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Thursday, September 04, 2025On The Biz Beat With Quantum Computing: Will State's New Economic Dream Be Just Another Disappointing Sideshow? History Says It May It is an interesting sideshow but stands in stark contrast to the mayoral campaigns in ABQ and Santa Fe focusing as they are on the long struggle here to address homelessness, crime and rampant drug dealing and addiction. MLG says she wants the state to be the “home of quantum computing" but such grand goal setting has been notably absent during her seven years at the helm when it comes to the aforementioned social issues. She has tried to chip away at them without ever acting on them in the singular way she is cheerleading esoteric quantum technology. It is the decayed social environment that has kept the state an economic backwater, with little population growth, a stagnant economy, caused professionals (e.g. doctors) to reject the state and created a general malaise regrading the future. The sideshow strategy by the state's political class has a long and sorry history but apparently a successful one. The electorate has repeatedly given second terms to its top leaders. Here's a glimpse of that history. Eclipse Aviation. Touted as the centerpiece for making ABQ a hub for all sorts of aviation firms, Eclipse crashed and burned after hefty government subsidies. Intel--A shining star when it set up shop here in the 80's, the spinoff firms that were predicted to result in a mini Silicon Valley never happened. Today Intel here is a shell of its former self and with no lasting legacy. Innovate ABQ--This was the brainchild of ABQ Mayor Richard Berry to create economic and job creation at a seven acre campus near downtown. Millions of dollars later, it fizzled. ART--Another Mayor Berry scheme that tore up Central Avenue to create a fast bus lane and spur the economy but instead caused economic chaos on the Route 66 corridor that persists to this day.  Today Maxeon Corporation, a Singapore-based solar manufacturing firm, is dubbed the new hope and is receiving generous government subsides but has now announced severe financial challenges and has delayed plans to build here. Space--Not entirely a disappointment but the Spaceport was to be a launching pad for Virgin Galactic to send tourists into space, fostering an economic boom in the desert near T or C. After more than 15 years, it still hasn't happened. Related to that is Orion Center, a satellite builder described as an economic "game-changer" by Mayor Keller where more than a thousand would be employed. Now long gone. Legal Marijuana--MLG pushed for nothing harder during her two terms than legal marijuana. When she finally got it, she declared; "The legalization of adult-use cannabis paves the way for the creation of a new economic driver in our state with the promise of creating thousands of good paying jobs for years to come." Instead the industry is a mess and those "thousands of good paying jobs" remain a mirage. Imagine if the financial and intellectual resources spent on these failed efforts had gone to address what really troubles the state today. There is a difference with the quantum project. It is not a public-private partnership but one with the federal government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Maybe that gives it a better chance of success? Maybe. At the ceremony announcing the partnership, state Economic Development Secretary Rob Black said: One of "those days," or as Frank sang, "just one of those things"? ABOUT QUANTUM The definition: Quantum computing is an emergent field of computer science and engineering that harnesses the unique qualities of quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond the ability of even the most powerful classical computers. The field of quantum computing includes a range of disciplines, including quantum hardware and quantum algorithms. While still in development, quantum technology will soon be able to solve complex problems that classical supercomputers can’t solve (or can’t solve fast enough). This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.
Wednesday, September 03, 2025AI Put To Work on Santa Fe Mayoral Race; Grok Has Garcia With Early Lead But Race Is "Wide Open" With two term incumbent and progressive Democrat Alan Webber not seeking a third term and with no dominant name seeking to replace him, AI concludes what most human observers believe--that the race is wide open with City Councilor Michael Garcia perhaps having a slight edge in the early going. Here's Grok in Santa Fe: The 2025 Santa Fe mayoral election is shaping up to be a highly competitive race with no clear front runner at this stage. Incumbent Mayor Alan Webber has announced he will not seek a third term, leaving the field open for several candidates. Seven candidates have declared their bids: City Councilor Michael Garcia, former City Councilors JoAnne Vigil Coppler and Ron Trujillo, former city Finance Director Oscar Rodriguez, former county clerk candidate Leticia Montoya, and political consultant Tarin Nix. Additionally, County Commissioner Justin Greene has also announced his candidacy. A mysterious poll conducted in May 2025, reported by The New Mexican, indicated that a large majority of voters remain undecided, with City Councilor Michael Garcia leading among named candidates at 15% support. However, the poll’s origins are unclear, and its results should be treated with caution due to the lack of transparency about its methodology and sponsorship. The poll also highlighted voter dissatisfaction with current city leadership and identified key issues like crime, housing affordability, traffic, infrastructure, and homelessness as top concerns. Given the lack of definitive polling and the early stage of the campaign, it’s challenging to pinpoint a likely winner. Michael Garcia may have an edge as a current elected official in the race, potentially benefiting from name recognition and his position as a critic of the current administration. However, other candidates like JoAnne Vigil Coppler, who ran against Webber in 2021, and Oscar Rodriguez, with his experience in city and town management, could gain traction depending on their campaign strategies and voter outreach. Tarin Nix and Leticia Montoya, while less experienced in elected roles, are focusing on improving city services, which could resonate with voters frustrated by current conditions. The use of ranked-choice voting in Santa Fe means the winner will need to secure over 50% of the vote, either in the first round or through subsequent rounds of vote redistribution, which adds complexity to predicting an outcome. In summary, no candidate can be confidently named as the likely winner at this point. Michael Garcia appears to have an early lead based on limited polling, but the high number of undecided voters and the competitive field suggest the race is wide open. Not bad, Grok. You get a free software update for your efforts. That Councilor Garcia has stuck his neck above the field is not surprising. Debbie Jaramillo was elected mayor from the council in '94 and David Coss did the same in 2006. In 2014, Javier Gonzales was a Santa Fe County Commissioner when he became mayor. That history brings Commissioner Greene to the fore who Grok did not address. Greene is a favorite of the progressives and could give Garcia his stiffest challenge. Is the race going to come down to those two or will firebrand Ron Trujillo heat things up? Can either of the women contenders--Nix and Coppler Vigil--break out? Does dark horse Rodriguez catch a wave? To be continued. . . 