State Senate Majority Leader Manny Aragon doesn't live in the city, sponsored two major laws this year that took power away from the city, doesn't get along with one of his biggest critics, the mayor of the city, and yet Manny is involved in the Tuesday city election. Aragon, always on the outlook for an opportunity to add to his influence, has apparently taken under his wing the youngest candidate seeking election to the city council, 22 year old Javier Martinez, a UNM politcal science major. Manny has donated $425.00 to Martinez, who told me he does not consider himself a 'protege" of the legendary lawmaker.

"I met with Manny and he asked me a lot of questions about the issues, and decided I would be a good councilor and donated to my campaign. I am very grateful for the help." Martinez is running in the six person race in southeast heights District Six for the seat being vacated by Hess Yntema. His positions are of the liberal variety: against the street bonds, for the quarter cent public safety tax and against Paseo Del Norte. Martinez, an El Paso native, says he plans on going to graduate school if he loses Tuesday, but will be back in a couple of years. Well, we're sure Manny will be waiting. Republicans might want to take a lesson from the Aragon playbook. They keep asking how he hangs in there so long. Maybe it has something to do with grooming young men and women for high positions. Love him or hate him, all agree that Senator Manny comes to play. And he likes the game so much he recruits far into the future.

THE $20,000 "MISTAKE"
Eli Lee, President of Soltari Consulting, is a well-respected political pro around New Mexico, but he isn't looking too smart today. Not after he had to retract his statement that the charitable McCune Foundation was giving $20,000 to the Stop Tax Waste Commitee via Soltari to fight the $52 million street bond issue on Tuesday's ballot. Gerges Scott, on the job around the clock for the Bond Advocacy Group, e mails us the memo from McCune denying it was giving Soltari money to buy anti-bond TV time. The memo said it does not get involved in campaigns. Lee told me he had a conversation with McCune officials in January and thought they pledged the 20 grand, but it turns out they were talking about giving the money to the native American Sage Council to use in non-political ways. Lee now says his company will eat the 20K mistake and donate the money itself. "It was miscommunication," he told me, and added that the money will come out of corporate coffers.

If money gets too tight at Soltari, maybe Eli can give his resume to Gerges over at Rick Johnson. Not.

ABQ's Most Wanted Man

Call it overkill. Call it over-the-top. District Four City Councilor Brad Winter must be calling it a world of hurt. Late Friday residents in the northeast heights area opened their mailboxes to a deluge of anti-Winter literature from the pro-business Citizens for Greater Albuquerque PAC (CGA). No less than three pieces of literature targeted Winter on behalf of fellow Republican and challenger Pat Milligan. It was probably the biggest single day assault on a political candidate in modern city history.

One Winter supporter said it reeks of desperation. "CGA is losing the other races it's targeted and has turned its firepower on Brad. Even though their attacks have been discredited by the papers, they keep gunning for him in what amounts to ridiculous overkill."

That Winter advocate is right that the papers discredited claims contained in CGA literature. It was a sorry piece of work with even political pros sympathetic to CGA condemning it as shoddy. The first rule of attack politics, one said, is "to get it right before you pull the trigger." If the errors were intentional we have reached a new low in ethics in these contests.

CGA is spending a record $125,000 in just three council races that attract about 6,000 voters each. City Councilors only make 900 bucks a month. The money being spent is clearly all out of proportion to what is at stake. After all, if the city council is so all-powerful how can you explain the record growth of the past 11 years on the westside? And much of this during the mayoral term of avowed environmentalist Jim Baca. The hardcore elements in the business and environmental community need to turn down the temperature a notch, or else Rio Rancho is going to end up the biggest city in New Mexico.

The decline in the city election process started four years ago when the state GOP intervened in the races, Now, this weekend before the Tuesday election, we are in a downright tailspin.

One observer looking ahead, told me to prepare for an ugly aftermath. "If you think this town is divided now wait until Wednesday morning. The mainstream business community that collected the money and sanctioned the pollution of the city political system will be called to account by the opposition." He said.

