Wednesday, December 23, 2015Susana Runs For Cover From Cameras As Pizza Party Cover-Up Erupts, Plus: Our Wish List From Santa And Merry Christmas, New Mexico! Release of new police audio tape from the Eldorado Hotel party was damning for her. It contradicted her earlier statements that she had had only one drink and was not drunk, that it was snowballs--not bottles--that were being tossed from the balcony of the party room and on the number of people actually in the room. The last video we see of Martinez before the holidays has her refusing to answer reporters barking questions at her and being hustled away in her SUV. My, how the worm has turned. And Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez floated an intriguing idea to me Tuesday, saying perhaps the attorney general may want to look at abuse of power allegations against the Governor for her bullying of the Santa Fe policeman and Eldorado desk clerk. The plot could get thick. . . THE WISH LIST We'll take a break with you for the holidays so blogging will be light (unless there's another pizza party) but before we deck the halls we'd like to share with you our wish list for New Mexico that we sent to Santa Claus for Christmas 2015. Enjoy. . . The news this December that New Mexico ranks as the worst run state in the nation and that Albuquerque's housing market has been the USA's worst performer since 2012 makes a visit to Santa Claus all the more crucial. We're going to need some super-sized presents to turn this place around. Santa, we know your checking your list to see who has been naughty and nice and when you look at the political leadership here you might want to put coal in the entire state's Christmas stocking. But we think our Christmas wish list will give you reason to resist that urge and you can fly high over our luminaria lighted land this Christmas Eve with presents that delight and surprise.  We respectfully ask Santa to give at least two or three members of the Albuquerque city council hind legs that are as strong as those of his mighty reindeer. That's the only way Mayor Berry is going to change his errant ways. And, Santa, don't forget the state Democratic Party and the state legislature Democrats. Please give them a year's worth of free access to all Starbucks locations so they can once again become politically caffeinated. High on the Christmas wish list is a new Albuquerque police chief, a new upper command structure at APD, a police force of over 1,000 and not the dangerously understaffed one we have now. (Santa, maybe you can give the Mayor an all-expense paid vacation to the Caribbean for a week and we can get all that done while he's gone?) This is the year we would like to see on Santa's sled a gift-wrapped package from the state Legislature containing a constitutional amendment to allow a small portion of the state's $15 billion Land Grant Permanent School Fund to be used for very early childhood programs. The science shows such programs are crucial in developing a skilled generation that turns away from a life of dysfunction, the root cause of the state's generational poverty. Unless the city's various alphabet soup economic promoters, AED, GACC, EF and NAIOP, can start putting some significant points on the board, we ask Santa to put them all under one roof and rename them "GTHOOT, " short for the new economic development slogan of "Get The Hell Out Of Town." While we're on that subject, Santa, we also ask that if the stonewalling of the Inspection of Public Records Act( IPRA) by APD is not resolved that the department henceforth deny all such records request by using the initials, UYAA, or "Up Your Ass Act."  No Christmas wish list would be complete without our annual pleading to the North Pole that someone, somewhere offer the Albuquerque Journal "an offer they can't refuse" and we get new ownership that ends the denial of New Mexico's real problems. To simply have some fun and to aggravate the far-right that has such disdain for all government spending, we put on our wish list that Congress make a special $1 billion appropriation for improvements to the city of Albuquerque just so we can see the look on their faces. Santa, please don't forget the gift card from Sandia Casino for former Secretary of State Dianna Duran. And while you're at it, could you give some encouragement to that federal grand jury that's investigating possible campaign finance irregularities by the governor's chief political adviser? Thanks for your consideration, Santa. Looking over this list we see that if you even granted only one of our wishes, it would be a very Merry Christmas indeed. Here's our annual Christmas card to you with best wishes and deep appreciation for joining us on the blog during the past year. Merry Christmas, New Mexico! 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 2015 Tuesday, December 22, 2015Odds And Ends On The Guv's Ill-Fated Pizza Party, Bottles Thrown From Room Balcony? A Dem Foe For Pearce And The Udall For Guv Gossip The Governor's story about just what happened in that noisy hotel room where she retreated with staff after a larger staff party in the hotel ballroom is not standing up. Santa Fe police audio recordings from the scene released Tuesday show that she admits that bottles were thrown over the balcony earlier in the evening. In her first account of the night she said snowballs were thrown from the balcony. In talking about the Governor out of her presence, the hotel security guard and police Seargent Tapia agree that the chief executive is "inebriated." That is clearly the case to anyone listening to the portion of the tape in which Martinez is interviewed. She said this week she had one cocktail at the party. The tape is both embarrassing and damaging to the Governor as were the initial audio tapes of a phone call showing her pressuring the police and hotel desk clerk over the noise complaint. This is troublesome. It looks like a direct lie now from the office of the Governor: From the tape: “Five hours ago, there was somebody that we said, ‘Get out of the room. Do not be doing what you’re doing.’ There were bottles being thrown over. We said, ‘Get the hell out and stop.'" And here's the but in the news report: After news of the party broke on Friday, the Governor’s Office issued a statement that said snowballs had been thrown off the balcony. It did not say bottles had been thrown, which was part of the original complaint to police. We wondered here Monday why Susana's husband, Chuck Franco, did not interfere with the Governor when she headed to the front desk of the Eldorado to conduct that now infamous phone chat with Santa Fe police. Reader Sarah Stevenson writes: Great column on pizza-gate, with one exception: why should the governor’s husband receive any blame for not preventing our elected governor from acting the way she did This is far too similar to statements that electing Hillary Clinton would mean we would have two presidents in the White House, a pretty blatant argument that a woman can’t govern without her husband. The blame lies solely with the governor, not with her husband. Another reader offers this: Am I the only one wondering whether her security detail purposely let the Eldorado mess unfold knowing it could mushroom and bite her in the ass because they are sick of her brutish arrogance too? And from reader Barbara Grothus: I think you misspoke in assigning Franco responsibility for stopping the Governor from embarrassing herself. He lives with that bully, and he knows better than anyone what her behavior is all about. She clearly wears the sleepy pants in the mansion. He knows who butters his bun. . . There's never been a governor impeached but in the aftermath of the pizza party, this group is circulating a petition promoting the "I" word. . . The ABQ Journal tries to catch up with the Santa Fe New Mexican on news of that Federal grand jury subpoena of records from the Dona Ana County District Attorney's office when Gov. Martinez was in charge and running for Governor in late 2010. No new ground broken. Nothing from TV news on the story. Maybe it's too complicated for them.  We recently blogged that we hadn't heard of any Democrats seeking the primary nod next June for the right to take on GOP US Rep. Steve Pearce. Dona Ana County State Sen. Bill Soules says there is a Dem contender: "My sister, Merrie Lee Soules, is running for Congress against Steve Pearce."What about the chatter over Dem US Senator Tom Udall running for Governor of NM in 2018? An Alligator of the Dem variety says: People keep throwing out the Udall for governor thing, but I don't see it (yet). He's not making any moves to increase his exposure or fundraising. I also don't see him having the fire in the belly for it. Good point and we hear he doesn't like pizza and cokes, either. So there. Reader John thinks Susana's pizza party was a case of exquisite timing coming as it did as the latest Star Wars movie premiered: Perfect timing NM. Welcome to the Dark Side! Reader and former NM news reporter Jana Lee Aspin writes on our Facebook from Hawaii: Thanks for this (blog), Joe. I think of Governor Martinez as the Nero who fiddles while Rome is burning. As you pointed out: highest unemployment rate in the country, schools failing, and I like to add the fact that Fortune has named Albuquerque the worst place in the country for home ownership. I left Albuquerque a year and a half ago after it became clear to me that things aren't going to change until there are visionary, honest leaders running the state. I'm not holding my breath.  An anonymous reader writes:Joe, Great synthesized coverage on Gov-Gate on the blog Monday. Thanks for pulling it all together for those of us outside the ABQ-SF metroplex in a way we would otherwise not have access to. Your work is a tremendous public service, and a courageous one as well, given Martinez's polished, knee-jerk vindictiveness. You hear that on the Fourth Floor? Don't you go throwing any empty liquor bottles at the blog. . . Reader Joe Barela in Rio Rancho says the Guv and her staff should have been eating something other than pizza for their after party munchies: Joe, All real New Mexicans know that after a a night's boracha, that peet-zah does not work. You need menudo! Here is a proven recipe. Happy Holidays, Oh yeah, now we're blogging. . .Take us out of here, Frank. . . 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 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015The Masquerade Is Over: Carefully Crafted Image Of Martinez Collapses Amid Holiday Party Debacle; A Governorship Redefined; Fallout Across The Board; Complete Analysis, Context And Commentary, Plus: Fed Grand Jury Probe Appears To Eye Possible Illegal License Plate Checks By Martinez Campaign The 911 audio tapes revealing the dark side of her personality (we would argue her dominant side) which has been concealed from most of the public for five long years--set off an astonishing wave of condemnation on social media. It was so expansive that a television news reporter covering the story confessed that as hard as he looked, he could not find any supportive comments for the freshly embattled chief executive. The damaging story also exploded nationally, appearing to put an end to any national ambitions the 56 year old two term governor may harbor. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER The Governor started her evening at a staff holiday party for several hundred in a ballroom at the Eldorado and at 1 a.m. headed to a staffer's private room to continue the party. The low point for Martinez (and this governorship) came when she was repeatedly asked in media interviews whether she was drunk when she interfered with a noise complaint call to police that centered on the room she was partying in with members of her staff and family. The humiliation was palpable as was the chaos the event rained down on the administration. In one interview her spokesperson is quoted as saying she had "about one cocktail" and in another interview she had "one and half cocktails." She says it was snowballs that were being thrown from the fourth floor of the hotel room where she partied but the complaint relayed by the desk clerk and clearly heard on the 911 tapes is that "bottles" were being thrown. Her sometimes slurred speech on the tapes belied her contention that alcohol had nothing to do with her bullying and coercive behavior toward the police dispatchers as she tried in vain to cancel the police call to her room. In a memorable portion of the tapes Martinez says her group was not making any noise and was simply eating "pizza." She stretched the word so much it sounded something like "Peetzaah." That was not normal governor speak and became the object of widespread ridicule with brutal commentary on Facebook and elsewhere calling her a drunk and worse. Then there was that tongue-tied response on the tapes to the complaint that bottles had been thrown off the balcony of the Eldorado party room. Martinez said: I’m sorry. There’s no one on the balcony and there’s no one throwing bottles off the balcony. “And if there were, it was about six hours ago. Say what, Guv? Bottles were indeed thrown? The cops said they found no evidence of any bottles being thrown but hotel staff could have cleaned up any mess before the cops checked it out.
THE WORST PART
 That the Governor put herself above the common person in demanding how she be dealt with by law enforcement is what ignites the rage of everyday people who struggle to pay the bills while their elected leaders seem ever more distant from their reality. With those words it was as if she had taken a spear and stabbed her own political heart. Therein also lies the deconstruction of the Martinez political personality so carefully crafted by her controversial political strategist Jay McCleksey who is the subject of a federal criminal investigation for his handling of Martinez's campaign money. Rather than the compassionate but tough middle-aged lady who relishes reading to third graders and who reminds you of your favorite aunt, you have this dark, vindictive, petty personality seeking out whoever dared challenge her authority with the clear implication that they will suffer retaliation. That's the real Susana Martinez that has been revealed through the years in the pages of the National Journal, Mother Jones Magazine and NM Politics with Joe Monahan but one that the public and other media chose mostly to ignore. Her political machine has mercilessly thrashed her foes--including numerous fellow Republicans--with a Nixonian fervor that the state has rarely seen. That ugly fervor is hidden no more, captured on audio tapes that ripped away a five year facade in five minutes. HEARD ON THE STREET Folks, there's so much scandal in New Mexico right now you need an air traffic controller to track it all. A GRAND JURY PAUSE  It's already been confirmed that the grand jury is investigating "Shadow Governor" Jay McCleskey over his handing of millions in Martinez's campaign money. It's also confirmed that it is probing possible politically motivated tax audits by the state that includes many of Martinez's Republican rivals. Now we get confirmation that the grand jury is also looking at a charge that has appeared here many times over the years--that during her 2010 campaign and while she was still Dona Ana County District Attorney, the NCIC law enforcement database may have been illegally accessed to check on the license plates of Martinez opponents. The news: A federal grand jury has subpoenaed a variety of . . .records relating to Gov. Martinez and two employees who worked under her at the Doña Ana County District Attorney’s Office in 2010. The Sept. 22 subpoena directed the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. . . to produce the records for a federal grand jury convened in Albuquerque on Oct. 6 “in connection with a criminal investigation being conducted in this District,” according to a copy of the subpoena obtained by The New Mexican....The federal grand jury also sought information on records checks made. . . through state and federal criminal databases, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, or NCIC. . . Use of databases such as the NCIC is restricted to approved personnel who are gathering information for law enforcement purposes. Such personnel are trained in the proper use of the database, which they access through unique usernames and passwords. The Governor's office immediately freaked out and said: The Governor has not received a target letter, and she is not the target of an investigation, She has not testified before a grand jury, and has not hired a lawyer. The subpoena frankly underscores our previous statements that any investigation is based on the same old tired allegations made by opponents with an ax to grind, apparently Anissa Ford in this instance. Hey, hold your horses Fourth Floor. The Feds have only had that info for a couple of months. That doesn't mean Martinez is off the hook because she has not yet been sent a target letter or asked to testify. Let's see how this plays out before we rule anything out. The bottom line is the