Talk about the election cycle going at hyper-speed! The ABQ city election isn't on tap until October 05,' but already Council Prez Michael Cadigan is hitting the campaign trail. The freshman rep from the city's Westside has hit the mailboxes with a fund raising letter saying although "it's early in the process, it is necessary for me to begin raising campaign funds."

Why so early? Well, it's been a rocky two years for the attorney-councilor who was the target of an aborted recall effort early in his term from constituents who thought he was out-of-step with his somewhat conservative district. And, former ABQ police union chief Paul Pacheco has been floating trial balloons for a possible run against Cadigan. Also, the councilor has been a big backer of the Planned Growth Strategy, a strategy that some pro-growth elements in his district see as anti-Westside.

But Cadigan has been a strong supporter of the Paseo road extension, a key issue out there. However, many of the supporters of the growth strategy are among the most ardent foes of the Paseo extension. There is also the not so little matter of that defeat of the road bonds last October (see my Oct. archives) that would have provided city money to get the Paseo project moving. They were resoundingly approved out West, but nosedived elsewhere in the city, prompting grumbling in Cadigan's district that "he could not bring home the bacon."

Democrat Cadigan now has the council president's pulpit to redefine himself. But he may get a stiff challenge next year, thus the very early pleas to fill his campaign kitty.

ANCHORS AWAY--PART THREE

Is there something in the air? Well, it's what won't be over the air that is once again grabbing the attention of TV viewers. Insiders tell me that veteran KOB-TV news anchor/reporter John Mason will be the next high-profile name to exit the ABQ market and head for other pastures. Also, KOB-TV anchor Lauren Przybyl announced on the air that she too is out the door at the local NBC affiliate and is headed for the big TV market of Boston.

These departures come on the heels of the departures of KOAT-TV anchor Craig Nigrelli and KRQE's TV's Kathy Wyatt.
Mason came here from Chicago in 1997 and was a kind of 'floating anchor' for channel 4. He and Pryzbyl anchored the 9 p.m. news on KOB's news sister KASA Fox 2. Longtime NM anchor Nelson Martinez took up residence at KOB in January, perhaps reducing the need for Mason's services.

TV news, of course, is notoriously unstable, but the market contains some hardcore veterans including dean Dick Knipfing,
Carla Aragon, Tom Joles and Dianne Anderson. Maybe with those top jobs pretty secure, the second tier of anchors departing this year feels their shot at the big bucks is a better bet elsewhere.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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