The Maloof Family
Word that the wealthy Maloof family is ending their business ties with New Mexico after being staked here for over a century rattled old-timers and newcomers alike as the shaky economy and the fallout from it continues to hold everyone in thrall. But there's more going on business wise with one of the state's most storied families than just the sale of its Coors beer and liquor distributorship.

The cornerstone of the Maloof business empire was that Coors distributorship the family secured in the 1930's and which made possible all the later and varied investments that eventually landed the family on the Forbes 400 Rich List for 2003, showing them with a net worth of $1 billion.

But they are long gone from that list and the Great Recession is reshaping their empire and their lives. The Maloofs recently sold the Sacramento Monarchs, a team in the Women's National Basketball Association. And word is growing louder that the family's once-high flying NBA franchise--the Sacramento Kings--will soon go up for sale. Sports insiders say a struggling NBA franchise like the Kings can lose $30 million a year.

But it is the crown jewel of the empire that is at the heart of the tumultuous times for the family of Lebanese decent whose ancestors settled in the Las Vegas, NM area late in the 19th century.

The Palms Resort and Casino, erected just off the Las Vegas strip in 2001 for $285 million, is being ravaged by the recession, along with the rest of Vegas. It's known as a fabulous property, managed by George Maloof, Jr, 45, and where famous Hollywood personalities and the Playboy philosophy are mixed into a highly profitable blend. But there's no let up in sight for the gambling recession as consumers--even well-off ones--reassess their past and future spending.

In the context of the basketball and casino stories, it's not surprising that the NM Coors business is being put up for sale. And then there's this...

MADOFF AND THE MALOOFS?
Madoff
The rumor mill is always churning when it comes to the high and mighty. Slam, a magazine that bills itself as a top source for pro basketball news, recently put out this sensational item:

There are persistent rumors that the Maloofs had money invested with Bernie Madoff, and we can all guess how that turned out.

Madoff ran a ponzi scheme, bilking billions from unsuspecting wealthy investors.

In addition to family matriarch, Colleen, who sold her Beverly Hills home this year for around $8 or $9 million (depending on the report), a couple of the Maloof children also put their Los Angeles estates on the market. Phil Maloof's Beverly Hills house was first listed at$16,995,000 and then listed at a much lower $10,865,000, and Joe Maloof sold his Brentwood mansion for $4.2 million. He purchased it in 2004 for $4.75 million. Colleen has owned a home in the affluent Altura Park area of ABQ's mid-NE Heights for many years. (We don't know the current ownership status.)

The four sons of Colleen and George Maloof (who passed in 1980) are all sought after bachelors who have had their share of time in the tabloids, but their mother is given credit for running a tight ship. The Maloof businesses grew exponentially under her early leadership and the sons carried it to even higher heights, all without a hint of scandal or other public issues that so often track the monied classes. Maloof daughter Adrienne is secretary-treasurer of the Maloof companies, is married and lives in Los Angeles.

Whether they invested with Madoff or not, the Maloof's are gone from the upper tier of the world-class rich as well as from the New Mexico business landscape. But their support of several generations of workers here, their generous philanthropy and the story of their hard scrabble ancestors building something where there was nothing, has earned them a chapter all their own in the never-ending book of La Politica.

SIDEBAR ACTION

We wondered if the Maloof's pulling out of New Mexico will make a difference when the debate over slapping more taxes on booze heats up next month at the state legislative session. You may recall it was several years ago when the last serious attempt was made to hike alcohol taxes. The Maloof's engineered a very effective lobbying campaign that included postcards sent far and wide. The tax was killed. They won't be around with such passion this session and the liquor industry could feel their absence. But lobbyist Ed Mahr, who represents the Maloof companies in NM, still doesn't see higher booze taxes in the future:

Republicans are against any tax increases and there are too many Dems who do not want to raise the price of liquor on their blue collar constituents. Also, NM's liquor taxes already are among the highest in the country and the liquor industry is part of NM's hospitality industry and that industry has tanked. Raising liquor taxes is not a good way to attract more tourists...Our retail liquor prices are already horrendous and raising them higher will not help the industry...

