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Wednesday, September 07, 2011From Rancor To Mutual Contempt: Gov-Senate Relationship Sinking Fast; Power Is On The Line, Plus: ABQ Election Nears, And: Speeding Guv Draws Reaction
Martinez vs. Jennings (again)
  We're going from rancor to outright contempt when it comes to the relationship between the sitting Governor and the leadership of the New Mexican Senate. The latest volley came from Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings in response to Susana's contention that the legislators have plenty of time on their hands during this special redistricting session:"To sit there and say, 'You're not going to be doing anything, here's nine more things.' It's a little much," said Jennings, D-Roswell. "I've been through redistricting four times. To tell the public that nobody's doing anything is a little bit absurd. She's never been through one. What does she know?" "What does she know??" Those are fightin' words that are going to be hard for Susana to ever forget. But when your political arm is running riot on the lions of the Senate and you pile on top, what do you expect? A lollipop and a pat on the back? For the first time we are hearing Martinez being compared to Democratic Governor Toney Anaya who locked horns with the Legislature in the 1980's and never got out alive. The Republican Governor has the bully pulpit and can retain her popularity even as she wages war with the Senate, but what about the power? The ability to get things done? To move an agenda? Neither the executive or the Senate can force one another down each other's throats. To get meaningful things done, something has to give. And good luck with that. The special session is set to pass easy lay-up legislation that was left on the table during the last regular session. Capital outlay and unemployment fund fix are two examples. But that's small potatoes. She also wants repeal of those driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants and a social promotion bill for third graders. That's where she has staked her political capital and that's where she is going to come up empty. If you are a Martinez supporter, you have to worry. If you can't get your major agenda through in your first year, it doesn't get any easier in the next three. Compromise--that word that used to be so accepted and is now so anathema looms over the Roundhouse, but no one seems to see it or even cares to. HARDBALL Susana is playing hardball on the driver's licenses and not even trying to conceal that her political team is poised to unload in 2012 on anyone who votes against the repeal. The Senate can match that hardball and simply not give the Governor an up or down vote on the bill and instead have a vote on the Senate compromise bill. The best strategy would be to get that compromise bill through the House and Senate and up to the Guv's desk. Let her veto it, then she would have some 'splanin to do. Let's see if the Dems can come up with something in the House.TIME FRAME One thing good about a September session is the crud--and the lack of it. In the winter, all those politicians grab handing one another usually leads to a mini-epidemic in the circular hallways. But September's milder climate may hold off the dreaded illness. Of course, the longer they stay there the chances increase that he Kleenex and Advil will make their appearances. Senate Majority Leader Sanchez gave his thoughts as he prepped for the special: The session can last up to 30 days, but Sanchez said he felt the redistricting issues could be addressed in the first two weeks. "If we go past two weeks, there's a problem. The amount of money spent would not be fair to taxpayers," Sanchez said. During the last redistricting in 2001, debate over the House and U. S. Congressional districts went well past two weeks, ending up in court where a judge made the final decision. 2012 The key for Obama next year in New Mexico is getting Hispanics juiced about his re-election. So says Larry Sabato: Four other states usually vote Democratic for president, but they're hardly a sure thing: Michigan (16), New Mexico (5), Pennsylvania (20) and Wisconsin (10). A low Hispanic vote in 2012 could flip New Mexico, as Al Gore carried it by only 366 votes in 2000 and a dedicated effort by George W. Bush flipped it in 2004. Hispanics are not excited about Obama as they were four years ago for basically the same reasons everyone else--the lousy economy and shortage of jobs. IN THE CITY  Less than a month to go now for the ABQ Oct. 4 election and the mailers are getting more frequent--if not yet overly negative. Here's one we posted from Greg Payne who is taking on fellow Republican and incumbent City Councilor Trudy Jones for a NE Heights seat on the nine member panel. We recently posted one of her first mailers.Payne can be expected to send out four or five flyers but Trudy, with major contributors in the real estate sector, could top the charts with over a dozen mailers as she fights to keep the seat. Payne is a former GOP councilor from the area. He beat another incumbent Republican--Tim Cummins--to win a four year term back in '99. The race this time is hard to call for the analysts. Most see it as an even money bet. IT'S OFFICIAL So now we have to learn how to pronounce "Zdunek." Alligator reports here last week