Friday, August 16, 2013Political Narrative For Martinez Underwent Abrupt Change This Week; Veteran Journalist Strikes Back Against Administration Secrecy In "Open Letter" To Gov And NM Congressional Dems Go Rebel; Behavioral Health Mess At Center
Most of the press has been very favorable toward Martinez, but the penchant for secrecy in Santa Fe is now costing her. The AP is still waiting on records requests and other news groups report difficulty getting requests answered. The issue is especially touch for Martinez because when she took office she promised to take "transparency" to a new level. Now comes Trip Jennings. He's a former longtime reporter for the ABQ Journal who also has worked for the Augusta Chronicle and Santa Fe New Mexican. Today he writes for the Kellogg Foundation funded New Mexico In Depth. He has come with a lengthy "open letter to Gov. Martinez" that has set newshounds across the state back on their heels. The letter focuses on the behavioral health crisis and the administration's refusal to answer reporters questions about the still secret audit that led to the suspension of 15 firms providing services for the developmentally disabled. Arizona firms are being brought in to replace the NM providers. Here's excerpts from the blistering letter Jennings penned to Martinez: ...Tell officials in your administration to start answering the media’s questions. Tell them to turn over requested public documents and not to deflect tough questions with non-responsive talking points... The public still doesn’t understand how your Human Services Department came to decide to suspend payments against all 15 organizations. Nor does your anti-fraud narrative explain how the state found “credible allegations of fraud” against each of the organizations that were audited. So far, all the media has heard from your administration is “trust us” about what the audit says and doesn’t say....Between you and me, Madame Governor, journalists don’t do “trust us” really well, especially when it comes from people in power, When documents aren’t turned over and agency spokespeople stop answering questions, any reporter worth his or her salt begins to suspect that there is a reason nothing is being said, and it’s because either officials are incomprehensibly incompetent or they are hiding something. Do people in your administration think I’ll go away because they don’t answer my questions? I once made Gov. Bill Richardson’s press people so angry that one spokesman yelled at me in the governor’s office. Seems I had driven the press office crazy because I had followed Richardson to as many public events as I could over several weeks to ask the same question over and over again, which his press office eventually answered.... And remember this: Those of us in the media who are old enough to have covered our share of complicated stories and juicy scandals notice the silence in all those words that add up to so few answers...suddenly, those things you aren’t saying become as significant...as what you are saying... The Governor's response to critical coverage has often been to unleash her political operatives on social media to defame them. So far, the targets include this blogger, the Santa Fe Reporter, Milan Simonich of the Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership and now Jennings. This is getting to be quite the list. Some might say it's Nixonian in nature. As for Jennings, his Martinez-backing detractors call him a "leftist" funded by the "leftist" Kellogg Foundation and claim he is involved in "pretend" journalism. Former Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Heath Haussamen is a full-time employee of NM In Depth who works under Jennings. One supposes he is also now a "pretend" journalist, according to the Jennings critics. When they look back at the history of this era, there are going to be journalists and news organizations who were on the right side and did their jobs and those on the wrong side who looked the other way or succumbed to intimidation. It's not hard to figure out which category Mr. Jennings is going to fall into... FOLLOW THE POLITICOS  Jennings' reference to following Governor Big Bill on his public trail to make him answer a question he refused to is Old School journalism. Back in the 70's we did the same with our radio microphone. One of the more perplexing developments in modern journalism goes something like this.Anchor: Governor Martinez today refused to answer questions about the latest child well-being rankings in the state. Her spokesman said she was unavailable for comment. Fast forward a couple of days later: Anchor: Governor Martinez today gave reading lessons to third graders at Comanche Elementary School. She talked with us about how this benefits the youngsters.... So what happened to the comment on child-well being? You had her in your camera lens. Or in front of your notebook. In Old School world we would ask her for a direct comment on the subject she previously refused to answer--in this example--child well-being rankings. But what happens in New School? Well...nothing. The politico--whether a Dem or an R--gets a pass. The reporter doesn't get his or her hair ruffled and the producers, news directors and editors avoid dealing with an irate gubernatorial enforcer haranguing them for asking such "out of line" questions.... Again, when this is all over there's going to be some owning up to do and it's not going to be the Old School students getting the failing grade. STEPHEN EASLEY  Easley is said to have died from a prolonged infection. Memorials appear on his Facebook page. Easley, a Democrat, was just elected in 2012 to take the seat held by retiring Rep. Rhonda King. He was an avid blog reader (thanks, Stephen) and these past few weeks he called several times to talk about the behavioral health issue and how complicated it was and how concerned he was that New Mexicans in need were getting proper care. He died with the welfare of others on his mind, truly a testament to his character. Before he moved north to represent the House district covering parts of Santa Fe, Valencia and Torrance counties, Easley was an Alamogordo county commissioner. From Alamogordo, Steve Brockett, a former mayor of that city, writes: I first met him during Bill Richardson's 2002 gubernatorial campaign, and we immediately hit it off. While we didn't agree on every issue, he would be the first to tell you how important it was to build bridges, not buttresses. His death was devastating to me personally. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Doc loved nothing better than mentoring others, regardless of age, and he always had time to speak with anybody who loved the political game. If he could communicate with each of his friends today, he would tell all of us that there will always be a good fight, and that not every fight could be won. He would tell you that he always considered himself a warrior in those good fights, yet he expected to get his nose bloodied from time to time... I believe we Democrats can best honor Stephen's memory by picking up the mantle of progressive ideas he advocated, and continue that good fight. I love ya Doc, and I'm damn sure gonna miss you! TERMINATE THAT LINE
Any one of them (the Dem members of the NM congressional delegation) could terminate Martinez in a statewide race--it wouldn't even be close.
Joe, I think you crossed the line when you used the word "terminate" to describe the outcome of a political race..." Well, we clearly meant it in in a political context, but on a second look it seems to be a poor way of phrasing the matter. We changed it. As for any Dem member of the congressional delegation being able to defeat Martinez in 2014. Yes, they could. This is a very blue state as witnessed by Obama's crushing victories here, no formal opposition yet to Senator Udall's re-election bid and the same for ABQ Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham. We went too far when we said "it wouldn't even be close." It probably would be close and northern Congressman Ben Ray Lujan would have the toughest time. But "could" a Dem congressional member do it? Yes, each of them would start a campaign with high approval ratings and they don't have the baggage Dems down here on the ground do. And they start with statewide name ID. One misstep by Martinez or a bundle of legal problems that could surface could make such a race wide open. So here's the deal. Senator Heinrich runs against Martinez and becomes Governor. He then resigns as Governor and has his lieutenant governor appoint him to his own vacant Senate seat. Heinrich's Lt. Governor becomes Governor. How's that for summer fun...?   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2013. Not for reproduction without permission of the author Thursday, August 15, 2013National Dems Now Expected To Target Pearce In '14; Roxanne Lara Seen As Likely Challenger, And: NM DC Dems Take On Gov. Martinez; More To Come? Plus: Being A Bookworm With Dave Cargo Alamogordo's Leslie Endean-Singh is an announced Dem candidate, but if the national Dems decide to pour big money into the race, it will be Lara, a former Eddy County commissioner, carrying the banner. The hits on Pearce have been relentless. while ABQ's Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and northern Dem Rep Ben Ray Lujan go about their merry way with no attacks in sight. Not so for Pearce who served in reclaimed the southern seat in 2010 by beating Dem Rep. Harry Teague who had taken it when Pearce gave it up to make an unsuccessful run for US Senate. State Dems have joined in the hunting party for Pearce, dishing out news releases mocking him as a climate change denier" among many other things. Lara recently lost a battle for NM Dem Party chair to Sam Bregman. She initially said she would not run against Pearce, but when we last spoke with her she described herself as undecided. We expect her to come into the race soon now that the DC Dems are signaling they will put the money in that hit will take to give Pearce a serious challenge. '14 is a low turnout year that will favor Pearce. Maybe the Dems figure they can soften him up next year and go for the kill in the high turnout 2016 presidential year. Meanwhile, Pearce, who turns 66 this month, has been touring his sprawling southern district at a peripatetic pace of late. Now we know why. TO THE NEXT LEVEL
U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, along with Congressman Ben Ray Luján and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to hold a public forum in New Mexico to give constituents the opportunity to provide detailed input and feedback about their access to quality behavioral health services as a result of recent changes in Medicaid service providers. The letter comes after payments to 15 providers that deliver 87% of Medicaid-covered behavioral health services in the state were suspended pending the outcome of fraud investigations. Okay, so you finally have the entire Democratic leadership of the congressional delegation wading into state politics and coming down on the Republican Governor. Any one of them could defeat Martinez in a statewide race. She's a mile wide in popularity and an inch deep. And if the DC reps stick together and keep the heat on her, they could make that '14 Guv's race much more competitive. (Sticking