<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Thursday, January 23, 2020

ABQ Gets Depressed: Survey Says Ongoing Crime Wave Has Hope Evaporating, Plus: Locating The Homeless Shelter And MLG Accuser Lawyers Up  


After an unrelenting years-long crime epidemic, ABQ is getting depressed.

The posted chart of the city's annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey--conducted last November--says it all. Only 49% of adults interviewed were "very or somewhat hopeful" about where things are headed in the state's largest city, down from 68% in the '18 survey.

Despite the recent argument from APD Chief Mike Geier that ABQ is a "safe city." many don't feel that way and they are letting Geier and his department know. Only 49 percent of those polled had confidence in the department whose slow response to crime calls is one of the most frequently heard complaints.

Mayor Keller didn't help his cause when his office reacted to the survey by saying dissatisfaction with the city was high because it took place as headlines reported the city was establishing an all time record murder rate. They dismissed the findings as a "snapshot in time," in turn dismissing the beliefs of its own citizenry.

Hello, City Hall? Just maybe it is the actual murders and mayhem causing the citizen distress--not the headlines? And with five murders already in January, that "snapshot in time" is more like a freeze frame.

Cynical PR spin won't benefit Keller who faces re-election in 2021. Already BernCo Dem Sheriff Manny Gonzales is out campaigning for the job and this survey could create interest from others as Keller's administration wrestles with the crime crisis.

Beyond  politics, the inability to calm crime is hurting the state as a whole and the Legislature can't or shouldn't ignore its impact on economic development, tourism and public health. City boosters say for starters the lawmakers can approve Keller's request for $14 million for the new homeless shelter and funds for better APD technology.

Ultimately, responsibility rests with the Mayor and APD to deliver results. After two years of a four year run, more is expected.

SOMETHING FOR TIM?

One of the Alligators pointed to this passage in MLG's speech and opined that the tone is something that Mayor Keller should consider:

Let’s all agree that the days of hardened, violent, repeat offenders not doing any real time, getting unwarranted second and third and fourth chances because our system is too broken to hold people accountable … those days must end and they must end now. We have to draw a line. New Mexicans are sick and tired of seeing predators circle in and out of custody, never facing the full force of the law. I am too. Here’s the fact: Dangerous, repeat offenders have got to be in jail. If you are terrorizing our communities again and again, we have nothing to talk about: You must be stopped and held accountable.

Keller has been trying to find his voice on crime while not alienating his large progressive base with too much tough talk. But if she can do it, why can't he?

HOMELESS IN BURQUE

Here's another reason why that ABQ homeless shelter should be located on an empty lot near the UNM Health Sciences Center at I-25 and Lomas--services can be centralized:

Bernalillo County Commissioners agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC) to fund the construction of a crisis triage and adult psychiatric center on the UNMH footprint. With this agreement, $20 million from Behavioral Health tax funds will go toward this project and UNM HSC will match the dedicated funding with $20 million for capital investment in the project.

Chancellor Paul Roth, head of the UNM health system, has now made it clear he welcomes the homeless shelter on the UNM land. This after the head of the UNM Cancer Center questioned placing the center near Health Sciences. Roth is retiring this year after a stellar career at UNM and he's going out on a high note.

STILL A DISTRACTION

Benjamin
Crotchgate isn't going away yet. James Hallinan, the former communications head for MLG's gubernatorial campaign, has lawyered up.

Hallinan, who accuses MLG of throwing bottled water on his crotch and grabbing his genitals at a campaign staff meeting--charges she strongly denies--has hired Atlanta employment attorney Rachel Berlin Benjamin. She says:

We look forward to a court’s assessment of who the 'real victims' are and who truly seeks to 'hide' from the 'real things' they have perpetrated against employees and associates over the years. We are hopeful that other victims will come forward to further expose the truth.

Hallinan says any comments about his case will now come from Benjamin who has not said what, if any, legal action she is contemplating against the Governor. There has been speculation that a civil suit could be forthcoming.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. 

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020
 
website design by limwebdesign