Friday, April 03, 2015Friday Clippings From Our Newsroom Floor The Fairgrounds property is 272 or so acres and presents an ugly wall on all four sides to the surrounding neighborhood, is practically dead year round and presents a huge traffic mess for 2 weeks. It is rundown and a real money loser. . . It's time to move the fair out to the West Side. There is nothing magic about the current location - the Fair has moved 3 or 4 times during it's lifetime. It could be financed by creating a Tax Increment District (TID), bringing in a major private sector in-fill developer and work with the neighborhood to totally develop the current Fairgrounds into a multi-use, residential, commercial, walkable property. . . All of the revenue from the construction and employment would run into the Tax Increment District and be dedicated to rebuilding the State Fair on the West Side. The City could bond against the TID. It would give us an opportunity to completely re-envision our own Fair for the next century (which is what Oklahoma did) so that it can function both as a Fairgrounds and as a year round revenue generating facility (retreats, special events, athletics, secondary ballooning, etc.). I believe that the activity of rebuilding those 272 acres would spur new private sector residential development in the neighborhoods around the Fair and help revitalize Central Ave. along the way. And no walls! PAYDAY PLAN Maybe DC will do what Santa Fe won't--rein in the payday loan industry that is charging interest rates that can go north of 1,000 percent:
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules to protect Americans from stumbling into what it calls a "debt trap." At the heart of the plan is a requirement that payday lenders verify borrowers' incomes before approving a loan. The government is seeking to set standards for a multibillion-dollar industry that has historically been regulated only at the state level.
A move to cap payday loan interest rates at 36 percent died a quick death in the recent NM legislative session.
JUDGE MATT? We get this from a Senior Alligator about former Clovis area District Attorney Matt Chandler. His nomination by the Governor to become a member of the UNM Board of Regents was rejected by the state Senate:
I am hearing that sometime in the near future Clovis District Judge Steven Quinn is going to retire and the Governor's appointment to replace him could be none other than Matt Chandler.
That would be quite the soft landing for Chandler who was hit hard during his Senate confirmation hearing. But getting Chandler nominated for a judgeship by a judicial commission so he could be appointed by the Guv could be problematic. His relationships in that arena have been strained. Thanks for stopping by this week, and Happy Easter. 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 |
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