Monday, September 28, 2020ABQ Crime Crisis Pushes Election Aside As Bitter Confrontation Erupts Between Ousted APD Chief And Keller Team, Plus: Herrell Takes It; First TV Debate In Hot Southern Congress Race Tips Her Way The spectacle of ousted APD Chief Mike Geier splashed across the front pages as he decried the administration of Mayor Keller and Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair had to be bizarre to casual observers. Only days earlier Keller tried to spin the Geier retirement as a mutual decision and Geier played along. But now a bitter Geier has let loose a barrage of accusations asserting that Keller and Nair mismanaged and micromanaged APD and in the process shoved him aside. They are the kind of charges that will shadow Keller well into the future. The administration could not manage APD with Geier there and now it failed to manage his departure. As for Geier, if he was so upset about straining under the micromanagement of the 11th Floor why didn't we hear that from him years ago? He had enough time in to quit or risk being fired and still get a retirement check well into the six figures. Spilling the beans at this late date isn't exactly a profile in courage nor was his quiet, if tortured, acceptance of being belittled during his tenure. Newly named Acting APD Chief Harold Medina, promoted from deputy chief, and who clearly had his knife out for Geier's scalp and got it, tried to assure the public in TV interviews that APD is in steady hands, but he had to do it as his controversial APD past was rehashed, already damaging his ability to lead. Now that he finally has the power he has thirsted for, Medina may turn out to be an able administrator but is there much hope for changing the aggressive and inbred APD culture that dates back to the post 9/11 era with an insider like Medina? Still, it does no good tearing him down. Medina has the watch now and the city can only hope that his checkered past is not prologue. Our young and enthusiastic Mayor made his bed upon taking office and refused to do a housecleaning which would have included bringing in a police chief from out of state. Not that Keller is solely responsible for the wayward APD and crime debacle. It bears repeating that his two predecessors also failed and left him the spoiled cheese. But he can still consider an outside chief, improve cooperation with the feds Operation Legend, get a new homeless shelter built and work with Bernalillo County to further drug addiction treatment with millions that a behavioral tax generates annually. (Share the wealth, BernCo). But Keller will head into election year '21 saddled with his 2017 decision to not rock the APD boat and a city whose spirit has been broken by unrelenting tales of a breakdown in law and order. A "satisfaction survey" conducted for the city shows growing concern over the city's direction with 51 percent of respondents worried that ABQ is headed in the wrong direction. Or maybe they're worried because it often seems there is no direction. HERRELL TAKES IT  The most crystallized moment was when Herrell asked Torres Small for a yes or no answer on whether she would vote for Joe Biden. It summed up the congresswoman's predicament as she tries to satisfy a large liberal constituency in Las Cruces that contrasts with much of the remainder of the district which is rural/conservative. In her 90 second response Torres Small danced, falling back on her campaign theme that "she will work with anyone who wants to deliver for New Mexico." Offered rebuttal Herrell asked XTS if "that was a yes or no" on how she will vote. Some real suspense there. But a KOAT moderator, somewhat shockingly, refused to let XTS answer: I don't believe this is a Q and A, it's a rebuttal only." No one wants to know if Xochitl will vote for her party's standardbearer? That's a linchpin question in the pro-Trump district she represents and of critical importance to voters. Whatever rules KOAT was abiding by need to be retired. Fortunately, later in the debate Torres Small affirmed that "she would vote for Joe Biden" as she outlined concerns she had with him. Veteran NM politics watcher, participant and ABQ talk radio pioneer Mike Santullo, now an independent, is watching this too hot to handle race closely, and comes with this summation that highlights the optics: While Torres Small had some good answers she made it an art to duck and not answer directly, giving answers that were general and not specific. She was trying to please both her party and the district and it came out badly. Also, the room Torres Small chose to broadcast from was not suitable. It was a large room with no sound cushioning and the acoustics were terrible. That was a big distraction. Her voice came out high-pitched and it did her damage. Also, her pacing was too hot for a cool medium, unlike her TV spots which showcase her so effectively. Herrell was pretty good answering questions directly. Her acoustics were much better and made her more compelling but what was with the long strand of hair running down her nose? Xochitl looked pasty under the lighting, and the big colorful flags behind her didn’t help. Herrell appeared in an home office setting that imparted a quiet authority. KOAT did not encourage debate between the candidates. They each gave their 90 second answers and there was little rebuttal. It was more of a forum than a debate. Finally, the station should have had the candidates in the studio with social distancing. The Zoom format simply does not work for candidate give and take. One hopes KOB-TV will not follow in those footsteps for their debate. The money lines of the debate came from Herrell. She is all black and white in these final days and her clarity resonates in a TV debate setting: I am unashamedly pro-God, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-business and pro-family. Those are the values that are important to the New Mexico 2nd Congressional District.
Well, she did leave out the "Pro-Trump" line she used in the primary but the contrast was stark with the tip toe through the land mines approach that Torres Small has to take. Whether it makes any difference at the polls is up in the air but it helped Herrell win their first face-off. XOCHITL WON? If you think so, here's some spin from the state Dem Party to back that up: This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020 |
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