Mano A Mano: Early Suspense In ABQ Mayor's Race Begins To Resolve; Keller And Gonzales Now Both Expected To Get Public Financing; Race Set To Be Two Man Duel; No Third Candidate Appears; City's Alarming Murder Meter Will Be Top Issue

Early suspense in the ABQ mayoral race is being resolved. The bottom line is that Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales is on his way to qualifying for critical public financing of $661,000 and the Nov. 2 race will apparently be limited to him and Mayor Tim Keller who will be the only other candidate to receive public funds. 

Gonzales' campaign this week flooded the city clerk's office with $5 individual contributions needed to qualify for the taxpayer money, according to a Gonzales associate. The Keller campaign is quick to point out that he has done so with the help of canvassers from California. Gonzales' side does not dispute that.

That means Gonzales is closing in on the 3,779 individual $5 donations he needs. Without them he would be forced to run a privately financed campaign, not an easy task against an incumbent.

For any mayoral candidates not seeking public financing, Tuesday was their first day to begin collecting petition signatures to qualify for the ballot  but so far there are no takers.

That leaves the city with a Keller vs. Gonzales do-or-die battle with no run-off election because one of them will get the 50 percent required for the win.

So when will the public see this mano a mano duel in person? Probably not until August when the first round of forums traditionally kick things off. 

What we will see next week are the money reports from outside finance committees supporting the two combatants and which could play an outsized role in the forthcoming political fesitivities. 

MURDER METER

Saving Lives At UNMH Trauma

Keeping up with the ABQ murder meter is like keeping score at a fast moving NBA game. 

No sooner had the city recorded two weekend murders when another two happened Monday. That brings the official toll to a gruesome 54 and on track for an all time yearly high. 

But it's even worse, says retired APD Sergeant and crime watcher Dan Klein. His unofficial count has the number of homicides at 63. He explains:

Remember APD says these are "homicides" not murders. In my tally homicides have to include those that are deemed "justified." I also include vehicular homicides and child abuse resulting in death. 

Klein says the FBI has categories for both methods of calculating the homicide rate. He adds that the city's  Emergency Medical Services and UNMH's Level One Trauma Center deserve the community's thanks for keeping that homicide number lower by providing excellent medical care for shooting victims.

"I think we would already be over 100 murders without their life saving skills and dedication," he said.

Agreed. And a shout out to the EMS crews, the medical teams at UNMH and the city's other hospitals dealing with the crime crisis. 

ALLIGATOR STRIKE

Former Public Regulation Commissioner Karen Montoya has enlisted as an officer of the Save Our City PAC that is supporting Manny Gonzales. She fast became the victim of an Alligator strike for faulting Mayor Keller over the city's crime crisis:

Someone needs to tell Karen Montoya the dysfunction and crime started under Mayor RJ Berry. Her hometown of Albuquerque and mine became “decimated” by his failed leadership. The excess force of his police force that brought the DOJ here has kneecapped police. Keller inherited a big mess. I’ll agree, it’s Keller’s mess to fix now. Sadly, if Gonzales were to be elected I predict more excessive force and more problems.

BOTTOMLESS PIT?

They might want to rename our famous basketball arena "The Money Pit:"

The Athletics department received over $10 million for the 2021 fiscal year as a result of a second (federal) pandemic stimulus package, according to documents from the UNM Controller Administration. Yet, in spite of the infusion of aid, the department still expects to fall short of meeting its budget goals by the end of the fiscal year. “It's not going to give us everything we're looking for, but it is allowing us to make up some lost revenue. Even with the $10 million, we're still looking at about anywhere between a $1 (million) and a $3 million loss this year,” Eddie Nuñez, the athletics director, said.

Hey, maybe Eddie can win that $5 million state lottery for getting your Covid vaccination. That would keep Lobo Louie fed for a while.  

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021