Democrats Re-elect Entire Slate of State Officers

DPNM Chairman Brian Colon

On Saturday, members of the state's Democratic Party Central Steering Committee met at the Kiva Auditorium. By 3pm, they had re-elected each of the party's leaders, including Chairman Brian Colon.

"I'm humbled and honored," said Colón who was nominated for a second term by State Auditor Hector Balderas. Watch Colón's emotional acceptance speech here.

"It's a great day for the Democratic party. They elected the entire slate of statewide officers. They gave them another term. That means they like the direction of the party, they like the direction the country is going to move in under President Obama."

Colón told me the party's leaders will be focused on the 2010 election, and stressed they want a Democrat to win back the one state office held by a Republican. Land Commisioner Pat Lyons, is term-limited and can't run for re-election.

"We know it's a very important office and we want to make sure a Democratic is in it and make sure we protect New Mexico's lands and provide education opportunities our children deserve.

Former Land Commissioner Ray has already confirmed he'll seek the office next year. Powell, who had the post in the early '90s, lost his bid to regain the office in the 2006 Democratic Primary to former Land Commissioner Jim Baca.

Listen to Colón's remarks here:



The elephant in the room, and there have been a lot of elephants and in Albuquerque this week (read about them here and here), was the resolution on Marriage Equality that gay activists have wanted to include in the party's platform.


"It passed," said Democracy for New Mexico blogger Barbara Wold with a big smile on her face. "There was a movement to vote on it on its own, but that was overthrown; so we were happy with that. There was a language change and now it's called Marriage Equality. That's what we wanted. It won by a huge amount to keep it in with the packet and to have everything together."

Southern New Mexico's Al Kissling, who has a background as a minister and who ran for the congressional seat Harry Teague now holds, wanted to keep the resolution out of the platform, but Democrats voted 309-35 to keep it.

"In this case my fellow Democrats support me and respect my relationship with Mary Ellen [Broderick] of twenty years, and respect us as human beings," said Wold.

Wold told me she doesn't think the stronger resolution language will undermine their efforts in Santa Fe, but wouldn't make any predictions on what legislators will do during a special session or during the 2010 legislature.

Wold says Marriage Equality isn't a religious issue, but Kissling says, "the state shouldn’t push a religious rite.”

She attributes the bigotry in New Mexico to the Catholic Church and tradition.

"There's some perception that this will take away from heterosexual marriages. I don't see it that way," said Wold. "It's not about a sacred sacrament. It's about the license and the piece of paper."

"It gives us some legal rights that other people have in their relationships. Hopefully, at some point in the future, we hope to get the same rights on the Federal level," said Wold.

Listen to our interview here:

[For more on the days events and to look at the specifics of the resolution, read Barbara Wold's blog post here]

Colón told us the Democrats sent a message that everyone should be treated equally and fairly.”

Colón said it's time to rethink whether or not government should even be involved in talking about about marriage. That should be a religious institution he said.

"At the end of the day, we need to understand what's religion, and we need to understand what's a governmental entity," Colón told me. "We've blurred that line, when it comes to marriage, because of our history. But, not all of our history is good."

Later, we asked Colón to talk about what NM's Washington delegation should do after this morning's ABQ JOURNAL story on the New Mexico National Guard's Flying Taco's losing their mission after the F-22 Raptors are mothballed.

Colón, along with NM Secretary of State Mary Herrera, will oversee next year's state wide election. We asked him if he's concerned about the legislature failing to fund money for ES&S voting machine upkeep and ballot printing.

"My goal is to make sure every vote counts in New Mexico," said Colón. "And whatever it takes to make that happen is what we should be doing."

He thinks the legislature may have rejected the funding measure as a way to negotiate a better maintenance contract with Herrera and county clerks.

For Pete's Sake:

Tonight, we learned, Senator Linda Lopez announced that she'll enter the 2010 Race for Lieutenant Governor. She told us while viewing John Walsh's America's Most Wanted with family members of the West Mesa Murder victims.

UPDATE: 10 pm

Santa Fe New Mexican Reporter Steve Terrell was also in ABQ to cover today's committee meeting. He posted this report on his blog Roundhouse Roundup.