were confirmed Tuesday as the Bernalillo County commissioners voted 4 to 1 to hire interim county manager Tom Zdunek as the permanent manager. The county said: Zdunek has an extensive background in the private sector, along with nine years at Bernalillo County, working his way up the ranks from Fleet/Facilities Director to Deputy County Manager for Public Works. In January of this year, the Commission appointed him interim county manager during the search process. He gets a two year contract and a $148,000 annual salary. Republican Commissioner Wayne Johnson voted "no," saying Zdunek's name was too hard to pronounce. (That's "Zuh dun' ek, Wayne). THE HIT PARADE The hits just keep on coming from the University of New Mexico. UNM Interim Provost Chaouki Abdallah promised to re-structure the Provost’s office and save the University thousands of dollars, but it looks as though that plan will cost the University more money. Abdallah planned to replace Vice Provost Wynn Goering with three part-time associate provosts, saving nearly $70,000, but Goering had already signed a contact to renew his $192,000 position, the Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday. Having done such a fine job upholding UNM accounting standards Mr. Addallah will now be named the employee of the month and be feted at a reception. BurquePops will hand out the award. IT STINKS?  Reader Ellen Wedum writes of the Guv's recent speeding incident:"A New Mexico State Police officer was driving Martinez to lunch at Chama River Brewing Company when police said they clocked the driver going 48 mph in 35 mph zone. That violation typically earns the driver a $95 ticket, but in this case, he got away with a verbal warning. " So because her driver was a police officer and she is governor, she doesn't get a ticket?! And no one is going to complain that she is getting special treatment, when (ex-ABQ Public Safety Director) Darren White just lost his job because he got special treatment? It may only be a molehill of corruption, but it stinks all the same. Well, it's hard to spin this one. If the Guv or her staff were on their toes they would have insisted that the officer who stopped them write up a speeding ticket. Whatever you do, Guv, don't take up that offer from the Senate leadership to provide you with a new driver who won't go over the limit. You could end up being taken to a Tim Jennings fund-raiser.... This is the home of New Mexico politics.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011 Not for reproduction without permission of the author Tuesday, September 06, 2011They're Back; Special Session Today; We Go Long And Deep On The Major Angles With Our Roundhouse Watchers They're back at the Roundhouse today, gathered for that rare event--a special session of the state legislature to redraw the political lines of New Mexico. While redistricting can be a MEGO event for the public at large (my eyes glaze over), there are a myriad of fascinating subplots that will play out between Governor Martinez and the 112 lawmakers of the state House and Senate. Today on legislative kick-off day we game them all with the insiders, wall-leaners, Alligators, hangers-on and other creatures that populate the inside ring of La Politica:HOW LONG? Can they get it done in two weeks--more or less the time frame Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez has been citing? The Wall-Leaner take: Those members, who are not retired, will be exerting pressure to get things started quickly and get done in no more than two weeks. The Senate is on board with that time frame. The House has a lot of members who are either retired or employed in government. They won’t be in the same hurry. THE CONGRESS LINE How about the new boundaries for the state's three US House seats for the next ten years? The insider look: On Congress, Democrats in the southern district will be working so they are not thrown under the bus in order to make the ABQ and northern seats more solid Dem seats. The Albuquerque Dems may be willing to sacrifice the south. If so, you might see odd bipartisan coalitions form on the Congressional districts. The south remains the most heavily Hispanic part of the state and the east side is not growing. Within the next decade the east might no longer dominate the southern district. But in the end, there could be few major changes to the congressional districts. STATE HOUSE Those who draw the new lines for the legislative districts are already legislators. That means the "incumbency protection plan" will certainly be trotted out. Alligator analysis: On the House legislative seats, expect a Democrat plan to be introduced quickly. The plan will likely be an incumbency protection plan for almost all Democrat and Republican legislators. There will be very little pairing of members, but there are some noteworthy exceptions. On the Republican side, there is anticipation that Roswell Republican Rep. Dennis Kintigh will be paired with Roswell Rep. Nora Espinoza, who has become the Tea Party mouthpiece in the Republican caucus. Nobody is likely to throw Espinoza a lifeline and Kintigh has the support of oil money and the party mainstream. Republicans in the House privately won’t mind this match up and could quietly sacrifice Espinoza without regrets. Incumbent Albuquerque House Democrats are going to be safe now that