What Constitutes a War?

It's kind of interesting to watch the unfolding union created drama in Albuquerque as Mayor Berry makes the difficult decision to cut spending:

Union representatives, ticked off by Albuquerque Mayor R.J. Berry's plan to cut city workers salaries, have come out swinging, calling the fight against the budget plan, war.

“Are we not at war?” Andrew Padilla asked.

So, help me understand this Mr. Padilla...

Mayor Berry proposes to keep union workers employed, but with a modest 3% pay cut, and you issue a battle cry.  However, nearly one out of ten people in Albuquerque are unemployed and a great many more are underemployed, and neither you nor your union leader brethren screamed and hollered when the legislature proposed one broad based tax increase on top of another.

How's that work?

Congratulations Albuquerque You Made a Good Choice!

RJ Berry's election win last night is a win for Albuquerque and New Mexico. Mayor-elect Berry is exactly the type of new leader we need in New Mexico. He is a 3H guy - honest, humble, hard-working - who take his responsibilities very seriously. Congratulations to RJ and his family!

I think the GOP needs to be careful about misinterpreting this win as a vindication. As the Democrats are quick to point out, the majority of votes went to the Democratic candidates, not the Republican candidate. However, more important is this fact noted by Eye on Albuquerque:

But what's also clear is that a solid 65% of voters wanted someone other than Martin Chavez to be mayor.

There is no mistaking it. There is a strong anti-incumbent sentiment out there among the voters. As Don Harris' City Council race demonstrated, that doesn't mean that anyone can win a seat, but it does mean that voters will choose a truly qualified leader over the entrenched incumbent. We saw it last night in the mayoral race, and we also saw it in Dan Lewis' win over Michael Cadigan. Dan was another 3H type of candidate.

So, where does that leave us. Well, Lt. Governor Diane Denish needs to take notice. Try as she may, its a little too late to disengage herself from the scandal fraught Richardson administration. As the economy crisis continues to worsen, people will rightfully be blaming the incumbents and those who enabled them, and looking for viable alternatives.

Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Still Strong

I'm man enough to admit that I'm shocked by the polling numbers released from the mayoral race this weekend in the Albuquerque Journal:

It's a tight race for mayor of Albuquerque, but Richard Berry appeared to have a slight edge over three-term incumbent Martin Chávez 12 days before the Oct. 6 election, a Journal Poll found.

Richard Romero was a close third in the poll, just two percentage points behind Chávez.

Thirty-one percent of the registered, likely voters polled last week supported Berry, 26 percent chose Chávez and 24 percent sided with Romero. Nineteen percent were undecided.

The race clearly isn't over yet, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the poll.

Now, my surprise does not come as a result that more voters think RJ Berry would make a better mayor than politics as usual Mayor Marty Chavez. I've always been a fan of RJ Berry's [disclosure: contributed to RJ Berry campaign in the past]. But, I was convinced that the limits imposed on the campaign as a result of public financing would provide a benefit for the incumbent that would be insurmountable.

This still may be the case. However, I do think there is something else going on here. A lot has already be written about the way that the two Democratic candidates in the race are splitting the vote and that the politics as usual incumbent is bleeding conservative votes to... well, to the more conservative candidate. But, I think there is something more going on here.

In 2008, incumbents were swept out of office. Sure, it was a huge Democratic sweep. But, it was just as much an anti-incumbent sweep. People wanted new blood. They voted for "change."

The Obama administration and the Democrats now in control of the Congress misunderstood this vote for change to mean the country was endorsing a shift to the left and bigger government programs. This wasn't and isn't the case at all. The vast majority of Americans are not extremist - neither right nor left. Instead, they are firmly planted in the center.

So, the change they were voting for was against the incumbents, and the direction in which they were taking our country, which ironically enough was towards bigger government programs. Now, it seems to me that the anti-incumbent sentiment has not subsided. It is still alive and well.

If the 12-year mayor rightly gets voted out of office, it should serve as a warning to the other incumbents running for office in 2010. Our budgets are in the red. Our school systems are failing. Everyday more of our family, friends and neighbors are losing their jobs and their homes while big government rewards big business with taxpayers funds.

It's going to be harder and harder for the incumbents to convince folks they're part of the solution when the the truth is that they created the problem.

Big Difference in Four Years

When I watched the televised mayoral debate four years ago, I couldn't help but notice how more polished in front of the camera Mayor Marty Chavez was than his opponents at the time. Back then, he knew that the audience that counted was made up of those watching the debate on small screens from the comfort of their homes. In other words, he talked to the camera; whereas, his opponents were talking to the moderators.

Surprisingly, this was not the case in last night's debate.

Both Richard Romero and RJ Berry gave more polished and comfortable performances last night than the incumbent mayor. And, let's face it, that's what we're talking about in televised debates - performances. Whereas Mayor Chavez spent most of the night avoiding looking directly at the camera and struggling to defend his record, Richard Romero and RJ Berry looked comfortable, prepared and forward looking.

Watch the video, and you'll see what I mean. The incumbent mayor spends way more time than his opponents speaking to the moderators. At times, he also seems to be thinly veiling his anger at being held accountable for his fiscally unsound management of the city over all of these years.



Bottom line, last night's debate didn't nothing to help the Mayor's campaign. For those of us who have had enough of politics as usual, it showed that there are more qualified candidates for the leadership position.

Pretty Much Says it All

A recent Albuquerque Journal article looks at the campaign claims of the three candidates running for mayor. What's most striking are the failures of incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez and the weak attempts at spinning his actual track record.

Mayor Chavez has increased spending at a budget busting rate during his tenure in office. An indisputable fact, that has been well documented over the years and is made equally clear in the Journal article:

Albuquerque's general-fund spending stood at roughly $325 million in the 2002 fiscal year, when Chávez returned to office. (He has won mayoral elections in 1993, 2001 and 2005.)

This year's general-fund budget totals about $475 million. That's a 46 percent increase from 2002.

Well, clear to anyone other than Mayor Chavez:

"Fiscally, I've been very conservative," the mayor said

Let's be real here. Mayor Chavez may be fiscally creative, but fiscally conservative he is not:

A sizeable chunk of Albuquerque's property-taxing authority has been switched from the capital program to the general-fund budget since 2003. The change provides about $48 million in annual revenue now, around 10 percent of the operating budget.

The result of this creativity?

The report, issued earlier this year by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, said 36 percent of the Albuquerque area's roads are in poor condition, 18th worst among urban areas with a population exceeding 500,000. The analysis looked at cities and their surrounding suburbs, based on 2007 data.

Just another reason to say, "Enough already with politics as usual."

Doomed to Repeat History

Let's see if I've got this straight. Ten years ago a transportation tax increase was pushed by former Mayor Jim Baca. The idea was to raise money to improve the city's transportation infrastructure. It was a hard sell at the time, but one of the "selling points" was that it was a "temporary" tax increase with a ten year sunset provision.

At the time of the increase, an editorial took issue with the fact that a temporary tax would be pushed to fund what is usually considered one of the few justifiable roles of local government:

Keeping the city's streets and intersections in good repair isn't a special project for a special tax; it is one of the most basic of city services. If City Hall had been doing its job (for many years before Mayor Baca came into office), street maintenance would already be getting done from the existing revenue sources Bregman and Brasher propose to harness.

About six years after the tax increase was passed, an audit found that the money was being mismanaged by Mayor Martin Chavez's administration:

After nearly six years, a quarter-cent tax for transportation has not caused an increase in the passenger service provided by the city bus system, a new audit says.

The tax has provided $28 million for the Transit Department, and $21 million should have been used for enhancing bus service under a policy approved by the City Council, the audit says.