together is key--there is strength in unity--make the Martinez hit machine condemn the entire delegation--and good luck with that). The pathetic state of the state Dems threatens their majority status in the state House and even some of the down ballot races like attorney general. The Dems should have the power--a majority of voters and an electorate that agrees with them on the major issues. What they have lacked is the intestinal fortitude to shake down the Martinez machine. Dem activists would be well-advised to keep the pressure on the DC delegation, even as they cheer this latest news. If in the absence of state level leadership the congressional delegation can continue to take it to the next level, they just might find that making a blue state truly blue is there for the taking. ANEMIC That is still the best adjective to describe the NM economic recovery. State revenue collections are coming in a bit lower than expected, signaling that we are still flat lining. But it's not like we are broke. The state is carrying a huge $600 million reserve and the state Permanent Fund is benefiting from a robust stock market. In these hazy, lazy days of summer, you don't expect much buzz. But our economic stupor is no longer seasonal. It seems systemic, awaiting economic and business leadership to give us a plan. BOOKWORMS
I am on the Board of the New Mexico Library Foundation and was asked to contact you about memorials in remembrance of former NM Gov. Dave Cargo. The recent passing of Governor Cargo prompted a request from his family for contributions to the Foundation or to the “Friends of” your local library. The Foundation wanted to publicly thank the family for this kindness and to report over $1,200 in memorials has been received to date. Law firms, alumni associations and individuals have been most generous. All memorials will help support libraries throughout New Mexico. Thanks for that, Linda. Dave was a voracious reader. Did I tell you about the time he loaned me his cabin in Angel Fire for a long summer holiday weekend? You walked into the place and you were back in the 60's, with retro furniture, a dusty nameplate outside the door that read "Governor David Cargo" and, of course, a nice little library filled with volumes of political biographies. I ended up reading a biography of Tom Pendergast, the corrupt politician who in the 20's and 30's controlled Kansas City with an iron hand. I didn't finish the book so I took it back to ABQ. I planned to return it to Dave when we had lunch and I was also returning the cabin keys, but I forgot to bring it. I kept the book, but I did pay for the lunch. 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 Wednesday, August 14, 2013A Glimpse Of Secret NM Koch Brothers Meet Surfaces, Plus: National Unions Not Targeting Susana Yet, And: Inside Intel: Is Rio Rancho Site In Peril? Former Insider Makes The Case That New Mexico Needs To Know
Orlando is a good friend of Governor Martinez. She lost her DA re-election bid last year and now works for the state Children Youth and Families Department. Martinez also attended the Koch meeting, as did House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. But no news about what they said has leaked out. The Kochs bought out the entire posh Hyatt resort to ensure their privacy for the event. And how was your summer vacation? NO TARGET HERE State Dems better get busy if they want to generate out-of-state interest in mounting a serious campaign against Susana: AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer said that the unrelenting state of gridlock in Washington means that state elections will likely have a greater impact on real people’s lives than federal elections. He named six Republican governors at the top of the AFL-CIO target list: Rick Scott of Florida, Rick Snyder of Michigan, Paul LePage of Maine, John Kasich of Ohio, Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania. The announced Dem Guv candidates are Attorney General Gary King and ABQ State Senator Linda Lopez. Still weighing their options are Senators Michael Sanchez and Joe Cervantes. On the GOP side Martinez is not expected to face a primary challenge, but there has been chatter about Allen Weh making a long shot bid against her if the news breaks against the Guv. LIGHT GUV ACTION A friend of Lt. Governor John Sanchez tells us Sanchez and Martinez--who have had a rocky relationship--recently had a lunch at which Martinez assured Sanchez that she wants them to again run as a team. Randy Baker, who is a vice-president with DRB electric in the South Valley, has been tossing around the idea of challenging Sanchez for the GOP Light Guv nod. DRB is owned by Baker's wife. The couple has close ties to Martinez. Does this news of the peace lunch put an end to Baker's pondering? (Here's our November report on a possible Baker challenge). INSIDE INTEL (CONT.)  Now more of our continuing coverage on the situation at Intel, located at Rio Rancho. With 3,300 employees it remains one of the state's largest private sector employees, despite being downsized from 5,500 employees. But in today's analysis we learn that the future of Intel may be much more precarious than media reports have indicated. Much more.One of our Alligators is a former Intel employee. He tells us what he thinks is really going on inside Intel and what citizens and policy makers alike need to know:
That report the ABQ Journal featured on Intel recently is spin from the company's US corporate affairs office. That office is headed by former New Mexico politico Diana Daggett. She was the campaign manager for Sen. Pete Domenici's re-election efforts in 1990 and 1996.
