Martinez and Jon Barela

A bit more of a feisty media as the Martinez administration gets deeper into its second term. From public media outlet KRWG in Las Cruces:

In economically depressed New Mexico, job creation is a top priority for voters and politicians alike. To address the issue, the Martinez administration has increasingly used incentive programs. But studies from Ohio State University, Washington University and other institutions show incentives have little to no effect on long term job creation and are routinely given to companies that would have expanded in the area anyway. And that has some asking if incentives are less about economic development and more about politicians getting re-elected.

The Martinez administration could be losing some of its mojo because of the stagnant economy and the usual second term blues. That could help the Dems in next year's legislative elections. On the other hand, if voter turnout continues to drop the Republicans will be the beneficiary.

THE JAQUISE VIDEO

Lewis

The March ABQ shooting death of 17 year old Jaquise Lewis over a fight over a skateboard at the Los Altos Skate Park is starting to remind us of the mysterious death of ABQ criminal defense attorney Mary Han. A reader writes about the delay in releasing cell phone video of the shooting taken by a witness:

Albuquerque is supposed to be dealing with a "new" APD, but nothing has changed. It is taking yet another IPRA lawsuit against the Berry Administration  and constant media pressure to pry this video loose. The public has a right to know what really happened that night. 

Meanwhile KOAT-TV reports:

Albuquerque police contend Lewis was shot in self-defense. In May, APD released stills from a cell phone video taken by a witness. . . Investigators concluded Lewis had a gun, started firing and was then shot in self-defense. That video has never been seen by the public.  But Lewis’ mother, Munah Green, claims she watched the video with her lawyer at APD headquarters. “What the video showed wasn’t how they explained it." Green said the video showed her son without a gun and running away from the chaos before he is shot in the back. Witnesses said they saw something similar that night. . .APD said the entire investigation would be handed over to the District Attorney by the end of September. But APD said the full investigation hasn’t been handed over, and the department expects it to be in (the DA's) hands in the next three weeks.

The Lewis family has filed a lawsuit seeking release of the cell phone video.

TURNOUT TROUBLE

Reader Matt Runnels writes from Silver City on the low ABQ voter turnout for this week's ABQ election:

Apathy has always been winning in the last few decades. The most successful campaign I know of was the seat belt campaign. When my daughters were young they would say"Daddy put your seat belt on." They got it from school. Maybe we need to emulate it and start in elementary school and start them out young and get them involved in the process."You can't have a full time democracy with a part time citizenship" I always thought Winston Churchill said that, but now I'm not so sure. Whoever said it certainly nailed that. 

Thanks, Matt. This week's election had an eerie feel to it with only 8 percent of registered voters casting ballots. Hello, Albuquerque? Anybody home?

Thanks for stopping by this week.

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Legislative Session 2016 is right around the corner, otherwise known as "The Recurring Nightmare." As she has every year since taking office the Governor in January will ask lawmakers to approve a measure holding back third graders who don't meet certain standards and also to repeal driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. As usual, both will eat up the clock and fail. Will the 30 day session become another pointless spectacle? You know the answer.

Susana is back again touting tourism numbers that may or may not be based in reality. It's kind of ironic, really. While the Guv says tourism is popping, the state is undergoing a historic population decline, losing 0.5 percent of its population for the year ended July 2014. It's great that we are getting more people to visit here--if we indeed we are--but what about keeping the people who already live here, Guv?

And, by the way, counting all the trips made in state by New Mexicans as a big deal for tourism is misleading. The state needs to be attracting out-of-state residents who will bring new money into our stagnant economy.

ELECTION AFTERMATH

We may have had the worst voter turnout in modern history at Tuesday's ABQ election but that doesn't include the Alligators. Here's one of them peeling the onion on the action of the 28,800 voters out of 350,000 eligible who did show up:

The most voted on item was the bond issue for the Museum and Zoo--28,092.

The least voted on item was Charter Amendment #3, asking people to approve getting rid of the fine print on ballots--25,589 (it failed). Over 1,200 more people voted on the Charter Amendment asking for City Council approval of the police and fire chiefs (it passed).