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. Tuesday, September 02, 2025Can AI Predict The Outcome Of The ABQ Mayoral Race? We Put It To The Test, Plus: Schooled By Trump: Latest State Broadband Plan Bows To Satellite Delivery So today we swallow our pride and ask AI--in this case Grok--what are the odds that ABQ Mayor Tim Keller will be elected to a third term? Grok's response begins with the positive factors for the incumbent followed by the negatives. Incumbency Advantage: Keller has strong name recognition and a track record, having won in 2017 with 62% in a runoff and in 2021 with 56% outright. Incumbents often benefit from established voter bases and campaign infrastructure. Financial Backing: Keller is leading the financial race with $756,000 in public funds, supplemented by a measure finance committee, totaling around $880,000. . .This financial edge could amplify his campaign’s reach. Policy Achievements: Keller emphasizes progress on initiatives like the Gateway Center for homelessness, clearing the rape kit backlog, and investments in parks, libraries, and housing. He also highlights moving the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) toward exiting the DOJ consent decree. These accomplishments may resonate with voters seeking continuity. Historical Context: While no Albuquerque mayor has served three consecutive terms, Keller’s campaign frames him as a “battle-tested” leader, potentially appealing to voters wary of untested candidates FACTORS AGAINST Voter Fatigue and Approval Decline: Keller’s approval rating dropped from 77% in 2020 to 49% in 2022, a 28% decrease among his own Democratic base, reflecting dissatisfaction with issues like crime and homelessness. Rising Crime and Homelessness: Critics, including opponents like Darren White, Mayling Armijo and Eddie Varela, argue that crime and homelessness have worsened during Keller’s tenure. Homelessness increased from 1,152 in 2021 to 2,394 in 2023, an 83% rise, which opponents use to challenge his record. Crowded Field: Seven candidates, including Keller, have qualified for the ballot, with notable challengers like former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez and former Sheriff Darren White. A crowded field could split votes, potentially forcing a runoff if Keller doesn’t secure 50%. GROK ANALYSIS  Good stuff from Grok but it's still up to a real live political reporter to clarify as well as make the odds that Grok shies away from. First, Keller's overall approval rating was not 49 percent in November 2022. We told Grok to clarify: According to a November 2022 Albuquerque Journal poll, Tim Keller’s overall approval rating among likely Albuquerque voters was 33%, not 49%. However, the same poll noted that among Democrats specifically, Keller had a 49% approval rating, with 20% disapproving. This distinction is critical, as the 49% figure applies only to Democratic voters, not the general electorate. The overall 33% approval rating reflects a broader decline in support, with 40% disapproving and 21% expressing mixed feelings. And since Grok won't be an odds maker, it's back to us. So. . . THE ODDS Odds that Keller finishes first in the November 3 election? We put those at 1/5, meaning a $100 bet would pay only $120 with an 83 percent probability that Keller will finish first among the seven mayoral candidates on the ballot. Odds that there will be a run-off election between the two top finishers if no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote in the initial election? We see a 70 percent chance that there will be a run-off or odds of 3/7. If you agree and bet $100 and there is a run-off, the payout would be $143.00. On the other hand, we place the odds of there being no run-off at 5 to 1, with a winning $100 bet paying $600. The reason the odds on a run-off occurring are not in the 80 percent or above range is because so far Keller appears to be the only candidate to have the funds for an extensive media campaign. That could change. Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Grok, but it appears you have a way to go before you take over the world. SCHOOLED BY TRUMP  That's a reason for mild celebration as the Trump administration forced the states to take another look at deploying satellite internet before letting $42 billion in federal broadband funds out the door, including $675 million for New Mexico. There are still 43,000 unserved and underserved locations in the state, according to the Broadband Office. In the second look required by Washington, the state is proposing 32 projects. Forty-four percent of the locations would get high-speed fiber, 40 percent fixed wireless and 13 percent satellite service as provided by Starlink and others. Today is the final day for public comment on the plan. There's an online form that has a list of technical parts of the plan to comment on but there is also a space for "other." We checked that and made comments supporting more satellite delivery than the planned 13 percent. The form to comment is here. We and a number of our readers have been pounding the table for satellite hook ups to mostly rural households where kids are stranded waiting for the costly and very slow rollout of fiber. But the Broadband Office was notorious in their opposition to satellite as were some Democrats in the legislature who killed a $75 million appropriation for satellite pushed by MLG. The inclusion of satellite in the state plan--albeit at a still too low rate--is a victory over the stagnant status quo that afflicts so much of the state bureaucracy. Like it or not, the Trump administration gets credit. So be on high alert Broadband Office Director Jeff Lopez. The slower the fiber rollout takes the more heat your bosses in Washington will be applying on you to increase satellite delivery and get this long delayed job done once and for all. Don't say we didn't tell you. 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. Wednesday, August 27, 2025Bad Vibes About Santa Fe Crime Turn More Real; Businessman Rings The Bell, Plus: Quantum Computing Meets Fentanyl That's because we've been discussing the bad vibes we've been getting about City Different crime with thought leaders like radio's Richard Eeds and others. It reminds us of the early days of the ABQ crime wave that eventually overtook the city. The stats are still mixed but anecdotal evidence should be enough for the leading Santa Fe mayoral and city council candidates to start pondering a sterner intervention: Salazar said he is closing his business at 110 W. San Francisco St. at the end of August. He said his sales are down about 30% from the same point last year, adding he no longer feels like it is safe for him to operate a business downtown....