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| Rep. Alcon |
On Saturday Rep. Alcon submitted his retirement application to PERA and his notice of retirement to the Legislature.
Alcon made it official in a letter to the Secretary of State.
The reason for the sudden departure? Alcon has liver cancer and is under hospice care. He will turn 75 in January.
Alcon, one of the few moderate Dems remaining in the state House, was first elected from his two county district--Cibola and McKinley in western NM--in the 2008 election. He won his bid for a a ninth term at the November election with 59 percent of the vote.
Alcon was employed as a miner and union foreman at the Kerr-McGee uranium mines and as a magistrate judge. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
In 2019, Senator Heinrich presented Alcon with a Bronze Star he earned, but never received, for
his service as a combat medic in Vietnam.
Alcon, chairman of the House Labor, Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee, has been an advocate for veterans at the Roundhouse, helping to push through constitutional amendments that aided them. He was also instrumental in the creation of a suicide hotline for veterans.
In addition, he was a major voice for state funding for Navajo Nation chapters in his district as well as for Zuni Pueblo. He was also supportive of labor causes whose unions consistently endorsed him
Alcon's seat will be filled by an appointment from the Governor with the county commissions of Cibola and McKinley counties submitting nominations. The seat can be expected to be filled by a Democrat.
The NYT obituary detailed his life and times, including his 1976 presidential run and the many other facets of public service of the native Oklahoman who embraced New Mexico when he came here in the early 80's and stayed for good.
ABQ attorney Bob McNeill, 85, was part of a Monday morning breakfast club with Harris where politics was always on the table. He recalled this anecdote:
When he was running for President he drove a bus emblazoned with a large logo that said: "Road to the White House."
He told me: "When I was campaigning and driving across Indiana, a lady rolled down her window and shouted, "Fred, you're going the wrong way!"
Harris was a liberal Democrat with a notable streak of populism that won him national acclaim. We found him dispassionate when it came to analyzing the events of the day no matter how emotional the atmosphere. No wonder his UNM poly sci classes were a major hit.
It was a high honor to have Harris as an avid blog reader as well as a listener to our long-running Election Night broadcasts on KANW 89.1 FM. He once told me:
When the coverage comes on I close the door, turn on the radio and listen to you guys.
If that doesn't keep you on your political toes, not much will.
Harris was humble about his contributions but his lifelong public service and insightful writings about the nation gave him the status of great American and New Mexican. That's a hurdle very few cross and earned Fred Harris a chapter of his own in the never-ending story of La Politica.
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