Here's some real deal biz coverage to help close out the week. . .

A longtime ABQ dermatologist tells us that with recent retirements from the field, there is a shortage in the profession. She says many of the new dermatologists don't want to locate here because of a significant pay gap with other desert cities like Tucson. .. .

Meanwhile the latest jobs report shows ABQ employment picked up quite dramatically, adding over 7,000 jobs in November over November 2014. ABQ Mayor Berry was quick to tout that as a sign of a jobs recovery, but what is more important going forward is not the numbers of jobs but their quality and salaries. The burger flipping $10 an hour economy seems to be purring along but not the one with the good paying gigs.

None other than die-hard Berry backer Terri Cole, head of the ABQ Chamber of Commerce, was on the tube this week confirming that the city's low paying jobs are helping to stall out the housing market and leading to heavy demand for apartment rentals:

When we're struggling to kind of create the kind of high-wage jobs which are necessary for people, give them the incomes they need to get the loans to buy the house, then the alternative that we see are rental properties,” Cole said.

Watch it, Terri. Keep talking that way and Jay is going to have to force feed you the Berry-Martinez Kool-Aid. . .

But were they college-educated Millenials? We doubt it:

. . .The director of Albuquerque's Economic Development Department said that Albuquerque has gained millennials.The 2015 Syneva Economics report Gary Oppeddahl was referencing, "1999 to 2014 Change in County Population by Generations," shows a 2.3 percent gain in Bernalillo County's millennial population over the past five years.

Nice try, Gary.

GOP HERESY

Will the Republican Mayor of Rio Rancho be kicked out of the GOP for this heresy:?

Mayor Gregg Hull painted a picture--pay for roads now or pay for them later. . . The city wanted to reconstruct High Resort Boulevard, and the price tag was $5 million. Now, just four years later, the cost has gone up to $6.5 million.  "These roads aren't getting better and they're not getting cheaper. We need to protect our business locations and property values by investing in infrastructure," he said. The city will ask Rio Rancho residents to approve a property tax increase (for roads( during its March 1 election. 

For decades denizens of Rio Rancho have been notably parsimonious when it comes to paying for government operations, but now it has joined the ranks of aging cities and Mayor Hull sees it close up. His position is neither conservative or liberal but common sense.

Thanks for stopping by this week.

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It seems we have more than enough for an inaugural edition of "Governors Gone Wild."

There was Big Bill back in the headlines Wednesday being cited for leaving the scene of a downtown Santa Fe fender bender just hours before former GOP Governor Gary Johnson was again tilting at windmills and announcing a second Libertarian bid for president. And all that came against the backdrop of current Gov. Martinez trying to recover from her boozy pizza party that has put her through a political meat grinder. So let the finger-pointing among our Guvs begin:

Susana: Bill, can't you see karma is on my side. Your accident makes me look good. Just like that boat wreck you had down at Elephant Butte. You've been doing that for years. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Deal with it. 

Big Bill: Relax and have another drink or three, Susana. Soon enough you'll know what it's like to be banished from national office, just like me. And if the cocktails don't chill you out, try throwing some bottles off a hotel balcony. I hear that works nicely.

Governor Gary: Look, when I'm president I'll settle this. Bill will be my spokesman for national auto safety and Susana will be the national anti-DWI coordinator. Both will report directly to me under the Office of Cannabis. Now pass that joint. . . 

This seems an appropriate time to issue belated birthday greetings to our fair state which marked its 104th birthday Wednesday. Thanks to the current and former governors for their gifts.

SOS RACE

GOP Secretary of State Dianna Duran crushed her hopes last time but maybe this time--with a little help from Duran's sorry record as Secretary of State--Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver will have a better shot. She will make official her entry into the race for the Dem SOS nomination today, saying, "I'm running to restore integrity and public trust in the Secretary of State's office."

That is more than campaign rhetoric as Duran became the first SOS in state history to resign when she became embroiled in a campaign finance scandal that was brought about by her gambling addiction.

Becoming the first GOP SOS since the 30's when she defeated incumbent Dem Mary Herrera in 2010, Duran was sentenced to a month behind bars.

Duran defeated Oliver in 2014 for another four year term ending in 2018. But because she resigned the office it is back on the ballot in '16 to fill out the rest of her term. The office will again be on the ballot for a full four year term in 2018. GOP ABQ City Councilor Brad Winter was appointed by the Governor to fill Duran's shoes, but he says he will not seek election. No R's are yet officially in the race.

The wild card for Oliver is if any other Dems challenge her for the nomination in the June primary. So far, the coast is clear.

WHY ONLY HERE?

Why is it only APD reporting this problem among police departments around the state?