THE MALOOF CAMPAIGN

The peak of the Maloof's political involvement came when Phil Maloof, now 42, won the 1998 Democratic nomination for the ABQ congressional seat. He had served a term as a ABQ West Side state senator. The US House seat opened up upon the death of GOP Rep. Steve Schiff. The R's put up Heather Wilson who beat Maloof in both a special election and a regular election. Maloof spent $5.3 million on the losing effort. He now oversees Maloof Music in LA, a joint venture record label.

THE YEAR WAS 1974

Tonight the ABQ City Council gathers for its first meeting with the new councilors elected in the October election and all eyes will be on the vote to confirm Democratic lawyer Dave Campbell as Republican Mayor RJ Berry's chief administrative officer.

Three of Berry's fellow R's--Councilors Winter, Cook and Lewis are wary of Campbell, saying he has a conflict of interest because he was a land use attorney who did business with the city prior to becoming CAO. But the ABQ Journal, echoing community sentiment first heard here, urges in a Sunday editorial that the GOP councilors back off. They cite Campbell's lengthy response to the councilors concerns and the tradition of letting a new mayor like Berry form his own team.

If the three R's tonight vote against Campbell, it will be unusual but not unprecedented. Democrat Marion Cottrell, one of the members of the 1974 ABQ City Council--the first under the modern mayor/council form of government--recalled the CAO vote of that year when we ran into him recently at the local coffee shop.

Frank Kleinhenz was nominated by Republican Mayor Kinney to be his CAO. Three votes were cast against him, including mine. Frank had run against me for my council seat and I did not think mixing politics with the CAO position was appropriate. He was confirmed, I believe, on a 7 to 3 vote. We had more than nine councilors those first couple of years because we held over some of the old city commissioners...

The council today has nine members who will vote tonight on Campbell's nomination as well as choose a new council president for the coming year.

Cottrell, a Democrat, is a retired UNM professor who was a staunch supporter of Mayor Chavez, but he wished Mayor Berry well and said "things will work out fine" under his leadership. That's the spirit of bipartisanship that has survived in city government, though tested over the decades. One can only hope that it does not become part of history and that the new councilors and the old ones meeting tonight for the first time pause to reflect on its importance.

UNM NEWS
Stropp
Now we go deep inside the resignation story of University of New Mexico Foundation president, John Stroop. He is leaving within six months after a year and a half on the $325,0000 a year job. Analysis from a Senior Alligator and avid UNM watcher:

(Stroops's departure) could mean that (University of New Mexico David) Schmidly's days are numbered. It appears he wasn't consulted much on the "retirement." Schmidly brought John Stropp here to overhaul the foundation and that is occurring but not completed. The amount of money--as a percentage--taken from endowments really made some powerful interests like the Sandia Foundation angry.

The start of the UNM Foundation's capital campaign has been an on and off affair for three or four years and with Stropp leaving before the launch, I think we can see it delayed again. It is just as well, given the unresolved controversies hanging over UNM. Better to wait until Diane (Denish) is Governor and (UNM Regent) Jamie Koch and (UNM Vice-President David) Harris are gone.

The UNM Foundation is governed by a 42-member board of trustees that supervises the investment of approximately $325 million. The newspaper reported: "The foundation had to ask regents in May for help in covering a $3 million budget shortfall. Part of the foundation's operating funds are earnings from the endowment it manages and from short-term interest returns, both of which suffered when the economy tanked."

THE GUV RUN

Yes, we noticed how that Senior Gator said in his UNM missive "until" Diane Denish is Governor. Well, there are still a few ifs to go in the eleven months running up to election day, but with no obvious GOP heavyweight in the battle, engaging the public is in this contest is going to be a challenge and that benefits Denish.

And look at this. Is it possible the Dems could actually get a break on the pay to play stories that have been haunting the Richardson administration? First, this news from ABQ Journal investigative reporter Mike Gallagher:

Another money manager with ties to New York and New Mexico state investment scandals has pleaded guilty to bribing state officials in New York in exchange for a $250 million investment from that state's pension fund.

Elliott Broidy, founder and chairman of Markstone Capital Group, admitted paying nearly $1 million in bribes..to employees of the New York State Comptroller's Office to secure an investment from the state pension fund.... In 2004, the New Mexico State Investment Council invested $20 million in Markstone Capital...