“I’m hearing from folks who are used to visiting Santa Fe often that they don’t feel safe coming here, going out for dinner on the Plaza after dark. The nightmare scenario for Santa Fe, one of the leading tourist attractions in the USA, is frightened visitors. Salazar's take may or may not be hyperbole but the vibes we started to get months ago are showing up in the numbers: City crime statistics show Santa Fe police responded to significantly more calls for service in July than they did in November — a difference of 1,800 calls. While numbers fluctuated from month to month, the overall trend in that period was a steady increase. No one rings a bell at the start of a crime wave that then becomes permanent. That's why anecdotal evidence and bad vibes have to be taken seriously. It's also why we have elections. A LASTING SCOURGE Of course, it's the long-lasting and hideously dangerous fentanyl scourge that is sucking the life blood from so many neighborhoods across the state. We get this from Las Cruces: Las Cruces and Doña Ana County have been put under an alert for high amounts of drug overdoses in the area. The Las Cruces Police Department and drug intelligence officers working for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) for New Mexico issued the alert after 21 overdoses happened over the course of three weeks in the region. Most of those took place in Las Cruces. Two of those overdoses were fatal.This high rate of overdoses began with the beginning of August. Early last week, there were seven overdoses in just three days. Meanwhile, the new buzzword in state economic circles is quantum computing and developing a "quantum workforce." This while the state waits for a quantum leap in getting kids to stop skipping classes at historic rates, treating rampant drug addiction and interrupting nonstop gun violence. Hmm. Wonder what Oppenheimer would think? 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. Reader Vox Populi: They Write Of APD DWI Scandal Coverage, The Race For Mayor And More About our continuing coverage of how the local media has been shut out of the federal hearings for APD cops pleading guilty to taking bribes in exchange for getting DWI offenders off the hook, we get this from the self-described Senior News Alligator at one of those local news outlets: Joe, you wrote that: “We would add that the NM media has been alarmingly shy in pursuing their right to attend the hearings and protecting the public's right to know.” We have asked the Federal prosecutor (both of them) about this repeatedly. And they have repeatedly told us that the plea agreements come in the morning and they set the hearing to the docket that day, hence there is no advance notice. It sucks, and while we will keep asking, it is obvious that the fix is in. We keep asking but they keep saying “No.” when they very obviously can say “Yes.” ~Senior News Alligator Thanks, Sr. Gator. It's a troubling double-standard and one that newly named "Acting" US Attorney Ryan Ellison could look into--if he is concerned about transparency as he says he is. Of course, Ellison could double down and ask that the US Senate formally vote on his nomination made by President Trump rather than avoid the confirmation hearings by accepting the unusual title of Acting USA. On the same topic another reader writes: Keeping us in the dark makes us less aware of the sweet deals these crooked cops receive so nothing has changed. Life goes on and no one involved in the DWI scandal will spend time in prison for committing fraud while the person committing a first time shoplifting crime of $100 is put through the ringer for his crime while he does a perp walk in front of local TV stations. So much for all the transparency all our leaders brag about. ABOUT THOSE LAYOFFS The new director of Sandia Labs said this week the first round of layoffs--some 400 of them--will likely be the last. When we blogged of the layoffs we noted how quiet the state's congressional delegation was in reaction to them in contrast with years past whenever the national labs were threatened with cutbacks. However, since then we did see a statement from ABQ US Rep. Melanie Stansbury whose district includes Sandia: Sandia Labs are a backbone of our community in New Mexico. More layoffs mean more New Mexicans and local economies suffering under the current Administration’s policies. And, the ripple effects will only continue to reverberate. Stansbury made her comments on the socials June 30, shortly after the layoffs--the first in decades at Sandia--were formally announced. HE LIKES ABBEY Reader Russell Toal writes of retired Legislative Finance Committee Director David Abbey who recently authored a book about his tenure: A MAYORAL ENDORSEMENT Longtime reader and contributor Ron Nelson who leans conservative has an endorsement to make in the ABQ mayoral race: Joe, I think Darren White needs to stay retired. He has to many skeletons in the closet plus he’s like a bull in a China shop on some of the really pressing issues. He’ll need a real strong trial lawyer as his City Attorney to defend many of his positions against the grip that our local ACLU has on local policy. My choice? Mayling Armijo. She addresses many of Mayor Keller's screw-ups screw ups with rational solutions. She’s also small business oriented. I was hot on Louis Sanchez when things first started but I think he killed his chances when he was the deciding vote to make ABQ a sanctuary city. Check out Ms. Armijo’s social media--she’s aggressively putting herself out there. 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. Tuesday, August 26, 2025Progressive Hope For Takeover Of ABQ Council Seat Falters With Candidate Withdrawal, Plus: More State of the City React With Buchanan Farmer out, Colton Newman is now Grout's sole rival but he has only raised $100 while Grout has qualified for about $50,000 in public financing. District 9 in the far NE Heights and Foothills area has grown more moderate in recent cycles. Grout is a down the line Trumper, but has tried to be quiet about it, focusing on community involvement while adopting conservative policies on crime and homelessness. Buchanan Farmer did not say why she is abandoning the race only that it is due to "personal and family circumstances." The current Council leans 5 to 4 favor of the GOP, with conservative Dem Councilor Louie Sanchez often voting with the four R's. He is leaving his District 1 seat to run for Mayor so the seat is expected to fall back into the Dem column. Dems are still holding out hope that they can take down longtime District 5 GOP Councilor Dan Lewis on ABQ's westside with Dem Athena Allen, wife of BernCo Sheriff John Allen. But Lewis, another Trumper who has fled to the closet, is celebrating pork barrel projects he has brought home in his recent spate of advertising. With Mayor Keller favored to win a third term, he is line to face a slightly more favorable Council although his relations with the nine member panel have been more strained in his second term with councilors from both parties. MORE STATE OF CITY We blogged Monday that we found Mayor Keller's State of the City address mostly pollyannish but city spokesman Gilbert Gallegos says a good portion of the Saturday talk had Keller acknowledging the serious issues facing the city: Joe, Here is a link to the full speech, and for what it’s