Ifill Brings "Open Dialogue"

Gwen Ifill is the moderator of Washington Week and senior correspondent for the PBS Newshour is coming to Albuquerque to host an "open dialogue" with a live audience Nov. 6, shortly after the election in November.

Ifill will talk about fallout from the election, the state of journalism today, and highlights from her career.

The event will take place at The African American Performing Arts Center at the State Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $20, or $50 for the event plus a V.I.P. reception. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 505-277-2922 or visit knme.org

Clinton Comes to Española

Former President Bill Clinton is coming to Española to campaign for Diane Denish for governor, the Denish campaign just announced.

Clinton, a popular political figure in the state — especially in Northern New Mexico — will speak October 14 at a rally on the Española Plaza. The event is scheduled at 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but space on the plaza is limited. To RSVP to attend the rally, call Denish for Governor headquarters at 505-255-1282 or e-mail to: Clintonvisit@dianedenish.com.

(Clinton Photo thanks to Timothy K Hamilton on FLICKR)

Thursday Morning Cartoons

I meant to post this yesterday. It's the "Justice League" ad depicting Diane denish as a super heroine and Susana Martinez and Sarah Palin as super villains.



And if you like this sort of thing, here's a classic:

Roundhouse Roundup: Dueling IPRA Requests

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
September 16, 2010

The bad blood continues between Mary Herrera and some county clerks across the state. Last week some county clerks complained on KOB News about Herrera getting $10,000 from the state to hire temporary “liaisons” at various “problematic” areas statewide.

“Liaisons are a direct line of communication between the polling locations and the Secretary of State's Office, who by statute is the Chief Election Officer of the state responsible for efficient elections,” said a SOS news release last week.

But some county clerks bristled at being called “problematic” — a word that Deputy Secretary of State Don Francisco Trujillo said was used by some staffer at a legislative committee, not the Secretary of State’s office.

And some clerks complained that the liaisons didn’t seem to know what they were doing and, at least in one case, didn’t seem to be around until after the polls closed.

Whoever said, Deputy Santa Fe County Clerk Denise Lamb responded Monday with a public information request under the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) to the SOS. Some of the items she asked for included the names of all “liaisons,” their resumes, the “dates, times and duration” of the training for all liaisons and temporary workers employed by the SOS in the primary and the “familial relationship” of any liaison or temporary worker to any SOS staff member.

Lamb also requested all correspondence related to the hiring of these folks and all of the communications from the liaisons on primary day.

Herrera herself answered within just a few hours. She said her office would comply with the request. But then she added, “This is a good idea for the office of the Secretary of State to obtain in the files of all the staff hired by your office as well, who we do I send the IPRA request to?”

Lamb quickly shot back: “Mary, We don't hire any ‘liaisons’ to monitor your conduct of the election.” She said any request for public information should go to the county attorney.

Herrera started the IPRA Wars last month when she made a public information request for correspondence involving some of her staff past and present and her critics.

The Out-of-Staters: Earlier this week Diane Denish’s gubernatorial campaign blasted Republican candidate Susana Martinez for getting 52 percent of her campaign contributions from out-of-state supporters, according to her latest campaign finance report.

Nearly a quarter of Martinez’s total in the most recent report came from the Republican Governor’s Association, based in Washington, D.C. She also received several five or six-figure contributions from out-of-state sources, including some big GOP moneymen.

Denish, who raised less than half of what Martinez did since late June, received a few big contributions from outside of New Mexico herself, mainly from unions. She’s saying that about two thirds of the cash in her latest report came from New Mexico.

The Institute of Money in State Government’s website Followthemoney.org, has not yet included this week’s reports in their totals. But as of the previous campaign finance reports submitted in early July, 63 percent of Martinez’s money had come from New Mexico and almost 37 percent had come from out-of-state. Denish’s figure was about 67 percent in-state, 32 percent from out of state.

But even if Martinez eventually does end up with about half her campaign funds coming from outside of New Mexico, she wouldn’t be the first.

