Direct from the scene, I have the poignant details of the big memorial service for New Mexico's longest-ever serving Congressman, Joe Skeen. The legend died Monday of Parkinson's disease at the age of 76. The send off he received had to be one of the biggest political funerals in state history. Three of the estimated 600 attendees report for "New Mexico Politics With Joe Monahan." Here are highlights from their reports:
"Joe, the place was packed with politicos of every stripe and every generation. Gov. Richardson, all the former governors, except Gary Johnson, the entire state congressional delegation and many legislators were there. They had one of Joe's boots filled with flowers in front of the church and a sheepskin emblazoned with the Skeen Ranch brand. A big picture of Joe on a horse looking out over New Mexico was flashed on a screen behind the podium. Richardson pointed at it and said: 'That's how we want to remember Joe.'
"Heather (Wilson) lost it several times during her speech. Joe was her mentor when she first went to Congress and they were very close. When she started crying, the place broke up. Pete (Domenici) started his speech with a whisper. He was pretty shaken, but gathered steam as he continued. Richardson was powerful. He said Skeen was a man of 'conviction, courage, honesty and integrity.'
"State GOP Chair Ramsay Gorham presented Mary Skeen with the original John Trever cartoon that ran in the Journal this week in which Saint Peter welcomes Joe to heaven by saying: 'Come on in, we have you written in.' (Skeen won election to Congess via a write-in vote in 1980) Journal State Editor John Robertson was there and several federal judges, including Judge Conway, a former GOP state senator from the old days. Governors Toney Anaya and Jerry Apodaca flew down in Governor Richardson's plane."
"One of the funny moments was seeing all the Republicans who support Ramsay Gorham sitting on one side of the church and all the John 'Dendahlites' sitting on the other side. There was obviously no peace-making going on. There was a reception following the two hour memorial at the Roswell Civic Center where the family greeted everyone."
"At the service, they talked about how Joe and Mary, who were married for 58 years, eloped to Tijuana, Mexico when they were teenagers. Joe had to come back and tell Mary's family, and that was his first political negotiation."
Thanks to my three on scene reporters for these anecdotes. Our condolences go out to Joe's wife Mary, the entire Skeen family and congressional staff.
HE COULD BE YOU, BUT HE'S "N. E. MANN"
We love to hear from insiders in the know, but understand not all can go public. Here's a sample of "insider" writing from N.E. Mann, who will appear on these pages on occasion with insights I don't think we will get anywhere else. Today, thoughts on all the talk about Albuquerque being divided between East and West and the defeat of the street bonds in the October election.
"The only sure thing about the vote is that it did not constitute a declaration of war by Easters against Westers. That's just more of the media's usual, "Let's you and him fight." People know what growth is: more attention is paid to people who haven't moved here than the people who ARE here. And not everyone is convinced that new roads to promote growth are necessarily a good idea while they are being told to put another brick in their toilet and replace their lawns with dust and attractive weeds. Those messages are at cross purposes.
The word on our water future has been communicated. Loudly and at times stridently. Where civic duty has failed to carry the bucket, the message crafters have gone to guilt - the well that has no bottom. So, to avoid sin, the community decided to express an opinion on growth by momentarily shortstopping the roads that facilitate it. Votes like this are the body politic's equivalent of, "Can we talk about this?" Failure to get the word out? No way. Failure to communicate? Yes way."
Thanks, Mr. Mann. And to all you other "N.E. Mann's," the e mail line is open at the top of the page. Let's hear from you.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
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