Colon Photo: MG Bralley

Governor Urges Congress To Fund National Guard on Border.

On Thursday, Governor Bill Richardson joined several other border state governors urging congressional leaders to fully fund the National Guard's Counter-Drug Program in the upcoming Supplemental Budget Act and the Department of Defense’s FY10 budget.

The requested funding would increase New Mexico’s budget for the mission by about $5 million and allow for the deployment of 100 additional Guard personnel.

Richardson said:

The support our National Guard offers federal authorities along the border is critical to stemming the flow of drugs in and weapons out. As the violence associated with drug and weapons trafficking continues to intensify, it is clear that we need additional manpower.

Last May, we interviewed Lt. Governor Diane Denish after she toured the border in a Guard helicopter. Listen to our interview with her here.

Over the last year, New Mexico Guard personnel have assisted in the confiscation of more than 24,000 lbs. of marijuana and confiscation of 251 marijuana plants; more than 98 lbs. of methamphetamine and 41 lbs. of cocaine, the seizure of 150 weapons, the seizure of 69 vehicles, and the seizure of more than $740,000 in illegally transported U.S. currency.

Another critical aspect of the Counter-Drug Program is the “Stay on Track” anti-drug education program offered by the National Guard in nine middle schools across New Mexico . The requested funding would allow the Guard to expand the successful program to middle schools in the border towns of Deming, Lordsburg, Santa Teresa and Silver City.

In addition to assisting in searches of vehicles detained by federal officers, the 109 New Mexico National Guard Counter-Drug personnel conduct air surveillance operations with three helicopters, provide the eyes to monitor remote border cameras and assist in monitoring bypass routes around main highway Customs and Border Patrol checkpoints.

Millions Spent Subsidizing Commerical Flights in New Mexico.

Bloomberg.com reporter Brian Faler revealed in this morning report that taxpayers spend up to $3600 subsidizing New Mexico Airline passengers who make short 150 mile flights between Albuquerque and Alamogordo.

Faler calculates that’s enough for a family of four to fly roundtrip from Albuquerque to Paris.

The US. Government spends millions keeping planes in the air on unprofitable routes.

The Bloomberg story says so far officials in Washington, looking to cut $100 million in government spending, by order of President Obama, in the next 90 days, have not targeted the Essential Air Service Program.

Lawmakers regularly defeat such proposals according to the Bloomberg story:

The Essential Air Service program’s popularity in Congress illustrates the difficulty Obama will face in trying to fulfill his pledge to search “line by line” for budget savings and trim a projected $1.85 trillion deficit: Almost every line in the budget is protected by guardian angels on Capitol Hill.

Obama’s fiscal 2010 spending outline, in fact, would add $55 million to air-service subsidies, an increase of more than 40 percent.

Aviation industry consultant Patrick Murphy told Bloomberg:

Let’s say you cut Alamogordo; you’ve immediately alienated two senators from New Mexico. In Washington terms, that’s probably not worth it.

Photo: MG Bralley
New Mexico Democrats Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall were among 22 senators who signed an April 9 letter warning White House budget director Peter Orszag against air-service cutbacks.

New Mexico Airlines, operated by Pacific Wings, has 12 weekly flights to Alamogordo. Some flights reportedly only have one passenger.

Click here to read the full report.

Zanetti Posts A Video "Missive" on "Pay to Play!"

On the same morning that Thom Cole at the ABQ Journal is "Up Front" with a story on how third-party marketer Marc Correra earned more than $11 million dollars in fees for helping secure state investments for a Chicago based financial firm, likely Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Zanetti has posted his fifth You Tube channel video. A missive on "pay to play" schemes.

Zanetti says the staggering $5.7 Billon loss in NM State Pemanent Funds has got his attention. He says, "discerning how it happened may be the bigger story."

Albuquerque Mayor Offers Councilors Compromise

Mayor Martin Chavez, who will likely face voters and stand for re-election this Fall, appears to be trying to mend frayed relations with Albuquerque City Councilors. They reacted bitterly when Chavez stated he would rigorously recognize a city charter mandated deadline for council action on his proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

On Monday, he sent a letter to City Council President Isaac Benton outlining two compromises he's willing to consider.

