Anyone Can Do Anything

Last weekend, I attended my 20th high school reunion in Philadelphia. Maybe as a result, I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic about the impact great teachers can make. So, it's probably not all that surprising that this article about a Santa Fe High School English teacher running for the open U.S. Senate seat caught my attention:

It might sound like a joke at first, an unknown English teacher deciding to run for the U.S. Senate seat held for more than 30 years by Pete Domenici, R-N.M. But it isn't.

Zach Boatman is jumping into a race that includes Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. He said he's doing it because he believes the U.S. election process makes it possible for anyone to run for any position.

The 41-year-old Santa Fe High School teacher decided a couple of weeks ago to run for Domenici's seat because, he said, "this is the first time in like three decades that there's been this open door."

Boatman, who's teaching Advanced Placement English this year, said a recent conversation in one of his classes turned to politics and students' complaints about the election process. "(Students) said, 'There's nobody to vote for; they're all the same,' " Boatman said.

Now, I don't know anything about this guy, and his chances are very slim, but in this case, I don't think that is what matters. What I think is important is that a teacher is putting himself out there to show his students what is possible. It's actually what many great teachers do everyday. [Disclaimer: I worked in education for over a decade].

We've got a huge civic problem in the country - too few people care enough to vote or get involved. We've also got this great human experiment occurring, the emergence of social media, that gives everyone and anyone a voice.

I think it would be very cool if kids got behind this teacher and got him the 16,000 signatures he needs to get on the ballot . I don't think most students realize the power they have to create change. Is there an adult out there who wouldn't sign a petition to get someone on the ballot if their son or daughter, nephew or niece asked them to do it. I know I'd sign. Students under 18 may not be able to vote, but there is nothing from stopping them being part of the process.

Mayor Martin Chavez's Finance Committee Fiasco

The fact that two of three Democratic heavy hitters (the third is apparently just staying away from the phone) are contradicting Mayor Martin Chavez's assertion that they are serving on his finance committee is nothing short of extraordinary:

Since the names were published on Thursday, accusations have surfaced on the Internet and within Democratic circles that Chávez may have exaggerated or lied about their involvement in his campaign.

Not so, Chávez said today.

“They’re all on,” he said of Blanchard, Cope and Gonzales. “I talked to them yesterday. They’re all on.”

But Blanchard, when I reached him today by telephone, refused to talk about whether he’s a member of Chávez’s finance committee – a clear indicator that something unusual is afoot.

“At this point, I don’t want to comment on anything,” he said.

And Gonzales said today that he is not a member of Chávez’s committee.

What makes this so bizarre is that Mayor Martin Chavez is a seasoned politician. We're talking about a man who should know better than to assert publicly that someone is on his finance committee when they aren't.

My guess is that this is the first of many mistakes we are going to see from the Mayor in the coming months.

Richardson Administration Diversion of Road Funds

Governor Richardson' administration is finally starting to come clean about the real problem with road funding (subscription). Of course, if you blink, you might miss the truth and assume it has to do with the federal funding drying up. But, pay close attention and you'll notice this:

New Mexico also has been diverting substantial revenue once earmarked for roads into the state's general fund.

Looks like we're not going to have to wait until Richardson is out of office to begin to feel the effects of his poor fiscal policies.

Road Crisis

On Monday, I attended a NAIOP luncheon, which featured Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught and MRCOG Executive Director Lawrence Rael as the speakers. During her speech, Secretary Faught provided a lot of facts and figures, but what struck me most was that she repeatedly referred to the "funding crisis" facing our roadways.

Apparently, we have billions upon billions of dollars in road infrastructure needs that we are not going to have the funding to address in the VERY near future. I find this puzzling considering that Governor Richardson has had billions of "extra" dollars that he has blown through during his tenure. In a couple of year's time, we are going to feel the full effect of the Governor's wasteful spending. Of course, by that time Governor Richardson will have conveniently moved onto greener pastures.