However, the Transit Department "is not currently complying with this expenditure requirement, because the amount of passenger service being provided is currently at approximately the same level as existed prior to Transit receiving these quarter-cent tax funds," says the report from the city Office of Internal Audit and Investigations.

Then, in 2006, Mayor Marty Chavez and some City Councilors try to sneak a tax extension in while folks were focused on the Election Day at hand:

November 6th, 2006... the day before the election where Democrats took over both the House and Senate, the Albuquerque City Council passed an extension to the Transportation Infrastructure Tax. The Council and the Almighty Alcalde used the cover of the election to rail road the public and shove a tax hike through for the primary purpose of building Marty's little train.

The move outraged the public and a huge political brouhaha ensued. Months later bowing to public pressure, the council pulled the extension and created a marketing, uh... "task force" to sell, uh... "study" the trolley. All of that took place almost exactly two years ago.

Well, very few people were buying what Mayor Marty was selling, namely the need to build a very expensive trolley system down Central. Oh sure, the Mayor tried everything he could think of to convince folks it was a good idea. He even paid consultants to sell the idea:

Now, there are a couple of points that really ought to jump out at you. First and most obvious is that the only way this can be funded is by extending a tax on everyone that was supposed to expire.

The next eyebrow raising fact requires a little basic math. Keep in mind that the Albuquerque Metro Area population is up to around 800,000, and is expected to reach a million before long. Yet, this Streetcar is only going to be used by about 5,000 people. Put another way... 99.5% of the people are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars (these things never come in on budget - think train), so 0.5% of the population can ride a streetcar instead of taking the bus.

Mind you, whether you call it a streetcar or a trolley, or a light rail system, the reality is that we already have an economical way for the public to travel, and it's called the bus. If the Mayor and City Council really wanted to improve public transportation they would just increase bus routes. It's cheaper and heck of lot more flexible to deal with changing population centers in a growing city.

Oh, I know. No one wants to ride a bus right? Wrong!

Even with gas prices plummeting from a July high of $4 per gallon to the current price of $1.84 per gallon — the lowest gas prices have been since 2004 — bus ridership in the Duke City is still up from this time last year.

So, where does this bring us? Well, the Mayor and the City Council want us to turn what was originally promised as a temporary 10 year tax increase into a permanent tax increase:

Albuquerque city councilors are scrambling to reassure voters that a proposed $37 million-a-year transportation tax won't last forever.

Council President Isaac Benton and Councilor Ken Sanchez held a news conference Thursday and said they plan to introduce a resolution at Monday's council meeting clarifying that the quarter-cent gross receipts tax, which will be on the Oct. 6 ballot, will expire after 10 years.

The tax was first approved in a special election in 1999 and is up for renewal this year because of a 10-year sunset clause in the original ballot question.

But the ballot question councilors approved for the extension this year does not include an expiration date, meaning the tax could continue indefinitely.

We're supposed to forget that the Mayor has been pushing this tax increase for three years to build a trolley and believe it is for trails and roads. We're also supposed to forget that they once promised to make it temporary. What is it they say about history repeating itself?

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it

.
Now, you may be tempted to argue that this isn't really an accurate example of history repeating itself. After all, the first time, voters were asked to approve a tax increase that had a sunset provision. This time the voters are being asked to extend the same tax increase without a sunset provision, and believe it will only last ten years. Even more ridiculous is that we're supposed to believe the sunset provision was left out "accidentally" by our elected officials.

Mayor Chavez is Right... Enough with Politics as Usual

With only a few weeks left until the Albuquerque City elections, the mayoral debates are coming with increasing speed. There looks to be an interesting mayoral debate coming up on Wednesday, September 16. Here is the info I received:

The Alibi is joining forces with KNME-5, the New Mexico Independent and KUNM 89.9 FM to bring you a free—totally free—mayoral debate on Wednesday, Sept. 16 (details below).

“The Line” host Gene Grant, KUNM’s News Director Jim Williams, New Mexico Independent Editor Gwyneth Doland and I will moderate. We'll pose your burning questions about your city to the candidates.

Audience members will be given notecards and can submit their queries at the start of the throwdown. Or, film a question, upload it to YouTube and send the link to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com. (Extra points if your backdrop relates to the subject of your question.)

R.J. Berry, Martin Chavez, Richard Romero
Submit video questions for candidates to abqmayoraldebate@gmail.com
See what people are already asking at youtube.com/user/DebateHosts
Wednesday, Sept. 16
National Hispanic Cultural Center
1710 Fourth Street NW
Doors open at 6 p.m., debate at 7 p.m.
Seating is first-come, first-served. About 300 available.
Hear it live on KUNM 89.9 FM
Watch it and live-blog it at alibi.com and newmexicoindependent.com
See it Friday, Sept. 18, on KNME-5

After the mayoral debate, join Alibi and local politicos for discourse, libations and complimentary canapés. Municipal DJs play eclectic Americana and rare groove as citizens of Albuquerque snack and mingle.

Downtown at Blackbird Buvette (509 Central), Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 8:30 p.m. 21+

Now, it's not often that an after debate party complete with libations and complimentary canapés is advertised to draw in a crowd, but believe it or not, that's not what I think makes it potentially interesting. What makes it a potentially interesting debate is the timing.

The mayoral election is just now starting to get some attention. This is one of the effects of a taxpayer funded mayoral campaign. None of the candidates have really had the cash necessary to pound home the issues, or each other's shortcomings.

A lot of people might think that's a good thing, but the truth of the matter is, intended or not, this has worked to the advantage of the incumbent, Mayor Marty Chavez. If you're a fan of Mayor Marty, then it's great. If not, well, not so great.

Mayoral candidate and State Representative RJ Berry is starting to make some noise about the Mayor's "real record of accomplishment." Unfortunately, I'm not convinced the taxpayer funded campaign is going to provide enough resources for the message to get the penetration that is needed to be effective.

On the upside, the Mayor is spending his equally limited funds playing defense, which in a campaign is never a good thing. You can listen to the radio ad here [hat tip: New Mexico Independent]. In the ad, the Mayor denies ever turning Albuquerque into a Sanctuary City or pushing a trolley for Central, and implies that anyone who says otherwise is guilty of politics as usual.

Ok, first let me address the obvious. If anyone is to be equated with "politics as usual", it would have to be the Mayor who fought a legal battle to overturn term limits, so he could continue... Yup, "politics as usual." Geez, talk about opening mouth and inserting foot. Mayor Martin is practically the poster child for politics as usual.

Enough of that. Let's get to the meat of the matter. If there is one thing I hate, it is politicians who attempt to rewrite the history they helped create. Of course, I'm not the only one who has that pet peeve. I think you ought to take a listen to this segment from the Jim Villanucci show circa 2007 [hat tip: Eye on Albuquerque]


It's kind of hard to deny the facts two years later, when anyone can go back and find the truth.

Effective immediately, Albuquerque police officers who find illegal immigrants will no longer contact either federal immigration agents or the border patrol.

Sorry Mayor Chavez, that politics as usual tactic of denying your record just doesn't work in the modern age. [side rant: This originally came from a KOB-TV news story, which is no longer available. Is it really too much to ask for MSM news outlets to keep their articles up in perpetuity?]

