Dan Lewis may be gone and already pretty much forgotten, but he lives on as a city councilor, at least in the official photo of the council. Republican Lewis left his westside council seat to run for mayor and was defeated by Tim Keller. His seat was won by Democrat Cynthia Borrego, but in one wee corner of cyberspace Councilor Dan Lewis lives on. Congrats, or something, Dan.

Is State Senator Howie Morales the new front-runner for the '18 Dem Lt. Gov. nomination in the crowded field now that Sen. Michael Padilla has dropped out? Probably. What if Santa Fe Mayor Gonzales gets in?

On the GOP side they have a lieutenant governor contender coming in after Kelly Zunie dropped out. Michelle Garcia Holmes ran as an independent in her recent unsuccessful bid for ABQ mayor, now she has turned R and is the only announced GOP candidate for Light Guv. Everyone is still waiting on ABQ Sen. Mark Moores to make his move.

Curious about where state lawmakers get their income? "Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver has posted the financial disclosure statements of public officials dating back to 2013 on the Secretary of State’s Office’s website. The financial disclosures, which are searchable by year and name, can be found here."

Pedal fast. ABQ has just been named the most dangerous city in the USA in which to ride a bike.

Headline of the week: "San Miguel Commissioner Rock Ulibarri Endorses VeneKlasen for Land Commissioner." Be still my heart!

Spin zone. "Joe, of the 10,700 people elected to the Congress, not one has ever been a Native American woman. If Deb Haaland wins next year's Dem primary for the ABQ congressional seat she will very likely be the first Native American woman to ever serve in Congress."

Did you hear? The erudite former Las Cruces area Dem State Senator Steve Fischmann is running against Public Regulation Commissioner (PRC) Sandy Jones in the Dem primary next year. That could make Sandy grey.

He is 99% sure that contractor Mick Rich will be the only '18 GOP candidate for the US Senate seat that is held by Dem Martin Heinrich. That from Rich's new campaign manager, Evan Machan, who has arrived from Ohio. By the way Rich is also rich.

Slippery slope? Minnesota Sen. Al Franken should resign because of the many sex harassment complaints he faces, say NM Dem Senators Heinrich and Udall. However, they are not saying whether State Senator Padilla, who dropped his light guv bid because  of sex harassment charges, should give up his leadership position in the NM senate.

A readers asks: "Is KKOB-AM radio going under?" No, but there is this news about the owner of the conservative talker: "Radio broadcaster Cumulus Media Inc. says ill-fated acquisitions and competition from digital streaming and web-based formats contributed to its chapter 11 bankruptcy filing." The company says it has the cash to keep things running while it deals with the bankruptcy.

About the goings on at UNM Health Sciences and its plans to build a new hospital, a reader writes: "I just ”love” closed meetings for strategic planning for a billion dollar replacement hospital."

THE BEST 

Finally, thanks to the readers of ABQ The Magazine for voting me the best blogger in the city in the magazine's 13th annual Best of the City awards.

It's always an honor to have it reaffirmed that it is many regular New Mexicans--not just political insiders or the media--we are reaching.

We'll continue to work hard to illuminate and improve our beloved Land of Enchantment because that's the ultimate reward of this journey.

By the way, the Best of City party is at Sandia Resort and Casino tonight (Thursday) Tickets are here. If you stop by be sure to say hello.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2017