One of the most fundamental purpose of government is to provide for the infrastructure needs. The Richardson administration has failed miserably in this regard.

It's North Against the South

No, I'm not talking about the Wilson versus Pearce match up to win the GOP primary for Senator Domenici's seat. What I am talking about is the little train versus space funding fight (subscription) that is sure to dominate discussions during this upcoming legislative session:

"The train is nothing but a local issue, and it helps two of the wealthiest counties. Why is the rest of the state subsidizing them?" asked Rawson, who added that the spaceport "absolutely is a statewide project."

Hmm... You know, the man has point. I don't think that anyone in their right mind could argue that a train that only goes from Los Lunas to Santa Fe (eventually) could be a seen as benefiting the whole state. After all, we're only talking about a VERY small number of riders in just four of New Mexico's thirty-three counties. Yup, any sane and rationale person would have to deduct that this is a local issue...

But the southern New Mexico lawmakers will confront powerful opposition, including from House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe.

Lujan has the opposite take on the matter. He said Thursday that it is appropriate to ask local voters to share a portion of the financial burden for the spaceport because it will affect mainly that region.

"The Rail Runner benefits the whole state," Lujan said.

So, much for sane and rationale leaders in New Mexico politics. Speaker Lujan's comments are sure to leave more than a few people just a little bit confused. After all, Speaker Lujan is saying that Spaceport America is a local issue, but I could of sworn when we were sold this bill of goods by one Presidential candidate it was a very different story:

In announcing the partnership, [Governor Bill] Richardson emphasized that New Mexico wants to be on the ground floor of public space travel. He said that today's announcement will "change the face of the state and change the face of the world."

Well, that doesn't sound like a regional issue, does it? But, wait it gets better. Speaker Lujan's money quote of the week:

[House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe] added that requiring local support in the form of local tax revenue for the spaceport was necessary to pass the legislation in 2006.

"When you make a deal, you need to stick to it," Lujan said.

As I recall, the original deal for Governor's train project promised it wouldn't take away from road funding. I guess what's true for the goose is not true for the gander.

500 Bicycles for Needy Children

It's Rumble in Rio time again, and this event is now one more reminder of why we don't want Mayor Marty Chavez (subscription) to be elected to the United States Senate:

Firefighter Melvin Parker and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the city last year after city officials threatened to discipline— or fire— anyone who participated.

Parker won the lawsuit, allowing city police officers and firefighters to participate.

"To be honest with you, I didn't think we would ever be at this point," said Parker, who will face Albuquerque officer David Padilla. "What we did a year ago wasn't just about the Rumble in Rio. Our suit pretty much set precedent that the city cannot dictate what you do outside of the department."

Trouble started last year when Mayor Martin Chávez and then-Public Safety Director Nick Bakas said any city firefighter and police officer who participated in the event could face disciplinary action.

Oh, did I mention that "last year's Rumble in Rio raised $50,000 and bought 500 bicycles for needy children." Nice guy that Mayor Marty Chavez.

Steve Pearce Enters the Senate Race

Well, it looks like Congressman Pearce is not going to take the career path I laid out for him. That's unfortunate, not because Steve would be a bad Junior Senator, but because he could have accomplished so much more as New Mexico's next Governor.

Speaking of the Governor, it looks like that House of Cards Governor Bill Richardson built is falling apart everywhere we look. In the Albuquerque area that the Governor's really expensive train is costing more and more with each passing day:

When reporters pressed him on plans for funding the Rail Runner, he was noncommittal about where the money will come from— repeating it would come from state and federal funds.

One powerful lawmaker wondered if earmarking state dollars to operate the Rail Runner might harm other state programs.

"I want to see where they find the money, what programs they take it from," said Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee.

Sixty percent of the state budget goes to education, 25 percent to health and seven percent to corrections, Smith said.

"Until people sit down and think about it, it gets people off his back," Smith said of Richardson's comment. "But he is acknowledging that it does need money. They've never acknowledged that before. Now we are just down to finding out what pot it will come from."