worth, some examples of the Mayor’s perspective: “Don’t get me wrong, I see what you see, challenges seemingly all around us: addiction driven crime and homelessness, families worried about rent, guns in our schools and parents targeted by ICE.” “If there were easy solutions to our long-term problems, I would have fixed them in a heartbeat, I assure you. But we’ve been doing the hard work, now alongside those challenges are signs of progress and resilience that remind us we can hold our community together and lift up Albuquerque.” “We still have a ways to go, but the path is clear: follow through, match investment to the scale of the problem, and deliver lasting outcomes we all deserve.” Reader krent201 came with this critique of Keller's State of the City: Crime: There is no way to provide a comparison for how bad it is. Making statements like, “when you’re in the middle of a turn-around” is the most chilling feature of ABQ and the voters may actually believe it! There is no mistake about what is happening in ABQ and NM. The only thing said that is correct is that “projects are finally showing results." For those results take a drive down Central or 2nd St. Better still come to my house where junkies and derelicts are sitting out front shooting up, leaving their waste droppings and food wrappers, all within a five foot area. Yes, the results of 8 years of this fantasy riddled administration is stated clearly in your last sentence, “Don’t worry, be happy”. Maybe he needs to take another toke? 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. Monday, August 25, 2025ABQ Mayoral Campaign Becomes Psychological Warfare: Keller's Sunny Reality Versus The Field, Plus: Possible GOP Guv Hopeful Weighs In On State Doc Shortage
ABQ Mayor Tim Keller did not cite that famous quote from a Marx brothers movie at his annual State of the City address Saturday but that was the essence of the buoyant half-hour summary he offered to Mr. and Mrs. Albuquerque before a considerable crowd at the ABQ BioPark. Another quote that would fit the bill for the pre-election oration is: "Everything's coming up roses." Here was Keller's paraphrase: It’s not always easy to recognize when you’re in the middle of a turnaround that’s actually happening, but the signs of resurgence are in plain sight. . Projects years in the making are finally showing results. Now we still have a long way to go, but the path is clear. The November 4 election is pure psychological warfare now. There is Keller's sunny side of the street and the more dystopian views from his rivals seeking to deny him a third term at the helm of the state's largest city. However, challenger Alex Uballez did not directly rip into Keller's version of reality as did the other five mayoral hopefuls. He accepted Keller's boast of mild improvement on crime and homelessness but argued it is not enough: The people of Albuquerque know eight years is too long for you to be gaining traction. The people of Albuquerque know that a third term is something you give to someone who is hitting home runs and just nailing it. Okay, but if a third term should go only to a homerun hitter, who gets a first term? A pinch-hitter? That's the box city voters are in as they see with their own "lying eyes" that many city conditions have deteriorated under Keller, but they don't see any credible alternatives on the roster to put into the big game. Given that backdrop, Keller is delighted to put the spotlight on himself and welcome the comparisons. On Saturday he reveled in taking joyful selfies with bystanders, creating images to match the reality that he so wants voters to come to adopt as their own. The display brought to mind a third quote for the day and the campaign: "Don't worry, be happy." THAT DOCTOR SHORTAGE The debate continues over how much medical malpractice insurance premiums ares responsible for the state's doctor shortage. Duke Rodriguez, head of cannabis company Ultra Health, a former top state health official under GOP Gov Gary Johnson and now considering a Guv run of his own, comes with this take: Joe, you’re right that the media is only telling half the story when it comes to New Mexico’s doctor shortage. Yes, malpractice premiums are a piece of the puzzle. We could cut them in half tomorrow, lower caps on pain and suffering, even keep pointing fingers at the trial bar and their PAC disclosures. We could also raise Medicaid reimbursement rates and issue dire warnings that half a dozen rural hospitals may close. But let’s be honest—none of those single fixes will solve the physician shortage in New Mexico. The fact is, there is a physician shortage across the entire country, not just here. Doctors are aging out of practice, and the next generation is smaller in number and more selective about where they choose to live and work. The competition for quality physicians is fierce, and it’s not going away. The winners will be those states that can offer doctors a complete package of quality of life: strong schools for their families, safe and vibrant communities, and an economy with a healthy mix of payors—not just a population heavily dependent on government-sponsored coverage. Until we address those fundamental issues, we’ll continue to be outbid in the national contest for medical talent. So yes, malpractice reform can help around the edges. But if we don’t confront the bigger picture—education, safety, economic vitality—New Mexico will remain on the losing end of this competition. That’s the reality no sound bite or bandwagon can avoid. 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. Thursday, August 21, 2025Late September Is Targeted For Any Special Legislative Session, Say Sources; Would Session Include Medical Malpractice? Plus: More Horsing Around On The Campaign Trail Still up in the air is just what she would hope to accomplish or whether this would be a grandstanding gesture to pump up her numbers and those of her fellow Dems on the thorny issue of crime.. Also remaining uncertain is what kind of of deal she could strike, if any, before calling the 112 legislators lawmakers to the Roundhouse, While there is no guarantee that a special is in the cards September 25, a few days after the start of the fall season, that is the working date, says our Senior Gator who has consulted legislative sources. They way the media is a forming a bandwagon for medical malpractice insurance reform makes observers wonder if MLG would include it in a special, even though chances of passage are no better than most of her crime bills. The media is half right about the doctor shortage. Medical malpractice is a piece of the puzzle but there are larger pieces they are ignoring in the quest for a simple answer. They include quality of life issues in attracting physicians and the low rate of Medicaid reimbursements for the doctors. With nearly 40 percent of the state's population covered by Medicaid, that doesn't leave as many folks on private insurance that pay the doctors much better for their services. The ink-stained wretches are freaking out because trial lawyers formed a PAC to fight medical malpractice reform bills and were forced to disclose their donors and contributions by the State Ethics Commission. Good for the commission but demonizing the trial bar isn't going to get more doctors here or to stay here. We've reported hard and long over the stagnant population of this once growing state, the aging of that population and the fleeing of our best and brightest young people for greener pastures. See Monday's blog. Until this state really confronts the aforementioned social challenges and more, quality of life measures of all sorts are going to stay in the gutter--including the number of doctors and other professionals who have options about where they want to live and raise their families. HORSING AROUND