Now the money line:

Broidy, a prominent fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, also served as a trustee of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension fund until earlier this year.

Say what? A Republican mixed up in New Mexico's ethics mess? Well, several insiders say look for the Dems to try to take advantage of that and try to have the blame spread around come campaign time.

NM GOP Chairman Harvey Yates, Jr. has been doing a good job hanging the ethics yoke around Denish, but no political house is completely clean in the aftermath of the money-soaked days of the recent past.

THE EARLY BIRDS

We told you last week about the ratings for the 10 p.m news broadcasts on the ABQ network affiliates, but several readers asked what about the 9 p.m. news on KASA FOX 2? A lot of viewers--especially early risers--are getting their prime time news fix not at 10 p.m. but at 9.

KASA's 9 p.m. hour long newscast finished the November sweeps with a 4.6 rating, up more than half a point from last November. That's a solid showing. KOB-TV's 10 p.m. news scored a 4.9. KASA now has its eye on tying the NBC affiliae in total households.

Lin Broadcasting owns both KASA and CBS affiliate KRQE. They bought KASA in 2006 for $55 million.

The KASA news hour is produced by the KRQE news team and anchored by Michael Herzenberg and Jessica Garate. Because of the tie-in with channel 13, the news is up-to-the minute and viewers do not feel they are missing out by not being around at 10. Of course, the news junkies watch both 9 and 10.

Jessica presents an interactive segment for the 9 p.m. broadcast where she reviews news from the blogs (including ours) and other Internet sources.

TV OUTLOOK

My industry insiders say the bad news for local TV news is that the overall number of viewers for their 10 p.m. news has been on a steady decline as viewers continue to break off to other media or diversions. For those of us in politics, it's important to remember, however, that older viewers are still avid local news consumers. That's the group most likely to vote and why the ubiquitous 30 second campaign commercial is not about to go the way of the horse and buggy.

The ABQ television market is now ranked the 44th largest of the 210 rated markets.

Will there come a day when all four stations--KOB, KRQE, KOAT and KASA--do not all take part in the news game? The stations seem to have weathered the worst of the recession, but there have been layoffs and/or cutbacks at all of them. Ad revenue appears to be flat at best. And with the audience splintering with the use of DVR's and the Internet, it is not unthinkable that in the next three to five years one of the NM stations could scale back or drop its news department entirely.

Still, local news is often less expensive to produce than purchasing syndicated programming. For now, that is helping to keep the current business model alive.

GAMBLING ANALYSIS

On our analysis from Friday showing how Indian gaming in the state is taking a hit from the recession, a reader of experiene notes that the drop in revenue at two of the casinos is not necessarily because of the economy:

...I estimate that at least half of Laguna’s (Dancing Eagle and Rt. 66) and Acoma’s (Sky City) drop in revenue between the 3rd quarter of '08 and '09 is not due to the economy, but to the opening of the new Navajo Casino. All the locals in the Gallup area no longer have to drive to the more distant casinos to have their fun. Also, a lot of eastbound commuters are stopping at the Navajo casino thus bypassing the ones in Cibola and western Bernalillo County.

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New Mexico's gambling tribes are taking their first major financial hits since they came on the scene in force in the late 90's. We wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of them shutter their doors in the years ahead.

Pojoaque Pueblo's Buffalo Thunder Resort can't make payments on their bond debt and the same for the Mescalero Apache casino near Ruidoso. We took a look at the "net win" of the gambling tribes for the quarter ended September 30 of this year and compared it to the the September quarter in 2008. Net win is not the profit of the casino, but the amount bet on slot machines minus the amount paid out in cash and regulatory fees.

You can see why Isleta Pueblo laid off hundreds of employees at its resort south of ABQ this year. The net win on their slots has plummeted 15 percent over the past year, from $26,206,000 in last year's third quarter to $22,264,000 in this year's September quarter.

In order to survive, Isleta will rebrand itself as a Hard Rock Casino and Resort, a natinal chain that will now have a major financial role at Isleta.

