Balanced Budget Task Force to be Webcast

A state task force looking at ways to balance the ailing state budget will Webcast its remaining meetings, the head of the panel announced today.

Rick Homans, secretary of the state Taxation & Revenue Department said in a news release the web camera will be in place for the next meeting Dec. 10 — which is being held in Farmington, as well as the final meeting, Dec. 17, which is taking place at Santa Fe Community College. Both meetings are scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“We want to open this discussion on possible revenue options to as many New Mexicans as possible and this technology provides access far beyond the rooms where we are meeting,"

Homans said. “I also encourage people to go to our Web site and to use it to provide comments, opinions and suggestions so that we can include all of this information in our final report to the governor.”

The live stream will be available on the task’s force’s Web site, www.nmrevenueoptions.com.

The task force has been considering a number of possible tax increases to offset diminished revenues. Among taxes that could be affected are personal income tax and, excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. The group also has been debating whether the state should again start imposing gross receipts taxes on food. That tax was lifted in 2004.

The panel, which was appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson last month, is scheduled to submit its final report to Richardson on Dec. 21. The Legislature convenes about a month later.

NM Budget Cuts Affect Governor's Joke Writers

Gov. Bill Richardson was in California yesterday for the unveiling of the Virgin spaceship VSS Enterprise.

According to an account by The Los Angeles Times, Richardson and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were on hand and they "bantered with each other as though they were on the rubber-chicken circuit."

But it looks as though Arnold scored best in the snappy banter show.

Noting that passengers will have four minutes of weightlessness, Schwarzenegger joked: "No one is more happy than Gov. Richardson about that."

The more rotund Richardson laughed as hard as anyone, but then needled Schwarzenegger later: "Governor, you should join me in going to space, but I want you to go first."

That has to be the weakest comeback since the last Doobie Brothers reunion.

Weh Wins!

... the Reindeer Run Saturday in Roswell, that is.

That other race, the Republican gubernatorial primary is still in progress.

Here's the press release from Camp Weh:

New Mexico businessman and gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh won first place in the 10K for his age group in Saturday’s Reindeer Run in Roswell, and all four members of his campaign team who participated earned first place prizes in their respective age groups.

Despite a vicious snow storm that blanketed Roswell, the Allen Weh for Governor campaign team competed in the annual Reindeer Run, braving the snowy and icy conditions. Weh was the only gubernatorial candidate to compete in the race and was joined by more than 100 brave Roswellians.

“While we trudged through the ice and snow, my opponent sent a pickup truck to represent her,” Weh said, referring to a pickup truck that sported a Diane Denish campaign sign at the finish line. “Some days the weather’s tough, but that can’t stop me from running for New Mexico.”

Whitney Cheshire, campaign manager, noted that it is only fair to point out that almost every campaign staffer who earned first place in their respective age group wouldn’t have accomplished such a feat if they hadn’t been the only person representing their age group.

“Even 24-year-old Chris Sanchez, campaign press secretary, won his event for his age group. It was a challenging two-mile walk, and we’re fairly certain that had the weather not kept his opponents home, he would have had a much more difficult time earning a victory,”

Cheshire said. “But we’re proud of the team’s efforts and Allen’s first place finish in the 10K and the fact that so many others showed up to walk and run for a good cause.”

Weh, a cancer survivor and lifelong distance runner, continues to advocate healthy lifestyles on the campaign trail and says good health and well-being will be a hallmark of his administration when elected.

Upon returning from military service in Iraq in 2004, Weh was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After undergoing treatment, he was declared cancer free in mid-2004 and remains so today.

Singleton Appointed Judge

Santa Fe lawyer Sarah Singleton will replace Judge Jim Hall as a 1st Judicial District judge in Santa Fe, Gov. Bill Richardson announced today.

“Ms. Singleton is bringing with her more than thirty years of legal experience and I am confident she will serve the 1st Judicial District Court and the people of New Mexico justly,” Richardson said in a news release.

Singleton was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2006 to serve on the Board of Directors for the Legal Services Corporation. LSC is the leading provider of civil legal aid for the poor in the United States. She is one of 11 members on the bipartisan board, appointed by the President.

