Barela Named to Head Eco Devo Dept.

Gov.-elect Suzana Martinez this afternoon announced that she'll nominate Jon Barela, who lost a Congressional bid last month to incumbent Democrat Martin Henrich.

Barela is an Albuquerque businessman whose company Cerelink provides "cloud computing" services for the movie industry. In what might be a good omen for backers of the state's film incentives, Cerelink's website promotes the incentives.

Cerelink is based in New Mexico, which affords our customers--especially in digital media-- several cost savings: cheaper power and data center space, access to competitively priced ultra fast broadband networks and a 25% cash-back rebate on all motion picture production (including rendering) done in New Mexico.

Following his close race with Heinrich, there were some rumors that Martinez would hire Barela as her chief of staff. That talk stopped l;ast week when Martinez instead chose state Rep. Keith Gardner, R-Roswell, for that job.

Barela's appointment must be ratified by the state Senate.

He would replace acting Economic Development secretary Allan Oliver, who took the place of Fred Mondragon, who stepped down at the end of last month. Mondragon is a former legislator who headed Albuquerque's Office of Economic Development. He held the cabinet position since 2007. 

Gov. Bill Richardson's first Eco Devo secretary was Rick Homans, who previously had been a magazine publisher. Homans now is executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

Lujan Insurance Gets a Place at Susana's Table

In case you were worried that the Manuel Lujan Insurance Agency was not keeping proper representation with Gov.-elect Susana Martinez's transition, fear no more.

According to a news release today, several honchos at that company -- started by former Republican Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Interior Manuel Lujan -- have been named to the board, including Lujan's brother and former state Republican Chairman Ed Lujan, who is now on the Tourism & Cultural Affairs search committee.

Other Lujan agency figures appointed today are Larry Lujan, president and chief executive officer of the company, ( Economic Development, Workforce Solutions & Transportation search committee), Stephen Byrd, co-owner of the company (Health, Human Services & Children Youth & Families search committee) and Joe Lujan, another co-owner, (General Services & Information Technology search committee).

Others appointed today are recent Republican Appeals Court candidate Ned Fuller (Economic Development, Workforce Solutions & Transportation search committee) and former PNM CEO Jerry Geist (General Services & Information Technology search committee).

Here's the complete news release:

Albuquerque – Gov.-elect Susana Martinez today announced additional members of agency review teams.  These individuals will join the already-established committees tasked with identifying potential cabinet secretaries and high-level officials to conduct reviews of each state department.  In addition to those previously named, these individuals will conduct a review of the cabinet departments prior to January 1, 2011 in order to find efficiencies and promote greater streamlining in state government.

The additional members of the agency review teams include:


TOURISM & CULTURAL AFFAIRS SEARCH COMMITTEE

Edward Lujan

Edward Lujan is the chairman of the board of Manuel Lujan Agencies, an insurance and consulting firm.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SEARCH COMMITTEE

Nathan Korn

Nathan Korn is a licensed attorney in New Mexico, New York and Connecticut, and is the owner of Kaufman’s West, a small business in Albuquerque. 

PUBLIC EDUCATION & HIGHER EDUCATION SEARCH COMMITTEE

Marjorie Shumaker

Marjorie Shumaker is a retired school teacher.

Dr. Ronald Shumaker

Dr. Ronald Shumaker is a retired professor emeritus of English.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS & TRANSPORTATION SEARCH COMMITTEE

Pat Broe

Pat Broe is the founder and chief executive officer of the Broe Group, a real estate asset management firm.

Ned Fuller

Ned Fuller is a lawyer who served as assistant director of the Worker’s Compensation Administration and administrative law judge.

Richard Luarkie

Richard Luarkie is the acting president of Laguna Construction Company, Inc.

Larry Lujan

Larry Lujan is the president and chief executive officer of Manuel Lujan Agencies, an insurance and consulting business.

Kevin Yearout

Kevin Yearout is the president and chief executive officer of Yearout Mechanical, Inc.  He has been in leadership and management roles in the construction industry for the last 20 years.

GENERAL SERVICES & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SEARCH COMMITTEE

Jerry Geist

Jerry Geist is a retired chief executive officer of PNM.  He currently is the chairman of Santa Fe Center Enterprises, an investment company.

Mark Jarmie

Mark Jarmie is an Albuquerque attorney in private practice.  He is a former federal and state prosecutor.

Joe Lujan

Joe Lujan is the co-owner of Manuel Lujan Agencies and vice president of sales.

Mike Turk

Mike Turk is the vice president of industry grassroots for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

Robert Michael Unthank

Robert Michael Unthank retired in 1991 after 30 years in the construction industry, and served in both the King and Johnson Administrations.  He now serves as an independent management consultant.

HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES & CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES SEARCH COMMITTEE

Stephen Byrd

Stephen Byrd is co-owner of Manuel Lujan Agencies and vice president of the Employee Benefits Department.

Chris Collins

Chris Collins is an attorney at the Barnett Law Firm in Albuquerque.