The big boy on the block--Sandia Pueblo--has taken a 4 percent hit in slot revenue in the past year, going from $41,109,000 to $40,284,902. They are still the state's #1 Indian casino, but the growth is over.

The casino run by Santa Ana Pueblo near Bernalillo is also experiencing the new economic reality. The net win there plunged over 8 percent in the September quarter compared to last year, going from $18,792,000 to $17,221,000.

We did a little more figuring and compared the overall net win at all of New Mexico's Indian casinos year over year. We excluded the new Navajo Nation casino because it was not operating last year. The total net win for the September '08 quarter was $176,777,000 and for the '09 quarter it was down to $167 million. That's a decline of about 5.5 percent.

In the years ahead, the tribes will be looking to pay off debt from their expansions and holding on to the customers they have. Even a turn in the economy may not return them to their heyday. New social attitudes toward spending that seem to be rising out of this recession could permanently damper their growth.

THE SANTA FE SLUMP

They can't keep up with the decline in tax revenue in Santa Fe, where tourism has been absolutely pounded by the Great Recession and government jobs are not falling from trees anymore. One month it looks as though they are pulling out, then comes another shoe dropping.

With a March mayoral election looming, one wonders if the campaign will address the long-term economic needs of the City Different. Or are we going to hear that all we have to do is hang on and things will be back the way they were?

They won't.

The once in a lifetime credit bubble made possible all those tourist trips on high limit credit cards, many of the outlandishly priced home sales as well as the bubble in the art world.

Santa Fe is one of the nation's great small cities and can remain so, but it urgently needs to restructure its government and redefine its approach to tourism for the new era.

Sounds like a job for a mayor.

A DEEPER HOLE

New money projections from Santa Fe show the hole for the budget year that starts July 1, 2010 growing deeper. The Legislative Finance Committee estimate is now a $500 to $600 million shortfall. Then there's the $137 million the Legislature still has to come up with to balance the budget for the year we are now in and which ends June 30. They solved much of that issue last session, but not all of it. The projected shortfall of $500 million for next year includes the absence of $300 million in federal stimulus money. Will the deficit projection grow even more? That doesn't seem far-fetched.

RIO RANCHO PAINS

And it's no party in Rio Rancho either. A 30 year run of unbridled growth is done. Tax collections have hit the skids and like Santa Fe, it seems time to take a new look at how the city provides services. There's also a mayoral election in Rio Rancho in March. Let the debate begin.

Bringing it home to ABQ, here's an idea for Mayor Berry. Up in Denver, the mayor there asked for voluntary retirements to cut the city budget. Quite a few accepted and it meant fewer workers lost their jobs.

Hey, we're here to help.

Thanks for tuning in this week.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2009
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Don't blame it all on Jay Leno, but the sacking Wednesday of KOB-TV news director Jamie Ioos comes only days after the November ratings hit the streets showing the NBC affiliate's flagship 10 p.m. newscast skidding into third place. November was Leno's first full month on the air with his new 9 p.m. show which is the lead in for newscasts coast-to-coast on NBC stations like KOB. Jay is not faring well and several industry insiders here tell us the weak lead in is hurting local NBC news broadcasts and KOB's is one of them. But a KOB insider says Leno was not the only reason for ousting the news chief:

Management was unhappy with direction of newsroom and is looking for a more aggressive approach with more breaking news and more cut-ins.

Ioos, a 20 year TV news veteran, took the helm at KOB-TV in July 2008. We don't think she'll be watching any Jay Leno shows as she ponders her next move.

Now to those 10 p.m news ratings. CBS Affiliate KRQE-TV holds down the top spot again at 10 p.m. and by a big margin. It scored a 9.3 rating compared to ABC affiliate KOAT-TV's 6.6. KOB-TV which has fought for second place the past several cycles fell to a 4.9. (A 9.3 rating means 9.3 percent of homes in the viewing area that own televisions were tuned to KRQE.)

While execs at ABC and CBS were hoping NBC's decision to drop dramas and go with Leno would drive viewers to them, it's not that simple. The audience is drifting away from NBC alright, but many of them are going to their DVR's, not the rival stations.