Now what's even funnier than Mayor Marty Chavez denying in his campaign ad that he is being maligned on his record of turning Albuquerque into a sanctuary city? It would be the Mayor pretending he doesn't want to build a trolley on Central. First, in order for us to all be on the same page, let's look at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a trolley:

• Main Entry: ¹trol·ley
• Variant(s): also trol·ly \ˈträ-lē\
• Function: noun
• Inflected Form(s): plural trolleys also trollies
• Etymology: probably from ¹troll
• Date: 1823

1 dialect English : a cart of any of various kinds
2 a : a device that carries electric current from an overhead wire to an electrically driven vehicle b : a streetcar powered electrically through a trolley —called also trolley car
3 : a wheeled carriage running on an overhead rail or track
4 chiefly British : a cart or wheeled stand used for conveying something (as food or books)

I hope you noted the use of the word streetcar to define the word trolley. Also, pay special attention to definition 2a and compare it to this definition of a "modern streetcar" found on the City of Albuquerque website:

Streetcars feature a pole that touches an overhead wire, called catenary. Once the power reaches the streetcar through the trolley pole, it is fed to motors, which are called traction motors that are located on each wheelset.

Pretty dang close, wouldn't you say? Yet, the Mayor wants us to believe he doesn't want to reach into our pockets and pull out additional tax money to build a trolley. He can call it a modern streetcar. He can call it a light rail system. But, it doesn't change the fact that he's itching to build a trolley. Just another fine example of politics as usual.

What's that you say? You are still not convinced that Mayor Marty is a politics and usual kind of politician. Well, let's look at the other half of his claim. He only supports building a trolley system "if passed by the voters." REALLY?

Time for another trip down memory lane. Let's go back to November 3, 2006 to see what Mayor Chavez tried to do when he thought no one was looking:

[The transportation] tax was originally sold to the taxpayers as a means of modernizing the transit system and fixing streets, and it has done that. The tax has also "ballooned in dollars received." In other words, it brought in a lot more than expected. Yet, rather than let the temporary tax sunset, the Mayor and City Council want to make it a permanent tax while no one is looking.

It's the old bait and switch, and it is blatantly UNETHICAL.

So, the truth is that Mayor Marty only supported seeking taxpayer approval once he got caught with his fingers in the taxpayers' back pocket. C'mon everybody. It's time for the chorus... Just another fine example of politics as usual.

So, how about we close with the closing thought from Mayor Chavez's radio ad?

You mean a candidate would intentionally distort the truth just to get elected? Unfortunately true.

Haven't we all had enough of politics as usual?

Leadership. Vision. Results.

Our friends over at the Errors of Enchantment blog have picture perfectly captured the summation of Mayor Martin Chavez's leadership:

The signs which tout the Mayor’s “Leadership, Vision, and Results” are mostly located in open fields and other “public property” locations. But, as I was driving downtown the other day I noticed a sign in a rather unusual place, especially for an incumbent Mayor. I saw a sign in front of a boarded up hotel, the “Silver Moon Lodge” which is just west of downtown on Central.

Now, you have to appreciate the irony of Mayor Marty's campaign sign in front of a boarded up business in light of this claim from his campaign website:

While we're all aware of the nation-wide economic hardships so many people are facing, Albuquerque has been able to fair better than most urban area in the country.

But wait, it gets better. Mayor Marty actually has down as his number one claim to fame in his list of accomplishments: Public Safety. He even spells out how he has improved public safety.

Albuquerque is virtually graffiti and litter free due to Mayor Chavez' strict zero tolerance policies.

Wondering what zero tolerance for graffiti looks like with Mayor Martin Chavez leading the city?

Kinda brings the Mayor's other claims of accomplishment into question doesn't it?

State Representative and mayoral candidate Richard Berry has some additional observations, photos and videos on the success (or more appropriately lack thereof) of Mayor Chavez when it comes to public safety.

Public Financing Makes for Quiet Campaigns

With all three Albuquerque mayoral candidates having expended between 10% - 20% of their taxpayer funded campaign dollars so far, one thing is very clear. It's an awfully quiet campaign. This works in the incumbent's favor. Everyone knows I really dislike taxpayer funded campaigns, because I believe they hurt, rather than help the process.

The irony here is that the advocates of these taxpayer funded campaigns argue that they enable people who would not otherwise be able to run the opportunity to seek elected office. Of course, the three people who are running on the taxpayer dollar have all been successful at getting elected in the past through voluntary contributions as opposed to forced taxpayer support. So, that argument doesn't really hold much water.

Worse yet, the incumbent has been able to leverage his position as mayor to basically ignore the race until the final two months and focus on generating positive press through city staffers. With government budgets being tighter, maybe we can eliminate all taxpayer funded campaigns as one measure of belt tightening.

Mayor Chavez and APS and New Media

If you haven't read Mark Bralley's account of his most recent encounter with Mayor Chavez's security detail, I strongly urge you to do so. Here's a little snippet to get you going:

“You have to leave. You aren’t the press. You don’t have credentials,” APS Police Officer Paul Schaefer said in rapid succession as he took the contact role. “I was told you’re not part of the press club.”

“You’re wrong,” I said.

I looked at a pocket in my photo vest that has a clear plastic front. It’s designed to keep credentials visible yet out of the way. Print journalists often wear credentials on a lanyard around their neck. However, still photographers prefer not to wear lanyards as they interfere neck straps; so the pocket is convenient. I had the pass issued by the Secret Service last week for the Presidential visit to Rio Rancho visible.

“White House Press Pool,” I asked Schaefer, showing him the pass?

“Never heard of it,” Schaefer said.

“Ever heard of the President of the United States?”

Vaguely,” Schaefer said.

“How about the First Amendment,” I asked?

I’ve heard of the First Amendment,” Schaefer said.

“As a matter of fact, when I…” I said, as I dug deeper for my own credentials, which list former and current clients and my own sites; there was also an old State Senate Press pass.

"but I’ve been told this isn’t a public event,” Schaefer said.

“Well it is a public event when you have the Mayor of the City of Albuquerque present,” I said.

Ok, let's deal with the obvious first. Why does the Mayor of Albuquerque need a security detail on the campus of a local school? Especially, a security detail that acts like the Gestapo. Apparently when Richard Romero was on 770 KKOB with Bob Clark, he raised the same question. I didn't hear that interview, but I did catch Clark poking fun at the Mayor on another morning.

Clark pointed out that former Congresswoman Heather Wilson did not find the need to travel with a security detail when she moved through Albuquerque. Although, in all fairness, Clark did mention that Wilson was often accompanied by her former communications guy, Enrique Knell, who is known to pack and shoot a camera. Something that leaves at least one Albuquerque Mayor fearful for his... um, actually, I'm not sure how to finish that sentence.

There is of course irony here. I know for a fact that Mayor Chavez considers bloggers part of the new media establishment when it is in his best interest. Consider this email I received from Brent Blackaby on October 29, 2007:

Hi all—

We’d like to invite you to join us tomorrow, Tuesday, October 30th at 5:30pm MDT for a New Mexico blogger conference call with Marty Chavez, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

We’re anticipating that the call will last about 30 minutes – 10-15 minutes for some introductory comments from Marty, and 15-20 minutes of Q&A from you.

Let me know if you’re interested in participating, and I’ll send along a dial-in number on Tuesday. Also, please feel free to forward this invite around to other progressive New Mexico bloggers that you know.

Thanks – and we look forward to chatting with you on Tuesday!

Best regards,

Brent Blackaby
Chavez for Senate

Of course, it's not just the Mayor who acted inappropriately here. Read Bralley's post and you'll find that APS was also less than tolerant of new media members. I can't tell you how wrong I find that to be on so many different levels.

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit I know Mark Bralley. I've even found myself on more than one occasion caught in the crosshairs of his camera.


I don't remember feeling afraid, but maybe, just to be safe, I ought to look into hiring some private security.

Will They Never Learn?

First, Mayor Chavez come up with the "brilliant" idea to shift one time construction revenue into the recurring costs pool. Now, he wants to bring back the idea with nine lives - the infamous Streetcar. Will it never end?

Plans for modern rail in Albuquerque aren't dead just yet.