scope of this federal criminal investigation that involves Governor Martinez now appears quite wide, including three specific areas and maybe more. The Santa Fe New Mexican has been the sole major news source in the state to catalogue the wide federal investigation. The ABQ Journal has done one story on McCleskey being investigated for his handling of funds for the governor's inauguration, but none on the shell companies that he set up and fed campaign money into nor on the latest revelation dealing with potential NCIC abuse. The ABQ TV news departments also tilt favorably toward Martinez and have only done one story on the federal investigation. Maybe it's disinterest and not bias, but it has kept below the public radar what could develop into one of the biggest political stories here in recent history. THE FALLOUT FOR HER  Her foes will grow less fearful and intimidated by her political machine and will launch more aggressive attacks. The diminution of the Governor will echo in the legislative chambers as well with even Republicans being careful not to embrace too warmly their now severely dented leader. Questions about Martinez's political future will quiet. The talk of the vice-presidency--always a chimera to most discerning analysts--is now finished. A 2018 challenge against Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich is also off the table. National Democratic power would eviscerate her. The Republican Governors Association was warned of possible problems if they made Martinez their new chair because her right arm Jay McCleskey faces FBI scrutiny and a possible federal indictment. They chose to ignore it and now her effectiveness as a Hispanic symbol for the GOP takes a big hit. UNDER THE BUS Martinez said it was she, her husband Chuck Franco, her security detail and her developmentally disabled sister in the pizza party room at 1 in the morning, along with some staffers who she did not name. She also did not reveal what staffer had rented the room. She may have set herself up for more problems when she laid blame on her staff for the rowdiness. While the wheels were coming off her bus, the governor was busy throwing her unnamed staff under the bus: I want to apologize for the conduct of my staff on the night of our holiday party. There apparently was a party in a hotel room earlier in the night that was disruptive. None of that should have happened, and I was not aware of the extent of the ruckus and the behavior until just recently. Martinez also said she is looking into possible discipline of staffers but did not say what. That means the story stays alive while we await any disciplinary action as well as the names of those being disciplined. You wonder if some of the staff is just a wee bit upset about having to shoulder the burden that clearly lies on the shoulders of their boss--and her husband who failed to restrain her when she marched down to the front desk at the El Dorado and engaged in her fateful phone call. The state Dem Party put the needle in: Gov. Martinez is apologizing for her staff’s behavior? She is the person who abused her power, tried to bully police officers and berated hotel staff and 911 dispatchers. Apologizing for her staff’s behavior is a desperate attempt to shift attention away from her own reprehensible behavior. THOSE SECOND TERMS  Republican Gary Johnson imploded over his drug legalization scheming and refusal to work with the Legislature. Bill Richardson faded in his second term over pay-to-play allegations and now Martinez follows in their path, disgraced by her own hand. Three long years are left in this Governor's term. The news of the pizza party gone bad broke on the same day it was announced that the state's unemployment rate was the worst in the nation in November. It also came on the day that fallen Republican Secretary of State Dianna Duran reported to jail to serve a 30 day sentence. And it came on the day more NM public schools received a performance grade of F than A. Against that backdrop, Martinez partying at a posh hotel furthered the scorn shown over her imperious treatment of law enforcement. POLL WATCH Martinez's poll numbers have always been strong but we've argued they are a mile wide and an inch deep, built in the absence of any intense media scrutiny or a strong Democratic opposition. Both let her have her way. Many did so because of the threat of retaliation which the tapes show to one and all is a very real danger when tangling with this Governor. The fear and intimidation is now melting away and could accelerate the '18 Governor's race as people start looking past Martinez. Lt. Governor John Sanchez could very well go the way of Diane Denish under Democrat Richardson, winning his party's gubernatorial nomination but finding it worth less than a bucket of spit as voters turn away from yet another corrupt administration and turn to the party out of power. Everyone is now waiting to see how close Sanchez stays to the Governor's skirts. Will he start to break away? Taking that risk could be his only chance. The Democratic list of possible candidates will only grow as the value of that party's nomination jumps in the wake of the 911 scandal. DRUNK DIALING For several years anecdotes have circulated in the political community about Martinez often giving speeches in which she slurred her words, indulging in too much booze at social events and engaging in the sport of "drunk dialing." Former ABQ GOP State Representative Janice Arnold Jones went public with those rumors in a national media interview and again in a conversation we had with her Friday. She ran against Martinez for the GOP Guv nomination in 2010 and said Martinez has called to berate her in what Arnold-Jones