THE TV BEAT

All three major ABQ stations have trimmed their sails in recent years, cutting employees and hiring what are known as "one man bands." That's a reporter who shoots video and writes the story, eliminating the need for a cameraman.

Advertising is slow, but apparently enough to avoid more layoffs. The stations make a lot of money during big election years, so they are holding on for 2010. The Governor's race as well as two of the three congressional races will be the large advertisers. The stations are already getting some coin from GOP Guv candidate Doug Turner who came with a very early TV buy last month.

NAILING THE STORY

And while we're on the TV beat, how about some straight shooting news writing on the wicked economic downturn in New Mexico? You won't find much in the printed, dead-tree press, but TV news is rising to the occasion. A recent sample:

Richard Berry takes over as mayor in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. All the earlier talk about New Mexico avoiding the worst of the recession seems to have evaporated along with thousands of jobs and hundreds of shut-down businesses.

That's the truth that hits you right between the eyes, some good old fashioned journalism laden with the drama and passion the big economic story deserves.

All three ABQ TV stations have excelled in their economic coverage, showing the struggles of everyday New Mexicans, providing advice and not shying away from reality. For example, KOAT has been running special "Project Economy" features for months.

In contrast, the diffidence of the press--in the papers and on-line--to the human dimensions of what is happening here (with a few notable exceptions--mainly the New Mexican) has been startling. Maybe if the press would stop bitching about blogs and how journalism is allegedly going away and instead gave us some real economic journalism, they might keep some of the eyeballs they're losing. Meanwhile, to see what's happening on the economy front with your own eyeballs, tune in to local TV news, or, we humbly assert, to this little ol' blog.

MORE AXES FALL

The inevitable has begun, but it's still kind of historic to see any state worker actually let go because of financial reasons. Big Bill axed 59 political employees Wednesday as the state comes to grips with an immense budget deficit. One of my insiders says six of them are at NM Expo at the state fairgrounds. (The New Mex has another that is not without controversy).They and the other 52 are out as of January 8. The Guv's office says letting the 59 go, creating a total of 106 vacant "exempt" positions will save about $8.3 million a year. He has been widely criticized for packing the state payroll with politicals and now the day of reckoning has come. (Don't you know the Guv rues not being in that Commerce Secretary position in D.C. that he lost?)

What stands out here is that they axe 59, saving six months in salaries, but it looks like a grain of sand. The deficit for this year and next is in the hundreds of millions--and probably growing as we speak. Hold on state employees, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

HYPE OVER HP?

Big Bill cut the ribbon on the Hewlett-Packard Rio Rancho customer service center Wednesday, saying he considered it the "most significant economic development achievement" of his time in office. Not to dump on call center jobs, but this is what passes as Richardson's economic legacy? Boy, that won't take much space in the history books.

HP is a fine company, the jobs are welcome and they are wished continued success here and elsewhere. But it will take years for taxpayers to recoup the millions and millions in cash and tax incentives spent to lure the company here. HP says "a majority" of the jobs will pay over $40,000 a year. In other words, half of them probably won't. And that's a far cry from the high-paying jobs we got with Intel and other tech companies. But in this new era, a governor terms call center jobs the cat's meow.

New Mexico's next governor will no doubt have their hands full attracting jobs, but if Big Bill is saying this is his premier economic achievement, the bar has been set pretty low.

STOCK WATCH

Not all stocks are on the comeback trail in the recent surge on Wall Street. First Community Bank, with a significant presence here, has a stock price that is falling off the cliff. Shares in the troubled bank--besieged by commercial loan issues--were trading this week for a measly 44 cents a share. The stock traded for as much as $20 a share in early 2007.

Some locals appear to be taking some big hits from this decline. Leonard Delayo, Jr., a former ABQ School Board president and a member of the First State board, bought $50,000 worth of the company stock at $6.69 a share in June of '08. Those shares are now worth $3300.

Bank President Michael Stanford purchased 40,700 shares for $302,808 at the same time as Delayo. At this week's price Stanford's investment is now valued at about $18,000, a jolting loss of some 94 percent.