Mayor Martin Chávez, still pushing for a streetcar system, is broaching the idea of a scaled-down project that would connect Downtown, the university area and the airport.

It would cost about $130 million — far less than the broader, $270 million system scrapped 2 1/2 years ago.

Even at a reduced price, the council may not be willing to climb aboard. Several city councilors, even those inclined to support the project, are skeptical about moving forward anytime soon.

A proposal to be considered next month, in fact, could limit the mayor's flexibility to pursue the project.

"Unless somebody drops $300 million on us, it's going to go to the voters some day," City Council President Isaac Benton said in an interview. But "I don't see any immediate movement on it."

Even if someone drops $300 million of our children's money (that is what we're talking about here, ours is long since spent) into our elected officials laps, it still doesn't change the fact that it will result in NEW recurring revenue expenses. Based on the current budget crisis, it is impossible to understand how anyone could think this is a good idea.

Shifting Costs is not a Budget Solution

The Albuquerque City Council has a budget proposal from Mayor Chavez in front of them that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in the current economic climate:

On the table now is the mayor's $475 million proposal for basic city operations. It would shift money out of the construction budget and into the operating fund to help offset dwindling revenue from the tight economy. The measure would also cut about 200 vacant jobs from the city payroll.

"There's not a lot of room to play around with," said Councilor Ken Sanchez, chairman of the council budget committee.

In hearings this month, councilors have already made changes to provide enough money for regular city employees to get 3 percent raises, starting July 1.

Shifting costs from one time construction expenditures to cover recurring expenses accomplishes one thing and one thing only... a postponement of the inevitable. It just means that you are putting off the layoffs of city employees and cutting of services until after the election. Of course, we are going to have the same problem next budget year. Actually, the problems next budget year were originally reported to be even worse.

Now, I realize there may be a handful of you, probably Mayor Chavez included, that believe that the worst is behind us, and that the picture for the future is brighter. Of course, this belief has no grounding in reality:

Loan servicers are overwhelmed by the flood of applications. Mortgage investors are angry about a congressional bill prohibiting them from suing servicers that modify loans. Foreclosures are rising as unemployment soars.

I don't live in the City of Albuquerque, but I would urge those of you that do to avoid voting for anyone not up to the task of making the hard decisions of truly balancing the City budget.

Mayor Chavez Buys Votes for $1.3 Million

I've long been an opponent of publicly funded campaigns, and it appears that the mayoral campaign currently underway is the perfect case study of why using our tax dollars to elect politicians is a lousy idea.

First, let's consider how Albuquerque's incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez was able to get on the ballot:

The confirmed city employees constitute 42 percent of the volunteer base used to collect the qualifying donations, making Fleisher correct in that respect. But those employees collected more than their share of the contributions. The review shows that 152 of the 295 books, or 52 percent, were used by city employees to qualify the mayor for public financing.

For example, the city’s employee relations manager, Lawrence Torres — who is the administration’s liaison with the city’s unionized workers — collected 10 books for the mayor, which was the largest group of books collected by one individual. Torres confirmed he collected the contributions, but declined to discuss how he did it, or why he participated in the drive.

Along with Torres, many of the city’s department directors — who are appointed by the mayor — collected contributions, as did many of their department managers plus the mayor’s own staff.

In other words, there is nothing grassroots about the whole taxpayer funded campaign program. The biggest beneficiaries are those already in office. Of course, getting your appointees to collect the signatures and money you need to get on the ballot and rake in the taxpayer money is only the beginning of the story.

Next comes the actual execution of the campaign. This is where you have to convince people to vote for you. Of course, once again, the incumbent in this case, Mayor Marty Chavez, has a great strategy. Try and buy the votes of a large voting block:

Mayor Martin Chávez says the city's blue-collar, clerical, security and transit employees won't have to wait an extra six months for their annual pay raises.

Chávez said his budget office had found about $1.3 million that isn't needed in a workman's compensation fund. That will allow the city to provide pay raises to more of its employees on July 1, the mayor said. The raises are expected to be about 3 percent.

That's amazing! Mayor Chavez found $1.3 million to pass out as raises. Somebody please explain to me how that happens. Last I checked the City of Albuquerque was looking at huge budget shortfalls:

Albuquerque faces a $20 million budget shortfall because of the worsening economy, and city officials are trying bridge the budget gap without laying off city workers.

In fact, the $20 million budget shortfall is just the beginning. It has been estimated that this amount will grow even larger next year. Yet, the Mayor is handing out raises. There is only one motivation to do this - buying votes!

$320K per Job - What a Deal!

Wish lists abound for the latest proposed once in a lifetime federal government giveaway package. First, Wall Street got $700 Billion from to keep banks from closing and pulling credit off the table. Granted, that didn't seem to have the desired effect, but as the saying goes, "Try, try again."

Now, the latest greatest big idea is to give state and municipal governments all across the country $500 - $700 Billion in economic stimulus money. And, these government entities are just full of great ideas on how to use the money. Look no further than Albuquerque's very own, Mayor Martin Chavez to see true economic genius at work (subscription):

Chávez unveiled a $1.6 billion wish list of projects Tuesday that includes $885 million for new renewable-energy power plants in and around Albuquerque and $90 million for a streetcar down Central.

The projects on Chávez's list include two West Side solar power plants with a $745 million price tag, $34.5 million for a solar array at Albuquerque's airport, and $72 million for energy-related retrofits to city buildings, along with tens of millions of dollars for city street projects.

Chávez said the $1.6 billion would be an unprecedented infusion of federal money, but it's unclear whether the city projects would be ready to go and therefore eligible for the money.

Speaking Saturday in his weekly video address to the nation, Obama said state and local officials would have to be ready to move quickly or else lose the money — how quickly has not been determined.

"We think they all qualify," Chávez said.

He estimates his wish list of projects would create 5,000 jobs of all kinds by 2010.

Wow, what a truly amazing accomplishment! For a mere $1.6 Billion, we could see 5,000 new jobs created. Let's see, I guess that would work out to a cost of about $320,000 per new job created. What a bargain! Of course, most important of all is that we would finally get that streetcar that the Mayor has been lusting after for quite some time. You know, the one that has been killed time and time again.

Like, I've said in the past, I've got a layman's understanding of the economic policy at best. I'm sure that the fact that we continue to lose millions of jobs after the bailout is just... well, just an unfortunate coincidence. I'm sure giving hundreds of billions of dollars to municipalities must somehow be a great idea - although exactly how escapes me.

Yeah, I'm probably just a little too slow to understand all of this. Giving folks like Mayor Chavez money to spend, so that they can create new jobs at $320K a pop probably makes perfect sense. Oh sure, I know some of you may point out that the private sector can do it for less:

ACCION New Mexico jumpstarted the local car and recreational vehicle detailing business Recapturing Vehicles with an $8,000 loan. The owner of Recapturing Vehicles, Jason Burns, had been turned down by five banks for a loan. Now, his company grosses $100,000 annually and Burns has two full-time employees.

But, you just don't understand the way government works. Why spend an average of $2,500 to create three new jobs when you can spend $960,000?

See the government knows what they're doing. Why just consider for a moment that in recent years the City of Albuquerque (same goes for the state and the nation) has had the largest budgets in their history to spend. Consider how many jobs they've been able to create during that time, and look at how strong our economy is doing because of it. It only makes sense that if we grow our government even more, we'll see an even greater impact on the economy.

What we're experiencing now is only the beginning - spend, spend, spend. Look where it got us today, and imagine where it can get us tomorrow.

Have They Lost Their Mind?

An article on Tuesday in the Journal indicated that the City of Albuquerque is already projecting that they will be unable to meet their current financial obligations (subscription):

Albuquerque's system of public financing for campaigns could run out of money before surviving its first mayoral race.

