Thursday, May 06, 2021Positioning Underway For Stansbury House Seat If She Heads To DC, Plus: The Broadband Lag; NM Needs To Catch AZ And CO
Democrat Michelle Peacock, a 13 year US Army veteran and a nurse practitioner who works at the ABQ VA hospital, is said by Dem consultants to be preparing a bid for the seat if Stansbury, who was elected to the NE Heights seat in 2018, heads to DC. It would not be an ordinary bid, more like a job interview. That's because the Bernalillo County Commission would appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of Stansbury's term. With the Commission controlled by the Dems 4 to 1, no R's need apply. Peacock, 43, is a political newcomer but she did an able job in a TV interview that focused on how medical personnel were handling the Covid pandemic. She has also appeared before the commission to accept a proclamation honoring the county's nurse practitioners. Peacock, an ABQ native, has had some exposure to the legislative process. From her bio: Michelle is the president of the Board for Cuidando Los Niños. . .an organization committed to ending child homelessness in our local community. Michelle works with legislators and local community members and educates them on homelessness and its far-reaching effects. Stansbury upset GOP State Rep. Jimmie Hall in '18 to put the seat--District 28--in the Dem column for the first time. Peacock's supporters think her military and medical background would serve her well when she would seek election to the moderate leaning area in 2022. But the commission could decide to pull an upset of its own. Bunnie Benton Cruse, a transgender woman, has said she is interested in the appointment. The 48 year old would be the first transgender individual to be in the legislature. BROADENING BROADBAND  To try to capture the scale of the U.S.'s broadband challenge, the White
House released state-by-state fact sheets examining the status of each
state's infrastructure. For broadband, the fact sheets look at what
percentage of residents have access to 100/10 Mbps broadband service,
how many providers compete to provide 100/10 service, and how many
people remain unconnected. Arizona--14% of Arizonans live in areas where there is no broadband
infrastructure that provides 100/10 speeds.
45% of Arizonans live in areas where there is only one such internet
provider.
13% of Arizona households do not have an internet subscription. Colorado
12.1% of Coloradans live in areas where there is no broadband
infrastructure that provides 100/10 speeds.
38.1% of Coloradans live in areas where there is only one such internet
provider.
9% of Colorado households do not have an internet subscription. New Mexico
22% of New Mexico residents live in areas where there is no broadband
infrastructure that provides 100/10 speeds.
68.9% of New Mexicans live in areas where there is only one such
internet provider.
21% of New Mexico households do not have an internet subscription. Meanwhile, a lot of New Mexicans may have trouble accessing broadband to watch streaming movies even though Netflix, one of the biggest producers of such streams, has committed $1 billion to make them here over the next ten years. But is it a good deal for the state which is giving the company millions in financial incentives? That's the issue in this in-depth look from Bloomberg: 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 2021 |
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