Friday, February 01, 2019Friday Clippings From Our Newsroom Floor The APS mail-in election ends Tuesday and BernCo Clerk Linda Stover says:
The County Clerk’s Office will be open Saturday, Feb. 2 for any voter who wants to hand deliver their ballot to the Clerk’s Office at 1 Civic Plaza, 6th Floor or at the Voting Warehouse at 2400 Broadway SE Building H. The Special Election is an “all-mail ballot” election. There will be no election day polling locations. All completed absentee ballots must be received in the Clerk’s Office, either in person or by mail, no later than 7 p.m. on Feb. 5. Turnout has been robust with over 101,000 ballots cast for a turnout so far of 24% of the registered voters receiving ballots. APS is asking for an increase in property taxes to finance school construction, improve security and other measures. That has sparked plenty of debate. Will a higher turnout mean more opposition or more support for APS? Also on the subject of education, reader Brian Borchers writes in reaction to coverage here of the state lottery scholarships: It's worth noting that NM state appropriations to higher ed per student have dropped by over 30% since the 2008 recession.This has been one of the forces driving tuition increases at the state's colleges and universities- costs haven't gone down but tuition revenue has had to increase to make up the difference. WANNA BE A COP? Well, not quite a full-fledged cop, but. . . . APD is holding its next Citizen’s Police Academy starting March 19. APD has 50 openings for the 12-week program that is open to citizens interested in a hand-on education about the training and work of Albuquerque Police. The Citizen’s Police Academy meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. The program is designed to improve relations between the department and community, while creating opportunities for volunteers to help police. Students receive classroom instruction from APD’s specialized units, including Homicide, Crime Scene Specialists, Narcotics, K-9 and SWAT. People can apply online here. NEW CITY HALL HEFE  Santiago is his name:Mayor Keller announced the appointment of Santiago Chávez to the position of Chief of Staff/Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. Chávez will manage and direct the day-to-day operations of the Office of Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer, supervising a number of areas including public affairs, constituent services, strategic initiatives, communications, community engagement, and administrative functions. His appointment is subject to confirmation by City Council. Chávez most recently served as Director of Finance and Administrative Services for the NM Association of Counties. Prior to that, Chávez worked at the New Mexico Finance Authority as an advisor to local governments. Chavez replaces Sunalei Stewart who left City Hall and is now Deputy State Land Commissioner. Santiago looks pretty serious in that picture, doesn’t he? Like he’s ready to fire someone? Under your desks, kids. Here he comes. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 |
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