The bank's hard times is not good news for dozens of organizations in ABQ that have benefited from the bank's philanthropy, which we have to say is pretty stand-out stuff. The problem is all those bank loans that are becoming charity cases as the Great Recession rolls on.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Take our advice: Don't get in the way of Allen Weh. First the GOP Guv nominee came with this quote back in July:

When I get to Santa Fe, I’m going to take a baseball bat, and we’re going to clean that place out.

Now the 67 year old retired Marine colonel and former NM GOP party chairman comes with round two:

There is not a better job than commanding an infantry, because you get to go shoot things.

Baseball bats, shooting things and then there was the recent news that Weh's campaign bus was completely destroyed in a fire at its storage site.

So if you see a guy in a rented Volkswagen Beetle Bus speeding past you on the freeway, holding a baseball hat in one hand, a shotgun in another and promising to clean up Santa Fe, don't be alarmed. You're not in the Twilight Zone. It's just another New Mexico political campaign.

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Republicans finally had something to celebrate last night and they took advantage. A large crowd of celebrants--mainly R's--gathered at the downtown ABQ Convention Center to watch Richard "RJ" Berry, the first ABQ GOP mayor in nearly a quarter of a century, take the oath of office and to hope that he can help them find their way out of the political wilderness.

"It was like the Lincoln Day Dinner times ten," joked one of our Alligators on the scene.

Former US Reps Pearce and Wilson were there and so were three of the four GOP candidates for governor--Weh, Arnold-Jones and Turner.

The talk was of how much of the fortunes of the smallish GOP are now tied to Berry who becomes an instant statewide political figure by virtue of being leader of the state's major city in the state's major media market.

"What he does is going to reflect on the party as a whole. He will be the symbol. If he fails, it is likely the party will fail in its comeback," analyzed one veteran Republican with long party experience.

It's a good point. Already acolytes of likely Dem Guv nominee Diane Denish are blasting Berry behind the scenes for not putting an end to government double dipping, a policy widely condemned by R's in the Legislature where Berry served before becoming Mayor. His constituent service director and finance department head are getting government pensions plus new and comfy government salaries. And we're informed there are more.

You can easily see how Berry's policies could be used for or against the eventual 2010 GOP Guv nominee.

Unfortunately for Berry, the first public division in his administration comes not from the Democrats, but from three Republican city councilors who are determined to vote against Berry's selection of Democrat David Campbell as the city's chief administrative officer.

Some R's are telling us they want to see Berry be more forceful and that turning around at least two of the three R councilors on Campbell would be a show of his strength. Easier said than done, of course. But the mayor's honeymoon could come to a messy end if the council's public hearing on Campbell breaks down into acrimony. Even minus a messy fight, an 8 to 1 approval carries a solid message of strength and power to the public while a 6 to 3 says the opposite.

YOU OWN IT, RJ

Our Alligators at the convention center say there was a band playing in the background as Berry stood at the front of a long reception line and received congrats. Few danced to the beat, which fits the tenor of the time--there's not a whole lot to dance about.

The new mayor reminded us of that when he said the budget shortfall for the current budget year now appears to be in the $14 million to $24 million area, not the $12 million former Mayor Marty's minions had it at.

That again raised the specter of layoffs or furloughs at City Hall which in turn is really going to make all those city employees go out and spend a bunch of Christmas cash. Not.

Berry told the press that he has already saved $500,000 from cutting salaries and positions, but the press has not yet pressed for details. Not that we don't trust such boasts. It's just that we don't trust such boasts until they are proven.

If he is saving $500,000 off the bat he may have missed an opportunity to brand his administration (and his GOP) as fiscally conservative and aggressive in facing the budget crisis. But one supposes with this economy, there will be plenty of opportunities for Berry to demonstrate his cost-cutting credentials.

So far, the record is mixed on that, as seen in the aforementioned sanctioning of double dipping and the reluctance (or caution) in announcing the elimination of obvious political patronage positions. But we're not going to crash this honeymoon and will wait to hear more from the new mayor before declaring the champagne too warm to drink.

And he deserves some breathing room. On the night of his swearing-in, ABQ was shocked as TV news led off not with Berry's ascension, but the apparent murder of a nine to ten month old baby girl in the city's NE Heights. Ex-Mayor Chavez said the part of the job he will miss the least is the daily crime briefing. One suspects Mayor Berry will come to commiserate with that sentiment.

