Guv & Barela

Drip, drip, drip.  First there were those very politically incorrect audio tapes leaked to Mother Jones magazine and now there's the alleged unsavory saga of NM Economic Development Director Jon Barela and Deputy Secretary Barbara Brazil.

A whistleblower lawsuit that was recently unsealed and that the liberal magazine broke the news of was just what you don't need at your economic department when you are just about dead last in job creation, the rate of poverty, wages paid and are trying to court Tesla for its giant gigafactory.

The suit reads like a soap opera. Barela is busy helping out a company he had a financial interest in. He's busy wiring a state contract to allegedly benefit the wife of Pat Rogers, the ubiquitous Republican attorney and GOP National Committeeman. Barela is said to let Brazil run dairy queen franchises on state time. He's accused of covering up waste and mismanagement at the Spaceport. And last but no least, he's accused of having extramarital sex with a subordinate.

Someone call AMC. When "Madmen" goes off the air, we think we've got a replacement for them.

As is so often the case it was those inside the Martinez administration who turned on it. From the article:

The whistleblowers are Kurt Saenz, the former chief financial officer at the New Mexico Economic Development Department, and Brent Eastwood, a former Army infantry officer and RAND Corporation analyst who ran the department's international trade and business advocacy divisions. Both men are Republicans and were appointed by Martinez. Eastwood's wife, Melanie Sanchez-Eastwood, worked as a scheduler on Martinez's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. A source familiar with the case says the FBI has interviewed Saenz and Eastwood about their allegations. Eastwood also anonymously reported his allegations to the state attorney general and the state auditor. (Saenz and Eastwood declined to comment for this story.)

Barela said  in a statement the lawsuit's allegations are "baseless and malicious rantings from disgruntled employees" fired for sexual harassment and threatening workplace violence.

Econ Development spokeswoman Angela Heisel responded to the allegation involving Brazil:

To show just how off-base this is, the deputy secretary does not run three Dairy Queens (let alone even one). The only relation is that her daughter happens to operate one Dairy Queen store.

A REAL GOOD TIME

RTS state contracts (click to enlarge)

Our readers were busy researching Real Time Solutions--the ABQ web development firm that Mother Jones says  employed the wife of Pat Rogers and "was (paid) more than $30,000 to build (economic development's) new website without a contract—a violation of state procurement code."  The magazine said: "When Saenz alerted Barela to the contracting problem, Barela, the complaint says, dismissed Saenz's concerns. Hiring Real Time Solutions, Barela told Saenz, was "requested by the governor," according to the complaint.

Readers gathered financial info and say  Real Time Solutions (RTS) has been awarded over $3 million in state contracts. In a bit of irony, they got that info from the state's Sunshine Portal which has a contract with RTS. And a list of clients on the RTS web site reads like a catalogue of government agencies. They work for the Governor's office, the city of ABQ, the NM Film Office, the state campaign finance system and more.
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The Barela bombshell was yet another gift for the Democrats in this election year, but they have not yet packaged the many gifts and presented them to the voters in a way that would have them tearing away at them like it's Christmas morning. It will be up to the Dem nominee for Governor--to be selected at the June 3 primary--to do the job.

Dem contender Howie Morales called on Gov. Martinez to immediately fire Barela, but Martinez rarely if ever, ejects anyone in her top circle--no matter the allegation. He said:

I am calling for the immediate termination of Secretary Jon Barela. Additionally, I am calling on the attorney general to perform a full investigation of these allegations and to prosecute any person who was involved in these illegal activities, including Governor Martinez. It is clear Governor Martinez either has no clue as to what is taking place in her own administration, or even worse, she is fully engaged in this type of corruption. Either way, it is clear Susana Martinez is no longer fit to be the leader of our state, and she will soon see the people agree as well.

Candidate Alan Weber came with this:

No wonder she's running fluffy TV ads—it's hard to stay popular when New Mexicans are learning what's behind the curtain.

And Lawrence Rael blasted away:

Maybe now we know why she's failed to create jobs. Mother Jones Magazine has done it again. It has a new expose out alleging: Governor Martinez’s Secretary of Economic Development benefited a company in which he had a financial interest, and when two Republican employees tried to bring this corruption to light, they were fired for it. It’s the worst type of cronyism imaginable. If their disclosures are true, then this administration is truly rotten to the core, and it’s time to cut out the rot...Governor Martinez promised to fight corruption. Here’s her chance: she’s surrounded by it.