Rep. Al Park--who is leaving to run for the Public Regulation Commission--can contribute his district to help shore up weakened Dems Rep. Mimi Stewart and Rep. Bill O’Neil. FOURTH FLOOR WATCHES Is the Governor's veto pen already dripping ink in anticipation of a veto of whatever redistricting plan the Legislature sends her? That would mean an expensive trip to the courts. What could get the Governor to sign? Here's the Senior Alligator scenarios: An incumbency focused plan may reflect an attempt to gather bipartisan support even if there is a veto. Susana will veto any plan that is not blessed by her political operatives and national insiders, and the Democrats are not going to give her that plan. Legislators may assume the courts will most likely adopt a plan with bipartisan support, and that keeps most incumbents in place. A second alternative is a plan designed for a mutual trade, which will equally divide four seats which swung Republican in the last election in Valencia and Dona Ana counties. The parties may compromise rather than risk these seats flipping back Democrat. Such a compromise would mean Valencia creates a safe Democrat and a safe Republican district, and the same for Dona Ana. THE LONG VIEW Republicans are tantalizingly close to controlling the state House for the first time in decades. There are 36 Dems, 33 Republicans and one independent. How will the redistricting plan impact the R's prospects for an historic takeover in the next ten years? The Roundhouse hangers-on come with the strategy: The Republicans are counting on the element of time to capture their majority and after decades have learned to be patient. Rep Donna Irwin’s Deming seat is 50-50 and would likely go Republican whenever she retires. Rep. Andy Nunez in Dona Ana wins his seat, but without Nunez this seat could easily go Republican in the next decade. Dem Rep. Rhonda King Bernalillo, Sandoval & Torrance counties) has a great family name, but a tough district and needing help this session. There is no chance the Democrats can pass a plan the Governor will sign that will avoid the risk that the House will go Republican within ten years. Republicans have elected young new members while Democrats remain wedded to very senior leaders and committee chairs. THOSE DRIVER'S LICENSES In what has nearly become the defining issue of the Martinez administration, our insiders see the Governor cooling it a bit. In a pre-session interview she basically threw in the towel on getting a repeal of the law allowing illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. She said there was no "consensus" on the issue in the Senate--meaning it will very likely die there. Alligator analysis says she may not put as much emphasis on it as she has been. That way she would avoid it becoming the acrimonious centerpiece of the session. The Roundhouse take: Susana has been downplaying the driver's license issue as the session nears, and is probably saving this issue for January and the regular legislative session, and closer to the 2012 elections. She may want this issue on the national radar during the Republican presidential primaries, and to go after vulnerable legislators in 2012. Good take, there. We sense that the incessant pounding on the driver's license issue to the exclusion of others is going to wear on the Guv. She can safely play it as a wedge issue, but if it becomes a litmus test as to whether this is an effective and powerful governorship, she loses because she can't get her bill through and is unwilling to compromise. POINTS ON THE BOARD One of the larger concerns for backers of Governor Martinez is putting some legislative points on the board. She has scored symbolic legislative victories, but not much of substance. Here's our insider take: The Gov’s office has got to be sensitive to criticism that Susana didn’t pass much of any substance in her first legislative session. Sure, she fired two of the chefs at the Governor's Mansion and sold the state jet, but understandably Susana wants to avoid irrelevance this session by passing something instead of just sitting on the sidelines with a veto pen and courtroom at the ready. Almost all of the bills she is promoting in this special session are “retreads.” A couple passed in the last session, but which Susana vetoed and probably now realizes these are errors she needs to correct. The other bills she now proposes went nowhere in the regular session, and without an advance deal are likely going nowhere again. WORLDS COLLIDE The most obvious sign that the worlds of the Governor and the state Senate are again about to collide came when Dem State Senator Mary Jane Garcia embarrassed Martinez when she publicly back tracked and pulled her support for an education bill. The Senior Gator types are all over it: Senator Mary Jane Garcia’s flip flop at Susana’s press conference on the social promotion bill made clear that Susana hasn’t laid the groundwork for the session and probably now has even less support as her honeymoon appears clearly over. That flip flop was a message from Senate leadership that the Senate is not about to bail Susana out and will let her keep sinking. The only thing new from Susana this session seems to be the bill authorizing local governments to ban fireworks, which is two months too late.... And there you have it. Over a hundred lawmakers--almost all of them figuring redistricting angles that would make political life easier as they face voters in the next decade and a Governor whose lease on the honeymoon suite is about to expire and needs to keep the home fires burning with some legislative success. PINTO RE-ELECT?  