MLG (by ABQ Journal)

Historic budget surpluses continue to accumulate in Santa Fe but they may not go for historic purposes, if Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham cannot find a way around state Senator John Arthur Smith, the longtime chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Smith's penchant for opposing spending plans of chief executives and others has earned him the title "Dr. No."

In her first year MLG has managed to get low lying fruit from the Deming lawmaker--teacher pay raises and money to shore up the beleaguered Children Youth and Families Department are two examples. But when it comes to the immense surpluses going forward the Governor has lost the narrative to the state's minority conservatives who argue that the stunning sums totaling in the billions should not be used for spending that reoccurs annually.

That is a dream killer for New Mexico. If this Governor is unable to redefine the narrative she could go down in history as an aside to the surpluses, unable to use them to implement significant or even transformative change in a state that stubbornly clings to the bottom of most national rankings.

So what to do? There is plenty of advice for MLG to ponder. Insiders say she has met often with Dr. No but gets limited results. For example, the political community was set on its ear when Chairman Smith said he was not yet on board with the Governor's plan to provide free college tuition for all New Mexico students. In fact, Smith issued skeptical statements about the proposal, again arguing that the state should be wary of spending that reoccurs each year because oil prices could crash and the programs could not be funded. Take that, Governor.

Keep in mind that the tuition plan is a mere $25 million to $35 million annually, a drop in the multi-billion dollar budget buckets in Santa Fe. The Smith resistance publicly signaled that MLG truly has a fight on her hands.

A PATH FORWARD

This is a Governor elected with 57 percent of the vote due to landslide margins in the Democratic cities of ABQ, Santa Fe and Las Cruces. She was elected to deliver and must find a way to pick the lock that sets her free from Smith, who nominally shares the title of Democrat with her. So on to the advice.

--Smith has an opponent in next June's primary. Neomi Martinez-Parra believes Smith's austerity has hurt the Deming area and the state. As the primary approaches she could pressure the 78 year old lawmaker. The Governor won't want her fingerprints directly on it but there are ways and there's a chance Smith could lose if he doesn't take the hint.

Sen. Smith

--Leverage the power of Rep. Patrica Lundstrom, the new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. There is no love lost between Smith and Lundstrom. She has the power to take him down a notch. It was not that long ago when the chair of House Appropriations was the center of the state's financial universe, not Senate Finance. Far from a liberal but more a practical moderate, Lundstrom is now in competition with Smith. Use her.

--If Smith remains reticent the Governor can  work around him and try to persuade his colleagues that at this time in history he needs to be bypassed, that "prudent" increases in annual spending are needed to make a long-term difference.

If Lujan Grisham is confined to building new schools, dams and roads, as Smith and the Republicans seem to want, she will be remembered as a mere transitional figure, like her predecessor.

In her first year she should be at the peak of her power but Smith's power seems equivalent. Some speculate the Governor--who perplexingly described herself during a campaign interview as a "fiscal conservative"--is not entirely unhappy with Smith watchdogging her. Well, if that's the case come out and say it and the argument will go away. That one is hard to believe.

Others believe the Fourth Floor is misjudging. It is pitched rhetoric on hot button social issues such as gun control and immigration that have gotten MLG in some trouble. The public is not going to be at her throat for wanting to spend money for lasting improvements, if she isn't asking for tax increases. They have and will support that spending but you have to fight for it.

There won't be much of a legacy or a real difference in people's lives if this Governor can't elbow herself onto the field now controlled by the opposing team and make some big plays.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019