ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: Adventures in Email Land

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
Jan. 8, 2012


As a political reporter, a good chunk of my email consists of announcements of government meetings or political events, people criticizing or, less frequently, praising something I've written, a few scattered tips for stories, political organizations indignantly pointing to the outrageous misdeeds of their opponents or politicians asking for money. 

But I also get my share of interesting stuff. 

Such as the email in the Turkish language I got Monday with a color photo of red and green serrano peppers. It's apparently an ad for some kind of weight-loss product. 


To quote from that email, 

Samandag biberi Hatay ilimizde yetisen zayiflamaya etkisi muthis olan bir biber turudur. Unlu tv sunucusu MESUT YAR bu biber sayesinde ( gün 3-4 adet tuketerek) toplamda 40 kilodan fazla kiloyu cok kısa bir zamanda vermeyi basardı.

I'm not sure how I got on this list for this product, except maybe the fact I've written about legislators taking trips to Turkey. 


Or maybe someone who saw me at the Turkish-American friendship dinner I covered a couple of months ago thought I needed to lose weight. 

On Thursday I received an unsolicited email appealing to my status as a white man. 

Usually when people start talking about "white pride," I start sniffing for swastikas. But whoever sent this didn't appear to be an overt racist, though he's far more concerned than I am about what he calls "a subtle bias against whites." 


The email was hawking an e-book by an author named William McGaughey for 99 cents, billed as a "moderate white man's race manifesto" that "proposes a way that persons of the white race can regain their dignity without becoming an enemy of others." 

"What it means to be white in America has never been adequately considered. For the past fifty years, there has been a consensus based on historic injustices perpetrated by the white race against other peoples. Politically correct strictures have been imposed upon white society, brooking little dissent. However, this situation is starting to change. Barack Obama's election as President has opened up new horizons for white as well as black people." 

Well that's good. I'm tired of all those other races putting me down because I dance like a goofball. 

You thought the "birther" movement was dead just because President Obama produced his birth certificate last year? Think again. A frequent sender of emails to me (and other New Mexico reporters as well as various national conservative pundits) on Thursday forwarded a request he'd sent to Secretary of State Dianna Duran. 

"On or about December 13, 2011, I wrote to you requesting that your office provide me with some direction and/or guidance that would assist me in getting President Obama removed from the New Mexico 2012 presidential primary election ballot over allegations of fraud because I now believe that there is a preponderance of indisputable evidence, which I also shared with you in my letter, that collectively prove that he in fact is ineligible to hold the office of President of the United States and Commander-In-Chief of our armed forces." 

(I asked Duran's chief of staff, Ken Ortiz about that. " ... we would need a court order to remove someone from the ballot" after a candidate is certified.) 

My correspondent wrote a similar email the same day to Gov. Susana Martinez saying, "This disturbing issue literally keeps me up at night ..." 


I believe it. 

Some of the email I get might seem weird to some people, but it's definitely not crazy. A few days before Christmas I got an email from the spokesman for Allen Weh, a former state Republican chairman and unsuccessful 2010 gubernatorial candidate. I don't know if Weh is running for anything these days, but he sends occasional emails with his views on issues. 

But this mail wasn't political. It was one of his cooking videos — this one for a delicious looking soup called Caldo Gallego. Weh did a few cooking videos during his campaign. It's one of the few things I miss about that election.

 Here's that video:

:

New Mexico: 100 Years Young!

Here's the official proclamation from the governor: New Mexico Centennial Day

Viki Harrison is the New Common Cause Director

Common Cause New Mexico has hired Viki Harrison to replace outgoing executive director Steve Allen, who is going to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Normally I don't post announcements like this. But Harrison has an impressive record  at the state Legislature.

The main notches on her belt:

1) As executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty, she spearheaded the successful 2009 effort to end capital punishment in New Mexico.

2) As program manager of Animal Protection New Mexico, she as one of driving forces behind the successful effort to outlaw cockfighting back in 2007.

The question now -- as the head of  Common Cause, will she be successful at ending bad government in New Mexico? That's a pretty tall order, even for Viki.

Some Other Education Issues That Could Spark Session Fights

Yesterday I covered a League of Women Voters lunch at which Santa Fe legislators (and Sen. Carlos Cisneros of Questa) spoke. Much of the discussion centered around a couple of education issues.

No, not Gov. Susana Martinez's "social promotion" bill or other governor proposals. I'm talking about the ongoing battle between Santa Fe Community College and the state Department of Higher Education over a planned $12 million Higher Learning Center as well as proposed constitutional amendments that would make permanent the rate at which the state taps money from a state permanent fund for education.