That may be particularly so if Winter goes down to defeat by CGA. The attacks on him are out of sync with his personality and reputation. If Winter goes down, the ensuing battle to destroy CGA and its causes could turn the political atmosphere downright poisonous.

The Bottom Line: Ironically, the CGA effort, even if successful, could foster such animosity and division that no businessperson in their right mind would want to locate here, paving the way for Rio Rancho to some day assume the role of New Mexico's largest city.

Be sure to bookmark this site and visit us regularly for updates on this and other breaking NM political news.

I had lunch with a longtime supporter of Governor Bill's the other day, who upon reviewing the Guv's press of the past few weeks, deadpanned: "Joe, the honeymoon is over." Indeed it is. The latest piece from the AP's respected Santa Fe Bureau Chief Barry Massey takes the Guv to task for not disclosing who paid for a recent trip Bill took to Reno, Nevada. Here's the Massey lead:

"Gov. Bill Richardson is refusing to disclose who paid for his trip to Nevada this week to attend a conference on oil and natural gas. Billy Sparks, the governor's communications director, said Tuesday that the state didn't pay for Richardson's transportation Monday to Reno, Nev., to deliver a luncheon speech to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.But Sparks said that's all he could confirm and would not disclose who footed the bill for the trip." Read the entire story:

http://www.sfnewmexican.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=34457

The Guv is not going to be able to play hide and seek with an increasingly skeptical and probing press corp. Any trip he takes is going to be under scrutiny. There were few secrets in Santa Fe years ago. There are even fewer in this wide-open media age. Earlier the AP's Massey penned a report on Bill's costly use of state helicopters and planes to get around the state. That was on top of the Washington Post report detailing his 115 mph trips in his SUV. My lunchmate wondered if Big Bill and his staff are aware of the image damage that is being done. "This is stuff people remember" he opined." And, he warned: "New Mexico politcs can get very tough very fast." He's got that right.

The guv hired a bunch of newspaper and TV people for administration jobs when he took over and some joked that he was trying to "buy off" the press. But now some wonder if the Big Guy's guys actually believed that. As Bill's buddy put it to me: "They seem stunned now that the bees are beginning to sting."

A notable postscript: When you tangle with the Associated Press, you are toying with your national image. The tough Massey pieces are running in newspapers across America.

Street Bond battlers Gerges Scott of the Rick Johnson Agency and Eli Lee of Soltari consulting are battle-scarred, world weary politicos, just the kind of guys you want in the trenches in the final days of an expensive, down and dirty fight for the future of ABQ's soul. The two hardened, street-wise vets make no apologies for their toughness or their attempts to spin all media in their orbit--including this weblog. The nearly $200,000 battle over the Street Bonds has them swinging some of the hardest punches of their respective careers. Here's the Bond Advocacy Group's Scott with his latest analysis and roundhouse at Eli's 'Stop Tax Waste' group:

"The majority of the opposition is in District Six, and the Downtown section of District Two. The westside will carry the day. We registered a bunch of new voters...and the westside group sent out mail that highlights what District Five will receive in the bond election. We sent out four direct mail pieces, one citywide, one to District Four, one to District Two and one to District Six. I believe that District Four will support all the bonds; the vote will be split in District Six and District Two. I noticed several "Stop the Tax Waste" signs in Six. Funny, in the corner of the sign in small print it says 1000 Friends. Why are they hiding their involvement? Because they know Albuquerque voters are weary of their obstructionist policies!"

Eli, appearing in the same KOB-TV piece with me last night on the bond issue wasn't giving an inch. He said the heavy TV spending by his group is to "keep up" with the mayor, who is featured in the pro-street bond TV. Eli also took issue with my spin and that of Journal cartoonist Trever that the anti-street bond movement was aimed at the Paseo extension, but his forces were trying to defeat it without mentioning it because most voters favor the project. Former State Rep. Kurt Lohbeck joked: "That's called 'politricks,' not politics."

