Rio Arriba Politico Naranjo Dies at 92

From a friend at UNM

The Rio Grande Sun is reporting: longtime Rio Arriba County political boss Emilio Naranjo, 92, died Thursday morning.

Naranjo’s daughter Margarita Naranjo confirmed that Naranjo died in Albuquerque. A funeral will be held in Española, but specific arrangements have not yet been made, she said.

A family member wishing to remain anonymous said Emilio Naranjo died in his sleep at the home of his youngest son, Raul. Naranjo was where he wanted to be, the family member said.

Emilio Naranjo had been doing fine on Wednesday, but had suffered from heart problems, the family member said.

Española School Board President Joe Romero, a friend and political ally of Naranjo, said Naranjo’s son-in-law, Kenneth Salazar, called him this morning with the news.

“Kenneth Salazar called this morning, he told me, ‘My father-in-law died last night very peacefully,’” Romero said. “I’m assuming he died at home. I know there was somebody there with him 24/7, relatives were taking care of him.”

Eclipse Aviation Workers Won't Be Paid On-Time.

Update - 12 noon

Several businesses are offering Eclipse employees food discounts today.

Kelly's on Central (505-262-2739) is giving everyone with an Eclipse badge 50% off food today.

Coaches on Central (505-242-7111) is giving everyone with an Eclipse badge 20% off food only.

Workers at Eclipse Aviation in Albuquerque had a meeting at 6:30, and again at 8:30am, this morning where they were told they would not be paid for the past two weeks of work. 770KKOB has learned Eclipse officials told workers to call an 800 number later today to find out whether they even had jobs.

We asked a person getting in their car to leave if they were an employee and the response was, "Not anymore."

Even though employees were told they could work the rest of the day, several workers were seen speeding out of the parking lot this morning. We saw other employees loading plants and personal items in their cars.

There has been no word from officials at Eclipse this morning, but one employee called us and said executives told employees, inside the production hangar, that the company was looking for a bridge loan and were actively looking for additional funding for international investors. Our source said that they believe the company will face bankruptcy by the end of next week if the equity financing can't be lined up.

Late last month, a Connecticut-based market research firm predicted that Eclipse would soon fall victim to global financial turmoil and cease production of its very light jet.

Officials had no comment on the report from Forecast International Inc. in late October, but had said publicly the Albuquerque-based company needed $200 million to $300 million in new equity investment to restructure its operations and reach profitability.

Just this week, four Eclipse customers filed lawsuits in federal court against the aircraft manufacturer, accusing it of failing to refund deposits after it raised the price of its very light jet in June.

The plaintiffs — three companies and a California man — each are seeking refunds ranging from $152,000 to $182,000 paid as deposits after they ordered their Eclipse 500s.

Eclipse spokeswoman Alana McCarraher said Tuesday she could not comment on pending litigation.

In September we reported Day Jet, Eclipse's largest customer, was ending their operations and blaming their closure on Eclipse. Read our earlier report here.

And in early August we reported on congressional hearings investigating the company's FAA approval process. Read details here.









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T. Boone Pickens Stalls Wind Farm Project

From the Dallas Business Journal -

Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens is revamping his renewable energy campaign in light of falling energy prices, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

According to the AP, Pickens told a crowd gathered at the Edison Electric Institute convention that part of his reduction in spending on his renewable energy campaign includes placing his West Texas wind farm project on hold for now.

Pickens says the recent fall in gas prices is responsible for the delay in his wind farm project in West Texas, the AP reported.

However, Pickens said he expects oil prices will rise again and long-term he does not see oil providing America all of the energy resources it needs.

Pickens earlier in the year told lawmakers a switch to American-produced energy resources within the next 10 years is necessary to end the nation’s crippling $700 billion dependence on foreign oil.

Pickens, who revealed his alternative energy plan earlier in the year, also told the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that the United States should be able to produce 22 percent of its electrical energy needs using wind-powered electricity, based on Department of Energy estimates.

Pickens, at the time, pointed to the Great Plains, which includes parts of West Texas, as the prime location for producing wind energy resources.

Your Chance to Pick a Post for Governor Bill Richardson

We don't do many blog polls. Basically, they're unscientific. But with everyone speculating about Governor Bill Richardson's future we thought we'd get a sense of which post you think he'll likely be appointed to by President-elect Barack Obama.

