<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

New Mexico Paradox: Really Poor And Really Rich; New Report Shows Permanent Funds With Rising Riches, Plus: Susana's Second Term Slide, Covering For Berry; Newspaper Scored Over Who It Doesn't Mention And Native American Woman Appears Poised For GOP Lt. Gov Nod 

Is it a paradox, absurdity or both that New Mexico is simultaneously one of the richest and poorest states in the USA? The news that the Land Grant Permanent School Fund and the Severance Tax Permanent Fund have reached the staggering total of $22 billion raises questions--or should raise fundamental questions about the governance of our nearly last in everything disenchanted land.

Juxtaposing New Mexico's rank of 49th in child well-being, 49th in quality of education and 50th in poverty along side the vastness of richness represented by $22 billion should  have politicians and policy makers rethinking how this treasure could be repositioned. Specifically, how it can be put to work to lift up hundreds of thousands of undereducated and disadvantaged citizens and place them on a path that reverses the generational dysfunction that has so hampered this state's social and economic development.

To do that we'll need leadership that ditches the austerity rhetoric and policy. If we can first agree that money can solve many problems--particularly those facing a capital starved state with a rickety and slimly funded public education system--then we can get somewhere. The austerity hawks should demand and get accountability on how exactly we could deploy some of our billions in the bank. But the hawks must first agree that investing in anything involves some risk and they must at this critical juncture be willing to assume risk in exchange for accountability.

For example, take the tens of millions in tax dollars and tax breaks that the business boosters happily supported to attract corporations here like Intel, Hewlett Packard, Eclipse Aviation and the like. Those incentives sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, but a risk was taken in an effort to improve the state.

That same philosophy can be applied to the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the $16 billion land grant fund to supply roughly $120 million a year for ten years for very early childhood education (ages zero to five) which would include home visits and parental education. The amendment has passed the House but stalled in the Senate by chief austerity hawk John Arthur Smith and a handful of his acolytes.

Dem gubernatorial candidate Jeff Apodaca, who has been busy touring the state this summer, comes with a social media video, saying the state is "cracked."  "Education," he says, "is the key to everything." Apodaca is in support of the constitutional amendment for very early childhood.

Sure, the permanent funds spin off interest and income to the state budget to the tune of over $900 million a year and its corpus must be protected over the long-term. But to let $22 billion sit there and not utilize a modest amount of that largess while this state loses its best and brightest and consigns future generations to more of the same demoralizing life circumstances is not only a financial issue, but perhaps the moral issue of our time. When will we act? When the funds are at $30 billion or $40 billion? Never?

SECOND TERM SLIDE

When it comes to New Mexico governors its all downhill in the second term. And Gov. Martinez is no different as her slide continues:

District Court Judge Sarah Singleton ruled that the governor did not follow proper procedures in vetoing 10 bills — either because she took too long or did not provide an explanation with each vetoed piece of legislation.

This Senior Alligator says the veto decision is one of several developments that signal how the Governor's once vaunted political machine led by her political advisor Jay McCleskey is rusting out:

The Governor suffered a big defeat on the veto issue, the business community (the ABQ Chamber of Commerce) suffered a court loss on the proposed city sick leave ordinance and in response to the pummeling he's receiving on crime, Mayor Berry gets the Journal to write a lame story about his political-hack led study on crime in Albuquerque, News Flash! A lot of crime is Albuquerque is along Central Avenue and in 4 or 5 other areas of town. Who knew? It only took the Mayor 8 years to figure that out. Jay McClesky's finely-tuned machine is breaking down and his crowd is finding it more and more difficult to pull the levers of power in this state.

Let's dissect that some: The reference to the "political-hack led study" is to Scott Darnell, the director of ABQ i-team, which assisted with the geography crime analysis. Darnell is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Martinez who dropped off the radar when he resigned that post, but has now popped up under Republican Mayor's Berry's wing.

The "lame article" was one in a series of articles the paper is currently running on the crime epidemic, but there's still no questioning in any of them of Mayor Berry, APD Chief Eden, Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry or any of the nine members of the city council. The crime crisis is not simply a function of the criminal justice system. It is a failure of the political leadership that oversees the funding and policy of that system. But in its persistent determination--for whatever reason--to wall off responsibility from that leadership--this journalism fails in its fundamental responsibility to hold those in power accountable. But you already knew that.