Singleton has worked at the Montgomery & Andrews law firm in Santa Fe since 1985. She previously worked in her own private practice as well as the office of the Public Defender in Santa Fe.

She earned her bachelors degree from Sarah Lawrence College and her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law. Singleton has been a member of the New Mexico Bar Association for 35 years, serving as president of the organization from 1995-1996.

Singleton will have to face an election next year.

Hall is retiring at the end of the month.

Manny's Castle

Jim Scarantino is having some fun at former Sen. Manny Aragon's expense in a New Mexico Watchdog video report on Aragon's ornate South Valley palace.

Indeed it does look much nicer than Aragon's current habitat.

Here's the video itself. Note the guest appearance of an actual New Mexico watchdog.

Native American Veterans Tax Refund

I have a story in today's New Mexican about the fact that Native Americans from New Mexico who served in the military between 1977 and 2007 may be owed state income tax refunds. This applies only to those who lived on Indian land when they enlisted.

My story is HERE.

Those who think this might apply to them can file for the refund HERE.

It's not really chump change we;re talking about either. In the class action lawsuit that prompted the state to start its refund program the payments to the defendants who qualified ranged between $856 and $7,500.

The state performed a study that showed about 7,000 Native military members in the state had their state taxes improperly withheld during that 30 year period. That study is below.

Native Vet PIT Report

Let the Debates Begin!

I know, it's not even Christmas yet and we're still about seven months before the primaries, but the first of (I bet) several debates among the gubernatorial hopefuls is scheduled for next Wednesday.

It's sponsored by the conservative think tank The Rio Grande Foundation and scheduled for 6 pm in the auditorium at the Albuquerque Museum 2000 Mountain Road NW near Old Town. Candidates from both parties are invited.

Actually, a news release says, it's not a formal debate format, "rather it is an informal question and answer discussion that will allow average citizens, regardless of party affiliation, to `kick the tires' and find out more about the candidates who have declared for New Mexico’s highest office."

You can kick the tires, but I'm guessing that kicking the candidates is discouraged.

Admission is $5 payable at the door. Those who want to attend can send an e-mail to: rsvp@riograndefoundation.org.

The discussion will be moderated by RGF president Paul Gessing. The event will be filmed by the foundation with footage posted at their Web site.

I haven't checked which candidates are coming and which aren't. But I know one who is. I just got an e-mail from the Janice Arnold-Jones campaign saying "Janice is Ready!"

Roundhouse Roundup: Keeping Up With Congressional Expenses

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
December 3, 2009

If you ever wondered how much members of Congress spend maintaining their offices — and who and what they spend it on — that information just became much easier for the average citizen to track. For the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives this week published its quarterly log of expenditures by all members — salaries, travel, office equipment, rent and other expenses for district offices, postage and more.

You can find it at the official government site, in the form of large, rather unwieldy PDFs , or in a handy, dandy searchable database courtesy of The Sunlight Foundation .

Think locally: According to the report, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of Santa Fe spent more than $337,000 on his office between June and September and $808,000 in the first nine months of the year. That seems like a lot, but it’s less than New Mexico’s other two congressmen. Martin Heinrich of Albuquerque spent more than $343,000 for the quarter and $908,000 for January through September, while Harry Teague of Hobbs spent more than $352,000 the last quarter and more than $899,000 as of the end of September.

The most expensive offices in Congress are those of Reps. Steve Kagen, D-Wisc., who spent $452,000 in the last quarter, Alan Grayson, D-Fla., who spent $449,000, and Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., who spent $445,000.

Luján’s biggest expense is salaries — $569,552 for 23 employees in the first nine months of the year. In that time period, he spent more than $56,000 on rent, utilities and other expenses for his six district offices here in New Mexico; more than $45,000 on printing; more than $36,000 on travel; nearly $35,000 on postage and more than $35,000 on “other services” including security systems and computer software.

Keep on the Sonny side: One name in Luján’s expense records caught my eye. Santa Fe contractor Sonny Otero is paid $3,295 a month for rent of Luján’s Santa Fe district office on St. Michael’s Drive.

Otero is a major financial supporter of Gov. Bill Richardson, and in 2006 he made $3.2 million on a controversial land deal with the state shortly after contributing $50,000 to Richardson’s re-election campaign. All involved have denied the land sale had anything to do with the campaign cash.