The Charter questions were the lowest voted on items. Many voters skipped the three amendments and went straight to the BioPark tax. 27,052 voted on that tax which passed.

UNM political science professor Tim Krebs thinks putting the city election on the general election ballot would bolster turnout, but then the ballot could be so long it could turn off voters. He calls the crash in turnout to 8 percent of registered city voters "a threat to democracy" and says much of it is due to voter fatigue over the many elections we have. Perhaps, but when such a minuscule portion of the electorate is voting compared to just 10 or 15 years ago, we have to look deeper.

ELECTION VOX POPULI

The readers write of Election '15:

Joe, I believe people may have voted for the tax increase for the BioPark  believing it would preserve one of the few good things our city still has. I was one of the 8% that did vote at the last minute. My conscience was bothering me. I felt I had to vote even though I'm guilty of feeling the same as most of the people who think it doesn't make a difference anymore. It's sad that our citizens are as despondent about the state of affairs as our elected officials are about the condition of our cities and state. But I get it, not a lot to be enthusiastic about these days. 

Reader Ron Nelson writes:

Joe, other states are also experiencing low voter turnouts. There is such a division of political and sociological views. That has created a division in this country to a greater degree than when we fought the civil war over slavery. This is causing gridlock of our political process and causing a severe division of ideologies that affects the abilities of this community and country to flourish and be strong.

On the bright side, there is excitement on the national stage with three outsiders of the political establishment making waves in the polls, and actually offering solutions to the problems that we face. Sadly, I predict, that even if one of them becomes the nominee and wins, they will fail because they will need to surround themselves with the established political hacks to be able to pull anything off.

Another reader writes:

Hello Joe, so we are going to be taxed a little more by the Republican regime that hates the mere mention of the word tax. Okay, we are stuck. The BioPark Society was formed  to solicit private donations from the public. If the taxpayers are now filling that niche, why do we need it? They managed to spend donation money, money intended for the BioPark, on the tax campaign. If they worked as hard on collecting donations there would be no need for the tax.

THE BOTTOM LINES

In our election coverage Wednesday we said ABQ Dem City Councilor Ken Sanchez ran unopposed in the Tuesday election. Sanchez was re-elected in 2013 and was not on the ballot this year.

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Pat Davis and Brad Winter can rightfully celebrate their City Council victories and those favoring a tax increase to fund improvements to the BioPark also can pop the champagne corks, but the hands-down winner in City Election '15 was apathy. And how. (Full results here).

Before we get into analysis of the results, let's cover the big story.

Turnout crashed to what appeared to be an historic low of 8.24 percent of those registered and a raw vote total of just 28,800 out of 350,000 registered. In 2011 the city election attracted over 38,000 and we've added some population since then.  This turnout crash comes on the heels of the 2013 mayoral race in which a bit more than 70,000 voted, a number not seen since the 1970's. And that was followed by another plunge in turnout for the '14 gubernatorial election.

You can argue that folks think things are fine and there's no reason to trek to the polls but even a cursory glance around the state's largest city puts that notion to rest. Democratic analyst and former ABQ City Councilor Greg Payne attempts to explain what has happened to a once thriving city political culture:

Given the state of the city voters should have flocked to the polls, but only 8% showed up. Apathy is the last thing we need. Our economy continues its stay in the tank. The high tech sector is clearing out. Growth industries appear to be predatory lenders, title loans, tattoo and massage parlors and smoke shops. Albuquerque is not thriving as it once did.

But instead of fighting back, people are giving up. They're giving up because they don't believe in the city's political class and don't back them. They know we are led by political posers who do not seem to care about what's happening to Albuquerque. 

So, the average Albuquerque voter does the only thing he or she really can do: refuse to be part of the sham. 92% of Albuquerque's registered voters refused to participate in this election. That percentage isn't an indictment on them. It's an indictment on our civic soul and our civic leadership.

Thanks, Greg. Agree or disagree, Albuquerque needs to look in the mirror.

THE RESULTS

As for the election results, voters who did bother to come out said yes to giving the City Council approval power over the Mayor's picks for police and fire chiefs, a move aimed at avoiding another APD crisis.