Mary Merrell

Mary Merrell is the co-owner and clinical operations director of Ambercare Home Health, Ambercare Hospice and Ambercare Medical Supply Companies.

UPDATE: The spelling of Manuel Lujan's name has been corrected.

Roundhouse Roundup: Where Susana is Finding Her Transition and Search Teams

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
November 11, 2010

Gov.-elect Susana Martinez and her helpers have been busy the past few days releasing the names of people appointed to her transition team and all the various search committees.

Surprise, surprise: Most of these, like Martinez, are Republicans.

Here's a partial breakdown of some of the pools from which Martinez is drawing the members of those groups.

Remember, these are just temporary positions, not permanent state jobs. But I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these names in the Martinez administration.

• Former Republican legislators: Brian Moore, Transition Team; Steve Komadina and Kathy McCoy (who did not run for re-election to the House of Representatives), Health/Human Services/Children, Youth & Families; and Duncan Scott, general counsel search. 
• Former Democratic legislator: Caleb Chandler, Corrections.
• Former 2010 Republican candidates: Governor contender Pete Domenici Jr., Energy & Environment; lieutenant governor contender Moore; congressional candidate Jon Barela, Economic Development; and attorney general candidate Matt Chandler, Public Safety/Homeland Security.
• Spouses of GOP gubernatorial candidates: Chuck Franco, Martinez's husband, for Energy & Environment; and John Jones, husband of State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, state engineer search committee.
• Martinez campaign staff and contractors: Ryan Cangiolosi, Danny Diaz, Matt Stackpole, Matt Kennicott and Nicole McCleskey, Transition Team; and Jay McCleskey, chief of staff search.
• Former Gary Johnson administration officials: Heather Wilson, Transition Team; Lou Gallegos, chief of staff search; Rob Perry, Corrections; Darren White, Public Safety/Homeland Security; Janet Green, Tourism/Cultural Affairs; Mary Yates, Economic Development;  and Peter Maggiore, state engineer search committee.
• Former Garrey Carruthers administration officials: Max Best, general counsel search; Green
• Former Pete Domenici U.S. Senate staffers: Steve Bell, chief of staff search; Gallegos
• Former Heather Wilson congressional staffers: Julie Drieke, Health/Human Services/Children, Youth & Families; and Colin Hunter, state engineer search.
• Lawyers: Paul Kennedy, Transition Team; Duncan Scott, Perry, Domenici Jr., Matt Chandler, Paul Kienzle, Colin Hunter and Bill Lutz, general counsel search; Joel Carson, Energy/Environment; and Jack Fortner, Economic Development.
• Physician: Komadina
• Law Enforcement: Darren White, Matt Chandler, Ernesto Ortega, Sal Baragiola, Dan Darnell, Paul Pacheco and Beth Paiz, Public Safety/Homeland Security; Caleb Chandler, Gregg Marcantel, Alfonso Solis, Elmer Bustos, Corrections; Franco
• Oil & Gas Industry: T. Greg Merrion and Mark Murphy, Energy & Environment
• Agriculture: Roy Farr and Rance Miles, Energy & Environment; Sharon Lombardi, Economic Development; and Erminio Martinez, state engineer search.

The New Face of the GOP: On Wednesday, CNN's John King interviewed Martinez on his show. King called her "the new face of the Republican Party." The gov-elect didn't argue with him.

Martinez spent much of her time talking about border issues, reiterating her pledge to repeal the law allowing undocumented residents to get driver's licenses and to revoke the licenses already granted to the undocumented.

But she said she doesn't favor an immigration law like Arizona's. "I never want an individual who's in New Mexico, who has been a victim of a violent crime, not to be able to dial 911 and call the police and get the same treatment that any American citizen would receive as a victim of crime."

UPDATE: 11-11-10 3:30 pm.  I added the name of Peter Maggiore to the committee members from the Johnson administration. Maggiore was Johnson's environmental secretary.

Martinez Also Names Corrections Seach Committee

And she's bringing back Rob Perry, who was Corrections secretary under Gov. Gary Johnson. And Matt Chandler's dad too.

These folks will look for top prison officials.

ROB PERRY, CHAIRMAN

Rob Perry is the city attorney for the City of Albuquerque.  He served as head of New Mexico’s Department of Corrections under Governor Gary Johnson and as an assistant attorney general under Tom Udall.  He was also the deputy director of the Department of Public Safety with the New Mexico State Police.

ELMER BUSTOS

Elmer Bustos retired from state government in 2006 after 26-plus years of service with the New Mexico Department of Corrections.  Bustos attended Highlands University and the University of New Mexico receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education.  He was born and raised in northern New Mexico in the Española Valley. 

CALEB CHANDLER

Caleb Chandler was a uniformed police officer for the Clovis Police Department for over 20 years.  Chandler retired as the chief of police.  He also served for 12 years in the New Mexico state Senate.

GREGG MARCANTEL

Gregg Marcantel is a captain with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Department.  Marcantel’s career in law enforcement spans more than 30 years.  He has been recognized nationally for developing a domestic violence prevention program.

