Westside City Councilor Michael Cadigan will soon find himself on one of the hottest seats in town. Reliable sources tell me Cadigan has the votes wrapped up and will be selected as the Council's president when the new council meets in December.
According to City Hall insiders, speaking on deep background, here is how the deal came down in the contest for the prize between Cadigan and Councilor Eric Griego: "(Miguel) Gomez wanted too much from Eric Griego in exchange for his support. Eric went to Cadigan and cut the deal for vice-chair. Now, Cadigan will win president easily."
But then things get complicated. Cadigan is a supporter of the Planned Growth Strategy (PGS) and a supporter of the Paseo road extension. He will vote with Griego, Gomez, Heinrich and O'Malley on PGS issues, but when it comes to Paseo they will line up against him. Cadigan will be under enormous pressure from his westside constituents to make the presidency a bully pulpit for Paseo because of the recent election defeat of the street bonds. What will he do? A lot of juggling for sure.
Meanwhile, back at his District 5 ranch, foes are already gathering for Cadigan. Paul Pacheco, former head of the Albuquerque police officers union is the latest name being bandied about as a possible 05' Cadigan opponent.
By the way, Democrat Councilor Gomez is telling associates he is seriously looking at a run for the Public Regulation Commission seat held by Jerome Block and up for grabs in 04.'
The Cadigan presidency will also be a minor plus for Mayor Marty. He and Cadigan can plant the flag in the westside together, but they will part ways on almost every other major issue, leaving Chavez without a council majority, and in some cases, there will be six votes to override vetoes. But Eric Griego as president would mean all-out warfare between the mayor and the council, so the Cadigan selection will be good for civil dialogue. You remember that, don't you?
(Check out Trib city hall reporter Ed Asher's take on the final meeting of the old council)www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/111803_news_council.shtml
ALSO OUT WEST......
KOB-TV's Neil Simon and the station came under fire over the weekend by a group of westsiders protesting the defeat of the Paseo extension. They said that during the campaign the station highlighted the fact that Paseo was not specifically mentioned on the ballot and that some voters were mad because they wanted to vote on it separately. They also criticized the station for running promos on the story. What's wrong with that? Beats me, but the group called for a boycott of Channel 4. Sounds like a classic case of killing the messenger. Besides, I'm pleased anytime any TV station here devotes airtime to an important public affairs issue and gives the crime blotter a rest for the nite.
c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
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