Retorts Eli: "You are a bit too clever with that, Joe. This is fundamentally about fairness. The westside is getting over 50 per cent of the street bond funds. That's a slap in the face of the rest of this city, and the mayor is leading the charge for his developer ABQPAC contributors." Eli also disagreed with Gerges about the northeast heights. "Rank and file Republicans are breaking our way. They know this bond issue could very well lead to a tax hike and is fiscally irresponsible." And Eli is in Gerges' face over support from the environmental community, including 1000 Friends, telling me earlier that his group would proudly accept money from such groups, which he believes are fighting to make the city more livable.

And there gentle readers you have some of the no-holds-barred combat taking place in our fair village. These two will duke it out right up until 6:59 p.m. October 28th. But at 7 p.m., when the polls close, they will wish each other well, and perhaps prepare for a future duel that will again demand thick wallets and thick skins.

Here's the latest as they round the corner headed for the final stretch this weekend:

--The automated phone calls sponsored by the pro-business Citizens for a Greater ABQ (CGA) are aimed at District Two contender Debbie O'Malley and District Six candidate Martin Heinrich. Sources there tell me O'Malley is again attacked in the robo call for allegedly supporting a $1000.00 tax on new home purchasers. She has flatly denied the charge.

-Heinrich is attacked in the calls as a tool of "special interests" (including Indian casinos) and a recent arrival to his district. Heinrich's campaign lashes back calling CGA the ultimate "special interest" and says he has been in the district six years.

--CGA backed District Two contender Mary Molina Mescall says she's getting a raw deal from the press which she says has focused too much on her CGA backing. "What about the special interests supporting Debbie?" Asks Mescall. Those special interests, she says, are various environmental groups.

--Incumbent Brad Winter tells me he considers himself the "underdog" in his race against fellow Republican and CGA backed contender Patrick Milligan. "He could win." Winter told me. Winter upset an incumbent four years ago--Sam Bregman--with the help of the Republcian Party. The GOP is hands-off this time around, but CGA continues to hammer Winter who they consider to be a tax and spender. Winter, clearly worried, has stepped up his campaign a notch in recent days

---Tonight on the early editions of "Eyewitness News" on KOB-TV I will appear with reporter Neil Simon to discuss the incredible amount of money being spent on the street bond debate (over 175K). So tune to channel 4 at 5 and 6 p.m. tonight.

I can now confirm rumors that have been floating around in select political circles the last few weeks about the meeting of the New Mexico Senate Democratic Caucus. The Caucus DID vote at its meeting to reject the special session of the Legislature called by Governor Bill. Democratic insiders have confirmed the negative vote to me but say the whole thing has been kept very quiet because opponents of the Guv "fear retribution." The vote does not have the force of law but is the sense of the Caucus. Big Bill still plans to call a special session. Meanwhile, over in the House, many Democrats there were also grumbling over the special session at a meeting over the weekend, but did not take a formal vote against it, again, according to Democratic insiders.

It is the first major crack in the dam for Democratic Governor Richardson, who has one of the outstanding records for a freshman year governor in state history. But, the insiders tell me, he has pushed too hard this time and the Legislators feel they are being put on the spot; that the session is a session just for the Governor to put up a few more marks on the board to further his national political ambitions. The entire Legislature stands for re-election next year, and the last thing lawmakers want is to be forced to handle political hot potatoes like tax increases.

The problem has gotten worse since the majority of Senate Democrats voted against the special in that closed door, no outsiders permitted meeting. The Guv's tax reform commission is seen as anything but. Conservative Dems especially are put off by the tax increases proposed by the commission. The Governor will probably offer some cover for concerned Dems in the next couple of days, but no dramatic "reform" is in the offing. One proposal getting attention on the Fourth Floor (Bill's Office) is a slight reduction in the gross receipts tax on food, in exchange for a boost in cigarette and booze taxes. Not exactly the sweeping reform first envisioned.

Also, new rumors are floating around that one senate Democrat, not from the ABQ area, will take to the floor shortly after the special session convenes on October 27th and make a symbolic move against Governor Bill's session. This senator, the rumor goes, will call for immediate adjournment of the session saying there is nothing special to consider and that lawmakers can handle the tax issues at their regular session in January!