ALFONSO SOLIS

Alfonso Solis is currently the administrator for both the Adult and Juvenile Detention Centers in Roswell.  Prior to that, Solis served as the detention center administrator for the Doña Ana Detention Center.  He retired from the United States Marshals Service in 1998 after a distinguished 21-year career.

Martinez Names Public Safety & Homeland Security Search Team

Among the members are former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White -- an early supporter of Martinez's candidacy,  Republican attorney general candidate Matt Chandler, who, like Martinez, is a Republican district attorney. He lost a close race to incumbent AG Gary King last week. Also on board is Ernesto Ortiz, executive director of the DEA's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area for the state. I quoted him a couple of times in campaign stories about Martinez's prosecution of drug cases and her use of HIDA funds to give bonuses to staffers.

The team is charged with  helping the transition committee’s chairman, Heather Wilson find those to fill jobs in the area of public safety. Here's the list:


DARREN WHITE, CHAIRMAN

Darren White is currently the public safety director for the City of Albuquerque.  Prior to his appointment in 2009, White was elected twice as sheriff of Bernalillo County (2002 & 2006).  White served as head of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety from 1995-2000.

SAL BARAGIOLA

Sal Baragiola is the director of Albuquerque’s Office of Emergency Management.  Prior to that, Baragiola served as undersheriff in Bernalillo County.  He retired from the Albuquerque Police Department in 1999 as deputy chief of police.  Since 1985, he has served as a special agent for the Investigative Service of the U.S. Coast Guard.

MATT CHANDLER

Matt Chandler is currently the district attorney of the Ninth Judicial District of New Mexico, representing the citizens of Curry and Roosevelt Counties.  Chandler has served as the elected Ninth Judicial District Attorney since 2004 and was named New Mexico’s Law Enforcement Prosecutor of the Year in 2006.

DAN DARNELL

Dan Darnell is a Farmington City Councilor.  Darnell retired from the Farmington Police Department in 2003 after more than 20 years of service.  During his time with the police department, he worked as a patrol officer and supervisor, detective, narcotics agent and supervisor, special projects officer, special response team member and leader, and gang enforcement coordinator.

ERNESTO ORTIZ

Ernesto Ortiz has served as the deputy director for the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area since 1997 and is currently the executive director.  Prior to working for HIDTA, Ortiz retired in August 1997 from the Drug Enforcement Administration after serving 26 years in federal law enforcement.

PAUL PACHECO

Paul Pacheco retired from the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in 2010 after serving with distinction for 27 years.  Pacheco is a former president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association and in 2003 was named Detective of the Year by Albuquerque Police Department.

BETH PAIZ

Beth Paiz currently serves as the deputy chief of the Albuquerque Police Department.  Prior to being promoted, Paiz oversaw the Albuquerque Police Department’s Northeast Area Command.  Paiz is only the second woman in the APD to achieve the rank of deputy chief.

Susana Names Transition Team

Yesterday Gov.-Elect Martinez named former Congresswoman Heather Wilson to head her transition team. I just got the news release on more members:

 

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN FOR TRANSITION — NICOLE MCCLESKEY
Nicole McCleskey is a partner at Public Opinion Strategies (POS), a political and public affairs research firm and was part of the senior strategy team for the Susana Martinez for Governor Campaign.  McCleskey is also active in local community organizations and currently serves as President-elect of the Junior League of Albuquerque.  McCleskey has a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and M.A. degrees from George Washington University and the University of Southern California.

CHIEF LEGAL COUNSEL — PAUL KENNEDY
Paul Kennedy is a former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice.  Justice Kennedy is currently a partner in the firm Kennedy & Han.  Kennedy is a graduate of Georgetown Law School.

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR — DANNY DIAZ
Danny Diaz is founder of Diaz Communications LLC and former communications director of the Republican National Committee (RNC).  Prior to that, he served as deputy communications director for John McCain 2008 and southwest regional press secretary for Bush-Cheney ’04.

DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL — RYAN CANGIOLOSI
Ryan Cangiolosi most recently served as Susana Martinez for Governor Campaign Manager.  He has extensive business experience and is an officer in the United States Naval Reserve.  Cangiolosi has a BA and an MBA from the University of New Mexico.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING — BRIAN MOORE
Brian Moore is a business owner from Clayton and was a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.  He was a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2000-2008 serving on numerous committees including legislative finance and was a strong advocate for New Mexico’s rural communities.

DIRECTOR OF SUPPORT & COORDINATION — MATT STACKPOLE
Matt Stackpole most recently served as Susana Martinez for Governor Deputy Manager of Campaign Operations.  Previously, Stackpole assisted the Richard J. Berry’s campaign for Albuquerque mayor and in field operations for the Republican Party.  Stackpole graduated from UNM Law School in May 2010. 

DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE & CONSTITUENT AFFAIRS — MATT KENNICOTT
Matt Kennicott was previously Susana Martinez for Governor Director of Campaign Operations.  He has served as the Chief of Staff for the House Republican Caucus in the New Mexico House of Representatives.