Rael and Keller

If ABQ Mayor Tim Keller is going to shake things up in the wake of the crime stats fiasco as he begins the third year of his term, the Alligators, Insiders and City Hall watchers have plenty of advice for him. Let's take a look. . . .

--Shift Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) position currently occupied by Lawrence Rael. Make Rael CAO with marching orders to straighten out the APD mess--once and for all.

Rael held the CAO job for years under previous mayors and knows where and how the bodies are buried. The 11th floor has been unable to take control of the city bureaucracy. Get Rael on it. If he can't put points on the board, show him the door. Nair makes $190,000 a year and Rael pulls down $185,000, after getting hefty pay raises. Time for results.

--If the Mayor can't let go of friend and APD Chief Mike Geier he could still dip into the APD command structure, cherry pick those he needs to oust and replace them with Keller loyalists who will have his back. APD is one embarrassment and (humiliation) after another.

Sarita Nair

--Restructure the mayoral communications team so it concentrates more on meat and potatoes matters and less on the fluff. Some observers say Keller is starting to look like Republican Mayor RJ Berry, lost on policy and too heavy on the PR. They argue for a new approach to re-establish credibility and put forth a more serious tone on crime.

Despite what former Mayor Marty Chavez did, a Mayor does not need a news conference or photo-op every single day.

--How about poring over all the crime stats released since the administration's 2017 start and make any necessary corrections as was done to the mid-year report that has inflicted so much damage? If the 11th Floor doesn't, someone else will, possibly causing even further credibility problems.

We blogged Monday that the "political fortunes" of Keller and Chief Geier are on the line. Actually, it is just one of them--Mayor Keller--who has to face the public's judgment directly. The Mayor's friends and enemies agree on one thing--if he's going to shake things up, now is the time.

CAMPAIGN ACTION

Meantime on the '19 city council campaign trail, building more "luxury" apartments and ABQ's status as an immigrant friendly city are issues stirring voters in the District 4 council run-off election in NE Heights District 4.

Republican Brook Bassan has received considerable financial support from real estate interests. John Adams Ingram, former president of the Nor Este Neighborhood Association, who is backing Dem Ane Romero in the run-off, says there are development issues in the district prompting the involvement:

Real estate developers want to build another huge “luxury” apartment complex in our neighborhoods, this time at Barstow and Alameda NE. We already have three of these huge apartment complexes surrounding our far NE Heights neighborhoods:

# 1. Alameda &San Pedro NE.
# 2. Wyoming &Carmel NE.
# 3. Barstow & Carmel NE.

Developers are trying to persuade city planners to allow them to build a fourth apartment complex at Barstow & Alameda NE. These new apartments, if allowed, would be less than a mile (or two) from the apartment complexes listed above. Neighbors in Vineyard Estates and NorEste Estates are organizing. We are trying to stop these developers from breaking ground at Alameda & Barstow NE. Romero supports our position. 

Ingram says opponents of the new apartments have hired attorney and former GOP City Councilor Hess Yntema to help them fight the development.

SANCTUARY OR NOT

While Ingram rallies for Romero, Bassan is filling mailboxes with criticism of ABQ's status as a "sanctuary city" as she works to firm up GOP support in the Republican leaning district.

Bassan’s campaign ads criticize “sanctuary city” policies. Bassan said she wants local authorities to collaborate with federal immigration authorities, checking the citizenship of those they arrest for other crimes and reporting those who are undocumented to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I believe before anyone is released from jail, a thorough background check, including status of citizenship, should be conducted to discover if they are wanted by any other law enforcement agency or here illegally. This should not be limited to only those who have been convicted of a crime.". . . Romero said she supports the city’s immigrant-friendly resolution, calling it a “matter of public safety.”

The seat is being vacated by longtime GOP Councilor Brad Winter. It leans R. Bassan scored 49 percent in the initial balloting and Romero 42 percent. The run-off election is slated for December 10 with early voting now underway.

Political operatives working the district report that GOP early turnout is good and give Bassan the edge, forcing Romero to pop a surprise in the Election Day balloting.

There is also a run-off in ABQ Valley District 2 featuring Dem incumbent Ike Benton and Dem challenger Zack Quintero.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019