Sure it's hot and it's going to get hotter:
.
If you doubt that climate change is transforming the American landscape, go to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sweltering temperatures there have broken records this summer, and a seemingly permanent orange haze of smoke hangs in the air from multiple wildfires.

Take a ride into the mountains and you'll see one blackened ridge after another where burns in the past few years have ravaged the national forest. Again, this year, fires in New Mexico and neighboring states of Colorado and Arizona are destroying wilderness areas. Fire danger is expected to remain abnormally high for the rest of the summer throughout much of the Intermountain West. But "abnormal" fire risks have become the new normal.

GATORGATE

A member of the New Mexico Legislature writes of our Monday blog on Gatorgate"--the controversial 2011 Louisiana hunting trip taken by First Gentleman Churck Franco and a security detail of two state policemen.

Reading your columns on GatorGate has raised three new questions for me:

1) The reports are that each State Police Officer had a 12 year old son with him. State Administrative Rule 1.5.3 relates to Administration and Use of State Vehicles. Specifically, Rule 1.5.312(B) states: “Authorized passengers. Only authorized passengers may occupy a state vehicle. A person who is not a state employee must obtain written authorization from the director or designee before occupying a state vehicle. Failure to comply may result in suspension of driving privileges.” 

Did these two officers each get written permission from the Director of GSD to take the 12 year olds with them (and if not, should their driving privileges be suspended)?

2) Questions have come up regarding whether the First Gentleman routinely gets this level of “security.” Has anyone done a public records request to see the payroll of officers assigned to cover the First Gentleman? I think we might discover whether he is regularly secured, or if “security” was the excuse for the extra pay the officers received.

3) I understand the First Gentleman has gone back to work providing courthouse security. Do two state police offices secure the First Gentleman while he provides security at the courthouse?

CAMPOS PLANS

NM Dem Senator Pete Campos sends this:

Campos said he plans to retire after completing his sixth year as President of Luna Community College. “We have made significant progress at Luna Community College by improving the quality of education offered to students of all ages.I will continue to lead this effort until my retirement...

Campos was re-elected to the Senate in 2012.

DAVE CARGO

Former NM Governor Dave Cargo died last Friday at the age of 84 and will be laid to rest today at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Tributes have come in to the blog throughout the week. Our remembrance is posted on Monday's blog which you can find by scrolling down. Reader Mike Santullo writes:

Dave Cargo was ahead of his time. He always thought of the “big” picture. He was never afraid to take positions on crucial issues that went against the grain. He was the King with the common touch who gave a “Voice to the Voiceless” and reached over to both sides of the political aisle to accomplish this. He will be sorely missed and will always be remembered as an innovator and a man of great courage and decency..

Former NM GOP Chairman John Lattauzio writes from Utah:

Joe, thank you for reminding us of Dave Cargo's wit and accomplishments. I enjoyed his company and friendship. My memories include the Governor's leadership in promoting New Mexico to the Hollywood filmmaking industry. You may also remember the part the Republican Party played in his 1993 mayoral bid. The party faced court hearings due to our support for Dave. We prevailed. Governor Dave Cargo will be missed.

In Santa Fe, reader and TV host Lorene Mills says her program this weekend will feature a 2010 interview she conducted with Cargo.  "Report from Santa Fe" airs at 6:00 p.m. Saturday for the east side out of KENW Channel 3 in Portales; 8:00 a.m. Sunday for Albq/Santa Fe on KNME, Channel 5. The program can also be viewed here.

That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by. Reporting from ABQ and southern California, I'm Joe Monahan.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Sen. Linda Lopez (Stephen Jones)

Dem state Senator and 2014 Guv candidate Linda Lopez breaks out and breaks her party's silence over the ongoing controversy over the awarding of the lucrative racino lease for the ABQ Downs. She comes out swinging and does it on the day the new Downs casino is slated to open:

A dark cloud hangs low over the grand opening of the Downs at Albuquerque. Individuals close to the Governor have been questioned by the FBI regarding the billion dollar contract pushed through by the Governor’s men, and which largely benefits a small group of individuals who made massive political contributions...