As if this was problematic enough, the Governor's other expensive investment, that Spaceport experiment, has also run into quite a few hiccups:

The state won't allow Doña Ana County to delay the collection of a spaceport sales tax, county officials said Friday.

There's a chance the county could take legal action to keep the tax from being collected.

The county commission passed a resolution Wednesday to delay collecting the tax until proper framework was in place to spend it. But the state taxation and revenue department notified the county Friday that the action wasn't valid, despite saying earlier that it was, said County Commission Chairwoman Karen Perez.

What does this all have to do with Steve Pearce entering the US Senate race? Well, I believe these financial woes are just a taste of what is to come. Which means that although there has been a national tide against Republicans, I expect we will not see that replicated in New Mexico come the 2008 general election cycle. Sure, we're going to see a spirited race for the open US Senate seat, but I believe in the general election, we're going to see the Senate and Congressional seats that are up for grabs remain in Republican hands. And, early polls in the first Congressional District seems to support that.

Drive Further for a Drink

If you ask me, providing a city with less liquor licenses as a DWI prevention tactic is illogical (subscription):

Lopez said he was hoping to use the quota system to slow the migration of liquor licenses from rural to urban and resort areas while he assessed the impact of liquor license density on drunken driving accidents and fatalities.

"My charge when I was appointed by the governor was to do something about the DWI problem from the supply side," Lopez said. "I want to make health and safety concerns, for instance the impact on DWI accidents in an area, one of the main considerations for deciding whether a license should be able to move to a location."

People who drink and drive are not going to do so less because they have to drive further to find an establishment with a liquor license. Instead, they are more likely to be behind the wheel as they travel to get their next drink.

If you really want to get people off the road, you would have more urban drinking holes, not less. This way, people can walk to their neighborhood bar and then walk (or stumble) home instead of getting behind the wheel of a car.

And make no mistake, liquor licenses limits are about one thing, and one thing only, raising money for state coffers:

According to department records, two licenses in Las Cruces sold for $600,000 each. Elsewhere, at least one has sold for $400,000, and others sell in the $350,000 price range.

"The price of liquor licenses was growing steadily," Lopez said. "When we see a license sale for $600,000, I believe the day of a $1 million liquor license can't be far off."

What a racket!

Public Funding Epilogue

I meant to write about this earlier in the week, but it got lost in the election hoopla. There was a little article in the Albuquerque Tribune, which makes the perfect case against public funding:

Garduño is advocating an earlier reporting period, because any extra money distributed to a publicly financed candidate after the last reporting period would be given too late to make a difference.

That happened in one case this year, when incumbent City Councilor Debbie O'Malley - who was victorious in her District 2 re-election bid - received about $1,600 on Election Day.

"You can't do anything with it. You can't, like, put a piece of mail out," O'Malley said. "We ran out of food (on Election Day), and we got some more for our celebration party. I ended up giving some of my people some extra money for helping out."

Gee whiz, Councilor O'Malley, did you ever think about maybe just returning the taxpayer's money since it couldn't be used for campaign purposes? No, I guess not. Why should you, right? Instead, you spent it on food and handed it out as party favors. Yup, I'm sure that was in the public's best interest.

Steve Pearce for U.S. Senate

I don't understand the thinking behind people asking Congressman Steve Pearce to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Domenici. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a HUGE fan of Congressman Pearce. I just don't see how running to be New Mexico's Junior Senator representing the minority party at age 60 makes sense for a man with such a bright future.

Think about it.

By the end of the Congressman's second term in the Senate, about the time he would be moving up in the seniority ranks, he would be 72 years old - three years younger than Senator Domenici is today. That's not to say he wouldn't want to keep going into his 80's, but why would he want to do that?

If you're thinking I'm advocating for Steve just to spend the rest of his days comfortably ensconced in his current Congressional seat, you're wrong. That may be okay for someone like Congressman Tom Udall, a career politician from a political family. But, a leader like Steve Pearce can actually accomplish so much more.