The guv is a political master, but for the first time, he is running up against what other governors have had to deal with---powerful voices in the Legislature who are not about to have the power of any chief exec go unchecked. The insiders say the disgruntled Dems will keep most of the discontent to themselves for now. But the Republicans and even some Dems may start shouting about the $80,000 a day it will cost to have the session.

Bottom Line: The Guv had a chance to cancel the special when his tax commission came off the tracks, but he decided to move forward without Legislative consensus. Now a price will be paid. For New Mexico's Legislature there is more risk than reward in a special session dealing with taxes on the eve of the election year. They will work to get attention on the more pleasing non-tax issues on the governor's call and get out of town, but Bill's own party, for the first time, has fired a shot across his bow. Stay tuned.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Did you know that the most controversial item on next Tuesday's ABQ election ballot is the extension of Paseo Del Norte on the westside? Of course you did. But a TV spot unveiled by the "Stop Tax Waste" group, which is funded mainly by the environmental community, does not EVER mention the road in their TV ad urging city voters to reject the $52 million street bond issue, $12 million of which would go to extend Paseo. A bit strange seeing as how this is the same group attacking the City Council for lumping the Paseo project in with other street projects thereby thwarting a stand-alone vote on Paseo. You can see the ad for yourself at http://www.stoptaxwaste.com/TVAd.html

It seems the mere mention of Paseo is now the equivalent of swearing; by the City Council majority that supported the road but hid it from the public, and the environmental groups opposed. The TV ad also tries to drag Mayor Marty into the fray by directly criticizing his support of the street bonds, but Chavez (so far) has not taken the bait. The smart money is on the bonds passing, maybe not by a huge total, but nevertheless winning, so the mayor's low-profile is seen as the wisest strategy headed into the crucial final days.

Opponents of Paseo realize most voters support it, so instead of attacking the road, their TV aims to get everyone mad about the westside getting most of the road repair money this bond cycle. This, they hope, will defeat the street bonds and thus the Paseo extension they dread. Old timers, reacting to the latest tactics, decry the divisiveness of city politics these days. One told me late Monday: "Both sides are as far apart as ever. Now, they are trying to tear the whole town apart. The sooner this election is over, the better!"

It's an incredible stretch of elections and it may get more incredible. State Rep. Fred Luna has stopped the rumor mill dead in its tracks by confirming to "NM Politics with Joe Monahan" that he WILL seek re-election in 2004. The Democratic Chairman of the House Business and Industry Committee says his health is "fine" and he is ready to go to Santa Fe for an 18th, two year term.

The 72 year old was rumored to be ready to call it quits, but his associates tipped us that Fred was going again. A personal conversation with the dean of the House confirmed it. In 2002 Luna faced a stiff challenge for the Valencia county seat from Republican Jackie Farnsworth. She lost by only two percent, or less than two hundred votes. No word yet on whether she will try again. Luna was first elected to the State House in 1970, before most New Mexicans were born. That's two years before Senator Domenici won his Senate seat and he's the longest serving U.S. Senator in NM history.

Luna, known as a quiet, moderate politician, attributes his success to "responding to the people." Whatever it is he might want to bottle it and sell it to the new generation coming up. His is one of the longest running win records not only in NM politics but in America. It will be interesting to see what kind of opposition he draws and whether he can up the slim margin of victory he escaped with last time. His district is 56% Democrat putting it in play for GOP candidate who can attract the Independents.

V.B. Price

Influential liberal commentator V.B Price jarred some of his brethren over the weekend when he blasted the proposed unification of the city of ABQ and Bernalillo County and urged voters to reject the proposal during the mail-in election now underway until November 4th.

Price, a nearly 40 year veteran of ABQ political warfare, and a writer with a big following in the state's environmental community, took off the gloves on this one calling the proposed unification charter "ill-conceived... a scenario for madness." And in an attack that is resonating in political circles, Price penned: "Unification is going way too fast for anyone but the designers to comprehend it." Interestingly, on the same ABQ Trib page that Price posted his thumbs down, Lora Lucero, another prominent ABQ North Valley liberal, was writing in FAVOR of the proposal. Earlier, Alibi columnist Jerry Ortiz y Pino, another respected liberal, also endorsed the unification. The ABQ Journal also weighed in over the weekend and gamely tried to carry water for the proposal, but the best it could do was to say this is the best chance to get unification so it should be approved. Not exactly a call to arms.

