Denish Prepares for Historic New Role as Governor!

Every fall for the last six years Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish has met with some, or all, of the 13 Cabinet Secretaries that make up the Children's Cabinet. The meetings, scheduled ahead of the legislative session each winter in Santa Fe, allow her to get input from each department and determine her legislative agenda.

This year is no different. Well almost no different. Everyone she meets knows she'll likely be Governor by the start of the 60-day session. Still, she's meeting with each secretary before the Thanksgiving holiday. Denish will become the state's first female governor if Governor Bill Richardson is appointed, and accepts, the post of Secretary at the U.S. Commerce Department.

Denish told reporters that she is working closely with the Gov. Richardson, and is staying in close contact with him, to work on their legislative agenda. Denish said for now there is only one governor. She also told the group that she and Richardson are well aware of budget shortfalls and are working hard to develop a balanced budget proposal.

Today, Denish met with Veteran's Affairs Secretary John Garcia at the Albuquerque's Veteran Re-Integration Service Center. Afterward she met with reporters who only had one topic in mind: the political shift that will take place after Governor Bill Richardson is named to President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet.

Lt. Gov. Denish says she believes Governor Richardson "will be a terrific addition" to the cabinet, and that she's prepared to step into the role as governor as she has so often during her six year tenure as his number two. Denish says her priority right now is to prepare for the 60-day session, and she confirmed she's considering multiple people to replace her as lieutenant governor.

Reporters asked almost every question. Thinking back on it, I wish I'd asked her how her husband Herb Denish felt about becoming the state's first man or first husband. What will we call him? Perhaps, like Alaska's Todd Palin, he'll just want to be known as "First dude," but somehow we doubt that. A reader recommends: First Gentleman.

SF Reporter Kate Nash covered the event with me. Read her post on this morning's news conference at on her SF New Mexican Blog: Green Chile Chatter.

Personal Note: So this is my first news video. It gets shakier the longer it goes because I was also holding the 770KKOB News microphone at the same time I was managing to keep the Lt. Gov. centered in the new Flip Video camera. We’ll figure it out as we go.