The big question: Why can't we staff the department? Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden says the department has been inundated with applications, but very few are making the cut. He told city council this week full staffing likely wouldn't be reached until summer 2017. "We had an applicant disclose to us that they were involved in stealing copper," Eden said.  That sums up Eden's frustration -- hundreds of APD applicants with no business being cops.

IT'S TWINS!

Reader Preciliano Martín in Raton thinks he has discovered one of the biggest secrets of La Politica. Look at this picture, he says, and ask if anyone can any longer deny that State Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and State House Speaker Don Tripp are actually twin brothers? Preciliano is busy digging deep into the family archives of both leaders to confirm this astounding discovery.

And look at this: The "twins" are meeting today in the first step to craft a deal over the divisive issue of driver's licenses. If the upcoming legislative session goes smoothly despite the political differences between Dem Sanchez and Republican Tripp, you'll know why. It's all in the family!

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If key legislative insiders have it right, New Mexicans can stop with the passport panic. They finally expect a deal on driver's licenses to be crafted in the upcoming legislative session. The public positioning by legislative leaders and the Governor got underway in earnest this week. On the surface it could be argued that yet another stand-off is brewing. But insiders note that Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez has pledged there will be a solution this year.

We're told the two-tier license bill from GOP State Rep. Paul Pacheco will be the vehicle for the deal. It's modeled after Utah and not a bad place to start, even though the Smith-Ingle bill is preferable and contrary to the critics would likely be just fine with the Feds.

The rhetoric from both sides is still stern but unlike past years there are fewer lines being drawn in the sand--an indication that prospects for a deal are good. But just in case, don't put your passport into storage. . .

This could have been Susana but then there was that infamous pizza party:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to give the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

JOHNSON FOR PRESIDENT

Here we go again. Former NM GOP Governor Gary Johnson (1995-'03) is set to announce his second presidential bid today. Friends say he will make it official this morning on the Fox Business Network. The 63 year old, known for his athleticism and
early support for marijuana legalization, may also be one of the few modern day politicians who never ran a negative TV ad. He also ran as a Libertarian in 2012 when he received 0.99% of the national popular vote.

ELECTION '16 (and scandalous) 

Martinez has unveiled a budget for the fiscal year that begins July1 that assumes $228 million in new money will be available to spend. But that is subject to change as oil prices stay weak and impact predicted state revenues. The total budget proposal is $6.46 billion, or an increase of 3.7%. The Legislative Finance Committee will also come with a budget proposal.

In this election year when all legislative seats are up for election, the Martinez administration seems more determined to talk up the state's financial outlook and ignore the oil elephant in the room. Here's the Governor's budget news release.

Also, R's are going gaga over Martinez's proposal to increase public safety funding. They plan on trying to turn the '16 legislative elections into a referendum on how Dems are soft on crime. It was lost on no one that she held her budget news conference at corrections department offices in ABQ.

Still, the loss of stature she's endured because of her ill-fated pizza party is going to be in the background during the R's battle to take control of the Senate and to keep control of the House. And it won't be helpful. And what happens with that Federal grand jury conducting a criminal investigation of Martinez's right-arm and chief consultant Jay McCleskey? That could be the big political development, even if most of the media is curiously incurious.

WISHING WELLS 

This reader doesn't like the newspaper's wish list for the new year:

Joe, the list is most striking for its omissions. Creation of jobs? Missing. Stopping the exodus of citizens made up in are part of educated and capable young people? Missing. Remedies for the recent report of failing public schools? Missing. Efforts to address entrenched poverty? 

Improvement of early childhood nutrition and development? Infrastructure development to nourish and support commercialization of technology and innovation spun off from our national labs? All missing. The paper's outlook is disturbing evidence of a pervasive failure of leadership and vision in the Land of Enchantment. Perhaps the state motto should be, "Think Small; You Won't Be Disappointed."

ICYMI, here's our wish list. . .

We talked about the ABQ housing market being "flat." Here's how that looks as noted by the real estate watchers at CoreLogic:

In Albuquerque, home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 0.6 percent in November 2015 compared with November 2014. On a month-over-month basis, home prices, including distressed sales, decreased by 1.2 percent in November 2015 compared with October 2015.

THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE

So many previously unthinkable things have happened to the state's economy (think depopulation) that the possibility that Los Alamos Labs could be shuttered can't be ignored:

Sen. Udall. . . said the lab is vital for producing plutonium pits used in nuclear weapon triggers, but even the senator questions whether the pits are necessary to maintain the stockpile of aging nuclear weapons. . . Roberts and others argue that taxpayer dollars spent at the lab would be better spent elsewhere. The Pantex Plant in Texas already handles nuclear arsenal maintenance, including taking apart and refurbishing plutonium pits, Roberts said. Non-nuclear research can be done more easily and cheaper at other facilities, such as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The only reasons to keep LANL going are to provide jobs in Northern New Mexico and to pad the pockets of private companies and UC, Roberts said.

