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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Holly Holm Joins The Political Fight, Plus: Another Media Guy Joins Bill, And: D.C. Surprise: Pearce Called Corrupt; Reacts Angrily 

Holly Holm
Some of the Alligators say recent polling shows ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez doesn't stand a fighting chance in his duel with Light Guv Diane Denish for the 2010 Dem Guv nomination, so perhaps it's appropriate that the Mayor is taking his campaign ringside. It will be Friday night at the fights for His Honor as he hawks tickets to the Holly Holm-Angela Martinez face-off at Santa Ana Star Casino. ABQ native Holm, holder of welterweight titles from six boxing organizations, isn't endorsing the Chavez candidacy, but boxing promoter Lenny Fresquez is in the Mayor's corner.

Chavez's top fight ticket is priced at $2500 for two which includes a limo ride, ringside seats and a photo with Holm. There's also cocktails before the fight and a VIP party afterwards. With Marty 20 points back in his race with Di, maybe Holly can give him tips on how to defeat a woman.

BILL'S MEDIA HAREM

Yet another media member has found comfort and solace in the bosom of Big Bill. KKOB-AM radio's assistant program director, Richard Eeds, is headed to Santa Fe and the position of director of of marketing for the NM Department of Tourism. Eeds, the ABQ talk station's house liberal, has spent 12 years surrounded by the sounds of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and looks forward to the more liberal climes of the state capital beginning next month.

Eeds, who grew up in Farmington, is one of several dozen reporters and media types to find
a higher paying home under Big Bill's roof since he took over in '03. There could be a lot more trying to get under it now that the ABQ Tribune is folding.

LASHING LUDWICK

Not all news reporters who flee to the "Dark Side" do so with little fanfare. Take, for example, former longtime ABQ Journal city hall reporter Jim Ludwick. He recently landed a plum $70,000 job with the city's animal control agency. Councilor Michael Cadigan barked mightily at the hire this week calling it a waste of money because more vital positions are going unfilled. Councilor and animal advocate Sally Mayer also noted her discomfort with the Ludwick hire which insiders say was helped along by Mayor Marty press aide Deborah James.

Ludwick will probably survive the council's wrath, but there does seem to be more aggressiveness in the Journal's coverage of the ongoing war between the council and Mayor, something that seemed absent during the final months of Ludwick's tenure.

BINGAMAN AND THE LABS

The day of reckoning is getting closer for Los Alamos and Sandia Labs. Dem US Senator Jeff Bingaman was inching the state towards reality Tuesday, saying there will be jobs lost at the huge defense installations.

"I think there probably would be some reduction in force,..,but I don't think the very large reductions in force that have been talked about are likely to occur..." Bingaman told NM radio reporters.


The budget for Sandia and Los Alamos is making its way through the Byzantine budget process on Capitol Hill with a final outcome on how many jobs will permanently lost not known until near year's end. While dismissing the worst case scenario of job losses of well over 3,400 at the Labs, Bingaman, chairman of Senate Energy, was not saying how bad things could get.

HEATHER'S WAR

ABQ GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson covered every conceivable angle on the Iraq war in a lengthy newspaper interview, but on the key question--when should America get its troops out--she remained noncommittal and ambivalent. It is a torturous conversation, revealing the tight spot the Republican representative faces in keeping her conservative base with her and still appeal to the majority of her district which has turned decisively against the no-end-in-sight war and wants out. It nearly cost her the seat in '06, and lays the groundwork for another brutal battle in 2008.

THREE OUT OF THREE
Rep. Pearce
Democrats are sure to run hard with the news that the three GOP members of our congressional delegation have made the ignominious list of Most Corrupt Members of Congress compiled by the D.C. watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, or CREW. The news stands out even more since there are only 22 members out of 535 on the list. Most are Republicans.

CREW named Senator Domenici and Congresswoman Wilson for their involvement in the US attorney scandal which was not unexpected. But southern NM GOP Congressman Steve Pearce also made the corrupt list and that was a surprise. CREW claims multimillionaire Pearce is corrupt because of his "failure to properly report" a transaction on his financial disclosure form dealing with the sale of his oil services business. His office was quick with a response defending Pearce who has been untouched by scandal since being elected in 2000.

...Rep. Pearce filed an accurate financial disclosure statement and all of Mr. Pearce’s assets and transactions were correctly reported as law required. There has been no violation of the Ethics in Government Act and Mr. Pearce stands by the documents on record. Congressman Pearce serves the Second District with the utmost integrity. It is appalling that a group which claims to promote ethics and accountability would publish outright lies.

Pete and Heather are long past commenting on their roles in the US attorney scandal and will face the verdict of the voters. Meantime, isn't calling Pearce "corrupt" over a disagreement on how he should have handled a financial disclosure a bit of a stretch?

MEASURING MATTIACE

Las Cruces Mayor Bill Mattiace may be favored for re-election November 6 as we blogged Tuesday, but that doesn't mean everyone is happy with his leadership, and that was reflected in our e-mail and this missive from Las Crucean Greg Lennes

"The mayor has failed us. Our electric rates have climbed to the highest ever because of the inaction of the mayor and the City Council. Affordable housing, which was the one of the main campaign issues of Mayor Mattiace in 2003, was ignored. Instead home prices have skyrocketed, locking out the average Las Cruces resident. If you consider inflation, the median family income is worse than that of 2003 and the city has one of highest gross receipts taxes in the state."

Well, that's some ammo for Mattiace's two opponents. We'll see if they do anything with it.

Thanks for dropping in. Send your news and comments from this email link.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
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