It is long past the time for the Governor to disclose to the public the role the Governor’s men played in awarding the contract. This includes her Political Director Jay McCleskey, National Republican Committeeman Pat Rogers, Downs at Albuquerque Manager Darren White, Downs at Albuquerque Principal Paul Blanchard, State Fair Commission Chairman Larry Kennedy, State Fair Manager Dan Mourning and the Governor’s husband, Chuck Franco. 

I am calling on the Governor to release all documents, including e-mails from her private e-mail account, that pertain to the awarding of the contract. Governor Martinez ran for office promising transparency and an end to political favoritism and corruption. With the awarding of the contract, the Governor continues the secretiveness and behind-closed-doors dealing she so adamantly condemned while running for office.

We reported extensively on Monday on the controversial 2011 hunting trip First Gentleman Chuck Franco took with two state policemen to Louisiana where two of the Downs' owners live. The trip has left many unanswered questions about Franco's activities there. That is only one aspect of many in the controversy over last year's awarding of the lease.

It's not a subject Governor Martinez and her political handlers want to talk about, but the horse has left the Downs barn. The Governor's handlers dispute that the FBI is investigating the awarding of the lease. But several of former Martinez campaign staffers say they are and they have been questioned.

Attorney General Gary King is also running for the Dem nomination for Governor. He has been quiet about the Downs deal in recent months, but Lopez is putting pressure on him now by getting out in front of what could be a defining story of the campaign.

The Democratic Party base is starved for leadership. Lopez just gave them red meat. What has King done for them? Right now this is about a small group of delegates to the March '14 Dem pre-primary convention who will decide which candidates get an official spot on the June '14 primary. There's not a vegetarian in the bunch.

It has been confirmed that as of late last year King was investigating the Downs deal. The status of the investigation--whether active or not--is not known. But if King has any hope at all of becoming Governor, how he handles the Downs hot potato will be critical.

It's hard to believe but so far, Lopez, in the game since '96, is the sole major Democratic voice speaking out and publicly questioning the ethics and legality of the Downs deal. (Don't send a man to do a woman's job?)

New state Dem Party Chairman Sam Bregman and top legislative Democrats have been sharply criticized by Dem activists for failing to comment on the ongoing Downs controversy--including the Franco trip--that has been splashed across the front pages and your blog for days on end.

Because of their reticence to put heat on the Governor on a major issue, they make Lopez's move look that much stronger and bolder. It might also help her with all-important fund-raising. Many Dems have been skeptical of her candidacy, but if she is willing to pick up the spear and show the fight others won't, that could change--fast.

Insiders are now wondering if Jason Marks, the underdog contender for the '14 Dem attorney general nomination, will follow Lopez's lead and take advantage of the Downs deal. State Auditor and leading Dem AG candidate Hector Balderas remains silent.

The owners of the Downs gave large campaign contributions to both Martinez and her 2010 Dem Guv opponent.

The Governor's handlers can dismiss Lopez as being politically motivated, but they can't stop the questions about the Downs deal from being told again and again. At least not until they answer all the questions and provide supporting documents that the Downs deal wasn't down and dirty.

Immediate political damage to the Guv? Not apparent. It is the "drip, drip, drip" nature of this story and any possible legal action that threatens her political standing. Election '14 is a long 15 months away.

MOTIVATED TO CHANGE?

The state seemed shell-shocked when a respectable study ranked us 50th in the nation--dead last--in child well-being. Sure, we were formerly 49th, but being in last place in anything galvanizes your thinking. So it is for us.

So will this latest setback ease the path to get a public vote on a constitutional amendment that would allow $110 million a year for ten years to be appropriated from the state Permanent Fund for very early childhood programs? The state's two permanent funds now total over $16 billion.

Even as the social conditions crisis worsens in the face of an ongoing and devastating recession--especially for lower income households--the amendment still has to jump a very high hurdle erected by state Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith. He has refused to allow his committee to vote on the amendment, even though it was approved last session by the state House.