In many ways scandal-besotted Los Alamos Labs has done it to themselves. Its political support is precarious.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Details now on Bill Clinton's January 9 visit for a high-dollar Hillary fundraiser at the Los Ranchos home of James Griffin. Tickets for co-hosting are $10,000 a pop. "Champion" tickets are $2,700 each and "attendee" tix go for $1,000. Sorry, food stamps will not be accepted.

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The bear market that has locked much of New Mexico in its embrace is the longest in modern history. Still, major portions of the state continue to tangle with this relentless downturn/stagnation. The Bear has now attacked the oil fields, costing NM thousands of jobs with many more expected to fall in the year ahead as oil and natural gas prices remain under pressure. . .

For much of 2015, Las Cruces, the state's second largest city, was actually in recession and losing jobs. The new year will apparently see more growls from the grizzly. NMSU economist James Peach reports:

More of the same is likely to be the story of the Las Cruces economy in 2016 and that is not a nice story. From Nov. 2014 to Nov. 2015 Las Cruces non-farm payroll employment decreased by 1,200 jobs. In fact, the Las Cruces economy has gained very few jobs since the start of the national recession in December 2007. In 2014, Las Cruces per-capita income was $30,593, or 64 percent of the average for all U.S. metropolitan areas. . .The poverty rate in Las Cruces (29.6 percent in 2014) is nearly double the national average (15.5 percent). By almost any measure, the Las Cruces economy is not doing well. None of these rather dreary statistics are likely to change much in 2016.

Geez. We may have to add Mr. Peach to our list of "No Bullshit Economists" of which his NMSU colleague Dr. Chris Erickson is a charter member. How about that for a career accomplishment, Peach?. . .

Well, there's that sour economy and then there's the one at the top. For example, the $1,900 a night presidential suite at the swanky Hyatt Tamaya Resort near Bernalillo that the hotel is promoting. . .

As for that high-end Ruth's Chris steakhouse debut in ABQ and that we mentioned yesterday, the newspaper reports those $50 plus steaks are now slated to arrive sometime in the first half of this year. Maybe the Tamaya can have them delivered when you book that presidential suite? Or maybe Susana can book the suite for her 2016 holiday staff party. We're sure Dominos or WisePies would deliver. (No, the pizza party jokes don't get old).

And here's a more serious angle on the Guv's infamous pizza bash that was accompanied with plenty of adult beverages:

When trying to learn the identity of the hotel guests who had complained about noise from her now infamous Christmas party at the Eldorado Hotel, Gov. Martinez told a police dispatcher, “It’s a public record — give it to me.”. . . Her demand for the name struck a chord among many who have asked for public records from her office. . . Her office’s slow and sometimes incomplete responses to public records requests not only have undermined Martinez’s claim that she leads the most transparent administration in state history, they also have resulted in several news organizations suing the administration over various public information issues. Notable among documents her office has been reluctant to produce are spending invoices for her contingency fund, the pool of taxpayer money used to pay for expenses at the governor’s mansion. It also was used to pay for the holiday party. . . 

The most transparent administration? Right. This administration is about as transparent as the Illuminati.

WISEPIES PROBLEMS

Speaking of WisePies:
The pizza chain keeps announcing grandiose expansion plans even as skeptics on the sidelines question the financial stability of the outfit that has promised to pay UNM $5 million over 10 years for the naming rights to the famous "Pit." On of the Gators sent the latest list of tax liens WisePies is dealing with. That follows another batch we reported on last year.

WisePies had a $100,000 payment due to UNM Dec. 31st and will have a $600,000 payment due at the end of this year. (We haven't heard anything about that payment due last week).

OVER COVERED

The year is only in its fifth day but already we have what may end up being the most over covered story of the year--a three year old ABQ girl kidnapped but later left to fend for herself at an empty parking lot. The news went gaga even thought he child was not harmed. The cops slurped it up, desperate as they are for any good publicity. And did you see how fast APD got out that lapel camera video of the officer's emotional rescue of the little girl? Our readers sure did:

Joe, ever wonder why it is that APD lapel camera video in "good" cases (Sunday's rescue of the child in the stolen vehicle) is immediately available, but in "bad" cases (shootings, beatings) there are long delays and even questions about whether the camera was on or not?

Well, not really. What is there to wonder about? We all know the answer.

ALLIGATOR ALLEY

Our top political sources long nicknamed "Alligators" for their sharp teeth and wit are back in '16 and as bold as ever. For example:

First, I was looking at the state transportation department newsletter and the photo of Gov. Martinez and her big anti-DWI campaign. I don't think anyone has mentioned the angle that her drunken behavior really takes away from efforts like anti-DWI where she is asking others to correct their behavior.

