What a week. Emailgate again made the big political headlines, so big that one of our Senior Alligators joked:

"There's finally going to be bipartisanship in state government. Susana is going to meet with Big Bill on how to handle a scandal!"

Certainly her Democratic predecessor had his share of scandal duty and judging from the email developments this week, Martinez is in for a long slog of her own.

And what of the Martinez economy? Schott Solar has given the ABQ metro a shot to the solar plexus, announcing it is shutting down and laying off 250 workers. The anemic recovery here just keeps getting more anemic.

Like Martinez, ABQ GOP Mayor Berry has had an extended honeymoon, but with those kinds of layoffs in the headlines both he and Martinez are at risk of suffering from effective political attacks. Lucky for them the top Dems in this state seem as anemic as the recovery. No one has really surfaced as an effective opposition leader, even as the state's GOP leaders--at best--muddle through....

Here's one of the more easy predictions we hear being made. The three most powerful New Mexico state Senators--John Arthur Smith of Deming, Tim Jennings of Roswell and Michael Sanchez of Belen--all Democrats--are all expected to be re-elected this year--and without too much difficulty. The Guv's machine is planning on throwing money at the Sanchez race, but it looks out of reach. That all three powerhouses are very likely coming back to Santa Fe next year tells us that this election is unlikely to be a legislative game changer...

Our Alligators like Chris Saucedo's chances to take the ABQ state House seat being vacated by Dem Rep. Bill O'Neill. He is a sharp attorney and O'Neill had to work like the dickens to keep the seat which runs from the North Valley up into the Northeast Heights. O'Neill won the Dem state senate primary for the Dede Feldman ABQ seat. He will be headed back to Santa Fe come January, but to the 42 member Senate, not the 70 member House. Saucedo faces Dem Emily Kane who showed a lot of spunk in winning her primary.

SENATE SLUMBER

The race for New Mexico's US Senate seat is stuck in a boring phase. It is all TV ads and no spontaneous comments or meaty appearances by the candidates themselves. The ads that are already up in force are coming from third party groups. The liberal web site Daily Kos has the update on Republican Heather Wilson and Dem Martin Heinrich:

The ad war in this race is really starting to heat up. American Crossroads is out with a new ad backing Republican ex-Rep. Heather Wilson, citing the usual purple state messaging claptrap (she's apparently an "independent voice for change" who "stood up to both parties to cut wasteful Washington spending and supported lower taxes to let New Mexicans keep more of their hard-earned money"). Size of the buy: $170K.

Meanwhile, the League of Conservation Voters is out with a new ad of their own, titled "Emma," which features a young blonde girl drinking water that Heather Wilson voted to poison with MTBE. (Well, not really, but she did vote for legislation that included provisions to shield polluters from MTBE-related lawsuits.) Politico's Morning Score reports that this is a $150K buy, but the LCV only filed a $90K expenditure report with the FEC. (They've also reported spending about $114K on a series of mail pieces against Wilson.)

Do you get the vibe that these ads are not making much of a difference? Maybe they tamp down Heather's high negatives a point or two? Polls should tell us soon. We have the Senate race here ranked "lean Dem."

NO GO

Heather says she won't go to the Republican National Convention this year, all part of the effort to position herself as an "independent voice."

This is the home of New Mexico politics.  

Thanks for stopping by this week. Reporting from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
  
Interested in reaching New Mexico's political community? Advertise here. Email us for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2012
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Here we go kids. It's Thursday blogging action from the home of New Mexico politics....

So Governor Martinez says Dem Attorney General Gary King has a conflict of interest and should be banned from investigating hanky panky at the State Investment Council during Big Bill's rein. The Guv points out and the news reports that:

"Bruce Malott, former chairman of the Educational Retirement Board, served as campaign committee treasurer for King when he ran for the U.S. House in 2004. Malott is now a defendant in at least four lawsuits brought by private parties alleging wrongdoing in investments by the ERB and/or the SIC." 

Besides accusing King of being conflicted, less kind Martinez minions are calling Gary a "do nothing" attorney general.

What's a King to do? Well, maybe he uses it to his benefit. Maybe he says when it comes to emailgate--the scandal now shrouding Santa Fe--he indeed has a conflict of interest because of his possible Guv run. Then he turns around and has a special prosecutor named to investigate.

Martinez and company are ratcheting up the pressure on King. He's thinking about a 2014 Guv run, but more pressing is the possibility that he will open a formal investigation into emailgate. By roughing him up, do Susana and the Fifth Floor think any investigation he embarked upon would be colored by his being viewed as a political hack? They could. But that doesn't work so neatly if King goes the special prosecutor route.