Today on the Daily Kos, readers are picking Richardson overwhelmingly to be Secretary of State. He leads their poll with 63% of the vote and is well ahead of both Sens. John Kerry and Richard Lugar who have 23 and 13 perecent.

Check the poll at the bottom of the Daily Kos ' Cheers and Jeers post, and read some of the comments about Richardson. Many people say that he's prepared for the job, because as UN Ambassador he's already done parts of the job and that he's familiar with some of the key players internationally.

Photo credit: MG Bralley

State Treasurer Savoring "Obama-time"

Months before New Mexico State Treasurer James Lewis was re-elected president of the Western State Treasurers Association he stood on the steps of the state capitol in Santa Fe and told a crowd gathered there that he was going to endorse Barack Obama.

In March and April, Lewis campaigned and was elected as an Obama delegate to the DNC in Denver this August.

On Tuesday night, Lewis could be seen cherishing the historic 2008 election while watching network newscasters declare Obama had captured the 270 electoral votes needed to be elected.

Lewis told the crowd of about 2500 people at the ABQ Convention Center that he had a premonition about Obama. He said, "I knew he was a special person." Lewis believes the 47-year old president-elect has the fortitude and the vision to lead the country though some of the most pressing issues, including the economy.

We had a chance to talk to Lewis on Friday.




Lewis tells us he's looking at the election of the 44th President of the United States in its historical perspective. He says the country has come along way since the Jim Crow laws, used to block African Americans from voting. Lewis even reminded us that before the 1965 Voting Rights Act his relatives were prevented from voting because they didn't know how many "bubbles were in a bar of soap."

"This is a proud moment for me," said Lewis. "It's a sense of achievement."

Lewis says any young person who goes out and gets a good education and has a strong work ethic can acheieve anything they want.

"He's getting the last laugh," said Lewis about Obama's election on Tuesday.

Lewis said, "Obama had a history of pulling people together. We need someone like him during these tough economic times."

"He'll surround himself with competent people and will listen to his advisors," said Lewis who has not yet heard if he'll be appointed to a transition team. In 1993 Lewis was picked by the President-Elect Clinton and worked with four or five other people developing a transition report for the export/import bank.

For now he's preparing for the legislature and and projected revenue shortfalls.

Lewis also took a few minutes analyzing what the New Mexican Republican Party might consider doing to re-establish itself after stunning defeats in all three congressional districts.

Our colleagues at Democracy for New Mexico captured Lewis on stage election night in this video. And the ABQJOURNAL covered the state's African American community exuberant reaction to Obama's election here.

You can also listen to our interview with Mr. Lewis in Denver during the DNC in our audio archives.

President-Elect Obama Delivers 1st Radio Address

If you're like me you took the weekend off of politics, expect maybe to watch Meet the Press on NBC, like we do every Sunday morning, or to check out the post election show on KNME where I appeared as a guest panelist on New Mexico In Focus: The Line.

If you caught up on chores and spent leisure time visiting with friends, and family, after a long campaign season, then you might have missed President-Elect Barack Obama's first national radio address since being elected last Tuesday.

You definitely want to listen to it here.



I found the transcript on the DNC's website here.

Stay tuned, on Monday we'll post our exclusive interview with State Treasurer James B. Lewis. He's savoring Obama's victory and thinking about how far African American's have come since the civil right's movement.

Governor Richardson May Get China Post. Palin to Africa?

Specualtion continues to escalate about which New Mexico officials may be tapped by the Obama-Biden administration.

Governor Bill Richardson is reportedly being considered for Secretary of State, Secretary of Commerce, President of the World Bank, and now for Ambassador to China.

Senator Jeff Bingaman is apparently in the running for Energy Secretary, but told me on election night, he doesn't think he'll be asked. The state's soon-to-be Senior Senator say's he's flattered to be considered. It must be noted that Bingaman called the post, "the worst job in Washington."

DEVELOPING STORY POSTED ON THE BOROWITZ REPORT:

From the Department of the Ridiculous

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is reaching out to President-elect Obama's transition team to indicate her interest in being named "ambassador to the nation of Africa." Senior Republican campaign staffers have told news outlets, that Palin did not know that Africa was a continent. Palin wants the appointment to Africa because, "it's a darned important country."

Gov. Palin said that although she had planned to continue in her position in Anchorage, she was willing to leave the governorship "because Africa is just such a darned important country."

"I have always been very, very interested in the nation of Africa, partly because of it being located where it is," she said. "If you are standing in Africa and you look real close, you can see South Africa."