Steve's a self-made business man from VERY humble beginnings who has a net worth that had him ranked in 2005 as the 22nd wealthiest member of the House. That means he could easily throw two to three million into a political race, and I think he should.

I think Steve Pearce should run for Governor in 2010. It just makes a whole lot more sense.

Like another self-made man, who was the first to be elected to two consecutive terms as Governor in New Mexico, Steve could provide the leadership and fiscal restraint that has been so sorely lacking on the fourth floor since Bill Richardson landed in the Governor's seat. At 62 years old, with millions in the bank and an impressive political, personal and business resume Congressman Pearce could surely win the Governor's seat - no matter who the Democrats put forth.

From there, well, as Governor Richardson has demonstrated, the sky is the limit. If Hilary Clinton were to win the Presidential election next year, and somehow managed to be elected to a second term, there is one thing that could be certain. By 2016, the country would be a mess and in need of a strong conservative leader.

In 2016, Steve Pearce would be a 69 year old, accomplished, conservative Western Governor with a leadership track record in politics and business second to none. Hmm, kind of reminds me of someone else who became the leader of the free world at 69 years of age.

Mayor Chavez Changes Gear

Oh what a bummer! It looks like Mayor Chavez has decided to abandon his gubernatorial campaign website for 2010 (see the last listing):


Now, he has decided to change gears. My favorite line from his announcement speech:

I know that in my gut the national and state GOP will fight mean and dirty. Their war effort and power are at stake. But in my heart, I know they no longer represent the mainstream of their party or New Mexico.

Say What! Republican power is at stake? Um, exactly where are we talking about? The Democrats control both Houses of Congress. The Democrats control both bodies of the state legislature. Am I missing something?

And, what did our esteemed Mayor forget to mention in his announcement speech:

All together, the city collected $10,611,397 in revenue [through red light cameras] and handed over $2,844,920 to Redflex. This left the city with between $5.8 and $7.8 million in net profit. The precise figure is not known as officials charged as photo enforcement expenses a number of part and full-time police officer salaries as well as the entire administrative hearing office budget. The audit report sidestepped the question of whether the ticketing program has had any beneficial effect on traffic accidents. It mentioned that police could claim only two of the nineteen intersections with cameras might have seen a decrease in accidents.

Kinda makes you wonder if he is elected Senator, whether or not he would be pushing for a national red light program. After all, it has been just so dang profitable for the City of Albuquerque.

Conversation with a Senior Wilson Advisor

Before I sat down to blog, I decided to go through my snail mail. In that pile of bills and solicitations was a letter from the People for Pete campaign asking me to help organize and collect petition signatures for our Senator. That letter was dated October 1, 2007 - only three days before the Senator announced his plans to retire for medical reasons. A political frenzy has since ensued with prospective candidates on both sides of the aisle trying to determine if they've got a shot at representing New Mexicans in Congress as a Senator or Representative.

The usual gang of blogosphere pundits are producing posts at a feverish pitch. There are those emerging from desert swamps with alligator predictions supported by the most unscientific of polls. Others are going straight to the source and getting prospective candidates to think out loud about their plans and rationale.

Personally, I think sometimes it pays to wait a beat or two for the dust to begin to settle a bit before jumping into the fray with predictions and insights. After all, it is impossible to make any sort of reasonable guess as to who is going to win a race until you at least know for sure who is running in it. I guess you could call me old fashioned that way.

Still, we do know that one candidate, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, has stepped in, and stepped in boldly. She did not wait to see what the presidential candidate and occasional state visitor, Governor Bill Richardson, is planning to do. She didn't call around to her Republican peers to try and figure out what they were going to do before taking the next step.

Nope, she just made a decision and announced her decision to run for the Senate seat - 24 hours after we all learned officially that it would be open. That's what I believe could be called a healthy dose of moxie.

