New BernCo District Attorney Sam Bregman proved one thing on his first day--his love affair with the camera is more ardent than ever and how he channels that passion will define whether he's the star of a ridiculed sitcom or a respected actor in a serious crime-fighting drama. Debuting the Sam Show Wednesday afternoon he pulled out all the stops with high powered guest stars that included ABQ Mayor Keller, the US Attorney, the APD Chief, the US Marshall, the Sheriff, the State Police Chief, the Attorney General and the head of the local FBI. (Full news conference here.)
All of them had no trouble going along with Sam's script. And why not? It focused on how great a job they and all of their agencies are doing in battling the historic crime menace that continues to sweep across the ABQ metro. Never mind that if law enforcement (and the judiciary) were firing on all cylinders the crisis might be well in hand. But Sam had all of them hanging the moon or in the case of the US Marshal's office being "the best in the world." Really?
So what will change to get better results? It turns out not much of anything, except perhaps the profile of the new DA, a veteran defense attorney who announced that henceforth he will personally go into the courtroom to prosecute criminal cases.
Santa Fe's John Lawrence writes:
That's not unheard of but rare and usually in only the most notorious criminal cases. That's because being DA is a messy administrative post that includes juggling dozens of prosecutors, getting cases to trial, negotiating plea bargains, begging for funding and--if they're serious about the job--spending the rest of the day tearing their hair out.
Bregman is not about to go down that rabbit hole so he's redefining the job to include what he likes best. Suddenly who he selects as Chief Deputy becomes even more critical as Bregman plays prosecutor and touts the results to the ubiquitous TV cameras and I-Phones.
You're excused if that might sound like a set-up to present the DA as the city's crime fighting savior and more than fit for higher political office, even though that would not be DA. The appointment Bregman accepted from the Governor will last just two years.
The nearly hour long media meet-up often had the feel of a camapign event with Sam joking, hand-shaking, backslapping and making wisecracks. You would hardly know there were 120 record setting murders in 2022 or that ABQ police shot and killed more people that year than any other, despite the US Justice Department overseeing the agency.
When asked about the high death toll from police shootings Bregman became uncharacteristically hesitant and said that he didn't see the need for the DA to change how it reviews police shooting cases. Nothing more.
He climbed aboard the popular pre-trial detention train saying he would lobby for the bill in the upcoming legislative session, but he did not call for a sweeping measure, instead saying he wants to see what gaps need to be filled. A bill that would be similar to last year's appears to be a nonstarter again this year despite the Governor's support.
Bregman was careful not to lay down any markers to judge him by--like a reduced crime rate. But by immediately putting his outsized personality before the public in such a showy way he automatically raised expectations. That's a smart stance at a criminal trial but in the court of public opinion it comes with dangers equal to the rewards.
Stay tuned to the Sam Show for either more episodes or an early cancellation.
NEW PREZ
The ABQ City Council has chosen their new leadership for the new year. From Mayor Keller:
The City of Albuquerque released the following statement from Mayor Tim Keller after Albuquerque City Council elected Councilor Pat Davis as president of the council. Councilor Renée Grout will serve as vice president, and Councilor Brook Bassan will chair the Committee of the Whole:
“Congratulations to the new City Council leadership,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We look forward to working with Council President Davis to address crime, our housing and homeless issues, and working together to bring real solutions to the table.”
Davis says he will not seek re-election to his SE Heights District 6 seat this year. He was first elected in 2015. This is his second stint as council president. Grout of NE District 9 was elected in 2021. Bassan, from NE Heights District 4, was first elected in 2019 and is expected to seek re-election this year.
THE BOTTOM LINES
I will be doing an event at Collected Works bookstore in Santa Fe to mark the publication of my new book, Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi's Speakership 2005-2010. The book event will take place at 6 p.m. on January 10. With Speaker Pelosi's decision to step down from leadership at the end of the 117th Congress on January 3, the timing for the discussions on this book could not be more timely. I have been delighted by the strong reviews from distinguished scholars. . .
Lawrence served eight years as chief of staff to Speaker Pelosi. . .
ABQ restaurant Nick and Jimmy's, whose 90 year old owner Nick Kapinson is well-known in La Politica, has closed effective January 1. His family says things are "just not the same" since Nick retired last year and so Nick and Jimmy's 14 year run has ended. Other ABQ restaurants owned by Kapinson will remain open.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023