Rep. Gail Beam
It has more Green Party members than any other House district in the state, but that doesn't mean there will be a Green candidate to choose from in November when Dem Rep Gail Beam stands for re-election in the SE ABQ area. District Judge Wendy York has ruled against Green Trey Smith. He argued that he was unfairly excluded from the ballot by the Bernalillo County Clerk, who said Smith was registered as a Dem at the time the Guv issued his January election proclamation and, therefore, could not be the Green candidate. Smith argued that he had re-registered as a Green before the proclamation and his paperwork must have been lost. But the Clerk showed proof that Smith had actually voted in the February Democrat Prez caucuses! Smith said it was not so. The judge threw the book at him and then threw him off the ballot. Beam gets a free two year ride. No R is running.

YOUNG GUNS LEAD NM POLITICAL COVERAGE

Expect some energetic political coverage this election year at the state's largest newspaper, the ABQ Journal. Andy Lenderman, a young and aggressive scribe, took over this week as the chief Journal politics writer. Andy, 30, is a four veteran of the ABQ Tribune where he covered the crime beat before crossing the aisle to the Journal and heading to Santa Fe for a year. Now he's back in ABQ and ready to follow La Politica full-time. As a PR rep, I worked with the Indiana native a couple of years ago and can report he is a crisp writer, a straight shooter and a solid journalist. In Santa Fe, Kate Nash, another Trib alumnus, and David Miles round out the Journal's political coverage team. Unlike his predecessor, Loie Fecteau, Lenderman will be based in source rich ABQ. State editor John Robertson, himself a former longtime Journal politics writer, is Lenderman's immediate boss.

Loie left the paper to go to work for the Big Bill administration (like a bevy of other reporters). Back in the old days the Journal never hired away Trib staffers. But they are wise to have changed that policy as the Trib remains one of the better written afternoon papers anywhere. Lenderman will compete with his former colleague, the also young and aggressive Shea Andersen, who heads up the Trib's political desk. Scuttlebutt has it that Shea was offered a job with Big Bill, but turned it down. With Andy and Shea in place all of you junkies are in good shape for daily political coverage in the months ahead, that is, if Big Bill doesn't start waving dollar bill's at them and scoop them away.

MISSING BARKER'S BITE?

Meanwhile, over at Journal news partner, KOAT-TV, apparently the powers-that-be miss the investigative skills brought to their airwaves for all those years by Larry Baker, who jumped ship over a duty dispute with 7 and is now ably serving Channel 13. (see my November archives)Here's part of a recent help-wanted ad run by 7:

"KOAT-TV is looking for an Investigative Reporter to uncover and reveal issues that impact our viewers. In addition to exposing political corruption and fraud, this reporter will also turn consumer investigative stories."

Since Barker's departure 7 has been splitting the investigative chores among several staffers. The stickler for Larry was the part about doing consumer pieces, as well as investigative pieces. That was not part of the deal he had with 7 and the reason he is now gone. Investigative reports aired during the "sweeps" months have been big ratings boosters for the local TV's. Hearst Co., owner of 7, is trying to save money by having the investigative reporter also churn out consumer reports, but their penny-pinching ways may be costing them some late-night viewers. For the first time in memory, (I've tracked the local ratings since 1974) KOAT came in third at 10 p.m. in recent news ratings.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT ON THE RADIO

I will run down the key races and the the wild month in NM politics on 770 KKOB-AM radio on Wednesday (April 14) from 9 a.m. to 10 on the Larry Ahrens Show with guest host Mike Santullo. Be sure to join us and call in with your comments at 243-3333.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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