Allen Sanchez, CEO of the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, has repeatedly sparred with Smith over the amendment. Sanchez says he will be back at the '14 legislative session again seeking approval of the amendment which would require approval of both the House and Senate--but not the Governor--to be placed on the November ballot (Gov. Martinez opposes the amendment, calling it a "raid" on the Permanent Fund).

ABQ Dem Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham appeared at a recent news conference sponsored by the  Foundation. The news conference put the amendment back in the public eye, but Grisham stopped short of endorsing the amendment. She talked about federal programs that could address the impact of falling to dead last in the nation in child well-being.

Sanchez says the 50th ranking was a slap in the face of the state as well as a wake-up call. He sees support growing for the amendment. If he's right we might yet get a desperately needed debate over the state's economic and social decline.

DAVE CARGO

Reaction continues to come in to the news of the passing of former Governor Dave Cargo ('67-'70).  Yolanda Acosta of ABQ writes:

In 2010, I asked Governor Cargo to read my book and write a review. I respected his opinion and admired his hard work. He dedicated his life, working with the poor, minorities and countless others, in an effort to improve our lives. This is evident by building libraries in the poorest counties in New Mexico. My late husband, Ralph Villegas and I, supported Governor Cargo in his bids to run for Mayor  and Governor. New Mexico has lost a great son. Here is the review Governor Cargo wrote.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news tips and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

The Feds are zapping $8 million out of the ABQ economy as 2,100 civilian workers at Kirtland Air Force Base are forced to take off one day a week between now and the end of September. It's part of the government's "sequestration."

That isn't going to help perk up the anemic city economy that Dem Pete Dinelli will do his best to hang around the neck of ABQ GOP Mayor Richard Berry in the October election...

Meanwhile, back at the economy (Do you have to do it, Joe? Sorry, yes we do). The latest:

The Albuquerque metropolitan area’s economy declined even more in the first quarter, as the area ranked 96th among the nation’s top 100 metro areas in terms of its postrecession recovery.
The 96th overall ranking is a decline from the 92nd ranking in the fourth quarter, according to the MetroMonitor report issued by the Brookings Institution. The area ranked 100th in employment, 87th in unemployment, 70th in GDP and 51st in housing prices, Brookings said.

So where's the finger-pointing, the vigorous political debate over all this? Where, oh where, is the leadership that can help get us out of this mess? The Republicans in power are reactionaries, happy doing nothing and the Democrats are simply hapless. There is no plan. We are adrift...

How about ABQ Dem City Councilor Ken Sanchez drawing no foe for his re-election bid for a third four year term from the city's west side? That's going to make Ken take a look at getting an early mayoral bid going for 2017. He'll have company. Republican Councilor Dan Lewis is already taking up a '17 mayoral bid, but first he has to win re-election in October. These guys are sure in a hurry, aren't they?...

WEIGHING WITH WEH

Allen Weh

Let's not assume too much yet about the 2014 election--like the assumption that Governor Martinez will have no GOP primary opposition next June. Sure, it's very likely she won't, but what if former GOP Chairman Allen Weh who fought her for the nomination in 2010 decided to take her on again?

He might--if Gatorgate, the shady Downs deal and/or emailgate start taking a toll on her.

He's been talking about running against Dem Senator Tom Udall, but his chances of prevailing against him are less than slim. Would he be better off taking on Martinez? Probably, if a scandal were to wound her.

We asked Weh where he was at in his consideration of a US Senate run. He told us:

I am still working through the process. 

He then added in a reference to our work on Gatrorgate, emailgate and the Downs racino lease deal:

You've had interesting reporting the past few weeks...

Weh will be closely watching all the reporting on the Martinez administration in the days ahead. As a successful businessman he can kick-start a campaign with his own cash. That gives him more time to make a decision about 2014.