Daggett, who now works in Oregon, knows NM well and knows how to manipulate public opinion in order to convince the public, government officials and Intel's 3,300 employees here that everything is hunky dory, even though she and other senior executives must know that the NM site is in grave jeopardy.
Why is the company putting a big spin on the idea that producing chipsets vs. the high end microprocessors it formerly manufactured is nothing to be concerned about? Because Intel lobbied for the single sales factor that passed in the 2013 legislative session so it could lower product costs--not necessarily to position NM for a new factory.
If legislators--Democratic ones in particular--wise up to what's really happening in Rio Rancho, then the company runs the risk of having them turn on Intel. Those running the NM public affairs shop needed the political cover that only groups like the ABQ Chamber of Commerce and Association of Commerce and Industry could provide (Intel only recently rejoined the ABQ Chamber after years of being on the sidelines).
Intel Rio Rancho is producing commodity, low margin products where factory cost of production mean everything to its survival. If the site cannot attract another high-end process (read, microprocessors), then the tombstone for the site is already being chiseled.
Daggett is fond of telling audiences that the cost of building a new factory overseas is often billions of dollars less than in the US. That is a not so subtle reminder to state governments that they better put up billions in corporate subsidies (some might call it corporate welfare) in order to be competitive with Ireland, Israel and now China--or else they will get nothing. Arizona and Oregon have happily obliged.
The question is whether or not former Intel public affairs veterans Jon Barela and Barbara Brazil who are now running the New Mexico economic development department can convince the Martinez administration and Sandoval County to put up the money that's needed to bring back the glory days of the 1990's. However, no one believes they can deliver since they already showed what they think of "subsidies" given to the film industry.
And another reason for Intel to look away from NM? The newly appointed CEO got his start as an engineer in one of NM's fabs and he knows all too well the hassles of dealing with Intel NM's neighbors in Corrales and anti-Intel environmental groups.