Mr Monahan, as per your great, humor filled blog Wednesday, it appears that Sam Bregman's trusty steed, who may or may not be motivating on an altered title, is nowhere nearly as articulate as Mr. Ed of early 1960's television fame if all he can do is neigh as indicated in your posting. (Does the full ad have the horse actually "talking"?) In any event, I recall then-PRC Chair Sandy Jones, during his run for NM Land Commissioner in 2010, cleverly brought out his family dog, and that four-legged critter did actually "speak" for his candidate. Sandy's daughter, Cristal, later told me that the trick to getting the canine to "mouth" words was to insert a large dollop of peanut butter in his mouth. Now that I ply my memory on the above Jones campaign ad, it seems to me that your blog actually awarded first place to that campaign ad that cycle. Good stuff, Mike. Sandy was quite the guy during his long stint in La Politica. Bregman's ad does not have Fuego talking but we think he still deserves a dollop of peanut butter for his writing efforts. Hey, maybe Sandy could send Fuego some of his favorite brand? 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. Wednesday, August 20, 2025Sam Bregman Is Horsing Around; Dem Guv Hopeful Trots Out Fuego To Help Raise Dollars; Opponents Question Fuego's Credibility, Plus: Horse Named Governor Sam Loses Big Race
In a demonstration that a politico will do just about anything to raise desperately needed dollars and that we are truly in the dog days of summer, (well, maybe horse days) Bregman trots out his horse Fuego (Fire) to soften up potential donors. And Mr. Ed apparently has nothing on Fuego who can not only talk but also writes campaign pitches, like this: On weekends, when Sam isn’t out on the campaign trail, it’s just me and him on the ranch, relaxing, reflecting, and squeezing in some bonding time. Sam gets to slow down and reconnect with the values that fuel this campaign and the reasons he’s in this race--safer communities, stronger schools, affordable, accessible healthcare and a future of possibility for every New Mexican. But from what I’ve learned, campaigns aren’t fueled by oats and carrots. It takes people like you willing to step up and fight to move New Mexico forward. Sam and his team are building a people-powered campaign, but to keep the momentum going, they need your help. Thanks for saddling up with us, Fuego What a mouthful from Fuego-and a lot of schmaltz. We can let tht pass but intrepid investigators for the opposing Guv campaigns are already on the attack, saying Fuego may have a credibility problem. How so? One operative says: If I’m tough to reach this weekend, it’s because I’m out on the ranch - where chasing Whiskey doesn’t mean a drink (he’s my horse). Did Whiskey become Fuego to make him politically correct. for fund-raising. Or does Fuego have a twin brother? Inquirnig minds want to know. We're on the case. Sorry, Fuego (and/or Whiskey) there are no free rides--horseback or otherwise-- from the Alligators of La Politica. GOVERNOR SAM LOSES And we have even more horsing around from the Bregman campaign. Here's the latest from blog reader Tom Ryzma in Pennsylvania: Joe, As you may know, the Bergman Family owns race horses, and one of them, a three year old colt, is named Governor Sam. Wow. I wonder how they came up with the name! Governor Sam just raced at Saratoga (top line race course) and went off as the heavy favorite at 1-2 odds. (Bet $2 - get $3 if he wins). Welp, Governor Sam got beaten at the wire by Spiced Up. Is that prophetic? So now what happens to Governor Sam? Does he get put out to pasture with Fuego and Whiskey (if Whiskey really isn't Fuego)) and does Governor Sam get a new name to help Bregman forget his loss? One thing seems certain. Governor Sam won't be writing any fund-raising letters. 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. Tuesday, August 19, 2025GOP Appears Divided Over ABQ Mayoral Race; Longtime R And Former Mayoral Hopeful Urges Republicans To Vote For Conservative Dem Sanchez Keller is expected to finish atop the field in the initial November election but short of the 50 percent needed for a first ballot win. Thus the December run-off a month later featuring the top two finishers. Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes, a former APD officer who was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor in 2017 and also came up short in two tries for the ABQ area congressional seat, took to the socials to warn R's away from leading GOP hopeful Darren White, a former APD officer and BernCo Sheriff Darren White. In fact, Garcia Holmes is urging her fellow R's to vote for conservative Dem candidate and City Councilor Louie Sanchez, another APD alumnus.. Here is her analysis of the race seeking to unseat Keller who is running for a third term: Because of the runoff rule requiring a winning candidate to get 50 percent of the vote in the initial election, there are not enough Republicans or other votes to get us there. I recommend choosing a conservative Dem to get a victory for us. There are so many people running and the votes split in different directions. The progressive Dems will come out for Keller, which will possibly give him what he needs to get to the run off. Dems Mayling Armijo and Alex Uballez will take some of those votes but not enough to matter. Sanchez is Keller's major threat as he is a sitting City Councilor on the Westside of Albuquerque and a Blue Dog Dem. Hard right Republicans will vote for the two Republican candidates, White and Eddie Varela. White is not a true Republican but has good name recognition, Turnout will be about 50 percent Democrats, 25 percent Republican and 25 percent independents. I worked in the same APD department as Sanchez and White. We were all police officers with APD. If it came down to those two my vote would go to Sanchez because of his integrity and honesty... The other candidate in the race is independent Daniel Chavez. None of the contenders has come anywhere near Keller in the fund-raising department. As the only candidate to qualify for public financing, he received over $750,000 in public money. Also, a PAC formed on his behalf could take his grand total over $1 million. Still, the race is only now being joined in the public narrative with about ten weeks to go until the Nov. 3 balloting. As one of our Senior Alligators puts it: "Joe, something could happen. Please wake me when it does." 