Monahan

Readers are stirring over the '14 Guv race of Martinez vs. King. Rick Allan strikes a common chord about the opening weeks:

The campaign has been blithely quiet about what has been going on in New Mexico’s largest city. Here’s a city hat should be the economic engine and dynamic centerpiece for the state and its future. Yet the incumbent has gone into a rather unoriginal attack mode, without doubt much easier than having to address real issues. Her opposition has not done much better. . . 

If Albuquerque is allowed to fail as a viable and vital community or just simply continue to stumble along in some sort of zombie-like fashion, what hope is there that state elected officials from the governor on down can begin to change the long list of the state’s bottomed-out dismal metrics among its peers from children’s welfare and education to business development and new jobs to countless other measures of the public good?

MUCH ADO

TENURED DISSENTER

UNM assistant professor David Correia has been one of the most prominent voices of dissent over the APD crisis.  He was recently arrested on a felony charge of battery on a security officer during a sit-in at the Mayor's office. But Correia has also received some good news:

Correia recently earned a promotion and tenure, but University administration said his local activism was not a factor in the decision. Correia, who is now an associate professor in the American Studies Department, has been a prominent figure in campaigns regarding the Albuquerque Police Department. He was arrested for alleged battery on a security officer two weeks ago during a demonstration in the mayor’s office.In a statement released by the University, the process of determining whether an instructor at the University achieves tenure is unrelated to the employee’s off-campus actions. 

There was concern that UNM might succumb to pressure over Correia and find a way to remove him, but the awarding of tenure would seem to put that concern to rest.

The battery charge against Correia is decried by his backers who say video of the sit-in clearly shows there was no aggression toward the security officer.

VINTAGE ABQ 


Don't forget tonight's Vintage Albuquerque food and wine event at the courtyard of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. It features the metro's finest restaurants providing delicious samples of their food and wines, all in a casual, fun atmosphere. Proceeds help fund a variety of charitable programs for NM Kids. 

Tickets are available here or at the door beginning at 6 p.m. Enjoy. . .  

Thanks for stopping by this week. 

Reporting from Albuquerque, 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 2014. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

The TV buy that Dem Guv nominee Gary King made--and largely financed with a personal loan--had a start date of May 26 and an end date of June 21, according to KOB-TV public records. What comes next? Will King be able to stay on the air and have a presence as a relentless negative TV campaign continues against him that is financed by the Republican Governors Association? His campaign says fund-raising is going well, with Dem donors waiting on the sidelines for a primary winner now coming forward.

King supporters fret that he he has no ads up responding to the expensive assault being leveled by the RGA.

TV is the most expensive component of a Guv campaign, but the cost can fluctuate. For example, King bought the 10 p.m. news on KOB-TV for a mere $620. A 30 second spot on the 7 a.m. morning news goes for $400 a shot. All of the $18,000 King spent at KOB was devoted to news programs.

The AP reported on June 10 that King's initial TV buy at the three major stations is about $82,000. Right after the primary the RGA plunked down $120,000 on the three majors for hit pieces on King.

Then there's the separate ad buy from the Martinez campaign. Like King, she has spent much of her cash on the news programs watched by likely voters. But she spread her wings, also buying "The Tonight Show" for $310 a spot and her ads are being seen on other entertainment programs as well.

OTHER VOICES

Longtime NM journalist and editor Wally Gordon on King vs. Martinez:

Whatever the initial fireworks fired. . .the campaign has a long way to go. The stage in June doesn’t necessarily dictate the final act in November. Despite a bunch of negative analyses of King’s chances, I suspect this is going to be a real horse race. Events in New Mexico are not going Martinez’s way. The state is plunging ever deeper into recession, businesses are closing, people are leaving, the federal government is cutting back and New Mexico’s most important manufacturer, Intel, seems to be preparing to shut down in 2016. . .

We have a long way to go indeed. While the Republican Governors Association and Martinez are trying to take King out early with a massive TV assault, they can't take away the dreadful economy. That is King's hole card and much depends on how he plays it.
WE HAVE OUR WINNERS

That was a tough contest we ran on the Wednesday blog but the prizes were two pair of tickets to Friday night's Vintage Albuquerque food and wine event at the courtyard of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Each pair of tickets sells for $170 and the best restaurants in the area will be there to provide gourmet samples and fine wines, all in a casual summer atmosphere. That's something special that had to be earned, and our winners did just that.

Our questions were not the kind you could find by a simple Google search or even in official state records. That didn't stop Rich Longo from striking first in the early morning hours. He was the first to correctly answer that it was John Simms who was elected as the youngest Governor prior to Dave Cargo who was the youngest ever elected at  age of 37 years and 11 months in 1966. John F Simms, Jr. was the youngest before Cargo, having just turned 38 when he took the oath for a two year term on January 1, 1951. Sadly, Simms had an early death, passing away at age 58 in 1975.