considered an inebriated state. She says many other Republicans have also been drunk dialed by Martinez but have stayed quiet. THOSE TOXIC TWINS  The toxic combination of Martinez/McCleskey was a potent political brew. It had an impressive but ultimately damaging run on public policy, largely because it was inconsequential. For example, they won the state House and did nothing with it. The duo, however, did gleefully inflict damage on many opponents and infused the state with drift as a social and economic decline took hold. That's because it was all about them and their narcissistic goals--not the positive power that is accumulated pursuing progress in public policy. Their central governing tenet has been as juvenile as the Governor's holiday party where bottles were said to be flung from the balcony--that bullying could and would prevail. But now the bully has been exposed and just as in elementary school the bully will begin to fade away (even apologize) with their tail between their legs. STANDING FIRM These kind of stories are ready made for today's world of social media and this one went viral. One aspect that stood out to us and many others was the poise and professionalism of the Santa Fe police and the desk clerk at the Eldorado in handling a high ranking politician trying to pressure (bully) them into violating their ethics and reveal information that could not be made public at that moment. In response an account has been set up to solicit donations to reward the dispatchers and desk clerk and it's doing pretty well: So many everyday New Mexicans have been bullied by Governor Martinez and her administration over the years, but last night that bullying of a few good folks just doing their jobs was on full display. Help us send a heartfelt Christmas Thank You to Eldorado Hotel front desk clerk Shelly Garcia and the Santa Fe emergency dispatchers for enduring what they did and for not backing down against that grinch of a Governor. We'll make the drive to Santa Fe and deliver 100% of the proceeds to them directly. While the dispatchers and desk clerk did their jobs, you have to question the Santa Fe police department dismissing the need for a written report on the gubernatorial mishap. The fact that the interim Santa Fe police chief attended the Guv's ballroom bash does not help the department's credibility. GUV ON VIDEO? We're getting reports from our Alligators that there may be video of Gov. Martinez talking with police dispatchers from the front desk phone at the Eldorado. That video would add to her misery, but if there is indeed video, will it be released? The owner of the hotel is a financial backer of the Governor's. PILING ON  Diane Denish: #partylikesusana She's drunk a lot (in a state that is) "in the basement" in unemployment, but she sold the jet! State Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla reacted: The governor parties like a rock star and abuses her power by repeatedly badgering a hotel clerk, 911 operator, and police commander, while New Mexico once again leads the nation in unemployment, is ranked 49th in the nation in child well-being, and is ranked as the worst managed state. Former ABQ City Councilor Pete Dinelli who ran against Republican ABQ Mayor Richard Berry in 2013 and was bashed mightily by the Guv's political machine (Jay McCleskey engineered Berry's campaign) pounced on Martinez's misery: Listening to the 911 calls reveals what an arrogant, vindictive bully Governor Martinez really is and how she is always on the offensive. Immediately she identifies herself as the Governor of New Mexico, demands to know who filed the complaint, and totally denies any wrongdoing by her group, saying she has been in the room for two hours. Martinez telling the cops to back off and that they were not needed was a clear abuse of power. I was surprised that she did not blame Bill Richardson for spiking her drink! Blog reader Kevin Bersell quipped: Maybe the Governor could announce an initiative to enact tougher penalties for Drunk Dialing. I'll bet she could get that through the legislature... Former GOP BernCo County Commissioner Michael Wiener writes: No wonder everyone is leaving New Mexico in droves! Our state is a failure. This story has abuse of power, extreme arrogance, defiance, vindictiveness and bullying! Where was her security detail and how did they let this happen? This is the most vindictive administration in New Mexico history...the only thing they've excelled at is meting out punishment to anyone who has dared to cross them. Time for her (and Jay McCleskey) to resign. And some more anger from this reader: The Honorable Gov was so hell bent on getting the name of whoever dared to complain about her out-of-control booze bash at the Eldorado, one wonders why. Another excuse to run illegal NCIC checks in order to harass and intimidate perceived enemies? Here's hoping the FBI hits paydirt while investigating McCleskey-Gate and turns up the heat on the Honorable Lush/Gov. Drunk-dialing from the Eldorado dropped the curtain on the gov's real but usually well-hidden stripes. Richard Flores writes: How will the national GOP look on this incident by the chairman of the Republican Governors Association? Moreover, this is a Governor who has openly and emphatically called upon the public to respect and support law enforcement. The recordings show that the Governor was neither supportive nor respectful to Santa Fe police. It was not her place to interfere with police response to a complaint that police were required to investigate. Another embarrassment for New Mexico! Thanks to our readers and Alligators for helping put together today's special report. 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 2015 |
|