My story is HERE

Thanks to Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, I learned that there was an attorney general's opinion about the Higher Learning Center issued last week. Basically it says that there's no need to have the Legislature approve the center -- despite what Higher Education Secretary Jose Garcia has said.

You can find that opinion HERE.

I was surprised that Higher Education Secretary apparently hadn't seen the opinion. And I was amazed that  the AG's office didn't send out a press release on this opinion when it came down last week. Of course, they've got more important things to worry about.

Some Recent Political Stories

I've neglected to post links here to a couple of recent articles I've written. Must be post-Holiday blahs.

But anywho, I did a story about the likelihood of the Legislature having to grapple once again with proposals to required voters to present photo ID at the polls. This is a national movement by Republican legislators all over the country. It's not likely to pass the current Legislature, but it certainly will generate some heat. My story is HERE.

Also, I did a story about the net worth of our Congressional representatives. That story is HERE.

I should repeat this disclaimer as stated by The Center for Responsive Politics' website:

"It is difficult to gauge what a lawmaker is worth based on what they file because the disclosure forms do not require exact values. Instead, the lawmaker reports the range of value into which an asset, for example, falls. As the values increase, the ranges get broader." 

 To calculate the net worth of Congress members, the center added together the lawmaker's range of assets and then subtracted their range of liabilities. For its rankings the Center used the median point between the ranges. Thus, Sen. Jeff Bingaman's net worth was estimated at $16.3 million in 2010 and a mere $6.9 million in 2004. The Washington Post and others also use this method to rank Congressional wealth.

More Redistricting

I did a story on how the state House redistricting plan approved by Judge Jim Hall. You can find it HERE.


Two interesting bits of political news here.

1) Rep. Nick Salazar of Rio Arriba County, whose district was crunched into that of fellow Democrat Thomas Garcia, said he's considering not running for re-election.

2) House Speaker Ben Lujan still hasn't decided whether he'll seek re-election. He said he's still digesting the new redistricting map.

My story focused on Lujan's District 46 because the Speaker is expected to get a primary challenge this year. Most of Santa Fe's districts remain fairly similar in that they are extremely safe Democratic districts. The districts currently represented by Lucky Varela, Jim Trujillo and Brian Egolf have better than 60 percent Democratic registration. (Varela's is more than 69 percent Democratic.)

But one big change I overlooked -- as pointed out to me by not one but two local lawmakers -- is that the community of Eldorado southeast of the city no longer is in Egolf's district. Instead, Eldorado has been moved to the district currently represented by Rhonda King of Stanley.

At meetings before and during the special session last fall many residents of Eldorado spoke in favor of being kept in Egolf's district. Instead, they've apparently become eggs broken for the redistricting omelet. (So now if Eldorado residents have a problem with state government, they'll have to say, "Help me, Rhonda.")

R.I.P. Mike Cerletti

Former New Mexico Tourism Secretary Mike Cerletti is dead after a long bout with brain cancer. He was 72.

Cerletti, who had managed several Santa Fe hotels. was New Mexico’s first tourism secretary, appointed in 1991 by Gov. Bruce King. Gov. Bill Richardson brought him back to that job during his first term. He served until the end of the Richardson administration in 2010.

Richardson in a written statement said:

Mike Cerletti was a great promoter of New Mexico and the best Tourism Secretary the State ever had. He was also a true friend who never wavered in his loyalty and dedication to the values of honesty and decency that he championed. He leaves a huge void. His wife Helen was always at his side and thousands of Mikes friends throughout the state and country wish her the very best.

 I first got to know Cerletti back in the 1980s when he managed La Posada and became a member of the city's Occupational Tax Advisory Board. He always was friendly and had a good sense of humor even in those rare times he'd call to argue about something I wrote that he didn't like. Cerletti was a true gentleman

Cerletti's funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m on Jan. 13 at the St. Francis Cathedral Basilica.

It's Salazar vs. Garcia in Approved Redistricting Plan

Rep. Nick Salazar

Veteran Rio Arriba lawmaker Nick Salazar will have to face fellow Democrat Thomas Garcia if both decide to run for re-election in the upcoming election. That's thanks to the state House redistricting plan approved yesterday by Judge Jim Hall.

Salazar, who is the chairman of the House Rules Committee, has been a legislator since 1973. Garcia first came to the House in December, 2006, replacing Hector Balderas who resigned his seat after being elected state auditor.