And Rich also nailed the second part of our first question. We asked for the slogan for Jerry Apodaca's successful 1974 gubernatorial campaign. Rich correctly knew that slogan was: "The Man Nobody Owns."

Question two was a real brain teaser, and the one that tripped up the most readers. But Gerald McBride came through with the first right answer. He named Governor Thomas Mabry (1947-51) and Lieutenant Governor Mack Easley (1963-67) as two of the three state politicians who served in the executive and legislative branches of government and were also elected to a judgeship.

Before becoming governor, Mabry served in the state Senate (1912-17). He was elected to the state Supreme Court where he became Chief Justice and served from 1939-46.

Easely was elected to the state House from Lea County in the 50's and became Speaker. In 1975, Governor Apodaca appointed Easley to the New Mexico Supreme Court, where he was elected to a second term. He retired in 1982 as Chief Justice.

A number of readers said it was Governor Ed Mechem who served in all three branches. They were right, but Mechem was appointed to a federal judgeship. We asked for those who "were elected" judge.

So who was the third person to do so? No one could tell us. It was legendary Valencia County State Senator Tibo Chavez who also served a stint in the executive branch as lieutenant governor (1951-55), was elected to the state Senate where he served as Majority Leader and was also elected a district court judge. In 1979, Gov. King appointed him to a district judgeship in Valencia County. He won several election bids thereafter.

We were assisted in formulating the questions by two of the best armchair New Mexico political historians we know. Foster Hannett, whose great uncle, Arthur Hannett, served a term as Governor in (1925-27), and Bruce Donisthorpe, the pollster and political analyst who is a longtime blog contributor and whose mother Christine Donisthorpe is a well-known former GOP state Senator from Farmington.

As good as these guys are, even they didn't know that Tibo Chavez was one of the correct answers to question #2. They found out in the course of looking for contest questions.

Well, fellas you're good, but we doubt anyone is good enough to stump our entire audience of Alligators, insiders and lovers of La Politica.

Hearty congratulations to Rich and Gerald. They and their companions will enjoy the great food, wines and silent auction in a causal courtyard setting this Friday. And thanks to Vintage Albuquerque--the premier food and wine event--for donating the tickets and for the many charitable contributions they make to our city.

If the contest whetted your appetite, you can purchase tickets for the Friday event by clicking here. Tickets are also available at the door beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.

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 2014. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

First we had Susana Martinez asking on leaked audio tapes  "what in the hell" the now defunct NM Commission on the Status of Women does all day. Then we had one of the Dem Guv candidates campaigns calling her campaign staff a bunch of "misogynistic thugs." Then we had the argument between Martinez and King over equal pay for equal work. Now we have King's just hired campaign manager resigning his post only days after signing up because of comments he made about women on his Twitter account.

The latest twist in this gender bender of a campaign came as freshly hired King campaign manager Steve Verzwyvelt of Louisiana abruptly resigned Tuesday after opposition researchers waded through his Twitter account and found a couple of gems from 2011 and 2012. They were enough for King to push him out the door and onto a jet plane back to Natchitoches:

Valentines tip: candy is dandy but liquor is quicker #happyvalentinesday” Verzwyvelt tweeted on Feb. 12, 2012 from the handle @polisav.

“Just got eye banged by a big girl,” began another tweet that January. “That’s my signal that’s it’s time to go.”

The entire list of Tweets was trotted out with effect by the right-wing Washington Free Beacon. While some Dems expressed surprise that Verzwyvelt was dumped so quickly and King did not try to turn the tables on Martinez by bringing up the foibles of her chief political operative Jay McCleskey.

King may have thought he had little choice. Women and their treatment--as mentioned above--has become a major theme. Also, discrimination lawsuits filed against him by women in his attorney general's office are being prominently featured in TV ads against him. King said the Tweets were "in direct conflict with my own beliefs of tolerance, respect and decency."

The distraction will not last, but it sure doesn't help King build momentum and it leaves him vulnerable at a critical time as he looks for a replacement manager.

The mishap also reinforced the GOP argument that King is a hapless and incompetent attorney general, and it reminded the Democrats of the effectiveness of the political machine being run by the Governor. It is up and running and Verxwelt is its first roadkill. . . .

At least King could take some comfort in knowing that he was not alone in making an early campaign stumble. Here's that story. . . .

