Monday, August 21, 2023MLG Sounds Off On ABQ Crime Woes; Says Her New Appointed DA On Right Track; She Sees "Some Interesting Shifts", Plus: "A "Hot Mess" In One City Council Race? And: Ethics Commission Does MLG A Favor Speaking with KOAT, the Governor did her best to paint a more cheery picture about the city's crime fighting, including a slap on the back for new Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman who she appointed to the hot potato job this year: I don't want it (crime) to be a problem here. I don't care what's going on anywhere else. I'm seeing some interesting shifts. We are now hiring more police officers, including at APD. We're seeing a different approach by the DOJ. You're seeing a DA that's doing what I expect. Get the judges to understand the risks when we've got an arrest and hold these people in jail. So, while I'll keep asking for pretrial detention reform, notice we also put money in the budget that required a different Arnold Tool update and a different set of protocols that appears to be working across the state. The Guv did not mention ABQ Mayor Keller who continues to take a beating on crime even as he tries to dig out from under it by pushing a number of initiatives, including the proposed Rail Trail, a new soccer stadium at the Balloon Fiesta grounds and the continued opening of Gateway Center for the homeless. Bregman said when he took the gubernatorial appointment that he would not seek a term of his own next year, but he soon reversed position with apparently no concerns from the Fourth Floor. Bregman is now favored for the June '24 Dem Party nomination. He has drawn one opponent so far. The days of MLG directly intervening in ABQ's crime crisis are long gone. When she first took office she ordered additional state police to help APD but the plan was a bust. The crime-ridden sections of the city are caught in a fentanyl/gang/ poverty loop that seems impervious. Outside politicos interfere at their own risk. The races for the four city council races on the ballot November 7 have been mostly brain-dead with no charismatic candidates emerging who might push public safety to the fore. Even conservative Dem City Councilor Louie Sanchez and GOP Councilor Dan Lewis--both possible future mayoral candidates--have held their fire in recent months--even as the relentless ABQ gunfire continues. Speaking of that city election. . . A HOT MESS?
Joe, City Council candidate Loretta Naranjo Lopez is a bit of a hot mess. Did you see the front page article--"New Mexico pension board seeks investigation into one of its members." That headline is about the same as this one from 2018--"New Mexico pension board censures member." That means Loretta Naranjo Lopez has been censured by the PERA board in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and this year the Board is launching another investigation into her misconduct. In the past, she was censured for "making baseless allegations about others, disrupting the board’s ability to carry out its work, seeking reimbursement for ineligible travel expenses, filing a criminal complaint against the board chairman in a disagreement over board seating arrangements, harassing PERA staff and engaging in other unethical conduct." She creates disorder everywhere and that's the last thing Albuquerque needs. That seems quite damning but Naranjo Lopez has been elected and re-elected to the board by state retirees since 2005. That's 18 years of service. They must see something her fellow board members don't. We welcome any response she has to the criticism. Meanwhile, Baca is an elected board member of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, but has yet to make any splashy headlines that could be used against him. STILL HIGH HOPES
Azka Naru will serve as the Gateway Manager, spearheading programming at the City’s newest facility dedicated to connecting folks to services and getting them off the street. Dr. Naru is a pharmacist by training and has her Master's in Public Health from UNM. Naru. . .previously worked for the New Mexico Department of Health and then the Human Services Department. She served as one of the operational leads in the statewide COVID medical sheltering and feeding response. Naru led operations in providing over 2 million meals to people throughout the state. . . During the 2022 wildfires in northern New Mexico, Naru served as the state emergency management lead. She probably has about six to nine months to put some points on the board before the sharks (and Alligators) start circling. BACK TO MLG
Gov. Lujan Grisham’s administration has agreed to reverse the last-minute cancellation of a Medicaid procurement and move forward instead with the original companies selected for contracts to help run the massive program. The agreement comes after the State Ethics Commission investigated the procurement cancellation and prepared to move forward with a lawsuit alleging the cancellation violated the state procurement code. Rather than go to court, the ethics agency and Lujan Grisham administration entered into settlement talks with retired state Supreme Court Justice Judith Nakamura serving as mediator. As part of the settlement, the Human Services Department denies any wrongdoing. But it will move forward with contracts for the four companies originally selected through a competitive process to serve as managed care organizations — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, UnitedHealthcare, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health Plan —starting next July. And the state won’t negotiate a contract with a fifth company, Western Sky Community Care, that now helps run the state’s Medicaid program but wasn’t selected for a contract, even after it applied. MLG and company were much better off dealing with retired Judge Judy than a boatload of investigators looking for a corruption caper. And the Ethics Commission gets a public image boost and fends off critics who say it is a toothless panel. We first blogged of the Medicaid controversy in January when we reported exclusively that Centene, the parent of Western Sky Community Center, a major political player, donated $30,000 to MLG's re-election effort. That glaring fact has surprisingly not been mentioned by the mainstream media nor their numerous nonprofit cohorts. But that's why you have us and why. . . 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 2023 |
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