Well, today I had a phone conversation with a Senior Wilson Advisor to discover the source of that gumption. The Advisor, who shall remain nameless (I learned that from my reporter friends), made some strong arguments as to why the Congresswoman should become New Mexico's next Junior Senator.

The Advisor pointed out to me, Wilson has won one hard battle after another against odds that most Las Vegas bookmakers wouldn't take. First, she beat a millionaire (or is it billionaire) native son. She followed that campaign win by not once, but twice defeating a well-funded and highly regarded Senator Pro-tem. Then in this last election cycle, she prevailed over a sitting Attorney General despite the anti-Republican tide that swept the nation and sent many of her colleagues packing. All of this in a district that went to Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

"Yeah," I said. "But, this is a statewide race." The Advisor quickly threw out a little known fact... The statewide registration of Average Republican Voting Strength (ARVS) is actually four points higher than that of Heather's Congressional District.

Since I have no problem at all with basic math, I didn't even have to start counting on my fingers to figure out that this means Heather Wilson would start this race with a four point head start over all of the previous races. The races she won.

But, the Advisor didn't stop there. I was asked to consider the amount of money spent on media in the last couple of elections. Since it just so happens I know a thing or two about media buying in our state (part of my day job), I got the message loud and clear. You see, New Mexico's television networks reach every corner of the state except around Las Cruces, which is part of the El Paso market. This means that the vast majority of New Mexicans know Heather Wilson.

The Advisor didn't have to state the obvious, but I will. Based on the amount of money she has spent on television in the last couple of elections, the Congresswoman's name id has got to be close to, if not greater, than 90%, in the vast majority of New Mexico.

And, based on a press release I saw from the campaign today, Wilson is already well on her way to raising the money she needs to get that name id to 100%:

The Heather Wilson for Congress campaign announced today that it will file a third quarter Federal Election Commission (FEC) report showing at least $754,000 cash on hand as of September 30, 2007.

Wilson’s campaign raised $238,000 during the third quarter of 2007 that ended on September 30^th and $908,000 for the year to date. The $754,000 her campaign has in cash on hand is nearly $25,000 more than two years ago.

As of September 30, 2007, the Heather Wilson for Congress campaign has received contributions from 2339 New Mexicans - 94.2% of her individual contributions.

“I’m honored to enjoy such strong support from New Mexicans,” Wilson said.

Well, all this is well and good, but I didn't shy away from asking the question on everyone's mind. What happens if our occasional Governor, the presidential candidate Bill Richardson, decides to jump into the race, despite his statement to the contrary? The Advisor's response was simple. The people of New Mexico would expect to see debates in every corner of the Land of Enchantment, and this time the Governor would be hard pressed to find an excuse not to participate.

"Ouch," I thought. That whole debating thing hasn't really proven to be one of the Governor's strengths of late.

Alright, it was time to wrap it up (after all, a guy has to make a living to feed his family). Still, I couldn't help just throwing out one last question before getting back to work. You see, when push comes to shove, I'm a limited government kind of guy at my core. So, I off-handedly asked the Advisor about the press release put out last week by the Club for Growth that chastised Wilson for being on the left when it comes to fiscal policy.

"You mean the release that came out about the same time that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee published their release attacking Heather Wilson for being too far to the right?" the Advisor asked.

"Yeah, I responded, "that's the one I'm talking about."

"Well," the Advisor responded, "if two East Coast organizations, one on the left and one on the right, accuse the Congresswoman of being too conservative and too liberal in the same day, then I'd say we're right about where we should be - firmly, in the center."

And, with that, the conversation came to an end.

Before anyone asks, I would be happy to talk to Senior Advisors for other candidates as they get around to announcing. Just shoot me an email, and I'll send you back an email with the best number to reach me.


The Disclaimer: I was an active member of Blogs for Heather Wilson this last election cycle, and have enjoyed the privilege of serving as a member of her finance committee.