Marjorie Childress wrote about the turf war between the Mayor and councilors in this piece posted on the New Mexico Independent last week.

You can read Mayor Chavez' letter to Benton here.

Mayors Compromise 42009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: School Work Other issac benton mayor chavez

City Attorney Bob White told Childress last week that because the City Council approved the CIP about 90 days after it was introduced on January 5th the Mayor’s original proposal would automatically take effect.

But today, Chavez writes that taxpayers don't want to see lawsuits start flying and that in the "spirit of compromise" he's willing to append a floor amendment agreeable to councilors. It does not include the $6.48 million Tingley Beach swimming lagoon Chavez had originally requested.

Less than a week after the turf battle erupted it appears the mayor is willing to give councilors some wiggle room because he wants every penny of CIP money spent believing it will stimulate the local economy.

Alternatively, Chavez proposes a second compromise with Benton: An entirely new CIP amendment reflected in documents we did not receive.

Update:

KOB TV reported on Monday night that it appears the Mayor and Council are still destined for a court battle.

Photo credit: MG Bralley . Read Bralley's new blog post on lobbying and the tax exempt status of local non-profit groups here.

Cosmic Voyage with the National Science Federation.

We found this documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman online and wanted to share Cosmic Voyage with you.

You'll appreciate the stunning videography and what a better time to explore the universe.

Cosmic voyage explores some of the greatest scientific theories, many of which have never before been visualized on film before in a mix of ground-breaking computer animations and cutting edge science.



We are all travelers on an unending voyage of discovery. As Energy Secretary Chu said at Sandia last week "Humans have to take care of the planet. There's no place else to go."

Will we ever know what lies beyond the cosmic horizon?

Post: Richardson At Peace ...

Photo: MG Bralley
On Friday, the Washington Post published this profile on New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Reporter Phillip Rucker writes:

The nation's most prominent Latino politician is stuck in virtual exile, term-limited from office in two years with no easy next step.

Listen to Rucker's exclusive interview with the Governor.


Rucker also writes:

A federal pay-to-play investigation of his gubernatorial office forced Richardson in January to withdraw his nomination as commerce secretary, and the dark cloud of the investigation now hovers over his once-bright political future.

The lifelong politician who craved the spotlight and longed to return to Washington says he has had enough -- at least for now.

For Pete's Sake:

The governor still has a full 30-day session and perhaps one or two special sessions to get his priority programs approved by lawmakers.

We suspect the governor will spend the next two years focused on his "legacy" projects. We've watched the man at work, sometimes for 18 hours a day. We don't anticipate he'll let up anytime soon.

Zanetti Tells the AP He's "Running for Governor!"

The 50-year old Republican financial adviser and brigadier general in the NM National Guard told Santa Fe based AP ReporterDeborah Baker that he's been campaigning full-time since February.

Baker interviewed Zanetti on Wednesday after a Tax Day rally on the Santa Fe Plaza at which he was a speaker. Zanetti told Baker,

I'm traveling the state, we're raising money and there's an awful lot of enthusiasm for the campaign.

We found Baker's article online at the Denver Post.

We also talked to Zanetti at the Albuquerque rally before he headed to Santa Fe. He definitely sounded like he was all but officially in the race.

To listen to our Tea Party Rally interview with Zanetti click here.

This morning, Zanetti appeared on 770KKOB's morning show with host Bob Clark. He's backing off his comments earlier in the week.

Zanetti say's he isn't prepared to officially announce, but we did find this website Zanetti For Governor.

ABQ Tea Rally Lures Thousands of Protestors and Pink Pigs.

It was a rowdy crowd that attended today's tax day tea party rally in Albuquerque at the Independence Grill. Beware these protesters were toting signs, flags, horns, and even hanging every pink pig they could find from trees.

UPDATED WITH AUDIO POSTS:

We talked exclusively with NM National Guard General Greg Zanetti, who's lining up to run for governor in New Mexico next year, and with Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing at the event.

Both men say fiscal responsibility will fix the country's problems faster than exorbitant government spending.

We also shot lots of pictures at the Tea Party Rally near Louisiana and Montgomery Blvd. Watch this slide show while you listen to comments from Zanetti and Gessing.