According to Followthemoney.org, in 2006 less than 51 percent of Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign funds definitely came from New Mexico. Nearly 48 percent was from out of state, while the place of origin of 1.7 percent of Richardson’s money couldn’t be determined.

The real question is why New Mexico gubernatorial get so much money from elsewhere. In Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma, all gubernatorial candidates, both Democratic and Republican, according to followthemoney.org, all are getting more than 90 percent of their campaign cash from inside their respective states.

Who Is Foster Freiss?

He's Susana Martinez's biggest individual contributor in her last campaign finance report. (Not for the whole campaign. That honor still goes to Bob Perry, the Houston developer best known for funding the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.)

Freiss is well known in conservative and Christian Right circles. His web site, where he discusses his views on several issues, is HERE.

He made his fortune in a management firm called Freiss Associates, which he stared with his wife Lynn in 1974. Business Week profiled him in 2001.

Freiss was a featured speaker at last June's Western Conservative Summit, in Colorado, along with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. and right-wing pundits Michelle Malkin and Dick Morris.

Mother Jones did a short political profile of him back in 1997. Then, the magazine reported, he was vice president of the Council for National Policy, which MJ called "the secretive group headed by former Attorney General Edwin Meese that includes Oliver North and Pat Robertson and influenced the fundamentalist planks in the GOP's 1996 platform."

Besides contributing to conservative causes, Freiss also is a philanthropist, donating and helping raise millions for disaster relief.

Susana's Campaign Finance Report

The Susana Martinez campaign was able to file its latest campaign finance report this morning. You can see it below.

As was previously reported, she raised more than $2 million since late June, compared with just under $796,000 for Democrat Diane Denish in the same period.

The $500,000 from the Republican Governors Association shows up here, in the form of two $250,000 contributions -- one in late July, one in early September. The RGA also is listed for more than $11,000 in "in-kind" donations. I suspect that means they're doing an ad for Martinez.

Other major contributors to Martinez this period include $200,000 from Foster Friess, an "investor" from Jackson, Wyoming and $100,000 from a B. Hughes, who is listed as an "executive" from Malibu.

Devon Energy, an Oklahoma City-based company gave her $50,000. Sigma Ventures Inc. of Houston gave her $40,000, Myco Industries, an Artesia oil company contributed $30,000 and LDL, BC, Ltd., a Las Cruces contractor donated $25,000.

Bode Aviation of Albuquerque and its executive John Bode are listed for “in-kind” donations totaling more than $31,000. Lincoln Strategies, a Republican consultant group that is working for Martinez gave in-kind services of $35,000, the report says.

Here's the report. Like I always say, probably needlessly, look at it in full-screen mode.



Susana Martinez Finance Report Sept. 2010

Martinez Cleans Up in $$ Race

In the last campaign finance reporting period, Republican Susana Martinez reported raising more than $2 million. That's well over twice what Democrat Diane Denish reported, just under $796,000.

My story about the reports is HERE

For months Denish had a huge lead in campaign funds. Now she has $1.3 million in the bank. Martinez has pulling close with about $1 million.

Martinez's report wasn't filed with the Secretary of State yet because of a technical glitch. I've been assured it will be up tomorrow. The figures I'm using for her are from a news release on her website.

About a quarter of Martinez's total for the period would be that $500,000 contribution from the Republican Governor's Association. I'm assuming that was made before the Sept. 6 cut-off date. The story broke in the Washington Post on Sept. 9, so I guess there's an outside chance it was made on Sept. 7 or 8. We should know tomorrow.

Here's Denish's latest report. I'll post Martinez's as soon as I can when it becomes available.

(Don't make yourself blind. You can enlarge this to full screen.)

Denish Finance Report Sept 2010

It's a Bird, It's a Plane ...

New Mexico Democrats have decided to go after an under-served voter constituency in the state:

Comic-book nerds.

There's a new PAC headed by Dem activists Eli Il Yong Lee, Neri Holguin and Sandra Wechsler called The Justice League PAC.