For most Duke City denizens, whether the mayor is a D or an R matters little. They just want the city to make progress. Even though last night's festivities naturally attracted many Republicans, in the end Berry will be judged not on how he builds a political party, but how he builds an even better city. In that endeavor, he and his wife Maria have the best wishes of all.

SARAH MANIA

Media estimates said 1,000 to 1,500 turned out in Roswell last night to get a look at political phenom Sarah Palin and have her sign her name to their freshly bought copies of "Going Rogue." That was a heck of a turnout, considering the snowy weather down there. But then she drew about 10,000 when she appeared in Roswell as the 2008 VP candidate. No wonder she sidestepped ABQ. She would be challenged to get a thousand book buyers in this more moderate region.

DI'S BALANCING ACT

Di in D.C. this week at the Democratic Governor's Association tells the political press, including the Politico:

I’m a different kind of leader, and I think it’s well established in New Mexico that my style is distinctly different than Governor Richardson’s...I’ll be running on my own record, I want to be clear about that… I don’t think I have to say I’m going to be different than Bill Richardson. I am different than Bill Richardson.”

Sheriff Gonzales and wife Elaine
Republicans took the ABQ mayor's office in '09, but Democrats are hoping they will get a consolation prize in 2010--the Bernalillo County sheriff's office. They think they took a nice step in that direction Monday when the five member Bernalillo County Commission named veteran Sheriff's Captain Manuel "Manny" Gonzales to fill out the remainder of the term of Republican Darren White. White is now the city's public safety director under new GOP Mayor Richard "RJ" Berry.

Gonzales, who has a bachelors degree in management, will not be a placeholder. He is off and running for the '10 Dem nomination and a four year term of his own. The appointment will give him a head start, but there's no guarantee. Some of the 20 other applicants for the sheriff's job are now expected to get in the Dem nomination race, including ABQ police commander Conrad Candelaria who appeared to be knocked out of the running for the appointment because of controversy over his military record. Gonzales served in the US Marine Corps and received an honorable discharge. Also preparing a run is retired APD officer Marie Miranda. We could get a half dozen or more before its over.

And Republicans are not going to throw in the towel on the office they've controlled since White took it in 2002. Retired APD officer William Kurth, who was supported for the appointment last night by the commission's two Republicans, is saying he will run for the GOP nomination. He could be joined by others.

It's not the $68,000 annual pay that attracts the bodies for this job. But you instantly become one of the best known law enforcement officials in the state and have under your command a department of 300 deputies.

Republicans have done a good job owning the law and order issue. The sheriff's office is the only elected county wide post they control. There has been no Hispanic--Democrat or Republican--elected sheriff in recent memory.

By avoiding appointing a placeholder, the commission gives Gonzales, a father of three, a chance to establish himself as the incumbent. He might even appeal to a few Republicans. GOP Commissioner Michael Wiener described Gonzales as "very well-liked and well-respected." Wiener and fellow R Commissioner Michael Brasher voted to make Manny's appointment unanimous after they cast their initial votes for Kurth.

CITY HALL SALARIES


Darren White is not going to lose any money in his new gig. In fact, his starting salary of $125,000 will be nearly double his sheriff's salary and be one of the highest at City Hall. His predecessor in the public safety post, Pete Dinelli, pulled down $122,000 a year, but that was after years on the job. And remember, Darren also gets his own public information officer--former ABQ Journal cop reporter T.J. Wilham--at a cost of $75,000 a year.

Mayor Berry is not going to fill the chief operating officer position--at least not for now. We await word on whether he will keep the chief of staff position in the mayor's office, a post that was added by Chavez and criticized as unnecessary as was the COO post. Then there's the deputy CAO for finance (I know, the list seems endless). It's another one that is seen as redundant as you already have a Dept. of Finance director. Berry could make it go away and no one would notice. Why doesn't he?

New chief administrative officer David Campbell will start at $159,000 a year. That won't raise as many eyebrows as White's starting salary because the city charter acknowledges the CAO as the most important position in city government. (We notice Campbell is now making more than the Bernalillo County manager who recently crossed the $150,000 mark with a lot fewer employees under him than Campbell).