HITS KEEP COMING


The hits just keep coming and you have to wonder if and when they will give Martinez real trouble on the trail. We have three polls that show her approval rating at around 55 percent. A March survey from the Dem-oriented PPP (52%) a December Common Cause poll (55%) conducted by Brian Sanderoff and an insider poll done late last month (55%).

The Guv's political operatives are pushing back hard against that take and are shopping their poll that claims Martinez is at 62 percent approval. They are urgently working to keep alive the perception that the Governor's race is a done deal and that the announcement by the national Dems that they won't play here took away the Dems final hope.

But in just the span of a few weeks we have had the release of the damaging audio tapes featuring the Governor with campaign aides in 2010, the news that her chief of staff violated state regulations by using a government credit card for personal expenditures (for which he says he reimbursed the state) and now the possible Barela scandal.

Then there is the long simmering controversy over the racino lease for the Downs at ABQ, the multiple lawsuits the media have brought seeking records from the Governor and the accusations from Jamie Estrada, her short-lived campaign manager who faces federal charges over email hacking. And in the backdrop is one of the worst state economies in generations.

The problem for Martinez is time. There's too much of it. The election is six months away--so long that even the thus far hapless Democrats might be able to come with a powerful narrative to unseat her. And will there be even more onetime administration insiders turning against her in the weeks ahead?

For example, we learn that District Judge Judge Sarah Singleton has ordered the Governor and the Department of Finance to turn over documents to Rick May, the former head of the NM Finance Authority who was fired--he says wrongfully--in a fake audit scandal. The ruling is here.
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On the other hand, the Governor has the money and enough popularity to possibly take out the Democratic nominee early in the race and shove back in the closet the various scandals that are pressing against the door.

Drip, drip, drip.

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THE BOTTOM LINES

We said on the Thursday blog that the DC ad firm that is handling Dem Guv hopeful Alan Webber's media also did the same for Martin Heinrich in 2012. Webber's firm helped enviro groups who assisted Heinrich. A former Heinrich consultant says the ad firm of Kully-Hull produced Heinrich's TV.

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Webber & Rael

Now there are two. Dem Guv hopeful Alan Webber joined competitor Lawrence Rael on the TV airwaves Wednesday, signaling a two man race is underway for the June 3 nomination--until and unless the other three contenders can join them.

Webber's first TV ad (transcript here) gets right down to the business at hand. The political newcomer does not do a traditional "bio" spot to tell voters about himself. Instead, he delivers to  Democrats the first TV attack on Governor Martinez of Campaign '14. Not that the Santa Fe businessman threw juicy red meat to the crowd. It was more like a lean sirloin. But after four years of vegetarian dining any meat at all probably looked good to the famished and demoralized Democratic base.

As his foil Webber uses those favorite Democratic whipping boys--the billionaire Koch brothers. The spot depicts a helicopter landing in NM and notes a visit the brothers paid to the state last summer, during which they met with Susana. Webber then accuses them--and her--of pursuing a "radical agenda."

The money lines from this spot about big money:

The Koch brothers choppered into New Mexico just like this. Out of state billionaires looking to spread their radical agenda here. Susana Martinez may take orders from them. I never will. . . I’ll invest in early childhood education. End tax breaks to out of state corporations. And up the minimum wage so folks can actually live on it.

While Webber's ad will not induce gasps, it does fill the gaping hole in the Democratic primary--the lack of any televised attacks on the woman the Dems hope to toss out of the Guv's office.

Lawrence Rael's first ad was well received for production values, but never mentioned Martinez and was seen as more general election oriented. However, it did work to consolidate the important Hispanic vote. In his ad, Webber is clearly going after ardent Dems who will be voting in this low turnout primary.

TAKING IN THE TV

Independent analyst and former ABQ city councilor Greg Payne has been on the ad watch for us for this campaign. He came with this take:

The general public might not know who the Koch Brothers are, but Democratic primary voters do and that's who Webber is talking to. Webber is a New Mexico transplant, so the ad might open him up to GOP attacks about an out-of-state rich guy attacking other out-of-state rich guys. On the other hand, Webber can argue that  Martinez is angling to leave the state for Washington, DC as soon as possible. The ad is also a stark contrast to Webber's chief rival --Lawrence Rael--and will definitely help Webber with progressive Anglos. The Rael TV (and campaign) has more of an Hispanic focus though. That may be the voting bloc the Webber campaign needs to aggressively reach out to in the coming weeks if he wants to be the Democratic nominee.