The Salazar/Garcia pairing is one of three in the redistricting plan. In southern New Mexico, Rep. Dennis Kintigh  would have to face Rep. Bob Wooley. Both are Roswell Republicans.

Also, the judge combined two Albuquerque districts currently represented by Republican Jimmie Hall (no relation to the judge) and Democrat Al Park. park is not seeking re-election. He's running for Public Regulation Commissioner instead.

Rep. Thomas Garcia

The consolidations were necessary to create two Albuquerque-area districts and a new one in Rio Rancho.

The plan Judge Hall chose was proposed by Gov. Susana Martinez, whose spokesman told the Associated Press, "This plan does not favor one party over the other and instead ensures competitive districts that will allow New Mexicans to determine who represents them in the House."

Democrats aren't so happy. Rep. Brian Egolf of Santa Fe, who had proposed another plan, said in an email last night:

 "I am distressed that the Judge has ignored the important issue of maintaining Hispanic voting strength while buying into the governor's crass effort to achieve a radical Republican gerrymander under the guise of alleged respect for Native American self-determination.

"The Judge had before him plans that achieve low deviations and showed true respect for Native American wishes; selecting one would have been in the interest of New Mexico's citizens."

Me on TV

Diane Kinderwater

Last month I recorded an episode of the Issues & Answers show with Diane Kinderwater on KCHF (Channel 11).

We talked about what might be in store for New Mexico politics in 2012. Hopefully my psychic powers didn't fail me.

It's been airing on KCHF this week. Next showing is 10 a.m. Friday and later that night at 10:30 p.m.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: They Took The Prize in 2011

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
Jan. 1, 2012


Looking back on some of the political stories of 2011, I said to myself, "Some of these guys take the prize!" 

So here's those prizes: 

Why Do You Think They Call it Dope Award: To former Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr., who blamed an addiction to prescription drugs on the idiotic antics — fraudulent use of state gasoline cards, etc. — that led to criminal charges and to Block being forced to resign from the commission. That alone would have been enough to win this award, but Block put a cherry on this sundae by his multiple arrests for violating his conditions of his Drug Court program, eventually getting booted from the program. 

Law of Unintended Consequences Award: To various tea-party organizations around the state for their last-minute drive to sandbag State Rep. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, who was making an insurgent challenge to unseat House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Námbe. This opposition to Cervantes scared enough House Republicans away from Cervantes' proposed coalition with conservative Democrats to keep Luján in power for another two years. 


Second prize in this category goes to Speaker Luján for taking revenge on Rep. Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch, who was one of the most vocal supporters of the Cervantes coalition. Luján stripped Nuñez of his chairmanship of the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee. Nuñez responded by switching his party registration from Democratic to declined to state, thus making the already shaky Democratic majority in the House even shakier. Now there are 36 Dems and 33 Republicans. 

Party Hopper Award: Until last week Nuñez was the shoe-in for this category. But then last Wednesday former Gov. Gary Johnson officially changed his registration from Republican to Libertarian, so he can seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for president. In announcing the switch, Johnson described himself as a "lifelong" Republican, but said the GOP had snubbed him during his frustrating, tractionless campaign for the Republican presidential nomination this year. 

Supreme Court Piñata Award: To Gov. Susana Martinez, whose actions in various areas have led to numerous challenges before the state's high court, which sided with the governor's challengers. In two separate cases, the Supremes ruled against Martinez's partial vetoes of bills passed by the Legislature. In other cases, the court ruled that Martinez lacked authority to arbitrarily remove two members of the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board and ordered her to reinstate the two members; and that the governor acted improperly when she requested the state's records administrator delay publishing greenhouse-gas emissions rules that the state Environmental Improvement Board approved shortly before she took office. 

Liberal Use of Conservative Award: This conservative award goes to the conservative Heather Wilson, who is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate — as a conservative. It seems that every one of her conservative news releases uses the word "conservative" about a dozen times. And that's a conservative estimate. When she ran for Senate in 2008, primary opponent Steve Pearce painted Wilson as a "liberal." Conservative as she is, Wilson, a conservative, is doing her conservative best to ensure that the L-word doesn't stick this time. 

Most Cheerless Holiday Cheer Message Award: To former Gov. Bill Richardson for a recent comment to reporters in the Roundhouse who asked him about his most recent grand jury investigation. That investigation is about allegations that Richardson hit up campaign contributors to raise hush money for a former state employee who claims she and Richardson had an affair. But Richardson's only response to the pesky reporters was growling "Merry Christmas" and walking away.