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. Monday, August 18, 2025The $64 Billion Question (Cont.) State Investment Heavies Upset After Haaland Ponders Tapping Reserves; Call Plan "Alarming" But Pressure Could Grow As State Econ And Social Challenges Mount The money in the question is the immense amount of cash stuffed away in state reserves. The question is whether to make it work harder as proposed recently by Dem gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland. We reported last week that on social media Haaland somewhat nonchalantly targeted deploying some of those reserves to avoid more "ghost towns" in declining rural New Mexico. She did not directly mention abominable social conditions like widespread drug addiction, crime spikes such as the one in Española that prompted MLG to call out the National Guard or more horrific child abuse cases. The latter has again prompted CYFD critics like Marilyn Beck of New Mexico's Child First Network to deplore the continued incompetency at the agency. This, in the aftermath of six more shocking child killings in just the last four months, including a one year old who ingested a dropped fentanyl pill belonging to her drug-addled mother. Each of these cases had CYFD involvement. This is is heavy stuff in a state with oil-generated surpluses that have given it tremendous financial power to do what it pleases. But record increases in funding for public education--the touted Democratic "moon shot" that barely got off the launch pad--and the stonewalling of reform efforts at PED and CYFD--have left the state where we began at the start of the boom--last in the nation in just about all key social standings. HOW LONG?
The State Investment Council, manager of the massive wealth, is well-aware of the deeply troubling contrast between our booming finances and the deteriorating conditions of many of its citizens. The SIC has been "protecting" those funds for decades from what they see as ill-advised attempted "raids." They are nowhere near to pivoting in Haaland's direction as seen in this statement from an SIC spokesman reacting to Haaland's money bomb: Joe, State Investment Officer Jon Clark was giving an update to the legislative Investment Pensions Oversight Committee the morning your blog about the state reserves came out – which makes your column pretty timely. As you point out, it’s been a few years of major, unprecedented growth for the permanent funds and other endowments managed by the Investment Council, but even more importantly, the benefits those funds produce for New Mexicans every year have also exploded, tripling in size over the past decade to $2.57 billion for FY26 – a number which we expect to grow every year. That currently accounts for about 28% of K-12 funding and 78% of Early Childhood funding. It’s not always well understood that these funds aren’t just locked in a vault somewhere but are actually being invested to grow and deliver incredible benefits to New Mexico every year. In fact, we project these funds will return $38 billion to the state over the coming decade. That’s why it can be a bit alarming when people on social media talk about “spending half” of the funds to meet the state’s needs, not understanding that if done in a haphazard way, it’s akin to killing the golden goose. We have not seen statements where "spending half" of that $64 billion is recommended, but it speaks to the point about how attitudes toward those savings may indeed be changing. And that could set up another epic battle at the Legislature. We say another battle because we're reminded of efforts to tap the state's Land Grant Permanent Fund-- now over $30 billion--for about $150 million a year for mostly early childhood education. After a decade of debate lawmakers were finally worn down and in 2022 sent to the voters a constitutional amendment that allowed the draw down of the fund. It won overwhelming approval. This came after Santa Fe power players fell far behind what a majority of voters wanted. It took a progressive coup of Senate conservatives at the '20 primary elections to break their hold on the amendment. THE TROUBLE TODAY  What is troubling about this possibly new financial paradigm relates to the failure of the current one, The stagnation of PED, the CYFD disaster, the fentanyl scourge, the too-high crime rate and an anemic business environment have gone unabated even as the cash spigot is open wide. Beck points out that the problem is a stuck state government, lacking accountability and poor targeting: Joe, have you read the LFC program evaluation on home visiting? Less than 9% of families referred actually “complete” their program. I’m curious to watch the LFC's accountability report of the early chidhood department this week because ECECD seems highly ineffective no matter how much money they have. That take from Beck is especially worrisome because the constitutional amendment money for very early childhood (ages 0-5) and home visiting started to roll out in July of 2023--over two years ago. Beck agrees that comprehensive home visits could be an additional vital link in discovering dysfunctional homes and halting the violence that so many kids continue to be subjected to and that CYFD has been helpless to resolve. MORAL HGH GROUND  The rejoinder is that today's failure does not have to be tomorrow's. That it is morally imperative that the locked up money be used in an effort to improve and save lives--whether success is guaranteed or not. Still, voters probably would not be attuned to the subtleties, disgusted as as they are from reading nonstop of the latest depressing and morbid crimes. Their support for the early childhood amendment demonstrated that if given the chance to do something, do anything, they'll grab it fast. So right now it's a two-pronged challenge--accountability and targeting. That accountability and effective implementation of current home visiting as it relates to targeting child abuse as well as early education performance has to come from the LFC, other appropriate legislative committees, the Governor's office and the early childhood department. The CYFD needs attention from all of the above plus perhaps the attorney general's office as these child abuse cases are now so awful that criminal negligence could be in play. Also, the AG is in charge of the new Child Advocate Office, overseeing CYFD and will have to ensure it does not turn into a toothless wonder. As for the $64 billion put on the table by Haaland, there's no taking it off now that it has been linked to the state's gross under performance. The 21st century has rushed past this state. The last question today over the $64 billion is whether a serious gubernatorial debate will occur about finally meeting up with it. 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. Thursday, August 14, 2025Longtime Journalist Argues For Transparent Special Session of Legislature; Says Any Deals Beforehand Need To Be Open to Public Input