GATORGATE EMAIL

A reader writes of First Gentleman Chuck Franco and Gatorgate--a subject covered extensively on the blog this week:

You think Chuck would like to go to Disney World with us? We're planning to take a family vacation And while we've got the trip all set up, this whole Gatorgate controversy got me thinking--let's see if Chuck wants to go. We'll get the State of New Mexico to fund most, if not all of the cost of our family vacation. It'll be great! 

Unfortunately, I'm not a state employee so there'd be no overtime pay for me, but what-the-heck, I'd even be willing to go halfers on the gas, but we'll need one of the state's Suburbans--the Tahoe is too small. We've got six kids for goodness sake! I'm hoping that Chuck could show us around some of his old gator hunting grounds in Louisiana because we pass right through it on our way to Orlando, FL, right? Chuck, it's Disney World or bust! What do you say?

EMAILGATE

A bizarre sidebar to emailgate--the hijacking of Governor Martinez's campaign account--continues to unfold. The latest:

A former Democratic political consultant under investigation by federal law enforcement agents for hacking the governor’s email made his initial appearance in Albuquerque federal court Tuesday on charges of receiving child pornography.
Jason Loera, 44, of Albuquerque, was arrested May 31 in California on a warrant from U.S. District Court in New Mexico charging him with receiving images of child pornography. He was released on $20,000 bail to Pretrial Services for placement in a residential treatment facility, according to court documents.

The hijacking of Susana's campaign email account--allegedly by former campaign manager Jamie Estrada--is an interesting story, but what everyone is really interested in is in the emails that see the light of day as a result of the hijacking. Is Estrada holding some of them back? If released, would they damage the administration ? That's the big question.

OUR WELFARE STATE

Another reader writes:

I knew we had a huge population on Medicaid but this blew me away: New Mexico's population in  2012 was 2,085,538. According to a NM Business Journal article, New Mexico’s Medicaid rolls are expected to grow to more than 700,000 beginning in 2014 when Medicaid expansion takes effect. That's 34% of the state's population.

Without jobs being created I can't see any way out of this mess without adding even more responsibility being placed on our young working people what are already being bankrupted with future debt.

ALLIGATOR AT THE ROUNDHOUSE

The Roundhouse is in a summer slumber with lawmakers not scheduled to come back until January. One of our Alligators found that out on a recent visit there and decided to liven the place up with some rock and roll.  We dedicate this video to Chuck Franco, the state's top Gator hunter. Yeah, now we're havin' some summer fun...

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013 Not for reproduction without permission of the author

There are all kinds of tell-tale signs of how New Mexico has dramatically changed in the past five years as a result of the brutal beating from the Bear Market. Here's another one:

In the fall of 2008 the NM television market--as measured by the Nielsen ratings service--ranked 44th in the nation. Flash forward to 2013 and we have dropped to #47. There are over 200 rated TV markets in the USA.

The up, up and away years rarely, if ever, saw NM slip in this ranking. After all, we were a booming Sun Belt state where the sky was the limit. Well, welcome to the sky.

Nielsen says there were 689,120 NM TV households in 2008. Five years later and the growth has been minuscule. Today we have 691,450. That stagnation has allowed faster growing states to climb past NM. (We have not heard of any geographic changes in the TV market that would account for our loss).

Media pros celebrated when the NM TV market--which comprises most of the state except for Dona Ana County and other select areas--muscled itself into the top 50 markets in the USA. That meant more ad revenue and recognition. Going forward the pros are just hoping we can stay in the top 50.

NO MORE SWINGIN'

In addition to a stagnant economy that has slowed household formations here, another problem the major NM TV stations face is the loss of our status as a "swing state" in presidential and congressional elections. The stations reaped millions in extra revenues in 2008 and before, but that collapsed in 2012 when it became clear New Mexico is now a blue state for national elections and issues. Besides lost revenue in the presidential year, the stations also lose money because it appears the ABQ congressional seat will no longer be hotly contested by the GOP.

Looking ahead to 2014, the NM Senate race will generate TV ad revenue, but nothing that will grab you by the collar. Dem Tom Udall is a heavy favorite. Little national money will be spent to take him out. As for all those Super PAC's promoting various issues, the stations could get a slice of that in election years, but nothing like they would have if we were a swing state.