On the flip side, one of the Alligators got grumpy about the Webber TV debut:

Webber is basically going to have the airwaves to himself so he should be a little less cute, be a little more New Mexican, and aim for slightly broader appeal. I do like the helicopter, though, it catches the eye.

That Gator is noting Webber's cash two to one cash advantage over Rael and much more over the rest of the field.

Gary King's campaign says he will be doing TV. The campaigns of Howie Morales and Linda Lopez would obviously like to go up, but may not have enough cash to make a significant buy.

Webber's campaign says he has bought  TV time in the ABQ market--which covers most of the state--from May 7 through May 20. Absentee voting is underway. Heavy early voting at voting centers begins May 17.

Webber's ad was produced by GMMB in D.C. The firm did media work for Martin Heinrich's successful 2012 US Senate campaign. One of its senior partners, Jim Margolis, was born in ABQ.  Lawrence Rael's TV is being handled by ABQ creative veteran Steve Wedeen and David Garcia's Half Life Digital. Longtime NM media buyer Chris Brown is also on board.

SUSANA'S LATEST

While Susana was absorbing the first TV hit on her since the 2010 race, her campaign came with a fresh TV ad that some might argue is stale, but nevertheless is the right medicine at the right time.

She takes us back four years as she boasts of the savings the state realized when she sold the state jet.

The jet became a major symbol of Richardson administration excess when Martinez rode to victory over Diane Denish four years ago. The Guv says in her ad that the money saved went into reading programs for kids, but there's no citation offered on screen to back that up.

She opens the spot with a highly questionable assertion--that she solved the "largest deficit in history." That has been debunked time and again by the Dems, but Susana and her second husband Jay McCleskey (pay attention, Nicole) the man she has ceded her gubernatorial powers to--is going to keep telling it as long as they can get away with it.

The heart of the spot:

When I took office we had the largest deficit in history. That's why I sold the state luxury jet.  The maintenance alone cost taxpayers about $250,000 every year. Now we spend that amount providing every first grader with a summer reading book of their very own....I believe its better to buy reading books for first graders than to pay for a luxury jet...

Strategically, analysts we talked with said the spot is right on target. They said the jet and the "deficit" are key issues for Republicans and independents (throw in education for the independents)--groups that strongly back Martinez. The ad works to keep them on board as the negative campaign approaches.

The strong part of this ad--as most others from the Governor--is how easy it is to understand and how it seamlessly connects with its target groups. Cosmetically, the ad did not seem to show Martinez in her best light.

The resurrection of the state jet reminds us that Martinez will run against Bill Richardson again--as much as she will the '14 Democratic nominee. And when you're presiding over a state that has slipped even further under your watch in the economic and social standings, it's a sure bet talking about the past is better for you than talking about the present.

FYI: The latest insider polling we're privy to has Martinez's approval rating at 55 percent.

THE BOTTOM LINES

The black eyes continue for ABQ as our police problems continue to make national news. The rowdy protest that forced the cancellation of Monday's City Council meeting was featured on the NBC Nightly News.

The broadcast said protesters will also be at tonight's council session.

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Berry And Councilor Ken Sanchez

One disruptive meeting in 40 years and the ABQ city council is ready to move into Mayor Berry's bunker. What gives?

The nine councilors--sometimes known as "The Nine Blind Mice"--went into a tizzy in the aftermath of Monday's meeting in which protesters--many of them relatives of those who have been slain by APD--forced the council to cancel its meeting. Rather than discuss the content of what provoked such over-the-top emotion, the council retreated into a discussion of how it can stop future outbursts. Talk about missing the forest for the trees.

And then in comments dripping with both sanctimony and arrogance, a number of the councilors claimed the protesters were not worth listening to because they had no "suggestions" and that the council's important deliberations about APD were being unfairly interrupted.

No suggestions? The protesters, the bloggers, the letters to the editor, the opinion columns and TV news have been bursting for four years with APD criticism and recommendations. We've been tearing our hair out over it and that's pretty precious stuff for a gentleman of a certain age. Now after millions in lawsuits, blood in the streets and a federal intervention--now you tell us you need suggestions?

