Wednesday, February 06, 2019Republican Rumblings Over Legal Pot; Some Crossovers? Plus: Eyebrow Raiser: House Speaker Has Leading Pot Firm As Legal Client, Also: The Great APS Overreach Ends In Defeat Those on the list to watch on this controversial issue include Rio Rancho's Craig Brandt, Greg Baca of Valencia County and Cliff Pirtle of Roswell. Even if the pro-pot forces forces could bring some R's to their side the math is still fuzzy for a win because a number of Senate Democrats are against the measure. The House is expected to approve the proposal. Legalizing recreational marijuana this session is an uphill climb but the political machinations surrounding the matter could take some fascinating turns as the legislation is weighed. Remember it was a Republican Governor--Gary Johnson--who back in the 90's turned his Republican Party on its ear by advocating for legal pot. Current GOP chairman Steve Pearce, who was the party's '18 Guv nominee, came out during the campaign against legal pot. Meanwhile, the Alligators draw our attention to a major federal court victory for Duke Rodriguez, CEO of medical cannabis company Ultra Health, the leading medical marijuana distributor in New Mexico. Senior Judge James Parker ruled last week that the NM State Fair violated Ultra Health's First Amendment rights by preventing the company from displaying cannabis materials at its vendor booth at the Fair. At the '16 Fair Ultra Health had displayed “Dorothy,” a 3-week-old female medical cannabis plant but the Fair halted its display. The Fair also denied Ultra Health's bid to display a cannabis plant at the '17 Fair and the company sued. The full court ruling is here. And there's healthy dose of La Politica in this case. The attorney for Ultra Health and Rodriguez is none other than Santa Fe lawyer Brian Egolf, who also happens to be the Speaker of the NM House where legalizing recreational marijuana is under consideration and which is strongly backed by Rodriguez and Egolf. In a motion, Egolf seeks over $92,000 in legal fees from state taxpayers for his handling of the federal Fair case. Egolf's involvement as a private attorney with Ultra Health while presiding over a major public policy issue that impacts a client is another of those moments highlighting possible conflicts of interest encountered by a part-time citizen legislature. THE GREAT OVERREACH
The local election act passed by the legislature forced the mail in election, instead of the usual low turnout February walk-in election. But still.
The disconnect between the public and APS is now even more pronounced and it will take years to repair the damage. It was a major setback for APS Superintendent Raquel Reedy who could have stopped the train from rolling, as could have the APS Board of Education
And then there was the miserably confusing ballot that turned off voters.
The mail-in election drew a record 118,000 voters, the most in history for an APS election and nearly 30 percent of the electorate. That is more than turned out for the ABQ mayoral election in 2017. It is not a bunch of conservatives rejecting taxes; it is a broad cross section of citizens. APS simply asked for too much--way too much in an economically challenged city. APS will now need to make a turn toward fiscal prudence, demonstrating that they are spending what they currently get responsibly. Improvements in student performance wouldn't hurt either. But the Superintendent did not indicate the gravity of this defeat in her concession statement and there was no hint of contrition: The ballots have been counted and the voters have made their wishes clear. The majority voted against a bond/mill levy package that would have paid to improve student safety, rebuild and repair our schools and refresh our technology and equipment. We are disappointed, of course. But we respect the democratic process and the will of the electorate. We appreciate all of those who rallied on behalf of our school district. Now we will need to reassess our situation and come up with a plan for addressing issues that come with aging schools. That doesn't even get close to acknowledging the loss of confidence the landslide vote signals for APS. Superintendent Reedy and her team have dug a deep hole for themselves. While the millions in construction they wanted approved is not going to be "shovel ready" those shovels will still be needed--to dig themselves out of the hole they are now in. 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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