It's difficult to assess the economic impact of the lost TV ad revenue here because the affiliates of the three major networks--KOB, KRQE and KOAT are owned by national corporations. At a minimum it probably means in the years ahead the local stations will not be adding jobs.

Also, the resale value of the TV properties here have likely declined because of the drying up of national political revenue. The NYT explores that topic.

A CRITIQUE

Our coverage of emailgate and assorted other controversies in the Martinez administration has drawn reader email in recent weeks. Much of it has been critical of the administration--especially its refusal to hand over travel records of Chuck Franco, Martinez's husband who took a controversial Louisiana hunting trip in 2011. Here's one reader critique we found compelling:

Dear Joe, Thank you for your relentless coverage of the First Gentleman's controversial trip to Louisiana.  The opacity of this "transparent" administration becomes more apparent by the minute. (all puns intended). The latest ding to the Martinez armor is her ranking as one of the worst job creators.

 As usual, she assigns the blame to circumstances she claims are beyond her control--in this case Washington.  So far, I have not seen anyone address her pattern, or maybe even her policy, of blame rather than real leadership.

It's the Feds.  It's the Dems. It's the left-wing union-lovers. It's the disgruntled former campaign staffers.  And it's still (former Governor) Richardson.  Isn't this all getting a bit old? She's a bit of a whiner, isn't she?   Not much of a problem-solver, is she?  Her policies and actions seem to be more about revenge, vindication, and blame.  She seems incapable of accepting responsibility.  Are these the qualities of a leader?

Even her buddies at the ABQ Journal are struggling to keep up the rosy aura.  They cover her little victories. The latest is the Silver Alert which is a good thing but hardly a job creator or demonstration of transparency.  She visited with firefighters but that is to be expected.  These get the front page when the darker stuff, if covered at all, is thrown into the Metro section.  I'm sure this has not escaped your notice.

 I am baffled that she chooses to focus her efforts on undermining or dismantling anything that smacks of the "Richardson Legacy" or any kind of Democrat influence, rather than building upon them, and quite possibly eclipsing anything he started, thus creating her own legacy of prosperity for the state.  The film industry and the Rail Runner, for example, are potential job creators, economic boosters, tourism builders, and means of revenue outside of federal and state government....

KIDS OF GATORGATE 

Reader Ginny Harmon writes:

Mr. Monahan, your analysis of Gatorgate is exceptional. No one else is doing work like this as far as I can tell.

I have a question that you should ask your readers. I understand that two children of the two state policemen accompanying Franco also traveled on this "vacation" to Louisiana. Since this was deemed official travel because First Gentleman Chuck Franco was on the trip, then is it not unacceptable for these children of the state policemen to have been on this trip? What would the state's liability be had something happened to these kids while traveling?

Also, why is the "First Gentleman" worthy of this kind of protection, but the state's lieutenant governor doesn't get a single officer assigned to him? Seems to me his life is worth more to the people of NM than the spouse of the governor.

Thanks, Ginny. Good questions. The newspaper reported:

The officers each brought along a 12-year-old son, (State Police Chief) Shilling said. The boys traveled to Louisiana with the officers in the state SUV but were cared for by other family members or friends upon arrival, he said.

And another reader writes of Gatorgate:

Joe, I checked with a high ranking staffer for former Governor Richardson who knew about the travel of first lady Barbara Richardson. He said that Barbara traveled all the time without security--on both state and personal business.

A ZINGER

Reader Ellen Wedum--an active Dem--writes this of the administration's refusal to release the records for Chuck Franco's Louisiana hunting trip:

The administration says "security" is the reason for not giving up those records. If Governor Martinez means her political security, she is right.

ANOTHER ZINGER

A white powdery substance was found in a letter at Governor Martinez's office Monday, causing an evacuation of the Fourth Floor. The substance has been found to be harmless but to be certain the powder will be turned over to the FBI for more tests. Hey, while they're at it, maybe they can check out Gatorgate, the Downs deal and emailgate?