LAYING AN EGG

National media slammed Governor Martinez for turning in a not ready for prime time performance at Mitt Romney's ideas summit at Park City Utah last week, perhaps damaging her national political ambitions and further advancing the argument that Republicans risk another Sarah Palin fiasco if they turn to Martinez for the VP slot on the '16 ticket.

On the "Morning Joe" show on MSNBC analysts were unanimous in their take that New Mexico's Governor laid an egg at the event which gathers together elite donors and showcases potential national players.

The discussion on Martinez is about five minutes into this video. Here's the transcript:

Joe Scarborough---Let's talk about somebody who doesn't have her stump speech down. I heard disastrous reviews of Susana Martinez, New Mexico's Governor. True?

Mark Halperin (Time) She came in and just did not wow people--to the contrary. Even some of the organizers of the event were struck by her failure to step up. . .this is an impressive event...she came in and just did not wow people in the least...

Kasie Hunt (MSNBC)--It was a little bit unfortunate for her.  I think she was in the same section as Paul Ryan. They went one right after the other and the comparisons were not favorable.

Mike Allen (Politico)--This was. . . a casual event. Everyone was in jeans. No one was wearing ties. . .They were speaking in the round. . . and Governor Martinez demanded  a podium. She was the only person to speak with a podium during these during these audition by the 2016 candidates, and that set the stage for just a lack of connection that was one of the biggest gaffes between reality and perception that I've seen in years.

Pretty scorching. Martinez got to the national stage because she's a symbol--the nation's first female Hispanic Governor. She must now somehow erase the perception ingrained about her at the Park City event--as well in that devastating National Journal piece--or she's going to be a viable fund-raiser for the  GOP but not a national player.

HISTORY REPEAT?

The smackdown Susana received at Park City reminded us very much of a major turning point for the presidential ambitions of former Governor Bill Richardson. In May 2007, Richardson--seeking the 2008 Dem presidential nomination--turned in a poor performance on NBC's Meet the Press. His campaign really ended there, although it would meander along for the rest of that year. He did manage to get nominated for Commerce Secretary by Obama but had to withdraw amid charges of corruption back home.

The moral being that if you bite off more than you can chew, you're going to choke. That's what happened to Richardson on Meet the Press and history repeated itself this week at Park City, Utah.

FACT CHECK 

A reader writes of the Martinez TV ad in which she says she signed the Equal Pay for Women Act:

Unfortunately, Susana Martinez has abandoned Gov. Richardson's executive order for fair and equal pay for all New Mexicans. She is not enforcing fair pay for employees within her own agencies. Perhaps this is why she signed the bill that the ACLU credited her with signing, the New Mexico Equal Pay for Women Act, because the Act does not apply to state government. Symbolically it gives her the image of being for working women, but in practice she and her administration do not have to comply with the Act. She wins on both ends. She's right, government should set an example, unfortunately she is setting a bad example for other employers in this state.

BLOG CONTEST!

How would you like a free pair of tickets--priced at $170--to Vintage Albuquerque's superb Friday night food and wine event at the courtyard of the National Hispanic Cultural Center? Thought you would. So here's the deal. . . .

The first two readers to correctly answer the questions below from our beloved La Politica will each get a pair of tickets. Now that's a deal. It's our way of supporting the charitable programs of Vintage ABQ and thanking our loyal readers for their continued support.

If you are not lucky enough to win the tickets, you can still have a great Friday night of sampling gourmet food and fine wine from the best restaurants in the ABQ metro. Purchase your tickets here or get them at the door at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Friday starting at 6 p.m. Just click here.

Now the questions:

Question #1--It's a two parter. Who was the youngest Governor elected in New Mexico prior to Dave Cargo in 1966? And in the 1974 campaign for Governor, what was Jerry Apodaca's popular slogan?

Question #2--Name at least two of the three New Mexicans who have been elected to the executive branch of government, the legislative branch and also elected as a judge?

Sure they're tough questions, but look at the prize. Good luck and Bon Appétit. . .

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 2014. Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Here's something you didn't hear at last night's ABQ City Council meeting where $220,000 in legal fees was shelled out to negotiate APD reforms with the US Justice Department and where it was revealed the fees could eventually go to $500,000. A reader writes:

What if we don’t negotiate? What if the city just tells the DOJ we will do what it wants? That way we save our citizens hundreds of thousands--and perhaps $500,000--in a no bid negotiating contract. Would the citizens end up saving money? I think so.

It's worth asking as we lose our collective shirts from all the lawsuits resulting from over two dozen police shootings since 2010 (Councilors Klarissa Pena, Dan Lewis and Rey Garduno voted against the contract).