Zanetti Says Government needs to fund projects that create wealth.

Republican Greg Zanetti, who’s in the process of launching his 2010 gubernatorial, spent a few minutes talking to us. Zanetti says, “We have a spending problem that you can’t solve with more spending, a debt problem you don’t solve with more debt, and a borrowing problem you don’t solve with more borrowing.”

Listen to our exclusive interview with Zanetti here.



“If we’re going to be a nation of free men and women then you have to have less government, less regulation, less taxes, less spending and less borrowing,” said Zanetti. “That’s the solution. It’s more freedom.”

We asked Zanetti what he’d do to in New Mexico if he’s elected governor. He told us he’d start right in the governor’s office and blamed Richardson for increasing the personal staff “exponentially.”

“We have reached to far into the lives of New Mexicans. We can cut back across the board,” Zanetti said.

“We have an entitlement philosophy that has permeated the entire state. We are rewarding those people who are not productive. That’s where the waste and abuse comes in. And of course, we’ve got a government that doesn’t trust the people and therefore the people don’t trust the government. That’s a bad cocktail,” said Zanetti.

Zanetti says the country needs to look for programs that which will lead to wealth production and wealth creation. He says he supports infrastructure projects, but says he’d cut venereal disease education and even public arts in tough times. He says the government needs to prioritize it’s spending.

Grassroots effort won't stop at the end of today's tea party.

Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing tells us his group supports individual liberty and limited government. He says taxes and government spending is out of control.

Listen to his comments here.




Gessing says just because there has been an economic turn down it doesn’t mean the country should change to a socialist/leftist ideology. He says both parties have been responsible for the path “we are currently on.”

He believes the people turning out for this rally should have been on the street when the last administration was setting records for its own government spending beginning in 2004 and 2005.

Gessing told me that today’s grassroots effort won’t end the cries for smaller government. He says he working with the Tea Party Rally organizers to have another event on July 4th.

Gessing told us the Federal Government should take a cue from New Mexico’s leaders who tighten their belts when revenue projections fell.

He supports a balanced budget amendment and wants a “super majority,” or 2/3 vote requirement in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House for any tax increase proposal.

Romero Jumps Into Council-Mayor Fray on Tax Day.

Albuquerque mayoral candidate Richard Romero is sending out a Tax Day letter to his supporters. On the same day that thousands of protesters attended a "tea rally," Romero says Chavez is spending money unwisely and that the city must tighten it's budget belt.

Dear Friend:

Today is tax day.

No one enjoys paying taxes, but they are necessary. As the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr. said, "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization."

At the local level, gross receipts tax revenues pay for services and infrastructure that make for a livable city such as police and fire protection, streets and sewers, parks and public health.

Above all, taxation must be fair and the process transparent.

Unlike the federal government, City government must live within its means. In tough economic times, we must tighten the city budget belt just like the taxpayers are doing.

It's about fairness without frills.

That's why it's so alarming to read today's headlines about Mayor Chavez overriding the budgetary authority of the City Council so he can fund two of his pet capital projects.

The capital budget passed by the Council was prudent and fair, winning overwhelming bipartisan support. It funded vital projects within the City -- while trimming the Mayor's big projects outside the City limits.

Take another example of a project the Council cut - the Mayor's $6 million "lagoon" at Tingley Beach. The Mayor believes that this project is such a high priority that he will override the Council's judgment. Yet we are still being told the money can't be found to install low-flow toilets at City Hall.

Or take the projects like the Balloon Park - a design contract that "ballooned" from a half million dollars to $6.7 million.

At a time when the stress on family budgets is so enormous, we have to get our priorities in order. We simply can't afford to spend our resources on these mini Taj Mahals -- personal monuments to incumbent politicians. Those days are over.

Volunteer Thank You Party

Please join us this Saturday, April 18, from 1-3pm at my home as we take time to thank the many hands that helped our campaign to qualify for public financing. See below for more information.

Continuing to Collect Signatures

We are still collecting nominating petition signatures - we have about 1500 signatures to go to get my name on the October ballot.


Regards,

Signature
Richard Romero