The so-called “single sales factor” for manufacturers allows corporate taxes to be levied only on their sales in NM, rather than an average of sales, payroll and property. As for that informed insider missive, it has us on high-alert when it comes to Intel and New Mexico. 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 Tuesday, August 13, 2013On The Media Beat: WaPo Sale Raises Questions About Future Of ABQ Journal; We've Got The Scoop On That And Even More Media Beat Like its brethren around the nation, the Journal continues to take major circulation hits and like the wheel of fortune where it stops no one knows. Circulation for the weekday and Sunday editions has fallen precipitously since the peak. The latest figures show the paper with a weekday circulation of 84,506. However, that includes digital subscriptions that produce far less revenue than print subscribers. Figures on digital subscribers are not available. As for the Sunday edition--the one that in the past that's reported to have been responsible for 40% of the Journal's profits--it is now in jeopardy of slipping below the important 100,000 mark. Including digital subscribers, the Sunday Journal has 103,963 subscriptions. Compare these numbers to 2006 when weekday circulation was at 108,177 and the Sunday paper circulated 150,787. That is a stunning drop and only some of it is attributable to the Journal's decision to stop circulating in most of southern New Mexico and focus on the ABQ metro. Insiders can't say whether the Journal--which has had only one publicly announced round of layoffs in the past several years--is making a profit. If it isn't, the Lang family's extensive real estate investments may be carrying the paper. But real estate has also taken a major hit in the past five years. That surfaces the question of whether the paper will be sold or if there are even any buyers at this point in history. Maybe Bezos has fond memories of ABQ and would like to add the Journal to his list of toys. Otherwise, the Journal--like newspapers everywhere--is on its own, continuing to try to find a way to hold its head above water. To that end the Journal this month raised the newsstand price of the weekday paper to 75 cents from 50 cents and the Sunday Journal to $2 a copy from $1.50. But the paramount issues of rising costs and lower ad revenue remain. Other papers have cut the number of days they print, going from seven day a week circulation to five or less and posting only electronic editions on the days they no longer print. That could happen here in the years ahead. GOING RIGHT  The noticeable drift of the Journal to the conservative right in a blue state--critics argue almost arrogantly so--has not gone unnoticed by media veterans. They think some of this can be likened to a politician running to protect his base voters--please the hard-core older and conservative readership and protect the advertising it generates.Maybe its impossible for newspapers to grow in this new environment, but former Democratic ABQ Mayor Jim Baca, who was a longtime TV journalist before entering politics, says the Journal's insistence on staying on the right of the political spectrum has filtered into its news coverage and has cost it credibility and circulation. He would like to see a change in editors at the paper, saying Win Quigley--the business and economics reporter with a middle of the road reputation--would be a plausible replacement for longtime editor Kent Walz who Baca says is driven by a right-wing agenda. Meanwhile, the Journal--despite not necessarily reflecting the community-at-large--retains influence. It continues to be "the only game in town" even as the size of of the field it's playing on continues to shrink. It's hard to see how that field doesn't get even smaller in the tumultuous years ahead. BOMB THE PAPER In case you forgot, here's what a real adversarial relationship between a poltician and a newspaper looks like: Maine Gov. Paul LePage made his dislike of the Portland Press Herald abundantly clear while sitting in a fighter jet simulator: He said from the cockpit that he would like to blow up the newspaper's building. Of course, the Maine Governor later said he was joking. Here in New Mexico they don't say bomb the paper, they say: "Bomb the Blog!" That's a badge of honor.....I think.
WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
The International Associaation of Firefighters local PAC comes with this:
Fire Fighters PAC is committed to frontline advocacy for public safety and supports candidates who stand with us. Joins us this Thursday at Casa Esencia for our fund-raiser featuring co-hosts Speaker of the NM House Ken Martinez, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez with special guest ABQ Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham. Contribtuion levels are $100, $500 and $1,000. RSVP to iafflocal244@qwestoffice.net.
SO LONG, JAY
Some of you will nod with familiarity when we say "Inside the Capitol," but many won't. The 60 year old syndicated newspaper column has quietly slid into history. Jay Miller, author of the column carried by many small town newspapers in the state for sixty years, says at age 75 and 26 years at the helm of the column, he is retiring to Arizona. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a market for anyone to pick up the column that in its day was a powerful vehicle for analysis and commentary. The Internet age was supposed to deliver to us more diverse, credible voices covering New Mexico politics. But we've lost the ABQ Tribune, The Raton Range and now Inside the Capitol. And news staffs at other papers have been decimated by the print decline. Las Cruces journalist Heath Haussamen authored a popular website aimed at replacing the print media being lost, but closed it after seven years when he could not find a business model that worked. Small town NM today has access to political comments and analysis on the Internet--especially on social media. But the discussion is often sophomoric and personal--emblematic of today's politics--and lacking in the wit and wisdom that professionals like Miller brought to the table. Hasta la vista, Jay. You earned your chapter in the book of La Politica-- the one book that endures through the centuries... 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 Monday, August 12, 2013Lipstick On A Pig? Efforts To Repaint Local Economic Picture As Mayor Vote Approaches
Albuquerque’s private sector employment is growing faster than Tucson, matches El Paso and is only slightly slower than Colorado Springs. New business registrations in Albuquerque are 9.5 percent higher than two years ago. Building permit revenue in fiscal year 2013 grew 16 percent, industrial and office rental rates are up, and property and gross receipts tax collections are up.