Government to Dictate Doctor's Fees

Sometimes you've got to wonder if Governor Richardson's administration is actually aware that the "great" communist experiment of the Soviet Union FAILED (subscription):

The newest incarnation of the governor's proposals for [healthcare in] New Mexico could limit doctor fees, require everyone to have health coverage and impose new regulations and fee limits on insurance companies.

The cornerstone would be a powerful new authority with a mandate to transform the health care industry.

What's next, a limit on the price of milk? We're headed down a slippery slope.

Domenici Retirement - It's a Whole New World

It seems like every time I leave town for a couple of days, the political world in the Land of Manana gets thrown for a twist. Just a day after we put the Albuquerque City Elections behind us, the news breaks that Senator Pete Domenici is going to retire:

Sen. Pete Domenici is retiring after a generation as a dominant Republican voice on budget matters in Congress, deferring to health concerns after six terms in office.

A draft statement prepared for Domenici's formal announcement Thursday disclosed that the 75-year-old New Mexico Republican has a progressive disease that can cause dysfunction in the parts of the brain important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior.

The sound you heard all over Albuquerque following the news was the hasty construction of political war rooms being hastily built on both sides of the aisle. Mayor Chavez, whose team just got dealt a stunning defeat in the City Election races, is definitely going to consider a run. And, the race just got a lot more expensive for Don Wiviott, who is now going to have a full primary slate to contend with - unless, of course, Governor Richardson abandons his national tour run for the Presidency to make a go at becoming New Mexico's next Junior Senator.

In about 120 days, Richardson is going to drop out of the Presidential race and in all likelihood make a run for the Senate seat. So, expect to see a compressed election cycle on this one. There will be a lot of potential candidates putting feelers out, but until February 5th, no one is going to know what Richardson will do, so it will be very difficult to raise money for the seat on either side of the aisle.

Looking Forward to Crumbling Roads

Governor Bill Richardson is being called to the table on his duplicitous stance regarding Rail Runner funding (subscription):

[Sen. Tim Jennings, D-Roswell] said he recalls lawmakers and Richardson administration officials talking about the plan [to raise taxes] in 2004.

"They pretty much said, 'We're going to have to do this,' '' Jennings said in an interview Tuesday.

The Rail Runner now runs between Belen and Bernalillo at an operating cost of about $9.5 million a year. More than $8 million of that is paid by the federal government, but that funding disappears in 2009.

That will happen just as operating costs are projected to rise to $20 million a year with the extension of service to Santa Fe.

It also coincides with the time that Governor Richardson is hoping to abandon the state of New Mexico for the greener pastures of Washington D.C. The financial house of cards Governor Bill Richardson has built through his spend, spend, spend policy is about to come tumbling down, and as has long been predicted "New Mexico will be on the hook for several projects that will cost millions of dollars in coming years."

So, where does this leave us?

Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee, said the state needs to find a funding source— and quickly.

New Mexico is struggling with a huge funding gap for its highway system, estimated by some at half a billion dollars. Critics of the Rail Runner project fear operating costs will eat into money better used on road construction and maintenance.

"The administration is saying it will find other sources," Smith said. "Who's going to be sacrificed? I'm submitting that it will be the state's roads."

Nice. Think about that during your morning commute.

Judicial Travesty

It's a sad day when justice takes a back seat to the law (subscription):

A Bernalillo County district judge ruled Monday that Albuquerque police illegally searched the home of Ronald Santiago, who is accused of killing the couple in their home in August 2005.

A bullet casing found in Santiago's South Valley home connected him to the double homicide.

Santiago was indicted in August 2006 on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the deaths of John and Bernadette Ohlemacher, both 46.

The couple were found shot to death in their bedroom early in the morning.

Judge Albert S. "Pat" Murdoch said APD's search was illegal because it was executed after 10 p.m. with a daytime warrant. Searches after 10 p.m. need special authorization from a judge.

Gee, thanks Judge Murdoch.