He's Back: Manny Can't Say No; Former Sheriff Scarred From The Battles Of La Politica Plans To Seek State Senate Seat, Plus: Reaction To Former US Attorney Slamming DA Bregman Over DWI Dismissals

There seems to be no amount of public humiliation that will keep former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales off the campaign trail. 

The lawman and Marine suffered a landslide defeat in his 2021 ABQ mayoral bid after it was discovered his campaign forged petition signatures to qualify for public financing. This year he was forced to withdraw from the race for the GOP US Senate nomination when he failed to collect enough petition signatures and in between those events he was disgraced nationally when federal authorities named him a multi-state machine gun scheme. (He says the action was political).

That would seem to be enough to stop anyone from facing the voters again but Gonzales, a former Democrat, has embraced Trump and like him a tunnel vision concerning his past defeats and offenses and is now preparing for yet another comeback. He plans on filling petitions next week to seek the GOP nomination for ABQ westside state Senate District 23 and the right to face Dem Senator Harold Pope in the November election.

The working class district does have swing characteristics. Pope unseated incumbent Republican Sander Rue 52 to 48 in 2020 and current registration is 43 percent Dem, 32 Republican and 24 independent. 

Also, Pope is a full-fledged progressive who could be viewed as potentially vulnerable and which Gonzales will poke at. But Gonzales' many prominent past peccadilloes should be enough for Pope to keep the stubborn ex-sheriff at bay. 

Still, you'll want to stay tuned for any surprising developments. Remember Gonzales is the candidate who was interrupted by a sex toy flying on a drone while giving a campaign speech for mayor. 

Let the games begin. 

IGLESIAS REACTION 

Our exclusive report Tuesday about former NM GOP US Attorney sharply critiquing BernCo District Attorney for dismissing 200 DWI cases as a result of the APD DWI scandal brought reaction. First, here's ABQ attorney and former state House member Daymon Ely defending the DA:

Joe: I was disappointed with David Iglesias’ criticism of Sam Bregman’s dismissal of the DWI cases after it was revealed that there were allegations of corruption among law enforcement and at least one criminal defense attorney. I write as the sole state House sponsor of the state’s ethics commission, a lawyer who has spent a career pursuing bad lawyers and as one of the people who contacted the FBI after receiving allegations of corrupt behavior. 

Daymon Ely 

Mr. Bregman had no choice but to dismiss those cases implicated in the scandal and start over. The District Attorney’s job is to pursue bad actors. But, in addition, the DA needs to act as a guardian of the criminal justice system which Bregman has done. The DA has the obligation protect the integrity of the criminal justice system. Any allegedly corrupt “cog” in the justice system affects that integrity. The DA is in a unique position to protect the system when things go bad. By moving quickly and decisively, DA Bregman took the right and ethical action – announce that those cases which involved allegedly crooked cops had to be dismissed and reexamined. I applaud him for his actions.  

Former police sergeant and APD watchdog Dan Klein agrees with Iglesias: 

Very good stuff from former US Attorney Iglesias on the Tuesday blog. He has it correct with one exception. It appears that the past BernCo District Attorney Raul Torrez was the one who began not notifying APD about officers missing their court cases for DW arrests. If this is true, then asking now Attorney General Torrez to take over the handling of the issue would be a conflict. If anything, Torrez may be a witness to be asked why he stopped having his office report on officers missing court. This should be turned over to another District Attorney, not the current AG. 

Bregman is being challenged for the Democratic nomination for BernCo DA in the June primary by former US Attorney Damon Martinez. Republican Iglesias has not publicly endorsed Martinez. 

Klein also offered thoughts on Monday's APD City Council meeting where on a 5 to 4 vote councilors decided against involving an outside law enforcement agency in investigating a serious auto accident involving APD Chief Medina: 

A majority of the ABQ City Council ignored the two members who were past APD officers Sanchez and Champine) and continue to believe that Medina’s car crash investigation will be handled professionally and with transparency by the city. How naïve are the five Council members when they believe that APD investigating their own chief is going to result in anything that the public will have confidence in? Why is Mayor Keller so frightened to allow an outside agency to investigate Medina’s fleeing the scene of a shooting and almost killing a citizen? 

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