GOVERNOR CARGO

Funeral arrangements have been announced for former NM Governor Dave Cargo who died Friday at the age of 84:

Governor Cargo will lie in state in the Rotunda of the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe on Thursday, July 11, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. A Memorial Service will follow in the Rotunda at 4:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, July 12, 2013, 10:00 a.m., at Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, 131 Cathedral Pl., Santa Fe. He will be laid to rest in Santa Fe National Cemetery following Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to the New Mexico Library Foundation, P.O. Box 30572, Albuquerque, NM 87109-0572 or “Friends of” your local library. Please visit our online guestbook for Governor Cargo at French Funerals.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Chuck Franco

Gatorgate moves front and center in the 2013 summer action of La Politica. We are on it like white on rice...

 Feeling the pressure of a media drumbeat to release travel records for her husband's controversial 2011 Louisiana Alligator hunting trip, Governor Martinez has now released additional details of the adventure that included First Gentleman Chuck Franco and two state police officers acting as his security detail. However, none of her new narrative is backed up by records--either official or unofficial. The Governor is giving her version of what happened on the trip but not providing documentation.

The fact that the Governor's office previously said that Franco paid his own way to Louisiana and now admits that that was not the case adds another layer of suspicion that will drive this story.

(ABQ Journal report here. AP report here. ISPAC, a union-backed group that has been critical of Martinez, came with this.)

It's hard to see how the release of statements from her office assuring the public that the trip was on the up-and-up will end this affair. Only when all records are forced into the light of day by either the Governor, the courts, FBI, attorney general, local or national investigative reporters or a combination thereof will we get a more complete picture.

GATORGATE: LONG AND DEEP

The holiday weekend attempt to end the controversy surrounding Franco’s trip to Louisiana and Mississippi only managed to raise more questions. Franco's alligator hunt remains hyper-controversial because the Governor’s Office has been less than forthcoming about the trip and has offered different versions of how and who paid for it. Franco’s trip took place just weeks prior to the awarding of a 25 year lease for the ABQ Downs Racetrack and Casino. It was awarded to three owners--two of whom live in Louisiana.

Our own Alligators (our nickname for our informed political sources) as well as our Legal Beagles (attorneys who are into politics) come with key questions that are still on the table as Martinez and her shadow Jay McCleskey try desperately to end this controversy:

---The information the Governor’s Office provided are statements from the two state police officers who accompanied Franco on the trip. No hunting licenses, no receipts and no documentation showing who paid for anything is provided. Also lacking is any statement from Franco regarding his role in the trip. Why the lack of transparency?

--- Based on the limited information provided, it appears Franco and company spent just one day hunting alligators. What did they do the rest of the time?

---Every stop on the Franco itinerary is near a casino or gaming operation. Did the alligator hunt also involve gambling and were any of these gaming operations connected in any way with the individuals who received the 25 year lease for The Downs?

---State gas card receipts show the party filling-up for gas within two hours after their last fill-up on at least two different occasions. How did they manage to burn through that much gas--or were the state-issued credit cards being used for something else?

---Why has the state police provided three different versions for the genesis of the trip?

a) Chuck Franco wanted to go hunting so the state police chief assigned two officers to accompany him.

b) The two officers were going on a vacation and Chuck Franco asked if he could go with them.

c) And the current version--That the two officers were going on vacation and they invited Chuck Franco along, allowing them to not only have a taxpayer funded excursion, but to draw significant overtime pay which most people don't receive while on vacation.

---Since the lease for The Downs was awarded, the wife of state policeman Ruben Maynes and a sister of Maynes' have both been hired into state positions. The wife, Donna, is a $55,000 a year executive assistant at the Governor's office and the sister, Christine Tabet, works at the Governor's Mansion for $33,000 a year. The wife was hired in February 2012. Maynes was one of the two officers who accompanied Franco to Louisiana.