It is our city and its political leadership--Mayor Berry and the City Council--that lost control of APD and plunged us into crisis. Why were they not "negotiating" with APD as the crisis unfolded over a period of years, instead of playing Ostrich and hiding their heads in the sands of Tingley Beach?

It can be easily argued that the time to negotiate has long passed and now the time for surrender is here--for the sake of the taxpaying public.

Why not simply let Justice list all the reforms it sees as necessary and have the city council vote on whether to approve them?  No burdensome legal fees and no desperate efforts to hold on to the infected APD culture. A clean sweep. This outside-the-box thinking could even give ABQ an argument for getting federal dollars to help implement expensive Justice ordered reforms.

NEW KID IN TOWN

Can Gary King's new campaign manager--a Louisiana native--replicate the success of James Carville, the most famous political consultant to come out of that state?

35 year old Steve Verzwyvelt, Jr. doesn't fancy himself a Carville, but he has been knocking around the political word for a dozen years. most recently working with several Dem Super PAC's involved in US Senate races. He spent a good portion of his career as partner in what he describes as the "award-winning" Democratic media firm Chao SMM. There he specialized in congressional races. The firm has since closed and lead partner Ben Chao has teamed with Joe Trippi & Associates.

Verzwyvelt (Ver-ZWEI-velt) touched down in New Mexico this past weekend and is only now starting to immerse himself in the Guv race. "It's winnable. We need to raise the money to get our message out," he opined to us.

Insiders say Dem nominee King loaned himself about $200,0000 to kick-start his general election effort and used a good chunk of it to make sure he had at least one TV ad up as Gov. Martinez and the GOP governors association flood the airwaves in the early going.

King hails from a wealthy NM ranch family. His new campaign guru can relate. His family owns a 6,000 acre farm in Natchitoches, La. where he picked cotton during summer school breaks.

Veryzwyvelt was not aware of the NM-Louisiana political connection established with Gatorgate--the controversy over the Martinez administration awarding a lucrative racino lease to the ABQ Downs which has Louisiana based ownership. He did, however, say he was familiar with his campaign counterpart--Martinez political operative Jay McCleskey. "I've read a bit about him," Verzwyvelt quipped in his pronounced Louisiana drawl. "I look forward to beating him."

Here's a 2008 article on Verzwyvelt. And here's the National Journal piece on McCleskey.

JAMIE'S JAM

Jamie Estrada (Sorber, ABQ Journal)

Speaking of campaign managers,  as expected, Jamie Estrada who had a short-lived stint as Susana's campaign manager back in 2010, copped a plea in that federal case charging him with hacking into the Guv's campaign email account and distributing emails to her political foes, including Dem Party Chairman Sam Bregman.

The plea carries a good possibility that Estrada will not do any prison time and it avoids a political spectacle that we all would have enjoyed but is probably good for the Guv. She probably doesn't need to be discussing in open court her taste in underwear (the subject of one of the leaked emails) or other intimate matters.

Here's the news release on the plea deal from US Attorney Damon Martinez.

And now that the US attorney and Feds have cleared up the email case, what about the probe into the ABQ Downs racino lease? That was another subject of the emails intercepted by Estrada.

EYEBROW RAISER

A Republican state representative deploring the state of the New Mexico economy? Yep. ABQ GOP State Rep. Jimmie Hall delivered the eyebrow raiser in an op-ed piece he co-authored with syndicated columnist Harold Morgan. It sure wasn't approved by the Martinez campaign. Take a look:

Rep. Lujan

The conversation in the 2014 gubernatorial campaign has yet to get to the colossus in the room--the state's abject failure to create or attract jobs, even as we are surrounded by states--Colorado, Texas and Arizona--that are in job booms.

Northern Democratic Congressman Ben Ray Lujan has started to go where Dem Guv nominee Gary King is going to have to follow, if he is to have any shot at unseating Gov. Martinez:

TAXING MATTERS

We left this one out on our recent blog about the tax hike mania that has descended on the ABQ metro. This example looks particularly ill-timed:

The Bernalillo County Commission this voted 3-2 to ask county voters to consider a mill levy that would support Bernalillo County’s. . . Open Space Program. Voters will be asked to approve or deny a 0.2 mill levy that would raise $2.78 million a year for 15 years to support the program, which includes 12 properties totaling 990 acres. . .The mill levy funds would also support acquiring new properties to protect them as Open Space. The 0.2 mill levy would add $13.33 to the annual property tax bill for a home worth $200,000. . .

Raise property taxes in the middle of a recessionary/stagnant/low wage ABQ economy? It's fine that the commission wants "new properties" to protect, but maybe first get some "new jobs" that revive this economy and increase tax collections so we don't have to raise taxes? You think?. .

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 2014. Not for reproduction without permission of the author