It is this city council that has been without suggestions, without oversight of APD, without leadership, without compassion, without vision and without bravery. All of that has contributed mightily to the dastardly reputation our city has earned and the reinforcement of a run amok APD culture that stains both the good officer as well as the bad.

Now, instead of finally seeing the light and pressuring the administration for major reforms we have a rudderless, do-nothing, cover-your ass-at-all-costs city council climbing into the Berry bunker and adopting the same "us vs. them" culture that's caused so many of our APD problems. At this rate, the Justice Department will be here for a decade. . . .

SUGGESTIONS?

As for the "suggestions" the see-no-evil, hear-no-evil council pretends not to have heard, could it be that they have heard them but just don't like them?

To list only a few:

--Call on the mayor to hire a police chief from outside the state with no connections to APD or NM law enforcement, giving us a fresh start.

--Upon hiring of that new chief urge him to replace the top command staff of APD

--Pass a resolution expressing no confidence in the leader of former Chief Ray Schultz (too late for that one).

--Consider a resolution of no confidence in new Chief Gorden Eden. You don't have to approve it, councilors, you just have to consider it and discuss it.

--Conduct a special oversight meeting on APD with the mayor and chief in attendance to answer questions from both the councilors and those they receive from their constituents.

--Reserve a portion of the police department budget for a social programs unit in APD that deals exclusively with calls over the homeless and mentally ill.

--Make sure the Federal Monitor selected to oversee Justice Department reforms is not an appendage of the current administration.

--Devote more funding to social programs citywide that give people a hand-up and start to break the cycle that we are trapped in.

The suggestions go on and on and on. The councilors--who each have a $50,000 a year aide--could easily become expert in police matters and make even more suggestions for righting APD and restoring the reputation of this city beloved by so many.

The problem is not the relatively minor annoyance of protesters interrupting a city council meeting. The problem is the head-in-the-sand, apathetic, inactive and now freshly defensive ABQ City Council.

NOT READY

A reader writes of the City Council:

That meeting really puts the face on this so-far faceless council. Clearly, they excel at giving out awards to the Girl Scouts, and passing memorials. But when the going got tough, they showed their true colors and sat back looking like they'd finally been caught in the act--doing nothing. And forget about any of them running for any higher office. The image of the councilors wandering around looking dumbfounded will make a great TV ad.

That council showed Monday night they are not equipped to tackle the tough stuff. Not one of them. And for those that say there was nothing they could do to stop the protesters, that's hogwash--had they done something months or years ago except sit on their hands, they would have more control over this issue. If they were real politicians with some savvy and some huevos they would at least shut off the public's microphone a la Mayor Daley in Chicago!

And the ridiculous claims by the City Council seem to know no boundaries. Look at this:

Two city councilors say the protest that halted Monday’s meeting could end up costing the city about $200,000 in borrowing costs. That’s because the agenda included an ordinance authorizing the refinancing of some city debt. The city couldn’t complete the transaction because the approval didn’t happen, and the market looks less favorable now, officials said. Councilors Trudy Jones and Ken Sanchez expressed concern about the delay.“It looks like we have a lost about three basis points,” Jones said, or about $180,000 to $200,000.

First, interest rates change on a daily basis. They could go right back to where they were before the council disruption or even lower. More important, what about the nearly $25 million in lawsuit settlements we've had to pay out since 2010 because of APD malfunctions?  What about the millions more we will pay for even more lawsuits? What about the millions it will take to implement the justice Department reforms? Where is the outrage from councilors over that?

It seems the spin skills of the city council are rusty indeed. That happens when you allow yourself to comfortably nest in irrelevancy for four years.

BOOTIE FOR ALFONSO

Alligators wondered if Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz was getting any special consideration from the Martinez administration for endorsing her in a TV spot. A Dem state Senator writes:

Joe, I'd say Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz is simply providing tit for the tat he got from Governor Martinez. She included in the her capital outlay projects his community's $11 million request for a dam. He was working hard during the session to get that badly-needed water project included. His appearance in her campaign ad is his way of saying thank you to her for agreeing to include it. That's either honest gratitude or good old fashioned New Mexico political pay to play, depending on your perspective.

LOVE ALL AROUND

The National Education Association NM (NEA) came with an endorsement in the Dem Guv primary Tuesday. So who got the coveted prize? How about all five? Yep. . . .