CALLING HECTOR

Hey, stop the presses! Oh, I forgot. We don't have those around here anymore. Anyway, listen up. My top sources are telling me that it is a good bet that State Auditor Hector Balderas is going to get in on emailgate. Why should Gary have all the fun? After all, Hector is also a possible for the '14 Dem Guv nomination. And in case you forgot, Hector and Gary like each other about as much as a cat likes a bath.

How Hector wiggles his way into this deal is not yet known, but but he is the State Auditor and is no slouch when it comes to the corruption beat. One would think the contracts over the Downs at ABQ racino deal would be prime territory for him. And when Susana and Jay start the usual drumbeat that he's a political hack and should be minding his own email--not theirs--they may find it hard to draw blood. This is now an auditor who has been through a major campaign for the Dem nomination for US  Senate, True, he didn't have the tar beaten out of him, but he had to suffer through plenty of criticism and we get the vibe it has toughened him.

And don't forget slugger and trial attorney Sam Bregman. He's nosing around about a '14 Guv run and is already up to his knees in emailgate.

And we thought all the fun ended when Big Bill high tailed it out of here. Looks like there's a new party breaking out and just in time, too. We just can't analyze New Mexico politics unless it is in its normal state of utter chaos.

WHERE'S THE DEFENSE?

The administration comes with its response--via the newspaper--on the emails that Downs at ABQ attorney lawyer and GOP National Committeeman Pat Rogers sent to the private account of Deputy Chief of Staff Ryan Cangiolosi. They say Rogers' message about wanting a meeting with the deputy never got through because the account it was sent to was inactive.

One of three emails released by Independent Source PAC was also sent to Martinez advisor Jay McCleskey. The administration is not quoted in the news article as saying whether Rogers email got through to him. The Downs at ABQ racino deal was being considered by the state at the time of the Rogers emails which make them central to the question of whether there was any bid-rigging or collusion on the deal. The administration is also saying the emails were released to the PAC illegally and they have asked law enforcement to investigate.

The administration's defense of emailgate has been centered on process, leaving unchallenged the very damaging content of what is going on here. First, they say Dems used private email too, forgetting that Susana ran as the transparency Governor and was not going to copy the behavior of the nefarious Dems she ran against. Now they are attacking those who have leaked the emails, asserting that they are the lawbreakers. Egads! You mean folks who point out that government officials are using private emails to conduct government business are the lawbreakers--and not the other way around? Good luck selling that line to Mr. & Mrs. New Mexico.

This defense seems aimed at intimidating those who are ferreting out details of the shadow government, rather than an effort to bring into the light those conducting it and bringing it to an end. If Martinez is going to attack the leakers, instead of doing something about the shady way this government has been conducting business, she is going to be dragged further into the muck. The specialness of this governorship has held it aloft. But now it is being reduced to a narrative that is  depressingly ordinary. A bunch of politicians take power, abuse it and try to hide it from the public. Isn't that special? No.

THAT'S PRETTY SOUR

Those are some sour grapes Eric Griego is biting into. He still hasn't endorsed Michelle Lujan Grisham for the ABQ congressional nomination, even though she took the Dem nomination from him back on June 5. So what is Eric doing? Well, he sent out an email asking New Mexico Dems to give campaign money to Rep. Keith Ellison, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. Say what, Eric? Couldn't that money be used to help Michelle keep the ABQ seat in Dem hands?

Griego, 46, isn't doing much to repair his abrasive image and he may be hurting any chances he has for a future political run. Sure, the campaign was rough and Eric's feelings were hurt. But so were Michelle's as well as those of former ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez.

What's that saying? "Get over it, already.."? Yeah, that's the one....

Marty Chavez is over it. The same day Eric was chewing on his sour grapes, Marty was coming with an unabashed endorsement of Lujan Grisham who also trounced him in the primary. For you up and comers looking to put your neck into the tent of La Politica, here's how you play it:

It’s time to put our differences aside...Michelle Is a consensus builder who knows how to get results while standing up for our values. She has a proven record of fighting for the Middle Class and she will stand up to the special interests in Washington; she will end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and make the rich pay their fair share; and she has the expertise and passion to increase access to affordable, quality health care, and protect seniors from fraud and abuse.

Now, that's not too hard, is it Eric? Maybe it's experience. Chavez, 60, has been in the game for nearly 40 years and has been beaten up more than a rented mule. In turn he has administered a number of mighty beatings.