Second, you should stay on the (Dem US Senator Tom) Udall for governor story. I had some conversations over the holiday that tell me that's not an outrageous proposition and Tom's not denying it.

Udall would be 70 in 2018 when the Governor's chair is up for grabs. But Santa Fe is renowned for taking siestas so that shouldn't be a problem. . . And then there's Attorney General Hector Balderas. He's probably badgering the senior Senator to run for Governor so if Udall is elected he could then name Hector as his replacement in the Senate. . .

Meanwhile, GOP Lt. Governor John Sanchez, eyeing the Guv's race in '18, is having a recurring nightmare in which he is trying to run away from Susana but can't.

All of that ought to keep the Alligators well fed. . .

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Welcome back and into 2016. . .

The final days of 2015 ended with with a bang--literally. A prominent ABQ businessman was stabbed to death in the driveway of his home in the upscale Four Hills neighborhood, trying to stop thieves from burglarizing his car. That's the very neighborhood in which ABQ Mayor Richard Berry lives and again shows how the criminal class is increasingly emboldened. And why not? APD is chronically and dangerously understaffed. Sorry to say, but expect the violent crime wave to grow not diminish in this new year. . .

And the Guv's holiday pizza party will continue to generate laughs and derision in this new year as it did in late '15. A columnist  for the Las Vegas Review Journal took on the holiday party gone bad:

She compounded her own troubles when she admitted that bottles were thrown from the hotel room's fourth-floor balcony after first contending the objects had been snowballs. Remind me never to get in a snowball fight with the governor of New Mexico. Now it seems her prospects for courtship on the national political stage lack a snowball's chance to survive in 2016.

Here's one prediction we will make for '16. If, as expected, Martinez escalates her out-of-state political travel this year, it will generate more criticism than it has in the past.

The state continues to wrestle with a stubborn unemployment problem, crashing oil prices and a depopulation trend now two years old. There was a flash of good news in the latest jobs stats for the ABQ metro, but it's too early to tell if that is an outlier or a trend. The flat housing market is probably the best indicator of the job market and that remains, well, flat.

But wealth will be served in this new year. Our pyramid-like economy--with the well-off perched high over an ever growing low-income crowd--will soon have the pricey Ruth's Chris steakhouse in ABQ where they can feast over their good fortune. (At least we think they will. The restaurant had set a late 2015 opening date). No one said there's no money in ABQ--there's just not enough of it spread around.

Back on crime and APD which sucks so much oxygen out of ABQ's air. Here's an informed reader with a critique of the recently announced APD reorganization:

First, it’s interesting that the reorganization was said to be developed by APD Chief Eden when in fact it is no more than the implementation of recommendations made by outside staffing consultants who were brought in as part of the federal APD reform effort.

Second, the moves being announced seem like no-brainers: increased community policing (we needed a consultant to tell us this?), changing area command leadership every 3 years instead of annually (how could such frequent command turnover have been thought sensible?), increasing the traffic unit from 9 to 40 officers (no wonder red light running is endemic), reducing the number of special units at headquarters to free up more officers for patrol duty and redeploying officers in special units that are now seldom utilized (pretty obvious), requiring investigators to be on duty when they are actually needed (gang unit officers now only work on weekdays), and not having officers investigate fender-bender accidents.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Here's reader and ABQ attorney Norm Gagne with some thoughts on what broke the back of the once robust ABQ economy:

My theory is that interstate banking changed the calculus. The family banks were sold to large out-of-state banks which in turn merged. Gone were the local bankers, perhaps the people with the greatest vested interest in making the community work and the people who could put local money and influence to work to that end. The bankers along with others of the old guard were, I think, the glue that kept the old city running.

I don't discount the dramatic downturn in Federal spending as a substantial cause of the city's woes nor do I think the old guard could have prevented all of the pain. My theory is that the city would not have drifted as it does now and a more robust, effective response to the Federal retraction would have been mounted.

TOM'S TURNSTILE

Bloom

Bianca Ortiz Wertheim was Dem US Senator Tom Udall's state director but was bumped up to DC to become his chief of staff so. . . .

Senator Udall announced that Greg Bloom has joined his staff as state director and will lead his New Mexico operations. Bloom worked from 2009-2012 as state director for former U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, where he focused on energy, public lands, health and education issues. Bloom will be based in Albuquerque and supervise staff in Udall's field offices in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Carlsbad and Portales.
EASY PICKINS'

Here's some political lay ups to kick off this new year which is also an election year. . .

None of the three incumbent US representatives for New Mexico will be defeated when they stand for re-election in November. . .The new Bernalillo County Clerk will be a Democrat. . .We will likely get the first candidate declaring their candidacy for mayor of ABQ for the October 2017 election before March.

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