MANNY UPDATE

Friends of former state Senate powerhouse Manny Aragon report he is now out and about. They say he is still on probation for the corruption charges he was convicted of and for which he served four and a half years in federal prison, but his movement is not as restricted.

ANOTHER EPISODE. . .

And now gentle reader, yet another episode from "Tales of The Most Transparent Administration In State History":

 District Court Judge Sarah Singleton has set a mid-May deadline for Gov. Martinez to comply with an April 2013 public records request by the fired CEO of New Mexico’s Finance Authority, Richard May, a former Beltway Republican who says he was a scapegoat in an audit that identified fraud in NMFA.

May’s October lawsuit, filed 174 days after he requested the records, alleges that the Martinez administration “purposefully and intentionally delayed, failed, and refused to produce copies of properly requested public records,” which “may be embarrassing or show excess and abuses of the powers and authority.” May’s Inspection of Public Records Act request asks for years of communications and other records involving the Finance Authority and the special audit of NMFA’s finances.

PLAYING ROUGH

Gov. Martinez is getting roughed up from the left--very roughed up. She's described as:

. . . .a radically industry-friendly state governor with national political ambitions who has a reputation for slander, hypocrisy and trying to rewrite laws in her favor.

Well, at least they didn't call her a "retard."

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How do you like the new ABQ City Council? Who said the revolution will not be televised? Isn't the fella in the yellow shirt taking a "selfie?"

Well, at least these five interlopers who took over the dais Monday night after their protest forced councilors to cancel their meeting look eager to serve.

And that's been the beef with the nine "real" councilors (and Mayor). They've played Rip Van Winkle through four years of fatal police shootings, millions in lawsuit settlements over the shootings and now a Department of Justice intervention. And the shootings--justified or not--keep happening. We've had four since mid-March. And what has the governing body of the city of ABQ done about it?

Would you have street protests and a takeover of the council chambers if councilors---in conjunction with the mayor and APD--had acted? Or even showed more than a passing interest in the topic?  Where were the hearings on APD? Where was the questioning of the APD chief? Where was the questioning of the mayor? The ABQ city council failed in its oversight responsibility by claiming it really had none.

The fact that many of the shooting victims have had criminal records or mental health issues makes it that much harder to convince the public to put pressure on their councilors to do something. That's a large part of why the federal government had to come in here.

With its continuing socio-economic decline (no, it's not a "self-esteem" problem) ABQ has become a more scary city and one much more divided between the haves and have nots. Dealing with the challenges of such a wide swath of the citizenry that is disenfranchised in so many ways has been too much for the politicians, the business community and the media. They are numbed by it all. We are in uncharted waters and may be in for a long, hot summer. . .

SOME CAFFEINE, PLEASE

Is this the most under caffeinated primary election, or what? Absentee voting begins today but you would need Barry Ramo to detect a pulse in this thing. Dead? A one car funeral has more action. If it weren't for Governor Martinez, the TV sales managers would be putting up for the night at Joy Junction.

So what happened? And what will happen in the final weeks before the June 3 conclusion? Well, the quick answer is that the mother's milk of politics turned sour on the Dems. None of the five raised a serious amount of money that would let them mount an all-out campaign that would alert Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico that something big was going on.

That left wealthy Santa Fe businessman Alan Webber. By tapping his personal fortune for $450,000 he ended early April with a stockpile of $440,000--nearly two to one more than his closet competitor, Lawrence Rael.

A number of politicos urged Webber to go up early on TV and put the race away, but Webber dismissed that advice. Maybe he's like old Joe Kennedy who told his team:

Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.


Whatever the case, how Webber deploys his cash in the final weeks could be key to the outcome.
 He told a campaign event recently he has cut TV ads. They are expected to go up next week.

Gary King remains the Rodney Dangerfield of Campaign '14. He gets no respect, especially after a last place finish at the Dem's March preprimary convention. Normally that would knock you out, but this being the campaign that redefines "low-key" King still lives. He will likely have to loan himself money to get a good sized TV buy, but if he does it, who knows? He has the highest name ID of any of the hopefuls.

State Senator Howie Morales of Silver City got the Dem hearts beating faster when he stormed that Dem preprimary meet and unexpectedly captured first place. But that Big Mo became No Dough as Howie was unable to convert a first place finish into dollar signs in his bank account. (Only $46,0000 in cash in early April). With heavy labor union support he'd like to be able to win it on the ground, but without television to give him air support, he will struggle.

