Martinez in court

State Senator Richard Martinez became an instant pariah Tuesday.

Moments after he was found guilty of aggravated DWI and reckless driving in a Santa Fe courtroom the Democratic establishment moved against him so quickly they looked like swimmers who had spotted a shark.

Martinez's convictions, accompanied by devastating and humiliating video of his June arrest, is a threat to the Democrats in the upcoming election, if Martinez is allowed to stay. But he won't. The pressure on him to leave is now unbearable and an announcement should come soon.

MLG, who nearly called for Martinez to resign upon his arrest, this time lowered the hammer:

Senator Martinez was obligated to reflect on his actions and how best to reconcile them with his position as a public servant in the state Legislature, in particular his status as chairman of an influential committee. The senator’s defense of himself does not suggest to me that any such personal reckoning has taken place – and given the judge’s unambiguous ruling, I urge him to resign his seat. . .  Drunken driving is an intolerable scourge in our state, and our elected leaders must hold themselves to the highest possible standard of behavior.

She covered all the bases, leaving no wiggle room for Martinez, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a well-liked solon with an affable personality. But a wink and smile won't save him now. So what's next?

JUDICIARY JOCKEYING

The Dem Senate leadership--Majority Leader Wirth and Pro Tem Papen--announced that Martinez will be stripped of his committee chairmanship--if  he somehow makes it to the legislative session that begins in January. He will probably resign by then, but if he doesn't he could be in jail. He will be sentenced January 7 and stands to serve a minimum of seven days. The maximum is six months.

A race could develop for the powerful judiciary chairmanship between that panel's current vice chair, ABQ Dem Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto and Las Cruces area Senator Joe Cervantes, chair of the Senate Conservation Committee who is a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Either way the committee will get an upgrade. Both are accomplished attorneys. Martinez is a retired magistrate but does not possess a law degree.

A policy change on a key issue is also certain. Ivey-Soto and Cervantes are decidedly more pro-choice than Martinez.

RACE ON

Rep. Sanchez

As for Martinez's senate seat, speculation immediately centered on State Rep. Joseph Sanchez of Alcalde, a freshman lawmaker now running for the Democratic nomination for the northern congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

Sanchez has smarts. He's an electrical engineer at Los Alamos Labs and known in the district from his service as CEO of Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative but his congressional candidacy has not caught fire.

If and when Martinez resigns, the county commissions for the four counties covered by District 5 (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Santa Fe) will send recommendations to the Governor who will make the appointment.

The Alligators are already wondering if Santa Fe County DA and congressional candidate Marco Serna might push Sanchez for the Martinez seat. The two are going after the same Hispanic votes in a highly competitive primary. As for other possible contenders, who knows who will surface for a rare open senate seat.

NO REMORSE

Sen. Martinez has shown no signs of remorse, apparently believing that his constituents, who have shown affection for him in the past, will stick with him. But the North has changed; people there are tired of being stereotyped as accepting of corruption.

Longtime Rio Arriba County State Rep. Debbie Rodella lost her 2018 Dem primary as did Santa Fe Rep. Carl Trujillo, both because of ethics issues. And Martinez not only drove drunk, he seriously injured a couple in a vehicle he ran into.

Like Martinez, GOP State Rep. Monica Youngblood was defiant and tried to hang on in 2018 following her aggravated DWI arrest, also replete with embarrassing arrest video. But her GOP leaning district shunned her and she lost re-election, The same fate appears to be in store for Martinez with resignation the only way out.

Senator Martinez has done much good in his public career--he was first elected in 2000--but he risks washing it away if he continues his defiance. His days of wine and roses are fondly remembered but are over, and a reckoning cannot be denied.

ALL THOSE APPOINTMENTS

Comment from an MLG spokesman on this blog item regarding political appointments:

But hold on. If MLG doesn't want to intervene in the BernCo commission race by keeping her future appointee (from running for the office), why didn't she do the same with that Senate vacancy in Taos and appoint someone who promises not to run in 2020 and let Dem primary voters make the choice? What's so different?

The response:

With Senate District 6, the Gov was sent two names. She had to pick one. The county commissions are going to send you whoever they want to send you. In BernCo, the Gov isn't going to have to pick from a predetermined "field" for the vacant county commission seat--it's more open-ended. As such, she has more discretion to say "hey this is what I'm looking for" and make sure it can be delivered.

THE BOTTOM LINES

We talked impeachment and Rep. Torres Small, the upcoming legislative session and more with Richard Eeds at KTRC Talk Radio 1260 in Santa Fe this week. The 15 minute program is here.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019