And, yes, you're right--Eric needs Michelle a lot more than Michelle needs Eric. The odds of her becoming the next congresswoman we're just posted in Vegas. Republican Janice Arnold-Jones had to look away. It's that painful.

SOMETHING NEW

From the email:

WhoSaidYouSaid.com, a website that documents politicians and policymakers in their own words, today announced its expansion into New Mexico, with www.whosaidyousaid.com/newmexico.

The project is an initiative of Citizen Media, a Colorado-based non-profit organization that launched WhoSaidYouSaid.com in Colorado in 2009....The New Mexico venture features coverage of the state's politics, people and policy, including Members of Congress, the U.S. House and Senate races, the state legislature and economic issues.

“We want to aggregate, promote and produce key video on New Mexico politics,”said Tom Intorcio, who is in New Mexico this week to recruit including videographers and writers.

HE'S BACK

Former ABQ GOP west side State Senator Joe Carraro and this blog go way back. We've had our ups and downs with the volatile, but always informed Carraro. One of his best attributes is his status as an independent Republican, but now he's dropping the R and going all indy. Carraro says he has filed as an independent candidate and will take on ABQ GOP State Senator John Ryan. No Dem is seeking the seat. Says Joe:

This election is not about political parties. It's about people who have worked hard to achieve a great place to live. I registered as an Independent because I have always represented the people rather than ideologies or political parties, since they have their own interests.  My fellow Senators awarded me with a recognition that I 'Represented the People. Never Himself." I want to continue to do that for another term to insure that the changes to our community in the future are for the better.

Hey, all those years in politics and you learn to blow your own horn. But look. Here's a Republican who has a mind of his own (I know, Jay. It's scary) and who deserves a listen. Senator Ryan is the odds-on favorite to take the seat again, but what a good TV debate these two could have.

ON THE HOOK

Maybe Bernalillo County GOP political director Steve Kush thinks he's off the hook now that he comes with this. (He isn't):

Albuquerque attorney Chris Sturgess filed the necessary paperwork to run as a write-in candidate for District Attorney in the 2nd Judicial District. Sturgess’ candidacy ensures (Democratic) District Attorney Kari Brandenburg faces a qualified challenger. Sturgess, who attended UNM Law School, was a prosecutor for over two years and was named New Prosecutor of the Year in 1999. He then served as a Public Defender for nine years...

What a botched job this was by the R's. Kari is being kicked around like a month old tin can on an elementary school playground, and the R's have no real challenger. A "write-in candidate?" You pull that back in your home state of Jersey, Kush, and they'd find a river with your name on it. As for you, Kari, you can back to the hammock and iced tea.

THE BOTTOM LINES

In a first draft Wednesday we said Dem State Senator Phil Griego received a cash donation from the Reform NM PAC run by Guv Martinez political advisor Jay McCleskey. The PAC mailed out support literature of Griego but did not make a cash donation...We also called tourism secretary Monique Jacobson "Monica." That's probably not the first or last time we'll make that mistake...

Back now to Sen. Griego who wanted to make a statement about the Reform NM PAC backing of his campaign and recent statements made by Aubrey Dunn, Jr., his GOP foe in the November election:

I am a proud and long-standing New Mexico Democrat and I believe in Democratic ideals. For my right wing Republican opponent, Aubrey Dunn, to suggest that I had any knowledge or authorization of a PAC either McCleskey's (Reform New Mexico Now) or any other PAC support of me is ludicrous...These PACs that have formed (with agendas of their own) because of Citizens United are saturating American politics with mailers, phones calls, false accusations and they have harmed our political process. I do not condone these tactics in any way.

Griego has some fence mending to do with the press. He would not give any interviews during the primary campaign so now he's taking a tour of the newspapers in his district to kiss and make up. Go ahead, Phil. Eat your spinach--at least it isn't crow.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
  
Interested in reaching New Mexico's political community? Advertise here. Email us for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2012
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Pat Rogers
The wheels that carry the administration of Governor Susana Martinez may not be falling off, but they are looking increasingly wobbly. Another shoe is dropping in the email scandal and a well-known Republican name is openly bolting from Martinez and her chief political advisor Jay McCleskey. First the new email.....

A fresh string of emails sent to a private account of Martinez deputy chief of staff Ryan Cangiolosi reveal wheeling and dealing by longtime lawyer/lobbyist and GOP National Committeeman Pat Rogers. Most seriously, the emails raise the question of whether the controversial 25 year racino lease approved for the Downs at ABQ will now be subjected to a legal challenge.