The Price knock that the whole process has gone way too fast is a key issue. The FOR side has done nothing significant to get a coherent message out. Attorney David Campbell, who engineered the unification before the Legislature has so far been AWOL. If the father of the proposal is not banging the drum loudly, who is? All this is leading to speculation that theirs is a "hit and hope" strategy--just hit the ball and hope it turns out to be a base hit. If not, que sera, sera. But that could mean hasta la vista November 4 to the dream of city-county unity.

POSTSCRIPT: After a long week of political junkie activity we headed for the movies Friday night and ran into Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera, also seeking relief from the political firestorms. She told me counting the mail-in ballots will take days, and that she will hire extra workers to do the job. Mary fought the unification while it was under discussion but now that it's in the voters hands, she is done debating and is concentrating on running a fair election.

So writes one political activist, and I am hard-pressed to disagree. Battle-lines are being drawn, emotions are running high and the money is starting to flow like the Rio Grande used to. City Council candidates are worried if a wave of down and dirty negative attacks is coming, but right now it's the $52 million street bond issue taking center stage and keeping the candidates in the back row. Here's the latest:

---The street bonds containing Paseo extension money threaten to overshadow the entire city election. Sources tell me total spending on the issue could near an incredible $175,000, with both sides almost equal in their fundraising. Ace PR man and CBS News veteran Gerges Scott is in the war room with the Bond Advocacy Committee and they plan to fire with both barrels in a TV ad campaign in response to the anti-street bond TV spots unveiled by Stop Tax Waste, the anti-bond committee. His spots, Gerges says, will not be negative but will make clear your taxes won't go up if you vote FOR the bond. Scott also breaks the news to us that he's planning to hold a rally downtown in favor of the street bonds late next week. How many times have we seen a rally for bonds, usually the least sexiest item on an election ballot?

---Eli Lee, one of New Mexico's top political strategists, is manning the battle lines for the anti-street bond forces. He popped surprise TV ads against the measure this week forcing Gerges and his crew to get busy in the TV studio, something they did not plan on. Eli responds to Gerges' claim that national environmental groups may be flooding ABQ with money at the last minute to defeat the controversial westside road. "Seventy five per cent of our donations are from people giving $10 or $20. People are upset with the way the Paseo extension is tucked away with all the other street bonds and they can't vote on it separately." He also told me he would WELCOME out-of-town environmentalist money in the closing days and states that they have not seen any such big donations yet. Scott says his bond group is proud that all of their donations are "coming from people who live here and who value people over the minnow." Don't know how we got on the fish, but Eli comes back with a blast of his own: "Joe, take a look at their contributors, it looks like a charter group for urban sprawl!"

The good news is that both sides tell me they will continue to fully disclose all contributions, with the next filing date on the Friday before the Tuesday election.

ANALYSIS: This could be a close election. The pro-bond forces have the edge because of the natural bent of the electorate to support such issues. But the possibility of an upset is there. Insiders estimate that the anti-street bond forces have made an initial TV buy of about $15,000 on two of the network affiliated stations. The "free media" coverage of voters upset because they can't vote on the Paseo extension and must vote up or down all $52 million in street bonds is giving the anti-forces a good hook. Hey, you can be FOR the road and still be mad about how it's presented and vote no. But in most public opinion polling in recent years a clear majority of Albuquerque voters FAVOR Paseo. Voter turnout will be key. Westside voters who heartily support Paseo, but have no council candidates on their ballots will be especially critical to the issues success or failure. This may be the last stand for foes of the most controversial public works projects in the history of the city of Albuquerque. (Yes, bigger than Montano). It is a defining battle that will set the tone for development here in the 21st century. With stakes that high, no wonder all the stops are being pulled out at the last minute and the council candidates are being overshadowed. But don't worry we'll catch up again soon with our brave warriors and update you on key events in the final crucial days. Meanwhile, look out for those falling bombs.