We've noted how the Governor and top legislators striking a deal on major legislation before she calls a special session is highly desirable to avoid another train wreck. But longtime NM journalist Peter St. Cyr wants to insure that the public is in on any deals. MLG has not called a special but appears to be leaning that way. Here is St Cyr's guest column: While the political class debates the timing and merits of a special legislative session this fall, my concerns are focused on the process being discussed by New Mexico House and Senate leadership. Their idea to have predetermined agreements in place before convening rank and file members to Santa Fe to simply rubber-stamp legislative solutions without meaningful public hearings should raise red flags with the public, nonprofit stakeholders, journalists and open government advocates. These groups should unite with me and stop this potential dog and pony show in its track and demand meaningful public hearings. New Mexicans should not be on the outside of closed door meetings and left to speculate on whether corporate donors and special interests are using their influence to shape legislative solutions ahead of public interests. These lobbyists should also be required to disclose their work, but Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a lobbyist disclosure bill in April. Her rejection squandered an opportunity to increase transparency and rebuild trust in state government with the public and rebrand New Mexico’s corrupt pay to play reputation. LIKE A BEE STING Kicking the bill down the road felt like a personal betrayal. It stung especially hard. I remembered then-US Rep. Lujan Grisham’s campaign pledge to support open government and make transparency more than just a buzzword during a Sunshine Week candidate forum I produced in March 2018. A few months after she was elected, I visited with governor and her senior staff and encouraged her to make open government a framework for her new administration. A year later, I woke up choking on blood and gasping for air. When I was diagnosed with Stage Four laryngeal (throat) cancer my priorities shifted and I battled to save my voice. Nothing helped and I spent the next few years recovering from my shattered life and career. The governor’s promises seemed to be forgotten and faded into the ether. But I’m healthy again and will never forget her commitments. The special session’s agenda will be set by the governor and her leadership to mitigate the potential impact of federal policy and massive budget cuts is important. Still, we need to urge her to add the lobbyists disclosure bill to her agenda now. Getting it ship shape and passing it this fall will give lawmakers time during the next session to consider other important changes to increase transparency on financial disclosure forms they and other elected officials are required to file annually. At minimum, the bill’s sponsors and the governor should craft legislation to require any political subdivisions’ lobbyists to provide clear disclosure of their work. After all they are ultimately paid by taxpayers and we have a right to know how our money is spent. The Municipal League and New Mexico Association of Counties should also be required to make their lobbying efforts available to the public since they’re supported by city and county membership dues. A TEXAS LEAD Alternatively, New Mexico lawmakers should consider taking Texas’ lead. This year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation prohibiting political subdivisions, including school boards, from using taxpayer money to hire professional lobbyists after supporters of school vouchers raised complaints their taxpayer money was being used to oppose their policy interests. Going forward, I will no longer identify as a watchdog journalist. After all this I will identify as a hedgehog journalist. They never give up even after being swarmed and stung by a Queen Bee. We welcome your comments including guest columns. 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. Wednesday, August 13, 2025Haaland Makes One Of First Statements On State Economy; Focuses On Rural Outlook; "I Don't Want Ghost Towns In New Mexico"; Points To $60 Billion In State Reserves But That Cash Is Restricted
Deb Haaland says she is looking to invest in rural New Mexico communities whose present status is lousy and whose future is threatened. Details of how she would invest there are uncertain. Haaland's campaign put up a video on the socials that has the candidate pointing to the state's large cash reserves, saying she does not "want ghost towns in New Mexico." The transcript: Are we a rich state or a poor state? We have 60 billion dollars and half our population is. . .Medicaid eligible. That means that half of our population is living in poverty. It feels really unbalanced. It's very unbalanced and we need to take money and invest in communities so that they can lift their communities up. Right? Like everyone talks about (how) we need this money for a rainy day. It's pouring outside. It is pouring. . . When we are writing up our (campaign's) rural communities platform these are things that we would like to make sure that communities have. I don't want ghost towns in New Mexico. That $60 billion Haaland references is the total in the state's permanent funds and other state-managed assets. But the funds are long-term investments and not readily available cash. The Land Grant Permanent Fund has $26 billion. The funds are constitutionally restricted to education. They are not available for the broad category of rural communities. The Severance Tax Permanent Fund totals $6.6 billion but like the Land Grant Fund, only a set amount--not the corpus of the fund--is available for annual distributions. The rest of the funds are similarly restricted, bringing the total to over $60 billion invested. The State Investment Council which administers the permanent funds, says it has invested in 12 venture funds in 2024 and set a new record for "New Mexico-centric investments." Perhaps Haaland could look at that pipeline for a rural investment. Thanks to the oil boom the state has been keeping historic reserves of over $3 billion annually in its nearly $11 billion budget. Some of those funds could conceivably be tapped for a Haaland rural initiative. RURAL VS. URBAN? Haaland says she does not want "ghost towns"in New Mexico. By one count there are over 400--many dating from the Great Depression--with new ones seemingly in the making in distressed areas such as Colfax County. The 2020 census puts the state's urban population at 75 percent. How much more investment should rural areas see, considering the needs of the majority urban residents and the high chance that more rural investment will not be effective in halting a decades-long decline in rural living. It's not lost that Haaland's political position against her chief Dem rival, Sam Bregman, is fragile in rural conservative areas and that her referencing them early in the campaign can be viewed through that lens. But Haaland's generalized statements do raise a fundamental and profound question about the economic future and they are not-sugarcoated. That's a start. 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. Tuesday, August 12, 2025Blog Taken To Task Over Coverage of Sen. Stewart's Ethics Mishap; "Ageism And Sexism" Claimed By Her Champion: We Push Back