That Rogers, a veteran GOP power player serving as attorney for the Downs, was communicating with Cangiolosi via private email about the status of the racino deal raises the specter of bid rigging and collusion. Rogers may call it providing updates on the process as the State Fair Commission considered the deal, but the union-funded Independent Source PAC, which revealed the back channel emails, one of whch Rogers also sent to McCleskey, has asked to the state attorney general FBI for an investigation. The three emails released can be viewed here.

This is not Rogers' first run-in with email controversy. He was at the center of the US Attorney scandal earlier this decade that had him and other top R's trying to oust fellow Republican David Iglesias as US Attorney here. Iglesias was indeed fired and a scandal ensued over whether it was an abuse of power.

Two state lawmakers have requested that Attorney General King investigate the private emailing. King has not announced if he will do so. Insiders say there have been some preliminary moves toward an investigation, but nothing formal. NM Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales pounced:

..The Governor's top deputy Ryan Cangiolosi and her right-hand man Jay McCleskey were in consistent contact with the lawyer and lobbyist for the company, manipulating the bid process in favor of her benefactors. That's the definition of Pay-to-Play, and now that's it is more than rumor, more than hints of corruption, it's time for Law Enforcement officials to step in. We have every confidence that the Attorney General is already taking a hard look at this, and we hope he will consider all avenues - including the appointment of a special prosecutor - to get to the bottom of this newest evidence about the Downs deal so the people of New Mexico know the truth...

We will carry the comments of Rogers and Cangiolosi when they come in.

CONNECTING THE DOTS
Cangiolosi
Laguna Development Corporation was competing with the Downs for the racino deal,  but were rebuffed. They contemplated legal action at the time, concerned that the contrct was wired from inside the Martinez administration. Now they have these emails in which ISPAC says: "Rogers appears to be providing legal advice to the state on how to run state fair commission meetings, while also developing a plan to retaliate against Commissioner Charlotte Rode.."

Rode, a Republican, raised early questions about the Downs deal and came out in opposition. The 25 year old lease was approved on a 4 to 3 vote by the fair commission and eventually approved by the state Board of Finance which numbers Governor Martinez among its members.

Rogers labeled the subject of his email about Rode "Dragon Lady" and called her "a shill of the Maloofs." That's a reference to the Maloof family of business fame who have cut their ties with New Mexico so the reference to them is enigmatic. As far as calling Rode a "Dragon Lady," it is the kind of personal reference that has been a marker of Jay and the gang throughout their political lives.

Martinez was a recipient of $70,000 donations from the owners of the Downs and people connected to the facility. The Downs owners were also major donors to Diane Denish, the Dem candidate for governor who lost to Martinez.  Part-owner Paul Blanchard was also a major player in the Democratic Big Bill administration. This tine around in addition to hiring Rogers as their attorney Blanchard and the Downs have hired former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, first as a security consultant and now as a construction manager for the Downs. White is a close friend of McCleskey's. Also, we blogged this week of former GOP ABQ City Councilor Sally Mayer joining Expo NM (the old state fair). Her daughter, Monica Jacobson, is secretary of the state tourism department. Dan Mourning, the manager of Expo, is a close friend of White's and the former owner of the now defunct Capo's restaurant in downtown ABQ.

Developer Chuck Gara, a member of the evaluation committee that recommended the Downs lease, hired McCleskey in 2003 to work against several ABQ city council candidates. Here is our October 3, 2003 blog dealing with that. All three candidates Jay and Gara targeted won their races.

At the time critics dubbed the dealing over the Downs "The Down and Dirty Downs Deal." These emails from Rogers only buttress that notion, while confirming another open secret in the state political community--that Pat Rogers is part of the shadow government that has has taken hold in Santa Fe with McCleskey at its helm.

To be continued....

SUSANA'S RANCHER REVOLT
Aubrey Dunn, Jr.
Meanwhile, the meddling of Martinez and McCleskey in the June 5th primary  is continuing to have negative repurcussions. Once again it is not a big city R from Albuquerque taking on the Guv and Jay but a good 'ol boy rancher who says he's had enough.