Interim City Clerk Randy Autio estimates that the "Open and Ethical Elections" fund will contain about $1.4 million in April, when the first payments to candidates are expected. The election will be next fall.

Each person who opts into the voluntary system is supposed to get $1 per registered voter. In the mayoral race, that would add up to about $328,000, though the number of voters might grow before campaign season.

If at least five people choose public financing, there wouldn't be enough for the mayoral campaigns, let alone City Council candidates.

The city has been setting aside about one-tenth of 1 percent of its general fund budget to pay for the public campaign financing.

Amid a budget crunch at City Hall, councilors are debating what to do.

Which makes you wonder... How the heck, "amid a budget crunch," could they possibly be considering asking taxpayers to foot the bill to build an arena? (subscription):

City Hall could finance a $344 million events center and hotel complex by imposing a new one-eighth percent gross-receipts tax and by tapping revenue generated by the project — but it would need to find other money for related improvements.

And the city must also be willing to use its existing tax revenue as a "backstop" in case the new tax isn't enough to pay off the debt, according to a financial analysis by the firm Piper Jaffray.

City Hall would need to find separate funding for about $53 million in related improvements around the project's Downtown site, such as a canopy over the railroad tracks, plazas, road improvements and parking garages, the report said. City officials say the state government is one potential source for that money, plus some of the city roadwork would have to be done even if the project isn't built.

The financial overview by Piper Jaffray was presented to the City Council's finance committee this week. The full council will hear about it in a study session Thursday and in a presentation at Monday's regular City Council meeting.

Piper Jaffray was hired by the development team designing and studying the feasibility of a Downtown event center and hotel. The work of Piper Jaffray, along with all the other consultants, is being reviewed by an independent team with no stake in the project, according to the city Department of Municipal Development. RBC Capital Markets, for example, is reviewing the Piper Jaffray report.

The city hasn't decided whether to move forward with the project.

Am I missing something here? What's there to decide? The City of Albuquerque doesn't have money to cover current commitments. How in the world can it be considering adding more? Oh wait, that's right. "City officials say the state government is one potential source for that money." Only one problem with that logic. The state government coffers are running dry due to the rapidly declining prices of oil and gas.

Bulding an Arena in a Recession

Chalk this up to one up to absolutely ridiculous (subscription):

Albuquerque's young, growing population looks strong enough to support a Downtown event center, according to a new consultant's report.

And if City Hall opts to build one, the WNBA has interest in awarding a team to the Duke City, the study said. The league would want a local ownership group willing to pay a $10 million expansion fee.

The remaining wild card for the whole project, of course, is the tight economy that's squeezing government revenue.

"In terms of an opportune time to make an investment, if anyone's liquid enough, these are great times," Mayor Martin Chávez said. "What we have to be cautious about ... is that it doesn't impede our ability to provide basic services."

One hurdle is whether the market will support an 11,000-seat event center. The new report by Convention, Sports & Leisure International says the market characteristics are "very favorable."

The report was conducted as part of a series of studies examining the feasibility of a $400 million plan to build an event center and hotel in Downtown Albuquerque, near the Convention Center and railroad tracks. The mayor and council haven't decided whether to go forward with the project.

Well, if they have any sense, they'll determine NOT to go forward with the project.

Streetcar Back on the Table

Not that long ago, we were all able to breath a collective sigh of relief as the Mayor's Streetcar had died a timely death. But, it looks like the Streetcar is back on the table (subscription):

Albuquerque should focus on building a modern streetcar system along Central Avenue between Downtown and San Mateo if it decides to proceed with the project, according to a consultant’s report.

That stretch of the city is the best bet for a successful start to the system, the presentation from Leland Consulting Group said. Demographics and market forces in the area would support the project, the group said.

The presentation was provided Tuesday afternoon to a City Hall task force studying transportation options in Albuquerque. Here’s a look at what was said:

* The streetcar system could draw about 5,000 riders a day on the Downtown-to-San Mateo segment.

* Each streetcar can carry up to 100 people, though the cars can be linked together to serve up to 200 people.

* The capital cost for launching the system is likely to reach about $106 million on the recommended segment, or about $28 million a mile, the presentation said. Annual operating costs would run about $3.9 million.

* Revenue from extending the life of a quarter-cent sales tax, Tax Increment Development Districts, naming rights, advertising and other sources could fund the project. Only a fairly small portion of the revenue generated by the sales tax would be needed for the streetcar system in some scenarios.

Now, there are a couple of points that really ought to jump out at you. First and most obvious is that the only way this can be funded is by extending a tax on everyone that was supposed to expire.

The next eyebrow raising fact requires a little basic math. Keep in mind that the Albuquerque Metro Area population is up to around 800,000, and is expected to reach a million before long. Yet, this Streetcar is only going to be used by about 5,000 people. Put another way... 99.5% of the people are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars (these things never come in on budget - think train), so 0.5% of the population can ride a streetcar instead of taking the bus.

Sure, the consultant said 5,000 people per day, but overall, we're talking about the same people every day. Now, I've been to Portland and used their streetcar system. So, it can be honestly argued it will be used by tourists and provide a tremendous economic benefit to those businesses on the route. Great. If they want the benefit, then they should be willing to pay for it, and let the rest of us off the hook.

The Beginning of an Unsettling Trend

Year after year, Mayor Martin Chavez has been spending with reckless abandonment. Last year, it became clear that his fiscal irresponsibility was finally catching up with him. This year the projected budget shortfall for Albuquerque is more than double what was predicted last year (subscription):

A recent budget forecast estimated the city would face a $50 million shortfall next year if no budget adjustments were made. And that was before the mayor announced 5 percent raises for firefighters and double-digit raises and other financial incentives for police to boost recruitment— expected to cost around $10 million altogether.

But Chávez says not to worry: The city can pay for it all by holding the line on other expenses.

"At the very first sign of (an economic) slowdown, we stopped filling positions," Chávez said.

The $50 million projected deficit is based on many assumptions, such as incremental increases in most expenses. Instead, city programs will see a "lack of growth," Chávez said.

Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe they've got it under control when deficits continue to increase?

Glad I Live in the County

The next time someone from Albuquerque tries to push City/County unification on us, we would be wise to remember the financial burdens the City of Albuquerque likes to push on its citizenry in the form of regulations:

Homeowners will get a little more time before City Hall starts enforcing its new "green" building code.

But city executives aren't backing away from plans to require more energy-efficient furnaces, air conditioners and other equipment.

Albuquerque's Planning Department agreed this week to postpone enforcement of the new building code until July 1— three months later than scheduled. City officials say they're willing to consider technical amendments before then.

But minor changes may not be enough to satisfy critics who say the new code will boost the cost of replacing a heater or air conditioner by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars.

As the owner of a 30 year old home with two thirty year old furnaces, I'd hate to be forced to spend thousands upon thousands to replace them both. Mind you, I live in a home with passive solar heating, and I also use a a very efficient wood burning stove for most of the winter. Plus, I keep the house very cool all winter. So, my furnaces hardly go on.

Is all of this because I'm worried about global warming or being green? No, it's because propane is expensive, and I'm pretty frugal in this arena. In other words, economics drives my decision, not regulation. Hmm... I'm sure there is a lesson there somewhere.

The Bigger Threat to Society

Now you tell me who is the bigger threat to society? The decorated marine that the District Attorney's office had thrown in jail for protecting his family and his property or the six-times-convicted drunken driver (subscription) STILL swerving around on our streets :

Ignition interlocks are supposed to keep convicted drunken drivers off the road if they drink any alcohol.

That didn't happen Saturday night, when a six-times-convicted drunken driver got behind the wheel of his interlock-equipped pickup, started it and hit the streets.