---The hiring of Maynes’ sister took place approximately the same time Maynes gave an affidavit late last year to the NM attorney general's office. In it he and fellow officer Frank Chavez said during the Louisiana trip Franco had no contact with anyone with connections to the Downs. Is the timing of Mayne's affidavit and the hiring of his relatives coincidental?

---The Governor's office says the uncle of the wife of Maynes--George Blanchard of Breaux Bridge, La.--paid $500 for two nights of lodging and a $500 fee for Franco to shoot an alligator. Blanchard, who told the AP he is no relation to ABQ Downs owner Paul Blanchard, also provided food while they were at the lodge. Franco paid $200 for the hunting guide. Where are all the receipts? For  the unnamed "lodge?" For the guide? For the $500 alligator hunting fee?

---How do the officers know with certainty whether or not anyone Franco had contact with had connections to the Downs? Do they know all the players? Did Franco tell them about everyone he spoke with during the trip? And why didn't Franco voluntarily give a sworn affidavit saying he had no contact with anyone directly or indirectly affiliated with the Downs owners?

---Is the revelation that the attorney general took affidavits from the two state policeman late last year confirmation that the attorney general is still conducting an official investigation into the awarding of the Downs racino lease? (Based on the statements of several former Martinez campaign staffers and one of their attorneys, there is an FBI investigation into the Downs deal).

---At its most innocent, it appears these two officers found a way to have the taxpayers of New Mexico provide a State Police SUV, a state gas card and get paid thousands of dollars in overtime for their personal vacation by inviting the Governor’s husband to tag along.

---At its worst there is a disturbing pattern of cronyism, waste, fraud and abuse--not just of taxpayer money and resources--but of the public trust by the Martinez Administration. What else isn’t the public being told? Did this trip, as many are now speculating, seal the deal for the Louisiana owners of The Downs? All these questions could be answered fairly easily, if the Governor’s Office chose to. Given Martinez’s campaign rhetoric about ending “pay to play” corruption and being an open and transparent Governor, the public deserves far more information than what was offered this past weekend.

Interesting questions all and pretty much guaranteeing that Gatorgate has legs. It would seem much of this could now be easily verified or discredited by a serious investigation. We and New Mexico await  the outcome of any probe underway or any about to be undertaken.

MODIFIED LIMITED HANGOUT?

Richard Nixon

For those who are not familiar with the term modified limited hangout," it entered the political vernacular back in the early 70's during the Watergate affair that forced the resignation of President Richard Nixon:

A limited hangout, or partial hangout, is a public relations or propaganda technique that involves the release of previously hidden information in order to prevent a greater exposure of more important details.


A PRIMER

"Gatorgate" means the Chuck Franco trip to Louisiana. Emailgate is the case in which the Governor's email account was hijacked. Several of the emails disclosed as a result of the hijacking showed wheeling and dealing over the Downs racino lease between Downs attorney Pat Rogers and high ranking administration officials. Jamie Estrada, a former campaign manager for Martinez has been indicted in connection with emailgate. Emailgate also refers to the revelation that Martinez administration officials were conducting state business via private email. She has since ordered a halt to the practice.
GOVERNOR DAVID CARGO

Gov. Cargo (Sorber/ABQ Journal)

All the joy, elation and promise of politics could be found in the soul of David F. Cargo. So could the pain, cynicism and hurt. He was the complete political man. Let's face it. Most politicians today don't read or think very seriously. It's just tactical warfare to win an election--aimed at the 8th grade mentality and produced by those at a similar grade level.

But for Cargo it was intellectual warfare--truly a battle of ideas--not personal animosity or the campaign invective that tries to pass itself off today as serious debate. That's why few of today's politicians are remembered. They play small ball. That will not be the fate of David Cargo.

Various reports on the former NM Governor's passing at the age of 84 on Friday in ABQ can be found here, here,  here and here.

In March of 2004 we profiled Dave for "NM Politics with Joe Monahan" on the occasion of his 75th birthday. It says much of what we feel today as we mourn his passing.

Cargo had a serious intellect, but he also had a sense of humor that rivaled that of Chris Rock. An example:

"Republicans stay bought, Democrats have to be bought every year."