Lincoln County rancher Aubrey Dunn, Jr, is demanding that he be refunded over $5,000 in donations he earlier made to Susana's 2010 Guv campaign (full letter here). He has a pretty good reason. A PAC run by Jay--Reform NM Now--and funded mainly by big oil money--sent out a mailer in support of Dem State Senator Phil Griego. He had a stiff primary challenge from a more liberal challenger. That's the reason McCleskey gave for the unusual interference in a Democratic primary  But Dunn, a Lincoln County rancher, is the GOP nominee for the Griego seat and is denouncing Martinez for allowing her operatives to back a Democrat.

Imagine Dunn's surprise when he opened his mailbox recently and fund a letter from Susana asking him for campaign money for her Susana PAC. Here's how that played out:

Dunn said he decided to criticize Martinez publicly because she recently wrote to him seeking money for her Susana Political Action Committee, so it could support Republican candidates.

"Your letter is disingenuous at best after your PAC, Reform New Mexico Now, funded by Big Oil out of Artesia, placed positive ads for my Democrat opponent, Phil Griego," Dunn wrote in a letter to the governor.

It's a rancher revolt against Susana. First it was Clovis area rancher Pat Woods--who McCleskey opposed for a GOP state senate nomination and lost---and now rancher Dunn pushing back. Their big city brethren still seemed "cowed" by Susana and Jay.

Emailgate and the Woods and Dunn revolt are loud alarm bells for this Governor whose nighttime lullaby is composed of sweet polling numbers and a largely protective press. But the bells warn that what she considers command and control is actually chaos. Does she have the strength of character to take the reins from the shadow government? Does she want to?

By the way, Griego is favored for re-election in the sprawling Dem leaning district that he has represented since 1996

READERS OPINE

The email scandal continues to draw incisive reader comment. Here's one:

Susana set the bar high by saying she was going to be better than the previous administration.     Therefore, any defense grounded on "they did it too" fails by her own standard. Finally, in a country founded on Judeo Christian ethics the best defense will always be, "I am sorry and I will not do it again".

And reader Steve Crespin comes with this:

Joe, The governor needs to stop making excuses  for the email mess and just admit she and her staff attempted to hide something from the public and then tried to do a cover up. Another thing the governor needs to do is to hold her her staff to the same standards she is holding the state employees to. State employees are being harshly disciplined for far less things then this,  some have lost their careers. The governor has a huge double standard, it's do as I say not as I do.

AT UNM

There's a new man in charge at the University of New Mexico, but already questions are being raised about how bold Robert Frank will be as UNM's new president.

 A recent interview he conducted about the controversial athletic department did not send any signals that he wanted to clean house or otherwise restructure a department that has been mired in seemingly ceaseless imbroglios. Excerpts:

DL: The Athletics department is $1.5 million in debt  and students will pay an additional $50 in student fees to fund  Athletics next year. How will you ensure that student fees won’t  continue to increase so drastically for any department?

RF:I will work with the regents and all parts of the University community as we move through the budget process this year.

Maybe Frank is on a learning curve, having only taken the reins June 1, but he leaves the impression  that we are in for a status quo presidency. Not what the doctor ordered after the politicization of the school under former Prez Schmidly and the aforementioned implosion of the athletic department under the stewardship of Paul Krebs. 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

A reader writes:

Public figures attract all manner of yes men, toadies, and sycophants. Sometimes the best friend a public figure can have is the one who walks them into the woodshed and gives them a good ass kicking.

THE BOTTOM LINES

We like to do an occasional restaurant review and so do a number of our readers. Here's David Nava:

Hi Joe, This is one worth checking out--Los Equipales. Mexican fish dishes are the specialty. Very fresh, very well done. Large shrimp cocktail was HUGE, ceviche very nice. Wine list is perfectly paired with their menu. Service is excellent. Prices are reasonable. They don't try to be the 500th New Mexican restaurant in town. (What a relief.) They are in a slightly odd place, but not that hard to find with an entrance off Silver SE.  4500 Silver Ave SE Albuquerque. Off Washington, by Highland High School.

And John Alejandro, Jr. answers the lament of a fellow DC blog reader when it comes to missing the hometown specialty:

Joe, You can tell Ned Farquhar that I have a stash of Chimayo red and Hatch green chile at my home north of Georgetown. I've been in DC going on 14 years and have learned to hoard my annual supply, but I'll be nice and share if he needs a chile fix! Cheers, John....

Well, we're sure Ned appreciates that offer, John. So much so that we're sure he'll offer to roll the enchiladas.....

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
  
Interested in reaching New Mexico's political community? Advertise here. Email us for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2012
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Helen Greene Blumenschein
The value of most New Mexico real estate isn't going anywhere until the jobs train gets back on track. And that is going to be a long, long time. In May 2011, the ABQ metro labor force numbered about 398,000. A year later, the state reports, it has not grown at all, with seasonally unadjusted figures showing a decline of several thousand.