But voters didn't like the charter amendment that would have limited the amount of explanation on the ballot when it comes to future amendments. They narrowly rejected the proposal.

That one eighth percent increase in the city gross receipts tax to finance improvements to the BioPark won with 56 percent approval. It raised the question of what would have happened if there was a paid campaign against it? The tax is slated to last 15 years. With the tax projected to raise over $250 million in that time, we better see a BioPark that knocks our socks off.

The $119 million in bond issues all passed overwhelmingly, with the street bonds proving the most popular, garnering 80 percent approval.

In the City Council races, progressive Pat Davis blew the doors off in SE Heights District 6, winning the liberal Dem area in a three way race with 69 percent of the vote. Of course, that's the way it should have been but until it was clear the Governor's political machine was not playing in the race, there was doubt.

The question now is how aggressive Davis will be when it comes to opposing Republican Mayor Berry. The council saw no shift of power from the election, remaining 5 to 4 with the Dems in the majority.

Republican Brad Winter scored 57 percent over Dem challenger and political upstart Israel Chavez, similar to what Winter won re-election with in 2011. But Chavez redeemed himself with a good campaign and at only 24 you assume he will have more chances.

As for Winter, it appeared he wanted to retire this year and now City Hall watchers wonder if he will finish the full four year term he won. If he doesn't, Mayor Berry would name a replacement, Ditto for NE Heights GOP Councilor Trudy Jones who ran unopposed.  Dem North Valley Councilor Ike Benton also ran unopposed.

WHY SO LOW?

Senior Alligator analysis now of the low voter turnout for City Election '15:

Joe, those who say "a robust political competition featuring strong personalities will bring the voters back" have it wrong. It is the absolute apathy over issues, people not caring enough to even vote and the belief that nothing can be done or will be done that are our biggest problems. No one wants to vote or cares to vote because they do not feel their vote matters. Then you have the issue of the staggering amounts of money it takes to run and to have a competitive race. Gov. Martinez outspent Gary King 4 to 1 and Pete Dinelli's public financed mayoral campaign was outspent 3 to 1.

Former Lt. Governor and 2010 Dem gubernatorial contender Diane Denish came with this take on the election:

Joe: The most interesting thing to me about the election has been the lack of leadership by
Mayor Berry even though it follows his pattern of "failure to lead " for the last six years. I am sure I wasn't the only one to be surprised when he took the approach of "I am keeping my vote to myself" in the Bio-Park tax. And what about the bond issues--where was even the slightest glimmer of promotion for these bonds that would create at least a semblance of investment in community infrastructure? No promotion, no bond committee of business folks (what's left of them) to encourage and remind voters that they were needed.

And then there was the swipe he had his spokespeople take at former Mayor
Chavez for the lack of BioPark upkeep and deferred maintenance....really? Six years later, that's the best he can do? No wonder Albuquerque has slipped into to the abyss of economic development and off the radar as a location for vibrant companies with good laying jobs. Leaderless. Aren't leaders supposed to lead?

Thanks to those who joined us for our election coverage last night on Twitter and Facebook.

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State political watchers will be watching today's Albuquerque election closely and not necessarily for the results, but for how many of the city's registered voters actually turn out.

After watching a historic crash in turnout in the 2013 ABQ election followed by another turnout plunge in the '14 gubernatorial race, the vote watchers are pondering whether we have entered a long-term period of low voter participation. The City Clerk is predicting turnout today will fail to match the 12 percent of registered voters who cast ballots  in the 2011 city election. In fact a plunge into single digits is quite possible. That would mean a turnout of less than 35,000 of the city's nearly 350,000 registered voters.

The trend is disturbing. Some blame it on noncompetitive contests (Martinez Vs. King for Guv and Berry vs. Dinelli for ABQ mayor) and that a robust political competition featuring strong personalities will bring the voters back. Others point out that voting is a habit and if citizens aren't forming one, voter turnout could stay in the cellar.

That the meteoric rise of state Republicans has coincided with the turnout crash is no coincidence. GOP voters are the most reliable. Democrats point out that Hispanic Dems have been harder to get to the polls for recent elections exacerbating the GOP edge.