She added that she had received phone calls encouraging her to vie for the post, including one from French president Nicholas Sarkozy.

In other news from the Palin family, Bristol Palin's fiancé Levi Johnston said he was "totally stoked" about Tuesday night's election returns, calling the results "definitely a game-changer for me."

"The election of Barack Obama means different things to different people," he said. "To me, it means freedom, dude!"

Does Emanuel's Pick Signify Change ?

A Democratic aide reports Illinois Representative and former member of the Clinton administration, Rahm Emanuel has accepted a position as Barack Obama's Chief of Staff.

We talked to Rep. Emanuel this summer during a campaign stop in New Mexico for newly elected congressmen Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague and Ben Ray Lujan.

Listen to our interview with Emanuel here.



For more coverage on Emanuel's summer visit check out LP's coverage on FBIHOP.

After leaving the Clinton White House, Emanuel was an investment banker on Wall Street and later was elected to the House of Representatives from a heavily Democratic Chicago district. He quickly rose to become the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.

Stars of the 2008 Elections Recognized in New Mexico.

Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon,
Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse-Oliver,
and young voters,and bloggers like Matthew Reichbach
are celebrating election day success.

As you may have noticed, I didn't post anything on the day after the election. It took half a day to recover from my 18-hour shift on Tuesday.

In the meantime, I've been sorting thru audio and will post some great interviews with NM Attorney General Gary King, State Auditor Hector Balderas, Lt. Governor Diane Denish, and Analyst Joe Monahan in the next few days.

I'm preparing my thoughts and will be a panelist this week on KNME's New Mexico In Focus. The group will be discussing election results in New Mexico, the impact of race and the election of the country's first African American as president, possible cabinet/ambassador positions for key leaders in New Mexico, and what the election results mean for Obama. Will the big wins give Democrats the political clout they need to stir things up in Washington? Plus will update all the down ballot races, and discuss the relatively clean election in our state. Please plan to watch the show on Friday night at 7pm on channel 5.

I've also been thinking about the stars of the election. Certainly NM Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon, who was nearly eaten alive after the problems with the Super Tuesday Caucus, deserves credit for huge election victories across the state. It appears the legislature will pick up three new Democratic senators, and perhaps four new Democratic Representatives. Colon gets our top star for the state going blue, from top to bottom. He also gets our Top Star for upgrading our credentials in Denver and promising us a ticket to the inauguration in Washington this January.

Maggie Toulouse-Oliver, and the NM State Senate, gets our props for their contribution to Election 2008. The vote count delay jinx has finally been lifted. New Mexico will not be the last state to count their votes. The legislature authorized county clerks to start counting absentee ballots five days early, and early voting machines the morning of the election. While some close races still require provisional ballots to be counted, the results were posted early. Toulouse-Oliver told me early in the cycle she wanted to run "free, fair and accurate" elections. She met those expectations and gets another one of our stars awarded to her.

We would be remiss for not awarding a triple gold star to freelance photographer Mark Bralley. He made our blog look great with current and fresh pictures. Heck he's responsible for this blog's creation. His encouragement and advice was both welcomed and cursed.

We also tip our hats to Joe Monahan. We, like thousands of others, read Joe's blog first thing every morning. He's the king of the hill, and was the first to understand the implications, downline, of six-term Senator Pete Domenici resignation. Joe's been like a big brother always willing to share advice, especially when trying to chase down answers to our questions from candidates unwilling to even take questions at their own news conferences.

We also want to award stars, to all those young energized voters, campaign staffers, volunteers and bloggers (like LP at NMFBIHOP, Barbara and Mary Ellen at Democracy for New Mexico, and the entire staff at the NM Independent) who worked so hard during the election. They also get one of our stars. UPDATED: Plus all the bloggers on my recommended links section to the right.

At the end of the election cycle, we also want to say "thank you" to all the candidates who gave us access, including Sen. John McCain, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (albeit for :32 seconds), both U.S. Senate candidates, Tom Udall and Steve Pearce, all the congressional candidates, and each of their media handlers. We know most of you staffers will be leaving the state, seeking new jobs (on the Hill), and we just wanted to take this opportunity to say, what we heard so often during the campaign, "thank you...move along."

Tune back to our blog posts on Friday, and over the weekend, for great audio interviews, and make sure to watch KNME this weekend for my appearance with Gene, Marco, Jim, Margaret and David.


Photo Credits: MG Bralley

Democrats Sweep New Mexico in 2008 Election.