And that's the story.

The jobless rate continues to go down not because we are creating jobs but because the labor force is shrinking. It is jobs that drive housing demand so with a flat work force, expect a continued flat housing market. Meantime....

The job retrenchment is becoming especially vicious at Los Alamos National Labs in northern New Mexico. While that may not seem directly important to ABQ, it is. These are some of the highest paying jobs in the state and that money finds its way not only to Los Alamos and neighboring Rio Arriba County but also to Santa Fe and the Duke City. The latest news:

The workforce cuts are not finished at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In a memo sent to all employees, lab director Charlie McMillan said that 80 contractor positions would be eliminated. In March, 557 employees left the lab as part of a voluntary separation program and the next month, another 60 people were terminated from the flexible workforce.

That's nearly 700 jobs and more to come. When the Labs announced work force cuts in February, it said there would be an 11 percent cut from its permanent staff of 7,600, or about 800 jobs. It did not say that some of the 3,000 contractors for the Labs would face cuts. So not only is Los Alamos slated to cut 800 jobs from the permanent workforce, but now the knife is falling on private contractors who we assume will have to lay off people who work for them.

For the sake of discussion, say each job is valued at $100,000. That giant sucking sound on "The Hill" is $70 million in payroll disappearing--with more to come. It's true that a large cut to a single Los Alamos project is the primary culprit, but these dramatic job losses showcase the state's vulnerability in Washington. Soon we enter an era with no congressional seniority. Heck, even the seniority we have now isn't enough to stop the Los Alamos cuts.

RADICAL R'S

Radical Republicans who argue that cutting taxes and regulations even more will pave the way for an economy here that replaces these six figure jobs at Los Alamos and other government funding are smoking some of the most powerful pot east of the Mississippi. Their dream is only going to happen in a psychedelic haze--not in the real world.

It is argued (and effectively so) that a stalled plutonium research facility at Los Alamos is a multi-billion dollar boondoggle and had to be cut and thus the job cuts. Maybe so. But what of the future? Who is going to be there to fight if the budget cutters come for Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Labs--the economic engines of the ABQ metro? What of the billions in other dollars that flow here for health care, nutrition, education etc. ? And the budget cutters will come with even more fervor if they sense political vulnerability.

These federal jobs (and other federal funding) make possible the profit for the local dry cleaner, the mom and pop restaurants and other small businesses that employ so many of our neighbors. We don't have the numbers, but we would bet when all is said and done at least 50% of this state's economy is tied directly or indirectly to federal spending.

That's why this year's election for the open United States Senate seat is one of the most critical in the state's modern history. We are going to get a new  Senator with no seniority, but one who must perform as if they already had 20 years under their belt. Who is that? Martin Heinrich or Heather Wilson?

CONGRATS, BEN RAY 

And speaking of that badly needed seniority, northern Dem Congressman Ben Ray Lujan is starting to slowly but surely move up the ranks. From Washington this news:

Congressman Ben Ray Luján announced today that he has been named Ranking Member of the House Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs....

“It is an honor to be named to this important position that is critical for the many states that are home to native communities,” Congressman Luján said.  “As Ranking Member, I look forward to building on my efforts to strengthen an effective government-to-government relationship that respects the sovereignty of Native American tribes.  From protecting sacred sites to improving the health and educational opportunities for Indian Country, it is important that we work with tribes and pueblos across the country to build a stronger future for Native Americans.”

Lujan is also head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus political action committee known as "Bold PAC" and down the road is expected to become chairman of the caucus.

Lujan, who turned 40 this month, has the potential to accumulate more power as Democrats look to Hispanics for increased voting strength. The congressman told me previosuly he would like a slot on the powerful energy and commerce committee which would get him into the funding process for the national labs. Ultimatetly, political pros hope Lujan can get a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, a crucial spot for a state so dependent on Uncle Sam's treasury.

THE HOME FIRES

While Lujan is playing a strong hand in Washington, he has looked somewhat ham-fisted recently when dealing with the folks back home. His recent interference in the Dem state House primary for his retiring father's Santa Fe area seat is a prime example. His door-to-door campaiging for Dem Dave Coss--who lost to Carl Trujillo--raised eyebrows, as did his open support of Danny Maki for the northenr Public Regulation Commisssion seat. Maki was also a loser. And then there's Ben Ray's disagreement with senior Senator Bingman on the future use of the Santa Fe Indian School. That also made the young lawmaker appear to be over reaching.