White's salary is a special plum in another way. He is eligible for government retirement at about 80 percent of the average of his final three years of service. If he can last those three years at $125K, he would be eligible for a retirement check of $100,000 a year.

Berry has taken a gamble on White who insiders think is either going to deliver big or crash and burn. For sure, it won't be boring.

DARREN AND MARTIN
Rep. Heinrich
There's one other angle on the White departure and the Manny Gonzales appointment we need to cover. In 2008, White lost the ABQ congressional race to Dem Martin Heinrich, but now in an indirect way White could be helping Heinrich. Here's how.

If Gonzales proves popular and takes the Democratic nomination, he should help attract Hispanic Dem voters to the polls, many of whom might stay away in an off-year election. That would help Heinrich in the Valley areas where he needs help. Republican Jon Barela is already targeting Hispanics. However, we don't think Martin will be sending any thank you notes to Darren. If his old rival is resurrected in his new job, he could someday again train his sights on Martin.

And more now on the Valley angle and Heinrich. We mentioned a few weeks ago that he planned a major initiative there. That initiative he is announcing today is a new South Valley office located near Coors and Rio Bravo SW. Heinrich will hire a new staffer for the office and send two of his downtown staffers to the new locale which will be open full-time beginning Wednesday. His office says all three of the South Valley office staff are fluent in both English and Spanish. A grand opening is planned for Dec. 12.

Heinrich says he wants to beef up his constituent service, traditionally a strong suit for the ABQ congressional representative. The Valley is a natural place to do it where many low-income residents reside and who need help navigating the federal bureaucracy. And it doesn't hurt politically, does it?

HE'S NOW THE MAN (AND MAYOR)

You can drop the "mayor-elect" after today. Richard "RJ" Berry will take the oath of office today at 6 p.m. at the ABQ Convention Center Ballroom downtown and become the city's first Republican mayor since Harry Kinney finished his last term in 1985. There will be a reception following the ceremony. The events are open to the public. Berry officially became mayor midnight Tuesday when Chavez's term expired.

MAYOR MARTY
We doubt if you will ever see Marty Chavez's name again on a New Mexico ballot. As they say, Marty gave it "the college try" when it came to seeking higher office. His attempts at becoming Governor and US Senator were both turned back.

But his legacy in public service is secure. Like most chief executives, his last term was his weakest. But, in 1993, when he was elected to his first term at age 41, he came on strong, giving the city a new energy and vitality. In 2001, he took a second term and in 2005 he made history by scoring a third with the largest percentage of votes in history--47.28 percent in a four man field.

Much ado was made about Marty signing a last minute agreement with labor unions that gives them binding arbitration on matters other than pay, for modifying the DWI policy for the ABQ fire department, and for giving pay raises to favorite employees.

They would have you think these are mortal sins, but if you've been around any length of time you know they aren't. While unpleasant to behold, such actions are typical for most politicians headed for the exits for the final time.

It's hard to believe that any ABQ mayor would ever care about the city as much as Harry Kinney, but Chavez did. As you know, his mistakes were numerous and his hubris at times was insufferable, but history will be kind to Chavez because while he cared, he was never a caretaker.

Years from now Chavez may spend hours in his rocking chair wondering what might have been if he had been able to go beyond the mayor's office. But he won't have to wonder about his years as mayor. They mattered and so did he.

WEH CAMPAIGN ON FIRE

The GOP Guv campaign of Allen Weh is really catching fire--or at least the bus he was leasing has. His campaign reports the bus, nicknamed "Freedom1" by the retired Marine colonel, was engulfed in flames while parked at its Belen storage facility late Friday night. No one was hurt in the blaze that also destroyed several other vehicles. The bus, owned by Tom Greer, who works for the Weh campaign, was insured. But Weh was using the bus, decked out in a red, white and blue patriotic motif, as a mobile campaign headquarters and will miss "his home away from home."

Arson investigators are on the case. Be assured that the rumor that GOP Guv candidate Susana Martinez was seen in the vicinity of the bus just before it burst into flames has no foundation in reality. Maybe Janice Arnold-Jones, but definitely not Susana.

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