Dan R. Gallaher, 38, of Albuquerque was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the presumed level of intoxication when police pulled him over on Montgomery NE, according to a criminal complaint filed at Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

Gallaher has six prior DWI convictions, according to the New Mexico DWI Resource Center. He had an ignition interlock and an interlock license, the criminal complaint says.

Of course, the District Attorney's office is more interested in sending "messages" to law abiding citizens than to protecting us from criminal predators:

Noting the victim's two prior burglary convictions and making reference to recent car theft statistics, [Assistant District Attorney Theresa Whatley] said the court should send a message to people about being overly zealous in protecting their property.

Well, I think the District Attorney ought to take a close look at what people are saying about this message. The District Attorney has gotten a free ride for too long:

"I feel like I'm in Heaven," exclaimed a giddy Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg from her downtown ABQ office . She was giving me her reaction to the news that she will have no Dem primary opponent and no General Election foe either. A free four year ride is a rarity in the high-profile DA's job, and Kari was relishing the moment.

This is an elected position and the escalating crime rate combined with the persecution of heroes is a wonderful reminder of why it is an elected position.

Based on a press release I received late yesterday afternoon, it looks like we are going to be able to do something about the ongoing failures of this office:

Lisa Torraco today announced her candidacy for the office of Bernalillo County District Attorney.

"I can not in good conscience stand by and watch as our legal system continues to fail those it is designed to protect and prosecute those whose greatest crime is protecting their families and property from criminal predators," Torraco stated during a press conference on the steps of the District Court.

At a recent Crime Convention Conference sponsored by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, it was noted that everyday 17 houses are broken into and every 95 minutes a car is stolen.

"Crime is an ever increasing problem in our city," added Torraco. "Yet, the District Attorney's office is focusing their efforts on sending message to law abiding citizens that it is not okay to protect their families by throwing a decorated Marine behind bars for protecting his family from being burglarized by a twice convicted felon.

"The DA zealously pursues cases against law abiding citizens and dismisses others against repeat offendors – there seems to be no rhyme or reason." Torraco adds "The police are doing their jobs, we deserve a District Attorney that does hers.

"I am stepping up to the plate to do the job that needs to be done. I live here, I'm raising my children here, and I will fight to throw criminals, not heroes behind bars."

Lisa Torraco is a 1991 graduate of University of New Mexico School of Law. Upon graduation Torraco worked as an assistant district attorney for the Second Judicial District. In 1993, she worked for the Santa Fe District Attorney's office where she was appointed to lead the Child Abuse Division for Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties. A career prosecutor, Lisa Torraco has prosecuted all levels of felony and misdemeanor cases and was awarded "New Prosecutor of the Year" in 1993.

Disclosure: I have signed Lisa Torraco's petition to get on the ballot and had the pleasure and honor of joining her on the Jim Villanucci show yesterday afternoon during the 3:00 hour.

Three Strikes You're Out

Our legal system is broken when an honorably discharged veteran is sent to jail for protecting his private property from being burglarized by a twice convicted felon (subscription):

Elton John Richard II made split-second decisions— good ones— as a member of an elite Marine reconnaissance unit clearing towns ahead of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But District Judge Albert "Pat" Murdoch ordered Richard to spend two years in a New Mexico prison Friday for a decision that propelled him into a fatal pursuit of a man he thought was breaking into his home in 2004.

Richard, then working a Department of Energy courier with a Q clearance, fatally shot Daniel Romero, 34, after chasing him from his yard to Paseo del Norte.

That was taken from a Journal article over the weekend. Today's article makes it even clearer that sending Mr. Richard to jail is nothing short of a travesty of justice (subscription):

Police later located a friend of Romero's, who told them he needed parts for his Bronco and dropped off Romero in the neighborhood with a screwdriver and a hammer thinking he was going to steal a Bronco.

According to a police report, the friend parked on the street near a Dumpster and saw Romero come running from a house where a Bronco was parked in the driveway with a man running after him "beating him up."

Confirmation that there was criminal intent and the twice convicted felon was indeed caught in the act of burglarizing the private property of a law-abiding citizen - a citizen who had put his own life on the line numerous times in service to our country. Service to insure that we have the right to protect our private property.

How is this service repaid?

Assistant District Attorney Theresa Whatley said the case was one of a good man doing a bad thing.

Noting the victim's two prior burglary convictions and making reference to recent car theft statistics, she said the court should send a message to people about being overly zealous in protecting their property.

It's time to send a message to the District Attorney's office that criminals belong in jail, not people protecting their property.

Falsifying Success Becoming an Issue

In just a span of a couple of weeks, the City of Albuquerque has now twice been called to the carpet for fudging numbers. First, there was the expose on the City of Albuquerque's green claims (subscription):

It is a claim every Albuquerque resident who cares about global warming could be proud of: Since 1990, city residents have cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent.

It is also untrue.

The claim was contained in a report that was until recently featured prominently on the city's AlbuquerqueGreen Web site. As the nation's emissions of global warming-causing pollutants is on the rise, ours are going down, the report claimed.

But the report vastly overstated the city's greenhouse gas reductions. City officials acknowledged the problem and removed the report from a city Web site after the Journal requested supporting data.

It is not an isolated case. A Journal review shows the claims of greenhouse gas reductions and other "sustainability" successes made by the city are often exaggerated, misleading or wrong.

Not only is it not an isolated case, the Chavez Administration propensity to overstate success also appears not to be limited to green initiatives as one non-profit group discovered when checking on the City's claims (subscription):

Shortly after the city announced it had found homes for every "adoptable" shelter animal last month, a nonprofit group sent an employee over to check the claim.

The worker— from Alliance for Albuquerque Animals— walked through two city shelters and found 132 dogs and cats, seemingly ready for new homes.

The finding is evidence of a "culture of lying to the public about what's going on with shelter animals," said Debbra Colman, founder of the alliance.

Kind of makes you wonder what else the City may be lying about? Speaking of ethics in government, you can catch the video feeds from my most recent appearance on Eye on New Mexico here and here. The topic of the show was the ethics package being considered once again by the legislature.

No-Knock Ordinance

Criminals commit crimes. Now the City of Albuquerque has thought of a new way to infringe on the rights of law abiding citizens (subscription) because of the actions of two criminals:

Lee and Rowley were each charged with two counts of murder in connection with the Dec. 4 killings of Tak Yi and Pung Yi at the couple's home. They remain in the Metropolitan Detention Center in lieu of $2 million cash bond each.

Integrity Program did not obtain a permit, according to the lawsuit.

The city will seek monetary damages of an unspecified amount and an injunction prohibiting the firm from soliciting here.

"All we have to show is that (Integrity Program) violated our ordinance," said Assistant City Attorney Greg Wheeler.

The proposed ordinance would allow residents to sign up for a city no-knock list, similar to the no-call list barring telephone solicitors. The city would also issue a "tasteful" sticker and yard sign homeowners could post indicating they are on the list.

"It would make it illegal to solicit a household with a no-knock sign posted," Chavéz said.

The ban would not apply to political, religious and nonprofit solicitors, such as Girl Scouts, officials said.

This is just absurd. I wonder how many business leaders got their start knocking on doors to sell a product. As I recall, when I was about twelve or thirteen, I went door to door offering to mow my neighbors lawn for a couple of bucks a week.

Find it Hard to Believe

Every once in awhile a government spokesman says something that just leaves you shaking your head. Ok, not every once in awhile, more like everyday. Take this for example:

Water Authority contractor TLC Plumbing was installing a pressure relief valve in the 1400 block of San Jose SE, when the contractors stopped work to wait for a work order for $50,000 needed to finish the project, Water Authority spokesman David Morris said.

