Terri Nikole-Baca
While the warhorses of the NM Democratic Party prepare to gather in Cruces Saturday to elect a new chairman and other party leaders for the next two years, the generation behind them is making some noise. The Bernalillo County Young Democrats have elected a new chairwoman who, at 23, already has considerable political experience. If Teri-Nikole Baca can hang in and not fall prey to the cynicism that exposure to politics inevitably brings, she might someday find herself seeking the state chair post or something higher. Meanwhile, Brian Colon, Michael Olguin and Gideon Elliot have their hands full dealing with each other for the title of party boss.

As for Teri-Nikole, she's a second year UNM Law School student who has interned with the Guv's legal counsel and the attorney general's office. She's also been at the past six NM legislative sessions assisting ABQ State Sen. Linda Lopez. She won her chair position in a landslide, defeating 30 year old Sisto Abeyta 9-6. Sisto tied her in the brains department, but it all came undone on the looks. And just 16 votes cast? No vote fraud there.

Politico Matthew Baca is Teri-Nikole's dad and, I think, future campaign manager. He says the beauty of his daughters (the other is Akamee) may come from the Spanish blood on his side and the half-Japanese and half-Serbian mix of his wife. Ms. Baca certainly sounds like a future politician--something for everyone.

DUKE CITY WATER WAR

Another New Mexican water war has them talking in the Big Duke City where the developer of Mesa del Sol is resisting efforts from the city to have them pay $48 million over several decades for water rights for the 12,900 acre planned community south of ABQ International. Developer Forest City Covington argues their original deal calls for the city to pay for the water. An informed source blogs in with a possible solution. They say that the University of New Mexico, a partner in the Mesa del Sol venture, has the rights to 1000 acre feet of water that are currently unused. Could UNM lease those rights for to Mesa del Sol and begin to end the impasse? A question worth looking into.

PROMOTION WATCH

Where does Big Bill's behind-the-scenes backing of the congressional candidacy of ABQ City Councilor Martin Heinrich leave former ABQ councilor and assistant secretary for economic development Eric Griego? He's been talking about running for the Heather Wilson seat. Could Eric instead get named head of the economic department now that Rick Homans has left to head the Spaceport Authority? He did not seem to think so when I spoke with him late last week and pointed to the department's deputy director as a possible for the top spot. We'll see when the Guv makes his choice.

Back at the campaign, it will be next week, not this week as we first said, that Heinrich goes to D.C. to romance top D's. One place he ought to stop, if he hasn't put a call in already, is at House Speaker Pelosi's office. Nancy is good with those purse strings.

Heinrich's fellow city councilors, Isaac Benton and Debbie O'Malley, blog in that they are in full support of their fellow Dem's congressional bid, with Council Prez O'Malley calling Heinrich "confident, articulate, fresh and interesting." Was that a candidate she was talking about, or a great glass of wine?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

From Big Bill in the ABQ Journal while touring Iowa: "You get in a bubble when you have power. There's a bubble in Washington. Everyone tells you how great you're doing. I even had people tell me how skinny I am."

THE BOTTOM LINES

Just what is a blog, anyway? NM talk radio pioneer Mike Santullo has been reading in here and says yesterday's discussion about being "fair and balanced" sent him over the top as he believes some are forgetting the personal component of this and other blogs.

"You need to remind people that you are not a salaried "REPORTER" or current "JOURNALIST", and that a BLOG is strictly what you believe and nothing else...Save the balanced crap for the Journal, (both Albuquerque and Wall St.) respectively. I've had it with all these "Back Room Editors" who come out of the woodwork when it suits them. I say, "they need to go back to the Barelas Coffee House and get some modern day Internet 101 and learn "TODAY'S La Politica terms."

Thanks for the insights and the laughs, Mike. By the way, I will do some talk radio myself Friday morning at 9 a.m. on 770 KKOB-AM. We'll kick the can around with host Bob Clark. Hope you can join us.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author