Yes, Governor Lujan Grisham has been named to a 50 person advisory committee for President Biden’s reelection campaign. No, we don’t see that as signaling a possible appointment to the administration for the New Mexico Governor, if Biden wins a second term.

MLG had her best shot at becoming a cabinet secretary early in Biden’s first term but crossed swords with his staff and generally left a poor impression. She has worked her self back into the good graces of the administration but her “my way or the highway” leadership style continues to be a turn off to the DC crowd. Perhaps an appointment at a lower level might be in the cards (if she wanted it) but right now no one is telling Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales to warm up the car in Silver City and head to Santa Fe.

Albuquerque Republican City Councilor Brook Bassan was for safe homeless encampments before she was against them. That got her into political trouble in her mostly conservative Northeast Heights District 4 and prompted speculation that she would draw an opponent from her right in the upcoming November city election. But so far Brook has dodged the bullet. She’s a conscientious and informed councilor and it won’t be easy to pick her off even with that major misstep. Bassan has until July 10 to watch the clock. That’s the deadline for candidates to get into the council races. 

In the other three council races up for election this year, Joaquin Baca, a progressive, is the front-runner in North Valley and Downtown area District 2; in District 6 in the SE Heights the field is still not set, but  the winner is expected to be a progressive Democrat and in District 8 retired policeman Dan Champine is the leading contender, although Dem Idalia Lechuga-Tena announced her candidacy for the Republican leaning district with a spiffy video.

Council has been running against Mayor Keller on a 5 to 4 vote on some issues. But it takes six votes to override a veto. The question is whether the election results will have the council coming up with six votes more often in order to override vetoes. 

It’s too early to predict whether Keller will seek reelection to a third term in 2025 but it doesn’t look like there’s much else for him to do if he wants to stay in politics, and he certainly hasn’t stopped acting like a candidate. That’s probably enough to count him in.

We labeled the one mill increase in the property tax for homeowners approved by the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District as "ridiculous" because of the billions accumulating in Santa Fe from the unprecedented energy boom. Former state Democratic Party Chair Marg Elliston of Corrales did not see it that way:

 Joe, Correlanos experienced an existential trauma last year when the Corrales siphon broke and we were facing a irrigation season without any water.  What would happen to our green fields, farms and orchards? The situation was grim and the fixes were only temporary, smelly, noisy and perilous. 60 year old apple orchards faced extinction.  For the first time, diesel powered pumps brought water to our ditches last summer.  A good monsoon season saved our fields but  we know that our  irrigation infrastructure needs a permanent repair and maintenance.  We are willing to pay a little more to the conservancy to invest in our water future.   We are counting on funding from all levels of government and prudent management to protect our way of life.  We hope the increased mill levy will be our insurance for our climate future. 

This is the home of New Mexico politics.