In his later years--as the GOP became even more conservative--Cargo's critics dubbed him a RINO--Republican In Name Only. But ABQ GOP City Councilor and former state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones dispels that notion:

The Governor was far head of his time. Look at this record on the environment, civil rights, voting rights and more, So much of what he stood for has been codified into law. He was an intellectual force who moved his party and his state forward. 

LONESOME DAVE

The late Kurt Lohbeck was a longtime political ally of Cargo and in 2010 wrote a review for the blog of Cargo's autobiography. In it, Lohbeck recalled how it all started for one of the state's most colorful political personalities ever:

Dave moved to New Mexico from Michigan, that hotbed of Republican liberals. Nobody of any political acumen gave him a prayer to win an election in this state. Not only did he win a state House seat, in 1962, with strong ABQ Valley support, but was re-elected. And he began to drag this Western state into the 20th Century despite the hemming and hawing from those in control.

His next Don Quixote adventure was to run for governor. In 1966, he campaigned in the northern counties like no Republican ever had. He beat the Republican establishment in the primary and the Democratic powers in the general election. He had no entourage, no staff, just himself and a beat-up old car worth about $200. A newspaper reporter started calling him, “Lonesome Dave.” That moniker has been with him ever since.

COVERING CARGO

Beimer (circa 1970's)

The former Governor--the youngest ever elected at 37--was a reporter's dream--providing a pithy comment that struck just the right note for the occasion. ABQ's Rodger Beimer covered Cargo's time as Governor in the late 1960's for KOAT-TV:

He was a reporter's dream come true. If I ever needed a reaction to a story or a comment, I'd call the Governor and he was ready to talk. He was smart, quick, and never backed away from a controversy.
There were trying times during his term, like Reis Tijerina's '67 raid on the Teirra Amarilla Courthouse and all, but he met everything head on. He would jump in the middle of any controversy and wrestle the opponents to the ground. He was a real political pro. He knew how to get headlines and he knew how to get in the movies.

DAVE'S DUELS

Cargo faced a bevy of political opponents over his long political career. One of them is Democrat Pete Dinelli who is running for ABQ mayor this year--just as he did against Cargo back in 1989:

New Mexico has lost a true maverick of his day. What a colorful personality--and an opponent I could call a friend. Governor Cargo was one of my opponents for Mayor 24 years ago. He came in 3rd, missing the runoff that was held  between Pat Baca and Louis Saavedra. I met him for the first time when he was Governor and I was 17  and after I was elected Governor of New Mexico Boy's State. The Governor will be missed, especially his stories.

NOW THERE ARE FIVE

With the death of  Gov. Cargo, New Mexico has five living former Governors. Jerry Apodaca, now 78, who served from '75-'79; Toney Anaya, 72, in office from '83-'87; Garrey Carruthers 73, who held office from '87-'91;  Gary Johnson, 60, who served two terms from '95-'03 and Bill Richardson, 65, whose two four years terms were from '03-'11.

Before 1970 New Mexico allowed a Governor to serve two consecutive two year terms. By 1970 the law was changed to allow one four year term. The law was later altered to allow a Governor to serve two consecutive four year terms. Since we became a state in 1912,  27 individuals have served as Governor.

IN MY TIME

Joe Monahan (Kyle Zimmerman)

But by that time Cargo seemed more comfortable with being a political character than actually taking power. He turned to me with only hours before the first votes were cast and said, "You mean we could actually win this thing?" We didn't, losing by less that 600 votes but giving ABQ its closest mayoral election in history.

It was Governor and only the office of Governor that resided in Cargo's heart. In his autobiography he summed it up this way:

I ran for other offices after my two gubernatorial terms. I mostly fell short. But, over the years I've come to realize that being governor was the job for me; the one I loved and the one that I could have done forever and ever.

Nothing does last forever, though, except perhaps our memories and dreams. I know that in my mind, though--and I hope in yours as well--that I will always be--Governor Dave Cargo.

Vaya con Dios--Governor Dave Cargo.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.      

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author