He’s also contributed some money to Luján. Otero and his wife gave Luján’s 2008 campaign a total of $5,850.

The space was previously used by former Rep. Tom Udall, who moved into former Sen. Pete Domenici’s old office downtown after being elected to the Senate. When Udall first began renting the St. Michael’s Drive office about 10 years ago, it was owned by the Molnar family, a spokeswoman said. Otero bought it later.

A spokeswoman for Udall said Wednesday that Luján set up shop in several of Udall’s old district offices “for both continuity and convenience for his constituents” and to save time and money.

Run Allen Run: Apparently Republican Allen Weh is taking the phrase “running for governor” literally. His campaign announced Wednesday that Weh will participate in the 10K Reindeer Run in Roswell this Saturday. In October, Weh ran the Duke City Marathon’s 5K race in Albuquerque.

Is this a not-too-subtle appeal to supporters of former Gov. Gary Johnson, who always seemed to be competing in events like this?

Weh, himself a lifelong long-distance runner, says it’s to make a pitch for healthy living. He’s a prostate cancer survivor who says promoting proper nutrition and exercise is a priority.

Cargo Cult: The recent death of former Gov. Bruce King has prompted me to re-reread his autobiography, Cowboy in The Roundhouse. In recent months, I’ve also read former Senate Majority Leader Fabian Chavez’s autobiography, Taking On Giants.

And this week I learned there’s another book in the works from another New Mexico politician who was a contemporary of King and Chavez — former Gov. David F. Cargo.

Veteran Albuquerque journalist Dennis Domrzalski posted on his Facebook page this week that he “Just finished the final edit of former New Mexico Gov. Dave Cargo’s memoir, Lonesome Dave.”

It will be published by Sunstone Press in Santa Fe, which also published King’s book.

Speaker Seeks Re-election

House Speaker Ben Lujan announced today that he's seeking re-election to his District 46 seat in the state House of Representatives.

Lujan, a former Santa Fe County Commissioner, was first elected to the House in 1974. He was elected speaker in 2001.

I can't remember the last time he had an election opponent.

He's the father of U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

I have to kid Lujan a little here. A few years ago I asked him how long he intended to stay in the Legislature. He answered jokingly, "I'll retire when Pete Domenici retires.

I guess that answer was premature.

UPDPATE: A gentle reader reminded me of the last time Lujan had opposition.

Here's a clip from a Nov. 8, 2000 story by my former colleague Mark Hummels:

Rep. Ben Lujan, D-Nambe, fought off a challenge by independent Robb Young Hirsch, a Santa Fe educator who ran an unconventional race, campaigning from the seat of a mountain bike and refusing all monetary donations. ...

Lujan, a retired iron worker who serves as House majority leader, will enter his 14th term in office. He won 64.3 percent of the vote Tuesday, compared to Hirsch's 35.6 percent.

Shortly after that, Lujan was nominated to be speaker by the House Democratic Caucus.

Denish Takes Political Balancing Act on the Road

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is in Washington, D.C. today at the Democratic Governor's Association. Apparently she met with some reporters who raised some of the same issues about her candidacy that I did in a story this week.

"Denish said simply that she already is `distinctly different' from Richardson -- and she is," wrote Erine McPike in Hotline Oncall. "Where the Hispanic Richardson is back-slapping and outspoken, Denish is a soft-spoken woman, and the first female lieutenant governor of the state; her history of public service took a different route than Richardson's. Denish rose through state government ranks, whereas Richardson served in Congress and the Clinton administration."

The Politico, in a story headlined "Diane Denish: The anti-Bill Richardson" quotes Denish saying, "I’m a different kind of leader, and I think it’s well established in New Mexico that my style is distinctly different than Governor Richardson’s. I’ll be running on my own record, I want to be clear about that… I don’t think I have to say I’m going to be different than Bill Richardson. I am different than Bill Richardson.”

The Republicans, of course, have a different take. Yesterday they had a news release referencing my balancing act article with a Denish quote from The Albuquerque Journal last year. The lieutenant governor was quoted saying "I’ve been a good, loyal solider and we’ve worked well together."

I predict we'll be seeing more of that quote.