One of the fatal flaws in the newspaper piece on the tremendous spike in armed robbery is how it attempts to assign blame to the State Supreme Court's controversial Case Management Order (CMO) dealing with the release of accused criminals. But the crime spike started in 2010 just as Berry took office, years before the CMO took effect. Some 'splainin to do there.

Also, does anyone think this free political pass the paper gives Berry and Company would be given if it were former Democratic Hispanic mayors Marty Chavez or Jim Baca presiding over such criminal chaos? As we've said many times before, they would be stringing them up in Old Town Plaza and selling breakfast burritos to the throng watching.

A TAME TORREZ

One aside from that crime series. BernCo District Attorney Raul Torrez walked back his blanket condemnation of area judges for being the root cause of the crime wave. His new tack goes like this:

The entire criminal justice system is not properly resourced at every stage of the system.

The pushback against Torrez for trying to shift blame was strong enough to knock him to the ground. The on-the-job taming. . .er. . .we mean training. . . continues for the DA.

PRESS BASHING

Reader Kelley Dupont has a message for the newspaper editorial writers:

It irks me to no end how some are blaming the "liberal Democrats" for the problems our city and state are having. They blame years of Democrats in power, but fail to acknowledge that the Republicans have been in charge for the almost eight years this mess has emerged. Yes, perhaps Dems haven't always done the best job, but Republicans had their chance with the governorship and the ABQ mayor's office.  Their mismanagement at all levels has allowed hell into our city and state. Republicans need to own it and stop blaming "years and years of Democratic politics" for this mess that escalated, expanded and grew at great speed under their watch. Yes, Democrats are to blame as well, but come on. Part of fixing a problem is acknowledging one's part in it and stop blaming the other party while they (Republicans) have been in charge.

PEARCE AND ZUNIE

It appears GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce is gong to try to get a first in New Mexico politics. He's been talking up Kelly Zuni, the former state cabinet secretary for Indian affairs and who Thursday evening will announce her candidacy in ABQ Indian Pueblo Cultural Center  for the '18 GOP lieutenant governor nomination.

If the ticket is Pearce/Zunie--and so far she's the only GOP light Guv candidate--it would be a first for state Republicans. They've never nominated a Native American for a spot on their Guv ticket and no Native American has ever served as lt. governor. Native American Deb Haaland ran as the running mate of Dem Guv candidate Gary King in 2014 but they were defeated.

Here is some background info on Zuni from a news release from the governor's office when she was named to the cabinet:

Zunie grew up in New Mexico as a member of the Zuni Pueblo and currently serves as deputy cabinet secretary of the Indian Affairs Department. She becomes the first female to head that agency. Zunie has also served as a business analyst for Rocky Mountain Power in Utah. Zunie has an extensive background in professional training and experience in critical issues facing New Mexico’s Native American population, including public health, energy, and emergency management.

In the first round of speculation on who would be Pearce's running mate the name of another Native American fsurfaced--Dr. Richard Luarkie, the former Governor of Laguna Pueblo who Pearce has spoken highly of and who has a business background and is also African-American. But it now appears it will be Zunie will carry Pearce's banner into the north.

NEWMAN IN

Former Hobbs Mayor, realtor and former NM GOP Chairman Money Newman has made it official and confirmed our blog report that he was seriously eyeing a run for the GOP congressional nomination for the southern seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Steve Pearce. Newman, who previously ran for the nomination when the seat was last open in 2008 but came up short, announced his candidacy Monday:

Newman, who runs a real estate company, is the fourth GOP candidate vying for the seat that incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce is vacating next year in order to run for governor. “Congress has a courage problem,” Newman said: “The federal government has been broken and bloated far too long and the people we send to Congress must have the guts to fix it.”

Newman is the fourth R candidate to seek the nomination. The front-runner for the nod is State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, Jr.

BILLY McKIBBEN

We were sorry to hear of the passing of former State Senator Billy McKibben, the colorful Republican who represented the Hobbs area for a twenty year run that ended in 2000 and after was a legislative lobbyist. He pushed hard for economic development for his big district and was influential in Hobbs getting a racino. McKibben died in Big Spring, Texas where he was involved in real estate development. He was 81.

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 2017
 
website design by limwebdesign