As for the outcome today, it appears that progressive activist Pat Davis will take the city council seat being vacated by Rey Garduño. He faces two opponents including Hessito Yntema, a Republican who initially drew attention from the Governor's political machine. He faded as it became clear to operatives that the liberal UNM area district was not up for grabs and the Guv's PAC did not come with a media blitz that some Dems feared. The GOP still nurtures hope that with another Dem in the race--Sam Kerwin--that Davis could be held below the 50 percent of the vote needed to avoid a run-off.

With longtime GOP Councilor Brad Winter positioned to win another term against Dem Israel Chavez in a conservative NE Heights district, when all is said and done tonight the council is likely to stay where it is--with a 5 to 4 Dem majority, one vote shy needed to override any vetoes from GOP Mayor Berry.

BIOPARK TAX

That one eighth cent increase in the city's gross receipts tax proposed to finance improvements at the BioPark--which includes the zoo and aquarium--attracted no paid media opposition so it should pass. But there is natural opposition so the percentage it wins by will be closely watched.

The tax hike is forecast to raise at least $17 million a year for 15 years. It takes Mayor Berry and the city council off the hook to fund the improvements by the traditional method of issuing bonds. In fact, Berry has refused to take a public stance on the tax hike, even as many Republicans vote against it. That could be used against him if he takes a stab at the '18 GOP Guv nomination.

There are $119 million in bond issues on today's ballot. We voted for all of them as well as the proposal to have the city council confirm the police and fire chiefs and several other charter amendments.

Our sole "against" vote was on the BioPark tax. We joined with conservatives in opposing it. The tax is regressive and hurts lower income residents and is a detriment to local business. Another reason is the aforementioned failure of the Mayor and City Council to finance BioPark capital improvements through bonds--not by raising taxes.

And one more: the ability of future councils and mayors to raid that BioPark tax for other uses. Over $250 million over 15 years is a temptation the politicians could find hard to resist, especially if the economy here remains stagnant.

CALLING 311

With the myriad economic and crime problems the city faces, former ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez came in for criticism because of his concern over the graveyard shift being cut from the 311 phone service provided by the city for information about services. He responded with this:

If it were just about cutting an information line in lean economic times, that would be fine. But 311 was always much much more than that. First, it was an opportunity to capture data --how long does it take to dispatch a service, e.g. graffiti removal. Which employees were fastest and most efficient? How could each department be changed to operate more efficiently. Fundamentally, if you can't measure it, you can't change it.

Second, all of the data is captured in an open data format which is a huge economic development tool and the basis for all things Smart City. Entrepreneurs can access the data, reconfigure it and develop apps and solutions.

Check out Cityzenith.com to get a better sense of what we were doing. 311 was all about open source data which over time becomes richer and more deeply textured. It ultimately becomes a fabulous tool for policy makers and citizens alike replete with actionable data across the full spectrum of city services.

So it was never about a call service but rather how Albuquerque leaps to the front in the Smart City realm. There's plenty to cut without whacking the practices that can actually make Albuquerque a national leader in something truly visionary. So we've once again stepped backward.

Join me on Twitter and Facebook at 7 tonight for some city election coverage and on the blog Wednesday.

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Attorney General Hector Balderas did another of his Friday afternoon news dumps on embattled Secretary of State Diana Duran, raising the question of whether Balderas has buried her political life once and for all.

Certainly the AG's latest felony accusation--that Duran engaged in identity theft by listing prominent Carlsbad banker Don Kidd as her campaign treasurer (he says without his knowledge) threw Republicans for a loop.

Kidd is a former three term GOP state Senator who served with Duran in that body. The alleged illegal use of his name on her campaign reports--which are the subject of criminal charges by the AG--are going to put pressure on the SOS to explain just why she used Kidd's name. Her standard explanation that she can't comment on any of the charges against her on the advice of her attorney may not hold up with lawmakers on this one. The pressure for her to resign has been like a slow simmer but now the pot could reach a boil. (When asked by an investigator with the attorney general's office why she listed Kidd as her treasurer, she said, "Well, I have no idea. I just don't know, that's amazing," according to the LA Times.)

NOTHING WRONG HERE