Tuesday, December 10, 2019ABQ Voters Decide Two City Council Seats Today As Murder Meter Registers New High, Plus: Death Claims Respected Roundhouse Lobbyist John Lee Thompson The previous murder record was set in 2017 but the more salient point is that ABQ has surpassed 60 murders each year since 2016. It's a new normal that nobody wants. The murder rate doesn't tell nearly the whole story. Take a look at this quote from Dr. Steve McLaughlin, UNM Chair of Emergency Medicine: If you go back a couple of years, we're seeing about 10 percent more gunshot wounds every single year. So if you go back to 2016, the numbers were something like 250. And this year, we're going to be somewhere close to 400. So it's gone up dramatically. That is a stunning number. The number of gunshot wounds is up 60 percent since 2016? One can only imagine how many more murders the city would tally without the excellent physicians and staff at the UNMH emergency room who are saving lives on a daily basis. (Some of those gunshot victims are suicide or accidents). The violence and mayhem is starting to become politicized. First, BernCo Sheriff Manny Gonzales, a Democrat, refused to rule out a mayoral campaign against fellow Dem and Mayor Tim Keller in 2021. Now, for the first time, the state GOP is making crime an issue. Chairman Steve Pearce reacted to the grim murder news: . . .This is a prime example of weak leadership. . .Keller is desperate to do anything: multi-agency task forces, upgrades on data systems—he’s focusing on impractical solutions that are coddling the city’s criminals. Albuquerque’s becoming a crime-zone. . .Keller has failed our community. We need real action from the city and the state to hammer out strong laws and fix this problem with real crime-fighting solutions. Keller supporters might wonder where the R's were when Republican Mayor Berry was presiding over rising rates of crime and left office with APD in disarray.
For sure, Pearce is hoping that the downbeat crime news will help Republican Brook Bassan who appears to be in a close race today with Dem Ane Romero for Council District 4 in the NE Heights.
In District 2 there is no GOP hope. Both incumbent Ike Benton and his challenger Zack Quintero are Dems. Benton is heavily favored. The polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Only residents of Council Districts 2 and 4 are eligible to vote. Voting info is here. Election results will be posted here. JOHN LEE THOMPSON
Thompson, 79, spent over 40 years at the Roundhouse successfully lobbying on behalf of a long list of clients. His son John followed in his father's footsteps and is himself a prominent lobbyist. He told me: My dad was liked, trusted and respected by all. A truly first class gentleman. Another Roundhouse lobbying fixture, Mark Fleisher, a good friend to Thompson, came with this: John Lee was a lobbyist who had served three terms as an ABQ state representative. Like most good lobbyists, he kept most clients year in and year out including: Mid Rio Grande Conservancy District, Association of Counties, Premier Distributing and BNSF Railroad. John Lee was well-respected. He tutored his twin sons, John and Jason, and today both are well-respected lobbyists, a tribute to John Lee's character. He was low-key, had a big heart and was a dear friend. He will be missed. A contemporary of Thompson's, retired lobbyist Ed Mahr, paid tribute to his former colleague: John Lee was a man of dignity and class and enjoyed a reputation for honesty and integrity. More importantly, he was a kind and warm individual, well-liked by business associates and friends and loved by his children and grandchildren. Services for John Lee Thompson are pending. THE BOTTOM LINES In a first draft Monday we blogged that the US House could vote on articles of impeachment this week. The House Judiciary Committee may vote on the articles this week. A full House vote could come before year's end. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 |
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