Pages

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

"Battle Ready" Rep. Herrell Makes First ABQ Appearance Since A Slice Of The City Was Sent Into Her District, Plus: Dan's Plan Dashed: Benton Takes ABQ Council Presidency Over Lewis, And: A Tax Cut Misfire

Rep. Herrell in ABQ
Go ahead progressives, let those chills roll up your spine because here she is--right in your backyard. 

The "she" is none other than conservative Republican US Rep. Yvette Herrell who over the weekend made her first major public appearance in the city that contains the newest addition to her congressional district.

She appeared at the Bernalillo County GOP Pre-Primary Convention and cheerily welcomed any of her new ABQ constituents who may have been in the audience. 

Her new district takes in a large swath of ABQ's Westside and some South Valley precincts, a map the Dems hope will make Herrell vulnerable to defeat this November. But be careful what you wish for. 

Herrell has been nothing if not spunky and confident since the gerrymander, vowing to win a second term and not giving an inch on her conservative views despite having a good part of the big city now in her mostly rural and small town southern district.

Pundits are taking notice, questioning whether progressive former Dem Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez, the only announced Democrat for the seat, is a step too far left in trying to put the district back in the Dem column. 

The progressive nightmare is a Herrell re-election, giving her a foothold in ABQ while that same circumstance is a Republican dream. 

Heck, don't be surprised if she soon opens up an ABQ office, further rattling Dem nervous systems.

Herrell is not shying away from her new challenge, according to delegates at that weekend convention who report she is "battle ready."

In a way she can thank the progressive Dems for her street fighting skills. She honed them during two of the toughest campaigns waged in recent state history against Dem Xochtil Torres Small (in '18 and '20), winning one and losing one. 

What will it be in '22? Who knows, but given Herrell's zeal for combat chilled progressive spines don't seem out of order. 

DAN'S PLAN DASHED

Councilors Benton and Lewis
The plan of freshly elected Republican ABQ City Councilor Dan Lewis to take the council by storm in the new year ran into an obstacle Monday. Councilors did not get aboard the Lewis for council president bandwagon, instead electing liberal Dem Councilor Ike Benton the new president.

Upon winning election to his westside council seat last November Lewis told associates he was confident he would be elected the new council president which added four new members as a result of the city election. But Lewis, who has made no secret that he harbors mayoral ambitions, could not build a coalition and that dashed Dan's dream. He was, however, elected council vice-president.

Insiders tell us Lewis thought he had a deal with Benton who would vote for him for president in exchange for making Benton chair of the council’s most important committee but pressure on Benton from Dems not to make a deal with Lewis prevailed and pulled the rug out from under Lewis. Councilors Bassan and Pena then provided the critical votes to make Benton president. 

GOP Councilor Brook Bassan will now chair the Committee of the Whole which presides over the city budget, the aforementioned most important committee.

Bassan and Lewis have a frosty relationship. That was made clear when with the backing of Mayor Keller last month she proposed a $110 million bond issue for city improvements that ultimately was shot down by the old city council. Lewis disliked the plan, saying it should be decided by the new council.

Lewis' misfire for the presidency was shared by another Louis--new Westside Dem City Councilor Louis Sanchez. He voted for Lewis and ended up a loser on his first major council vote.

Sanchez and Lewis have positioned themselves as major foils of Mayor Keller, which is fine, but they might want to do more homework before taking their next test. 

That next test for Councilor Lewis is a multi-pronged program, including a $70 million cut in the city's gross receipts tax and placing a limitation on the pandemic powers of the Mayor. He unveiled the plan shortly after his loss of the presidency.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Speaking of misfires, ABQ Dem state Senator Bill Tallman wants to eliminate the state tax on Social Security. Okay, so far so good. But then he wants to raise the tobacco tax to pay for the cut. That means the working class fella already paying 8 bucks or so for a pack of smokes now has to pay even more so the mostly comfortably retired Social Security recipients get a break? 

Come on, Bill, right now Santa Fe has more money than God. Just eliminate the SS tax and leave the puffers alone. They're already paying their fair share and then some.

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 2022