The work order never came.

"Due to an oversight on the Water Authority's part, the work order was not issued in a timely manner," Morris said Tuesday.

Morris said the Water Authority was made aware of the hole, which had been sitting untouched for several weeks, by news reports Monday night.

I'd be willing to bet that the Water Authority received several calls about the gaping hole. I'm sure the contractor called the Water Authority several times to request the work order, so they could finish their work and collect their $50,000? I'm sure that the neighborhood called to complain.

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.

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.

The Making of a Political Animal

After reading a post over at Duke City Fix about Joanie Griffin, I was ready to write Ms. Griffin off as a viable candidate:

Joanie Griffin failed to disclose. She fibbed to the Albuquerque Journal -- exactly what's she's been attacking her opponent for doing. Welcome to Council District 6.

On Griffin's Journal questionnaire published September 19, she answered "No" to the question: "Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?" The answer should have been "Yes." In 1994 Griffin and her husband were issued a state tax lien for $1,057.67.

After reading that, how can you feel anything but disgust? Then, I decided to read the Journal article Coco sourced (subscription), and I found that Coco was not entirely forthcoming with the facts:

The lien lists the Social Security number of Griffin's ex-husband, Charles Griffin. The unpaid taxes date to 1987— two years before Charles and Joanie Griffin were married [empahsis added].

The lien, however, was filed after the two were married and jointly owned property in Albuquerque. It was filed in January 1994 and repaid by March 1994, according to county records.

Now, it can be argued that Coco is "technically" correct, and Ms. Griffin's answer should have been "Yes" to the Journal question. But, the fact remains that Ms. Griffin never did anything to cause a state or federal lien against herself, which I'm sure is the intent of the question. Moreover, I believe it is entirely plausible that she may not have been aware of the lien against her husband for his tax issues, especially a lien he paid off within three months of it being filed.

So, where does this leave us?

Well, Coco is obviously upset (probably an understatement) by the recent push polls and campaign literature coming out of the Griffin campaign against her own favored candidate for the City Council seat, Rey Garduno. So, in an effort to "hit back," Coco is trying to equate the actions of Mr. Garduno's attempt to hide his conviction of shoplifting at 45 years old (subscription) with the failure to disclose a three month state tax lien against Ms. Griffin's deceased ex-husband, which happened before she married the man.

Sorry, but that's just not going to fly.

Worse, this really is an example of Coco becoming politically intoxicated in the late hours of a campaign and transforming into the type of political animal she is going to hate to see when she looks in the mirror on the morning after the election.

The Eye's Got It

Ok, this is becoming a habit, but I'm going to link to Eye on Albuquerque again. I sure could have used the Eye in my ear this morning when I was on the KUNM call-in show discussing the affordable housing bond:

The tricky part [of the affordable housing bond] is the last part, that says "this program maintains affordability by limiting the amount of equity that accrues to owners and keeping the sales price below the market level for subsequent buyers." The ordinance creating this affordable housing "opportunity" is O-06-8 and was passed just a little over a year ago. The Ordinance explains it this way:

"In a neighborhood with increasing housing prices the goal is to preserve a mixed income environment and avoid the dislocation of low income residents by creating a reserve of permanent workforce housing protected from price increases and danger of converting to market rate housing, allowing renters to own their housing, and otherwise financially insulating low income residents from financial burdens of gentrification while accruing its benefits."

What that means is that the city will use our tax dollars to help "low to moderate" income families buy homes that are "protected" from the market, making them "permanently" affordable. In other words, these "owners" will be paying a mortgage on a property that they don't truly own because they won't be getting the equity that is naturally created through time and the free market increase in property value. In short, their financial position will be only slightly better than renters because most of the equity they receive would be the equity that they put directly into the property through their payments.

Yeah, that's what I meant to say this morning. So, I'm beginning to wonder... can we draft the Eye to run for office - maybe as a publicly funded candidate. I'm sure Eye readers would be happy to donate $5.

Not a Smart Move

The Albuquerque Journal has reported that Lt. Governor Diane Denish has decided to endorse District 6 City Council Candidate, Rey Garduño (subscription):

While [Mayor Marty] Chávez wouldn't comment on Denish's motivation for the endorsement, he said in reference to Garduño's conviction in a 1988 shoplifting case, that "given his background, it's unusual."

[Lt. Governor Diane] Denish said she was aware of the shoplifting case— in which Garduño pleaded no contest and was found guilty— but said it didn't dissuade her.

Garduño didn't reveal the incident on his initial response to the Journal's candidate questionnaire.

This seems just plain foolish to me. First, you've got to wonder what the Lt. Governor is thinking by stepping into this fight. Second, could she have picked a worse candidate to endorse? As near as I can tell, partisan politics aside, Mr. Garduño has two strikes against him.

First, you've got a guy running for office, on the taxpayers dime I might add, who was caught shoplifting. Sure, it happened almost 20 years ago. But, he was 45 years old at the time... FORTY-FIVE YEARS OLD AND SHOPLIFTING (subscription):

A police incident report said a Sears store employee accused Garduño of putting a $200 telephone in his bag and leaving without paying for it.

The charge was a misdemeanor and he was issued a citation.

Garduño said the incident was a misunderstanding. He had bought light bulbs and a lamp at Sears and was looking at the phone, he said. He didn't intend to leave the store without paying, he said.

"It's not something I planned to do," Garduño said. "It was a mistake."

Garduño said he didn't recall being found guilty. He thought the charge was to be dismissed if he agreed to go to school.

We're not talking about the mistake of an immature kid. We're talking about a man, who at 45 years of age, gets caught trying to walk out of a store with a $200 phone. Then, he makes matter worse by running for office and not owning up to his petty theft until he is caught again:

He said Tuesday that he misunderstood the question. A campaign spokesman said Garduño would submit an updated response to the questions. The campaign had thought the 1988 citation was akin to a traffic ticket, not a misdemeanor, the spokesman said.

I'm sorry. We're supposed to believe shoplifting is "akin to a traffic ticket?" Yet another great example of the caliber of candidates we get when the taxpayer is footing the bill for the election.

Gotta Love Publicly Funded Campaigns

It's amazing the caliber of candidates we can now enjoy in the City of Albuquerque - now that taxpayers get to foot the campaign bills. Let's take Council District Four for example where the incumbent, City Councilor Brad Winter, is enjoying a strong challenge from an opponent with an "impressive" record of academic achievement, Paulette De'Pascal (subscription):

City Council candidate Paulette de'Pascal claims she has a B.S. and an M.B.A., but she acknowledged Tuesday that she never took any classes for either degree.

The degrees de'Pascal listed as part of her education in a Journal questionnaire were obtained through Almeda University, an online university that gives clients credit for "life experience."

De'Pascal listed other educational programs on the questionnaire but acknowledged she didn't complete all of them.

Isn't it just grand how we're now allowing "qualified" candidates to run for office? You know, candidates who might otherwise have not been able to run because... well... because no one in their right mind would have given their campaign any significant level of funding support.

In attempt at fairness, I thought I'd see what Ms. De'Pascal had to say about this fiasco on her blog - oops, that didn't last too long, did it?

Would someone please explain to me again how publicly funded elections are supposed to make politics more ethical? Matt???

Sometimes You've Got to Spend a Little

I've been thinking about this trip to China that Mayor Martin Chavez took, and as much as I enjoy taking the Mayor to task for questionable spending practices, I can't begrudge him spending $8,500 to make the trip to China (subscription). I'm inclined to agree that from a business perspective, it's a smart move.