As he goes along one suspects the congressman will more fully realize his political future is very bright--as long as he devotes himself accumulating power in Washington and not trying too hard to play in the murky waters of La Politica. And if he does play there--to do so quietly.

MIXED SANTA FE SIGNALS

It's hard to figure out exactly what is going on in Santa Fe economically. First you get this:

Jobs numbers confirmed that the tourist and hospitality industry is operating on all cylinders in Santa Fe--and has returned to pre-recession levels. In fact, due to continued cutbacks in the government sector, the leisure and hospitality industry accounted for all the job gains in Santa Fe County in May, according to the state Department of Workforce Solutions. 

And then you get this from a local restaurateur:

“The Santa Fe economy has not rebounded, especially for the high-end restaurants. We see the lower-priced restaurants along Cerrillos often busy and it’s been hard to compete with them,” said General Manager Kate Campbell. “

It appears state government jobs cuts are being balanced by a slight uptick in the tourist biz. If tourists are starting to return that's all the more reason for Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson to start pounding the table for more money to promote our state. Don't be shy, Monique. The TV spots you commissioned landed like a thud, but if we've learned anything about the business of promotion it's that even a mediocre message will make a big difference if repeated often enough.

Speaking of Jacobson, did you know her mother is former ABQ GOP City Councilor Sally Mayer? You did if you are a regular blog reader. The news about Sally is that she has apparently joined her daughter in the state administration. We are told she has gone to work at New Mexico Expo in ABQ, after working in constituent services for ABQ Mayor RJ Berry. We blogged some time ago that it looked as if Sally was headed to the state Workforce Solutions Department, but that didn't happen.

Mayer had a pretty good record on business during her city council days. Maybe she can pull her daughter aside and tell her that in order to make money, you often have to spend money.

JOURNAL WATCH

The ABQ Journal comes with its editorial on Susana's directive that private email no longer be used to conduct state business--at least among employees who fall under her authority.

Dems are going to call this a wrist slap and complain that if this were Big Bill the paper would be going apoplectic on its editorial pages. They have a point. The editorial innocuously dismisses the scandal and the operation of what amounts to a shadow government run by unaccountable Martinez political advisor Jay McCleskey as a "bad idea." The newspaper does not question the motives--or the abuse of power--and that's why the Dems will say the Journal is protecting the Governor--not covering her. From the editorial:

The governor’s order sends the right policy message and removes the onus on state workers to determine what should be communicated on state email and what should not. And it will make it much easier to apply IPRA. Using private emails to discuss government business isn’t limited to the Martinez administration. It would appear legislators and previous administrations also used them. The governor challenged lawmakers and other officials to adopt similar policies. They should do so.

The paper, which now leans Republican and does little to disguise it, has extensively covered the ongoing scandal--although they don't call it that. The Journal has a long history of insisting on open government in the state and it has made a major difference. However, in the email case the editorial indicates that the paper sees it as pretty much over now that Martinez has been busted and partially owned up. That may be wishful thinking. If more emails surface showing more government business being conducted out of public sight, the scandal will blossom anew. Insiders continue to say there are indeed more emails--messages we suspect we will be reading of in the mainstream media.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
  
Interested in reaching New Mexico's political community? Advertise here. Email us for details.


(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2012
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Republicans seem to be playing with fire with their strategy to deflect the email scandal that has engulfed the Martinez administration. They are now pointing to past examples of Democrats using private email accounts to communicate business--some of it official and some of it campaign related. The examples they provide are nowhere near the seriousness of a sitting Governor, her top aides and and her private political advisor conducting state business via private email, but the R's seem to be saying their email scandal--which we have said amounts to a shadow government--is no big deal. Why? Because they say others in government have used private email. But as your mom told you when you were seven, "If Johny jumped off the bridge, would you?"

We say the R's are playing with fire because they are not saying the private emailing by Martinez and her administration is ethically or legally proper. In fact, by pointing to past Dem emails they are trying to frame their case as "everyone does it, so please move on and leave us alone."

Didn't your mom also tell you "two wrongs don't make a right?"

And just why is it so hard to "move on?" Well, look at this:

The governor’s deputy chief of staff, Ryan Cangiolosi, sent the email to  (Economic Development Secretary) Barela in May 2011, saying chief of staff Keith Gardner wanted updates on a jobs report and on department operations. Cangiolosi could not be reached for comment about why his communication to Barela was sent from and to a personal email account. Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell said that Cangiolosi “doesn’t recall” why the personal email account was used for state business.