I'm not sure whether they've cleared that with the legal beagles at DC Comics -- and I'm not sure if they're trying to imply the endorsements of Superman, Batman, The Flash and J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter, but here's what their website has to say:

We can no longer just rely upon charismatic leaders. We need to find the superhero in all of us – to act together, to talk to our families and neighbors, to be political activists in the truest sense of the word. Together, we can make politics about us, not about them. That way, we can control the terms of the debate, with our own feet, our own pocketbooks and our own voices. These are our real super powers.

And also, Susana Martinez is an evil robot.

Watch for the TV on Wednesday.

The Martinez-Denish Mesa del Sol War

This post has been updated (below, right before the video) with a response from state Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales.

In addition to the Susana Martinez ad about the teacher who appeared in an ad for Martinez's gubernatorial rival Diane Denish, the Martinez camp unleashed another ad yesterday regarding Denish's husband's work for the Mesa Del Sol development.

My story about those ads is HERE

Denish's campaign responded saying that Herb Denish did not lobby the state government for Mesa del Sol (or the parent company, Forest City Covington) -- though he did lobby Albuquerque's city government.

The campaign also said Diane Denish recused herself from discussion on the Mesa del Sol issue on the state Board of Finance, of which she is a member as lieutenant governor.

But the state Republican Party, in a news release pointed to several times in which Denish praised and promoted the Mesa del Sol development.

"Denish said for years, New Mexico fueled the nation with oil, gas and uranium. Now, she said, the state will lead with alternative sources of energy. 'We in New Mexico ... are in a perfect position to lead the green-collar revolution that people are talking about' that will provide both jobs and renewable energy, Denish said. 'If Mesa del Sol is anything like I expect it to be, it will have solar-powered homes, businesses and everything else dotting this mesa in a few years," she said. "It will be a model for the country.'" ("United States: Fed Lab, NM Private Development Partner On Energy," TendersInfo, 12/6/08)

“’The University Boulevard extension is an important milestone in the development of Mesa del Sol,’ said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish while U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) called Mesa del Sol ‘one of the most important economic development projects New Mexico has ever seen.’” (“University Boulevard Extension Paves The Way For Economic Development,” Forest City Covington’s “The Outlook” Newsletter, Feb. 2007)

“The solar research, development and manufacturing plant is the first structure to be built in the undeveloped Mesa del Sol area on the Southeast Mesa south of the Albuquerque International Sunport. … "This is a momentous day for Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and for the state of New Mexico," Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said at the ceremony. "I'd like to thank Advent Solar for choosing New Mexico.” (Debra Dominguez-Lund, “Solar Plant Breaks Ground; Company Promises Jobs, Attention,” The Albuquerque Journal, 1/15/06)

I've asked the Denish campaign for comment. I'll post that after I get it.

UPDATE: The Denish campaign never responded to my request for comment on this, but state Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales provided the following statement:

“Diane Denish has consistently supported efforts to bring innovative industries and new jobs to our state, but that doesn’t make anything in Susana Martinez’s ad true. Even the Republicans know that Denish recused herself from votes on that project and Martinez’s ad is patently false. But there’s a reason she’s airing it. It’s all she has. Martinez can’t defend her plan to cut funding from public schools or her beliefs that big corporations should be allowed to run wild with no accountability, and that’s why New Mexicans are getting a heavy dose of desperate attacks like this."

Here's the Martinez ad:

What's in a Name? I Found Out

O.K., this is embarrassing.

In my column this week, I referred to Don Francisco Trujillo as Secretary of State Mary Herrera's "top deputy, who prefers to use the Spanish honorific before his name."

Today Trujillo called to say that "Don" actually is his first name. Someone I trusted told me otherwise.

"I don't think I'm old enough to give myself the title of `Don,'" he said.

He offered to show me his birth certificate. I told him I wasn't a birther.

Lesson learned, I should have checked with Trujillo about the "Don" business.

I'm going back to the column and omit the reference now.