Trujillo claims the blog used "sexist and ageist tropes" in reporting the incident and employed "a disrespectful tone." Before we get to his concerns, some background. Allegations of harassment were filed against Stewart by legislative staffer Michelle Jaschke who said Stewart screamed at her and called her "stupid." Jaschke also said Stewart sent her an abusive email using all capital letters in response to Smith's query for more information about capital outlay project funding for projects in the senator's SE ABQ district. The ethics subcommittee held a hearing and on a party line vote decided to take no action against the Senate leader. (More here, here and here.) Now on to Trujillo's criticisms of the blog and and our responses. I write to express my profound disappointment in your recent article regarding Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart. I am an avid reader and have been for quite some time now. While scrutiny of our public officials is both appropriate and necessary, your piece relies on sexist and ageist tropes and fails to acknowledge its own disrespectful tone. Ageism Your opening assertion, “At 78, Sen. Stewart’s time may be dwindling” constitutes blatant ageism. By suggesting her age renders her less capable or that she is nearing “the end of her usefulness,” you perpetuate a harmful stereotype that equates advanced age with diminished competence. Age alone neither predicts effectiveness nor justifies sidelining voices that continue to serve the public. Our response: We wrote: "At 78, Sen. Stewart's time may be dwindling but Senate Democrats appear unlikely to give her the boot from leadership over the incident." That's ageism? Hardly. Age is a critical factor in performance. It is why the Catholic Church prohibits cardinals from voting on a new pope once they reach the age of 80. It is why we have mandatory retirement for certain jobs. More directly, very few state legislators serve past the age of 82, which Stewart would reach in 2028 when she is up for re-election and which means her time in power may indeed "be dwindling." Chances are she is a lame-duck senator and her outburst may have damaged her standing. That's not ageism. That's reality. Back to Trujillo. . . Sexism Throughout the article, you repeatedly frame Stewart’s behavior in terms more commonly associated with dismissive descriptions of women. Phrases like “temper tantrum” and “progressive impulses” carry a patronizing, gendered connotation, implying emotional instability rather than a momentary lapse in professional decorum. Had a male leader been involved, the outburst would likely have been labeled a “blowup” or “angry response” language that, while critical, does not infantilize. Our response: "Temper tantrums and progressive impulses" are dismissive depictions of women. Really? Temper tantrums is a term commonly associated with misbehavior by children which in our view Sen. Stewart mimicked when she wrote an abusive email in all capital letters and followed it up with verbal abuse of the staffer, calling her "stupid." It was not a simple lapse in "professional decorum." Is that what you call it when the person who controls your paycheck and livelihood confronts you and tells you to your face that you're stupid? That's abuse in anyone's book. On second thought, our "tone" may have actually been too dismissive of the senator's behavior. Temper tantrum now seems too mild. We are not "implying" emotional instability on the part of Sen. Stewart. In fact, we are ratifying that this was indeed a a case of her losing control of her emotions--and that has nothing do with her gender. The bottom line? Stewart engaged in childish, immature and abusive behavior for which she eventually apologized. She's not alone in engaging in such conduct. Both male and females do it. Back to the letter. . . Disrespectful Tone
We don't understand how discussing a possible letter of reprimand has anything to do with Stewart's purported accomplishments. One has nothing to do with the other. Our belief that Stewart would be subjected to nothing more than a letter of reprimand by the ethics panel was a comment on the Santa Fe political culture which leans in on protecting their own. (More here.) And we were more than right with our prediction. She did not even get a letter of reprimand. No disciplinary action was taken by her legislative peers. None. Again that is not an "attack." That is what happened. As for quoting an unnamed senator, the political community can thank us for that. Please read what we reported and then tell us again with a straight face that this is "flippant gossip": Reacting to the Friday hearing of a legislative ethics subcommittee over the complaint filed by the abused staffer, one senator told us: There’s really s no alternative right now. Those who have run for Pro Tem before the caucus previously are not positioned. The real power in this place is now with Senators (George) Munoz and (Joe) Cervantes. They represent an odd mix of pragmatic and liberal politics that has sidestepped Mimi's progressive impulses which are now considerably more tame. Rather than gossip, that is pragmatic political analysis based on the current conditions inside the Senate Democratic Caucus. Because the analysis quotes an anonymous senator, you will likely not find it in other media here that will not use an anonymous source. The Wall St. Journal does, ditto for the New York Times and Politico. And so do we when the information functions to inform our readers of vital public policy and/or the personalities and political mechanics shaping outcomes that will directly impact the lives of New Mexicans. As for "gossip" we have nothing against it unless it is intentionally pejorative. All scrutiny of elected officials and public servants is welcome and an essential part of keeping our democracy alive. That's been a part of the American political dialogue for centuries. But we get it. When our reporting--exclusive and incisive as it often is because of the credibility of our sources--gets under the skin of those who disagree, they try to diminish the truth of that reporting and analysis as "gossip." That's in spite of decades of work here being vindicated by subsequent events. We let that work--chronicled here in over 20 years of archives--speak for itself. BOTTOM LINES  I urge you, in future coverage, to distinguish between legitimate critique of policy and leadership and gratuitous commentary on age, gender, or temperament. Our democracy demands rigorous journalism free from biases that diminish public discourse. Well, thanks for the advice but it is you, David, who need to distinguish between reality and the untethered world you have anchored your over the top, woke ideology to. Senator Stewart Stewart was not exercising "policy and leadership" when she lost control of her emotions and abused a staffer that resulted in the ethics complaint. It was her personal, wrongful actions being questioned and reported on. Nothing else. Even so, because her untoward comments to the legislative staffer were prompted by her irritation over the distribution of capital outlay funds for her senate district, we used that as a jumping off point to discuss the need for higher standards and more efficiency in that system and relayed suggestions for its improvement. Does that pass your test of "legitimate critique of policy" and "rigorous journalism?" Thanks for your criticisms, David. We appreciate the time you took to make them. 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. |
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