Back in May, Alligators in the Gallup area reported that 87 year old Dem State Senator John Pinto would not seek re-election in 2012, but ever since then that prediction has produced confusion, mystery and insider denial as well as confirmation. In other words, all the stuff that goes with the territory when you dive into Navajo politics. In his first statement on the matter, Pinto now says he will seek re-election.Nearly all 112 state legislators have a personal stake in how New Mexico's political boundaries are redrawn. Even the oldest of them, Sen. John Pinto of Tohatchi, said he plans to seek re-election next year at age 87. For now, we'll take it from the horse's mouth--that a re-election bid is in store. Could that change? As quickly as the wind that roars down Route 66.... This is the home of New Mexico politics. (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011 Not for reproduction without permission of the author Friday, September 02, 2011Labor Day Weekend Edition: The Senate Chase, Speedy Susana, It's Zdunek, Promoting NM & Our Bottom Lines We're starting to get worried that John Sanchez and Hector Balderas are going to feel left out. Martin Heinrich and Heather Wilson are already going at each other as if they were in the general election contest, not 10 months away from a primary election. Well, Heather started it. She blasted Martin in an op-ed piece, hopping right past Sanchez, her rival for the nomination. Then Martin, who faces Hector in the Dem primary, came with a rip roaring response on Facebook.
Don't worry, John and Hector. We know you're looking forward to having nasty things said about you and we give you an iron clad guarantee it will happen sooner rather than later. TRACKING BALDERAS One of the summer pastimes around here has been speculating over whether Dem US Senate candidate Hector Balderas is connecting with primary voters when he pushes phrases like "fiscal accountability" and building "infrastructure." One of the Alligators thinks it's the entire state Democratic Party that has been off key and off message: When will the NM Democrats learn to stop trying to be Republicans and start bucking the ongoing DC consultant push to move to the right? Guess we didn't learn from Diane Denish's loss that leaving your base to fight for the crumbs as you feed cake to the crossover vote that you are never going to get is deadly. The Senate nod can be Hector's, and so too the general, but not if he keeps using these pseudo-Republican talking points like fiscal accountability. New Mexicans want jobs and they want the national GOP to leave their Social Security and Medicare alone. News flash: fiscal accountability doesn't even register in message testing right now when no one has a job and the GOP wants to gut Medicare turning it over to private insurance companies. Someone needs to give NM Dems a reality check before 2012 or the GOP will laugh all the way to the bank... Interesting stuff, but that Dem doesn't understand that the R's can't laugh all the way to the bank anymore. They put their money in hedge funds.... SPEEDY SUSANA You know, it's kind of weird but as much as Governor Susana says she is not anything like her predecessor--Big Bill--she has some major similarities. First is her ever more rocky relationship with the state Senate and now there's this--one of Bill's favorite hobbies:
Gov. Susana Martinez's vehicle was pulled over after her driver was caught breaking the law, police said Thursday. The traffic stop took place on Frontage Road near Jefferson Street and Interstate 25 last Friday. A New Mexico State Police officer was driving Martinez to lunch at Chama River Brewing Company when police said they clocked the driver going 48 mph in 35 mph zone. That violation typically earns the driver a $95 ticket, but in this case, he got away with a verbal warning. Lucky for Susana her driver is an illegal immigrant with a valid NM driver's license (no, not really). IT'S ZDUNEK Haven't seen anything on the wires as the blog goes to press, but the trusty Alligators say that interim Bernalillo County Manager Tom Zdunek has been selected by the Bernalillo County Commission as the new permanent county manager. He was one of four finalists for the job. The Gators predicted over a month ago that Zdunek would get it. Why? Because he has kept the peace and while some of the commissioners wanted to advance other candidates, none of them could come up with the three votes needed for their favorites. Zdunek also won backing from county labor unions. He replaces Thaddeus Lucero, the longtime manager who was forced to call it quits because of mounting controversies. Thaddeus remains a respected public administrator, but he stayed too long at the party. Hmm. You think that might also be the case for ABQ Police Chief Ray Schultz? SHE'S IN This week we mentioned Dem Court of Appeals candidate Victor Lopez and Republican Miles Hanisee who was recently appointed to the court by Governor Martinez. That brought this news from a friend of a soon-to-be announced contender: Bernalillo County District Judge Monica Zamora is entering the Court of Appeals race and will be making an official announcement soon. She is presiding judge for Children's Court...She is the daughter of former Northern New Mexico Judge and trial lawyer Matias Zamora and sister to trial lawyer Diego Zamora and to Geno Zamora, City Attorney for Santa Fe. That's shaping up to be an interesting Dem primary to see who takes on Judge Hanisee. We might even see more lawyers take a look at the plum judgeship and toss another hat or two into the ring. PROMOTING NM You wonder aloud on this blog and you get an education. For example, about our concern that the $2.5 million annual budget for the state tourism department to promote this beautiful state is on the low side, we get this from an insider: An internal Tourism Department study showed that the administrative overhead versus advertising dollars spent is the highest in the country. Privatizing New Mexico Magazine and turning the state visitor centers over to the Department of Transportation would free up a lot of dollars. Combining administrative functions with the Department of Cultural Affairs would save more. And every study shows Cultural attractions are one of the biggest attractions anyway.... How about it Tourism Secretary Jacobson? Sounds like there's an idea or two in there to raise some extra ad bucks that could persuade deep pocketed visitors to contribute to our local economy. (Privatizing NM Magazine, however, does not make our list). THE BOTTOM LINES  We're going to miss the Las Cruces Sun-News. No, the paper isn't going away, but it may as well be for thousands of readers who have enjoyed it on the Web. The Sun-News is going to a pay model. You get to read for free five articles a month. After that it's $5.99 a month for the privilege. While we are fans of longtime Sun-News scribe Diana Alba and often delight in the musings of managing editor Walt Rubel, we admit to being too spoiled by the free service. Besides, it's too much fun poking holes in these pay walls...
It's been a busy summer. We just realized we haven't taken in a single Isotopes ball game this season. That hasn't happened in a while....Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Reporting to you from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011
Not for reproduction without permission of the author Thursday, September 01, 2011State Cop In Sex Caper Has Deep Ties To La Politica, Plus: Why John Sanchez Embraced The Tea Party, And: Hectoring Hector The ties of La Politica go deep indeed and they are now surfacing in the notorious case of State Police Officer Bert Lopez. He's been identified by the press as the officer who had his way with a lady friend on the hood of her Honda while he was in full uniform . The sexcapade near Santa Fe was captured on security video and Lopez, Jr. awaits disciplinary action. Now to the officer's ties to La Politica from one of our Alligators:
Lopez is the grandson of Alex Armijo, a former Santa Fe politico and former Dem state land commissioner. And his political ties don't stop there. His mother, Raquel Lopez, is a close friend of Lenore Naranjo, the Chief Clerk of the State Senate and serves as a Senate clerk...Lenore Naranjo is pushing Bert Lopez Jr.'s nephew, Vince Torres, for Deputy Chief Clerk of the Senate. If this comes to pass, Vince Torres would be the first male to have such a post... State Police have not said if Lopez was on duty while enjoying the open-air sex, but they do say that it was not related to his work as a cop. Not to say that it wasn't hard work to bed his damsel on the hood of that car. No question this is one officer who passed the State Police fitness exam with flying colors. And, of course, proof of his overall virility went viral on the Net when photos were released. WHY SANCHEZ FLIPPED He started off reticent, but has since fully embraced the label of "tea party" candidate. What made GOP US Senate candidate John Sanchez make the switch? Maybe this: Roughly six in ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents identify themselves as tea party supporters and among that group Perry takes 35 percent of the vote--well ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (14 percent) and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (14 percent.) Tea party fever may be weakening in the broader electorate, but among the sliver of NM Republicans who will cast votes in the Senate primary, the movement is alive and well. That's why the race between Heather Wilson and Sanchez remains an open question. We have to see if Sanchez runs a good enough campaign to captivate that tea party vote and sidestep early favorite Wilson. HECTORING HECTOR  "Fiscal accountability" and "infrastructure." Are those really the hot button words that are going to get the crowds in the Dem US Senate primary excited about candidate Hector Balderas? He apparently thinks so as he came with this missive that makes you wonder how the fella fixing your car in Chama would react:
Hector knows that fiscal responsibility is the best way to ensure that we expand economic opportunity...As State Auditor, Hector protected taxpayers' money by cracking down on fraud and abuse in our schools, municipalities, and agencies...By going after waste in our schools, he helped make sure that money went back into the classroom to educate our children, where it belongs. Hector fights for this type of fiscal accountability so that we can invest in initiatives that create jobs such as education, infrastructure, and innovation." Hector is indeed the state auditor and has to run on that strength as he faces off with Rep. Martin Heinrich for the nomination, but it sure comes across dry and somewhat complicated. You just don't hear voters talking this way, but maybe his focus groups say it works. We find Hector's personal narrative much more compelling, but that's just us. We ran it by an Alligator who minds these matters: They must have seen something that they can use to differentiate themselves from Heinrich. I would imagine that they will say Martin has done nothing to save government money and Hector has hands-on experience with saving money and rooting out fraud. Meanwhile, the endorsement chase goes on. Hector snagged some love from longtime Dona Ana Dem State Senator Mary Kay Papen, a pragmatic lawmaker who would understand every word that Hector says about "fiscal accountability." (Dona Ana State Rep. Mary Helen Garcia is also endorsing Balderas). IN COURT AGAIN Before it's over, the Martinez administration is going to see the inside of a courtroom more than Perry Mason. The latest: (AP)--A New Mexico judge blocked Gov. Martinez's administration Wednesday from requiring tens of thousands of immigrants to recertify their driver's licenses and verify whether they continue to live in the state. Martinez last month announced the residency verification plan, which represents the administration's latest effort to focus attention on the state's politically charged license policy, which the governor contends poses a security risk. Yep. Back on the illegal licenses. Maybe we should just have a special cabinet department--"Office of Illegal Driver's Licenses." Come to think of it, we already have one. That's the new name for the Office of the Governor. SPEND IT HERE  Reader Alex Curas writes of the state's advertising contact to promote tourism:
I agree with you that $2.5 million is a paltry sum of money to allocate for the marketing budget of the entire state....We cannot hope to increase national (much less international) travel to NM with such an underfunded advertising budget. This is the face of NM we're talking about, the image we present to the world. We need it to be well funded and full of innovative ideas... Also, what's the point of contracting these marketing services to out-of-state firms? Giving these dollars to a NM-based firm, paltry though they may be, will keep that money in-state and support talented workers ...It's the citizens of this state who know firsthand our beautifully diverse cultures and landscapes...That being said, someone must guard against simply rehashing the cliched tri-culture, turquoise-laden tourism strategies of the past and perhaps an outside firm is best suited to do that.... Thanks, Alex. We don't get overly xenophobic about awarding this small contract to an out of state company that may have a new spin on things. It is, as you put it, the "paltry" amount of the tourism contract that is of concern. Can't Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson fight for more funding? This is a cornerstone business for NM and it is hurting, but she says she will not ask the Legislature to up the number. Meanwhile, the move to merge the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Departments is back on the table and may be considered during the special session. It could work if the Tourism secretary heads the department and the cultural affairs head becomes deputy secretary. THE BOTTOM LINES  Democratic women were checking in here late Wednesday with the news that Nili Lange, chair of the Bernalillo County Democratic Women, had been ousted at a special meeting that discussed her handling of the group's finances. One of those checking in says up to 60 women showed up at the special meeting.....
Talk about bipartisanship. Freshly appointed Bernalillo County Metro Court Judge Henry Alaniz was feted at a fund-raiser at Yanni's in ABQ last night. Pretty ordinary until you know that the Republican judge, a former assistant district attorney, had Dem State Rep. Al Park introduce him and noted Dem trial lawyer Sam Bregman cheering him on. A good night for Alaniz who so far is unopposed. Also on hand was Governor Martinez's fresh appointee to the NM Court of Appeals. Republican Miles Hanisee was named to replace Judge Robert Robles who resigned because of a drunk driving charge. Judge Hanisee admits he faces a tough election bid in this Democratic state when he goes on the 2012 ballot. But he says no matter the outcome, he is thankful to be able to serve. He won't get too lonely on the court. Fellow Republican Judge Rod Kennedy has an office near him. Dem attorney Victor Lopez who is going to run for Hanisee's seat, was also on hand at Yanni's to support Republican Alaniz. Metro Court Judge Ben Chavez pointed out the pair appear ready for the campaign--Hanisee was wearing a Republican red tie and Lopez was appropriately bedecked in blue neckwear. This is the home of New Mexico politics. (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2011 Not for reproduction without permission of the author |
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