What they don't say is that while gross receipts tax collections have recently been coming in stronger--at a 4% growth rate--gross receipts collections for the 12 months that end June 30 were an anemic 1.3%--well below the rate of inflation.
And while industrial rental rates are up, they are up from a low $6.50 a square foot--where they sat for over a year--to $6.75 a square foot. That's a sign that the worst is over but hardly a forecast for a robust recovery.
In fact, in the July survey by the On Numbers Economic Index the ABQ metro area ranked 92 in economic vitality in 102 metro areas in the USA, Colorado Springs ranks 78th and Tucson comes in at 81.
Maybe the paper and Mayor Berry are looking at a couple of recent months when it comes to private sector emplyment, but the On Numbers index has us growing those jobs by 1.5% in the past year. El Paso was at 1.82%
And then there is the quality of the private sector job growth we are getting. Much of it seems to be at pizza and hamburger joints.
Once again, Intel can't make its local hiring quota because it can't find workers around here who are qualified. Regardless of the short-term it is the ABQ area's long-term prosperity that remains at issue. The number of people living in poverty in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District (ABQ area) grew by 29 percent between 2000 and 2011, according to a report by the Brookings Institute. In 2000, 81,035 of the district’s residents were below the federal poverty level. In 2011, the number was 114,522, and in that time the district’s poverty rate grew by 3 percent from 14.3 percent to 17.3 percent. What do the mayoral candidates have to say about that? Thankfully, there will be more growth in construction jobs in the months ahead thanks in large part to government financed projects such as the $93 million Paseo Del Norte expansion as well as state capital outlay projects. But government employment--a major ingredient of our economic health--continues to be slack.
Not to bash any nascent economic recovery. but what about a vigorous debate over the city economic future in the less than two months left in this mayoral election?
There may be some roses sprouting in the garden, but they are still being crowded by the dandelions. IRONY WATCH There is indeed a great irony that Mayor Berry is touting economic recovery based on government-funded construction projects. We've been pounding the table for years for more government stimulus here. The Republican Mayor seems to be joining us. All we can say is "Welcome aboard, Mayor. We've been waiting for you."(And soon the federal Medicaid expansion under Obamacare and signed off on by Governor Martinez will start adding hundreds of jobs to the state. What was that about "government" not creating jobs?) An architect/reader reports: I just heard that Gannett Fleming West is closing their ABQ office. It is a large, regional engineering firm that has on its payroll anywhere from 20 to 50 employees at a very high pay scale. And another reader points out the jump in unemployment in ABQ and the state and says: You wonder what the real rate of unemployment is when more people start coming out of the weeds looking for jobs. He is keying off this news: The unemployment rate in New Mexico and its four major metropolitan areas increased dramatically in June as more people joined the workforce, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s jobless rate jumped to 7.6 percent in June from 6.4 percent in May, according to the BLS figures....In the Albuquerque metro, the jobless rate grew to 7.8 percent from 6.6 percent; in Farmington, to 7.6 percent from 6.2 percent; in Las Cruces, to 8.5 percent from 7.3 percent; and in Santa Fe, to 5.9 percent from 5 percent. Those are politically potent numbers for the Martinez and Berry administrations, but the Democrats have to connect the dots. They haven't had much success thus far. But Democrat mayoral hopeful Dinelli has time to make the case. It's the kind of news that if used effectively could keep Mayor Berry from garnering 50% of the vote October 8 and being forced unto a run-off election. THE BOTTOM LINES  One of the Alligators was out at the airport shortly after mayoral candidate Dinelli announced he would like to see a $300 million expansion of the facility so it could become a hub for international travel and more cargo shipping. But first Pete may want them to fix the sign out at the Sunport. We wouldn't want those international airlines or cargo companies to miss us...And a final thought for today:
"If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell” Philip Henry Sheridan (1831~1888)
Thanks for again making us the state's most read political web site. 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 |
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