republican Party.

THE LAS CRUCES LEAKS

Reaction now to the Friday blog discussing the leaks coming out of Las Cruces and that bribery investigation being headed by Special Prosecutor and Clovis area District Attorney Matt Chandler. He is said to be probing allegations that District Judge Mike Murphy bought himself his position on the bench by giving money to the Richardson administration, a charge he and his attorney strongly deny. His lawyer called the leak of information "illegal," a term we also used. But the case has not actually been presented to the grand jury yet, so does that mean the leaks aren't "illegal?" We explore that with some reader thoughts:

Joe, the grand jury hasn't met, yet, so there can't be any leaks from there, yet. And that is what is illegal: leaking proceedings that are before a grand jury without a court order. So it's not illegal, yet.

But one of our legal beagles does not necessarily share that view: He explains:

State Grand Juries are convened for six months and they hear whatever cases are scheduled or presented by the district attorney or special prosecutor. The completed investigation reports are turned over to the prosecutor who then schedules the time and witnesses before the grand jury. Target letters are sent to defendants and they are given an opportunity to testify. In this case, it may not be scheduled yet, but there is grand jury impaneled and the leaks are coming from someone with access to final reports or even witnesses who have been interviewed.


There are red here flags that there may be prosecutorial misconduct and the leaking of information. The leaking is not coming from grand jury but it could be illegal depending upon who it is coming from....

Of course, the leaking could be coming from a variety of sources, not just the special prosecutor.

Republican Chandler was the 2010 GOP attorney general nominee and has been mentioned as a bright GOP star of the future. How the case is handled and settled could impact his future prospects.

JEANETTE WALLACE

Republican State Representative Jeanette Wallace, 77, was claimed by death Friday. She was first elected in 1990 and represented mainly Los Alamos but also parts of Sandoval and Santa Fe counties. From the Governor:

Jeannette dedicated two decades of her life to serving New Mexico in the state legislature. She was a tireless advocate for the people of Los Alamos, Sandoval, and Santa Fe Counties - committed to public service even as her health was fading over the past few months....Representative Wallace's passing is a loss for all of us who have had the pleasure to work with her. She will be deeply missed.

Jeannette will be especially missed by Democratic House Speaker Ben Lujan who often counted on the independent Wallace for support.

JUNIOR ALLIGATOR

We put up info recently from a junior Alligator in the ABQ South Valley knowing full well this Gator has gone astray over and over. And they did it again, asserting here on April 4 that State Senator Linda Lopez's district could be absorbed because of a drop in population in the latest census. But a Senior Alligator comes with the correction:

Actually, Linda Lopez’s district is 57% higher than the ideal population of a senate district.

The speculation came about as jockeying begins for the state senate seat of Eric Griego who is weighing giving it up and running for the ABQ US House seat. (Notice how we hedge there?)

We still have hope for that junior Alligator--kind of like a father whose son is serving time in prison.

UNFILTERED GOSSIP

Here is some good old fashioned political gossip from the ABQ South Valley, completely unfiltered, but presented for your entertainment pleasure:

We returned from the Atrisco Heir fundraiser. State Auditor Hector Balderas will announce his candidacy for the Democratic US Senate nomination in two weeks. State Senator Pete Campos will not enter the race against Balderas. Congressman Ben Ray Lujan is dragging his feet, but being pushed by his father, Speaker Ben Lujan, to get in. Hector will visit with Ben Ray to keep him out. The plan may include one or more visits with Big Ben. Also, Democratic Public Regulation Commissioner Jason Marks will forego entering either the Senate or US House race and will concentrate on the 2014 race for attorney general.


So far, Dem US Congressman Martin Heinrich is the only major Dem candidate to announce for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jeff Bingaman. Will Hector get in this thing and make it interesting? Friends say he is working at lining up financial commitments before taking the dive.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
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