There is a lot of talk about how government can promote economic development, and targeted tax incentives that benefit one industry but not others are a pet peeve of mine. However, I do believe that government representatives can be in a position to begin a dialogue that can be beneficial to all involved. Now, had Mayor Chavez's trip been solely about bringing a panda to the Albuquerque Zoo, I would have had a very different take on it value.

There was one part of the Albuquerque Journal article that I did find troubling:

City Council President Debbie O'Malley, who has criticized the cost of trying to bring pandas to the Rio Grande Zoo, said she's not sure the trip to China was worth it.

"I really wonder if it's necessary— I do," O'Malley said Tuesday. "I wonder what the real benefits are of his going to China. We're a midsized city."

Those last two sentences demonstrate a real lack of vision on the part of City Council President Debbie O'Malley. No wonder Councilor O'Malley is such a proponent for government subsidized housing. She seems to believe that you can never become more than what you already are.

Heatwave Results in Political Insanity

The general rule of thumb in politics is that the summer is supposed to be a slow time. After all, we're all thinking about barbecues, pools and vacations. No one wants to focus on campaigns... except in the City of Albuquerque.

This summer is going to go down in the history books as one of the most bizarre in recent history. Today's Albuquerque Journal Around the Metro (subscription) section has one City Councilor facing ethics complaint and the Mayor's Transit Director in the hot seat:

Councilor Raises Campaign Concern

City Councilor Brad Winter has called on the mayor to ensure that Transit Director Greg Payne isn't doing campaign work on city time.

He sent a letter to Mayor Martin Chávez this week. It stems from concern that Payne is helping Winter's opponent in this year's council race, Paulette de'Pascal.

Payne said Wednesday he has no role in de'Pascal's campaign and isn't doing campaign work for anyone on city time. He said supporters of de'Pascal had approached him about helping her, but he doesn't have the "time or energy to get involved."

De'Pascal said Payne "is not affiliated with my campaign in any way."

She said an employee in the mayor's office, Tony Pedroncelli, did help gather signatures— but not on city time.

Ok, probably not worth more than a head scratch. Or, at least that's what I thought until I had this email forwarded to me:

From: "Sandra P. Richardson"

Date: July 14, 2007 7:39:55 AM MDT

To:

Cc: "Sandra P. Richardson" ,

Subject: Paulette, THE PLAN and the structure

While you ask for structure, you resist it like a honey bee, flitting from person to person, seeking their advice and opinion...wearing yourself and us out. Not a winning strategy in any political campaign...especially this one. Hard to be the candidate and not the consultant, isn't it?

Yesterday, I was talking with Greg. We worked out what HE needs YOU to do and I fully support because I trust Greg and know that if you follow this Plan, you WILL win. If you continue to avoid, you can cost yourself the election.

Here's the structure we're committed to:

1. Greg is THE Captain of the team. He's the ONLY person to whom you seek political advice. He's THE strategist...period. (He's "gold" for this campaign.)

a. Do NOT undermine his efforts by being a "honey bee." Frustrating for him, frustrating for me, frustrating for you.

b. Everyone else is just signature helpers...NOT strategists. If you indulge in the "honey bee," you sacrifice winning...period.

c. "Loose lips sink ships." In this case, being a "honey bee" compromises your campaign. You cannot discuss the elements with anyone else. Period. This is not a tea party, this is WAR. Period.

2. I agree with Greg. I have made a commitment to him and to you. My role is to work with Greg, find out what his game plan is for that period of time and then work with you to make sure you follow. Period.

a. If you have a concern, you tell me so that I can tell Greg. Period. No honey bee.

b. You have to follow this structure to protect Greg and me and yourself. Period.

c. Greg is held ethically to very strict guidelines...he cannot indulge your need to hear from him every day...that's why we've worked out this plan.

d. I'm your coach ,as I committed mid May!! Period. As such, you MAKE time for me, first.

3. THE PLAN-structure:

a. Greg is the only Captain of this ship. He creates the strategy. He decides.

b. I am his First Mate. I report to the Captain. YOU report to ME. Period.

c. You are the candidate. You report to me....NOT "if you get time" between all the "flowers." You MAKE time. I'm not your mother...I'm your coach. This is the PLAN. You want to win? You follow Greg's Plan. Period.

d. Caleb is the manager of compliance and your schedule. He does NOT take a trip or day off to play without checking The Book first, assuring that nothing is due. He let's me know if and when he leaves...and assures ME that nothing is due. Period. He earns the money funded by the pubic. period.

e. EVERYONE else is a helper ONLY for door-to-door.

4. . Everyone else,EVERYONE else is NOT for you to discuss any strategy...you cannot indulge or you will sink your candidacy and us along with it!

a. They help with going door to door. Period.

b. They are NOT the ones you turn to for "What should I do."

1) Tony, et al, help you by walking door to door...period. He is NOT your strategist...he works for Greg in this campaign. He is not the "go-to" guy.

2) Eddie is NOT. You do NOT discuss stuff with him. He keeps you company on the door-to-door, Talk about other stuff. "Loose lips..."

3) Not your old buddies, relatives, especially girlfriends.

4) Not other candidates. This is not 8th grade.

5). NO one, nada, nil.

5. THE PLAN-Per Greg, this is what you focus on...and only this:

a. Keep walking getting signatures...lots and lots of signatures. that's ALL.

b. You do not need to do anything else unless it falls under "compliance."

6. Caleb, as the publically paid person, has the responsibility to organize the paperwork from the City Clerk's Office and be responsible for your compliance with the rules.

a. As promised, I will coordinate with him...not you.

b. He will inform you when and what you need to do and you will comply with whatever the paperwork says.

c. He can always check with Kelli on your behalf...you. do NOT.

d. as the paid manager, he does not take off unless he let's me know that all is okay, nothing is due. He tells me.

5. Caleb will maintain your calendar...you do NOT schedule without clearing with him...remember, "I have to check with my manager."

a. Real easy to do.

b. You cannot "try,"

c. You have to make that commitment to the campaign.

d. You make that commitment to those of us who are working (Greg, Caleb, me) for your success.

You wanted structure...I've been trying for several months to bring you structure with a little success but there's still too much frustration for all.

You owe your campaign the commitment to follow what Greg and I have the experience to know. YOU WOULD DEMAND THIS OF YOUR OWN CLIENTS!

The only way this campaign will fail is if you do not follow The Plan.. You absolutely must. Or, you're wasting your time and ours.

You have a tendency to bring this to everyone you know, get their input and cherry-pick what you think will work for you. BUT YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN THE CANDIDATE.

You are not objective and the people you ask are not experts nor do they know the District 4 political scene nor will they have to "pick up the pieces" if this campaign "goes South."

No more 8th grade stuff. This is serious...for Greg, for me and for you. We all have a great deal at stake. You absolutely need to put your candidacy in Greg's hands. You have to trust him...

He's won every campaign. He's savvy and experienced and believes strongly in you...as do I. BUT, Paulette, you can be your own worse enemy. When you're unsure, you indulge in the "honey bee" syndrome, trying to get a secure feeling inside.

Campaigning takes personal discipline. Do what you do best: get signatures.. Can you imagine if you had 5,000 signatures what the impact would be on your campaign???

So, focus on just one thing: getting signatures...get to know as many constituents as you possibly can. You do this so well. Capitalize on your strength. Only you can do this part well.

Make time, first, for me to coach you on the background for issues that you will need at debate and forum time.

I expect your compliance to Greg's plan. Greg expects your compliance to his Plan.

Starting now...

Sandra 821-1347

sprichardson@comcast.net

And, if this wasn't bizarre enough, it turns out that there is a Mayoral Appointee to the City of Albuquerque Ethics Board named Mr. Cliff Richardson. I wonder if there is any relationship between Ms. Sandra Richardson and Mr. Cliff Richardson.

Weird stuff.