"Doesn't recall?" We've heard that before. No wonder the R's want Attorney General King and anyone else who has the urge to look into that hole to just go away.

WEIGHING IN

The intrepid Rio Grande Sun weighs in on emailgate or whatever moniker this scandal is going to become known as:

All documents produced by a public employee or elected official, regardless of form, is a public record, unless it falls within the (legal) exceptions...The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government executive committee explained this tactfully to...the governor June 16 in a meeting in Albuquerque. Then the governor says, use your public email accounts. Good for her, but we like the old, “trust but verify” adage and that’s not possible here...

HEATHER WATCH

We don't think she is close to this yet, but NM GOP US Senate candidate Heather Wilson, who has refused to take a stand on the controversial Ryan House budget, has some thinking to do. The news:

The Montana Republican Party paid for an ad praising the state’s GOP U.S. Senate candidate, Denny Rehberg, for voting against House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan’s budget in 2011.

“Rehberg refused to support a Republican budget plan that could harm the Medicare program so many of Montana’s seniors rely on,” the ad’s narrator says.

Rehberg, a sitting congressman, was one of only four Republicans in the U.S. House to vote against Ryan’s budget plan in March 2011. He is now challenging Democratic Sen. John Tester in what’s expected to be a close race.

Wilson, a former five term ABQ congresswoman, has refused to say if she would have voted for the Ryan budget, but she has been trying to back off statements she made in 2002 in support of privatizing Social Security.

Social Security and Medicare are polling off the charts in terms of importance with many voter groups. It appears to be Heather's main vulnerability in moderate New Mexico. Will she need to pull a Montana and break with the Ryan Medicare plan? For Heather, everything has to be on the table--if she wants to win over Dem Martin Heinrich.

BILL NOT IN JAIL

Speaking of being on the table--or in this case at the table--former Governor Big Bill was a member of the Sunday Meet the Press round table to discuss the political issues of the day. The program also conducted an interview with Florida Senator and possible GOP VP candidate Marc Rubio.

Hey, wasn't Richardson supposed to be drawn and quartered, indicted and then thrown in the basement of the Dona Ana County jail and left to rot? See that, Susana? Don't worry too much about that email scandal...

And reader Jim McCaughey writes of Bill's latest network appearance:

First I see Governor Richardson on Meet the Press and now I see Attorney General Gary King on Fox News. What's the deal? Are they running for something, or is it summer and these guys are the only people available? Bill looked a bit chubby, so I am guessing he is not running for anything!

Bill isn't running for anything, Jim. But Gary King still harbors dreams of being New Mexico's Governor.

By the way, an Alligator writes in that under Big Bill the watch phrase was "Pay to Play" and that under Susana it is "Pay the PAC"--as in SusanaPAC.

LITTLE BEAR'S RAMPAGE

 Reader Ed Lopez of ABQ (son of the late legendary state Senator Eddie Lopez of Santa Fe) writes of the impact of this month's fire near Ruidoso:

Greetings Joe—Great job with the primary election coverage and related fallout…you’ve been one busy blogger!

I wanted to share with you the attached picture of what is left of a once great tree outside my little sister’s home near Ruidoso. The house burned to the ground last week.  Fortunately, everyone escaped safely and all was insured.  I was moved by the pic that my brother-in-law, Corey Walker, took not only because it contrasts a ray of hope in the wake of devastation, but especially because he took it the very day they were allowed to inspect the damage. I’m lucky to have family like these folks.

That is some photo, Ed. This has been a rough summer for our Ruidoso area neighbors. They have our support.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Reader Jose Campos writes from Valencia County:

Joe, When in the Los Lunas area, try TJ's restaurant for a true New Mexican meal. And who knows who you may run into there, the Majority leader of the Senate, or one of our other local politicians. TJ's has become the Barelas of our County. Also, in Belen is the restaurant run by Mayor Rudy Jaramillo. Rutillio's is also a local favorite. We are a little South of the big city, but not as far South as Susana!

We'll do it, Jose. Here's Jay Leno to wrap the Monday blog:

 "Well, the House committee is now recommending that Attorney General Eric Holder be cited for contempt of Congress. Now, don't confuse that for what you and I have. That's contempt for Congress. That is a totally different issue."

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
   
Interested in reaching New Mexico's political community? Advertise here. Email us for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2012
Not for reproduction without permission of the author