Lawrence Rael plays hardball in his emails about Governor Martinez but his first TV ad was all softball. But he is up with a TV buy, while Linda Lopez and Morales seem unlikely to join him. That could help him consolidate the sizable Hispanic vote and emerge near the top of the field.

As the Dems try to sort themselves out, Gov. Martinez relished the news that the Dem Governors Association has no plans--at least not until the polls change--to ship any money down here for the eventual Dem nominee to give her a hard time.

And what a hard time someone could give her. She's spending big to prop up her numbers in light of damaging audio recordings released by Mother Jones magazine. She has enough cash to carpet bomb the state until November. And she very well may.

TRAIL ACTION

The five Dem Guv hopefuls have been ganging up on Gov. Martinez lately and refraining from sparring among themselves. We'll see if that is again the case at 5 p.m. today when the contenders square off during an hour long forum sponsored by the Media Literacy Project. The event, which we will help moderate, will be streamed live here.

Meanwhile, Gov. Martinez continues to raise major cash around the nation. This fund-raiser is sure to fuel speculation about her national role in GOP politics:

Chief Gorden Eden

ABQ police chief Gorden Eden has a long way to go to win the public's confidence that he's the man to clean up his troubled department.

That's according to a poll conducted for NM Politics with for Joe Monahan that shows only 17.8 percent of likely ABQ voters said they are "totally confident" in Eden's ability to be successful in implementing reforms that will be negotiated between the city and the Department of Justice.

 42.1 percent described themselves as "somewhat confident" that Eden can get the job done. 24.9 percent said they were "not confident" and 6.3 percent said they were "absolutely not confident" about Eden. 8.9 percent said they were unsure.

The reforms are expected to be overseen by a Federal Monitor and could cost the city millions to implement.

It's not surprising that the public is holding back on giving Eden a robust vote of confidence. He has had an inauspicious beginning.

He became chief in mid-February. In March homeless camper James Boyd was shot to death by APD. Police video of the incident went viral around the globe, sparking street protests here and intense criticism of APD.

The fatal shootings that brought the Justice Department to town in the first place have continued. There have been three other killings in addition to Boyd since Eden took over. The latest came Saturday on ABQ's Westside.

Eden's recent news conference at which he repeatedly said "I don't know" when asked questions about the police shooting of 19 year old Mary Hawkes was widely viewed as a PR disaster.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

As expected, Eden, who came to APD after a stint as head of the NM Public Safety Department, fared better in our poll with Republicans than Democrats. 27.2 percent of the R's said they were totally confident he could clean up the department and 49.9 percent said they were somewhat confident.

Democrats were more skeptical. Only 10.1 percent of them said they were totally confident of Eden and 34.9 percent somewhat confident. 36.1 percent said they were not confident and 10.3 percent said they were "absolutely not confident."

Independents were more favorable. 19.1 percent aid they were totally confident in Eden's ability and 46.8 percent said they were somewhat confident. 12.8 percent said they were not confident and 4.3 percent said they were absolutely not confident.

Since this poll was of likely city voters the survey will tilt more conservative than a poll of ABQ residents at large.

Our poll was conducted by BWD Global, headed by Republican Bruce Donisthorpe. We surveyed 993 likely ABQ voters by automatic phone calls on April 28 and 29. The margin of error is 3.1 percent. BWD has polled for this website since 2008.

BERRY PATCH

Our exclusive polling conducted last week showed erosion in the popularity of ABQ Mayor Berry in the wake of the police controversy. 56.6 percent approve of Berry and 29.8 percent disapprove. Berry won a record 68 percent of the vote in his reelection bid last October. Recent events appear to have taken a toll and if they continue could further damage the Republican mayor. For now that approval rating is still solid for a Democratic city.

Berry reacted to the poll in an interview with KOB-TV, saying:

“No city is without challenges, and Albuquerque is no exception,” Berry said. “But we don’t want to allow that to become something that causes us to stop all the rest of the positive things that we’re doing. Let’s address the challenges and the issues, let’s keep pushing forward with all of the positive things that are happening. That’s what makes Albuquerque a great city.”

Berry's mayoral term--which he said will be his last--runs until December 1, 2017.

FELONIOUS LICENSE CHECKS?


Heck, with a news background like that who could blame ex-Dem Taos Mayor Darren Cordova if he signs on for a gig with Susana?

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