State Senate Majority Leader Manny Aragon doesn't live in the city, sponsored two major laws this year that took power away from the city, doesn't get along with one of his biggest critics, the mayor of the city, and yet Manny is involved in the Tuesday city election. Aragon, always on the outlook for an opportunity to add to his influence, has apparently taken under his wing the youngest candidate seeking election to the city council, 22 year old Javier Martinez, a UNM politcal science major. Manny has donated $425.00 to Martinez, who told me he does not consider himself a 'protege" of the legendary lawmaker.

"I met with Manny and he asked me a lot of questions about the issues, and decided I would be a good councilor and donated to my campaign. I am very grateful for the help." Martinez is running in the six person race in southeast heights District Six for the seat being vacated by Hess Yntema. His positions are of the liberal variety: against the street bonds, for the quarter cent public safety tax and against Paseo Del Norte. Martinez, an El Paso native, says he plans on going to graduate school if he loses Tuesday, but will be back in a couple of years. Well, we're sure Manny will be waiting. Republicans might want to take a lesson from the Aragon playbook. They keep asking how he hangs in there so long. Maybe it has something to do with grooming young men and women for high positions. Love him or hate him, all agree that Senator Manny comes to play. And he likes the game so much he recruits far into the future.

THE $20,000 "MISTAKE"
Eli Lee, President of Soltari Consulting, is a well-respected political pro around New Mexico, but he isn't looking too smart today. Not after he had to retract his statement that the charitable McCune Foundation was giving $20,000 to the Stop Tax Waste Commitee via Soltari to fight the $52 million street bond issue on Tuesday's ballot. Gerges Scott, on the job around the clock for the Bond Advocacy Group, e mails us the memo from McCune denying it was giving Soltari money to buy anti-bond TV time. The memo said it does not get involved in campaigns. Lee told me he had a conversation with McCune officials in January and thought they pledged the 20 grand, but it turns out they were talking about giving the money to the native American Sage Council to use in non-political ways. Lee now says his company will eat the 20K mistake and donate the money itself. "It was miscommunication," he told me, and added that the money will come out of corporate coffers.

If money gets too tight at Soltari, maybe Eli can give his resume to Gerges over at Rick Johnson. Not.