Thursday, April 21, 2022Reader Vox Populi: The MLG Wedding, Lundstrom's Power Play, Disney And DeSantis, The Netflix Crash And Much More Reader Michael Corwin wrote here this week that New Mexico ought to pursue business from Disney now that it is under fire from Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. State officials here haven't said anything publicly but Dem Colorado Governor Jared Polis made a play, saying via Twitter: Florida’s authoritarian socialist attacks on the private sector are driving businesses away. In CO, we don’t meddle in affairs of companies like
@Disney
or
@Twitter. Hey
@Disney
we’re ready for Mountain Disneyland and
@twitter
we’re ready for Twitter HQ2, whoever your owners are. Alicia Keyes, New Mexico's Economic Development Director, who was an executive for Disney in California, tagged us that she "loved" Corwin's idea. With the future of Netflix, which has a major presence here looking more cloudy, the lure of the Magic Kingdom may be stronger. Netflix crashed on the US stock market Wednesday losing $54 billion in value, prompting speculation that the company would boost production to offer more new content to help halt the subscriber slide. Such a boost would likely mean more film shoots in New Mexico where the company benefits from some of the most generous film incentives in the nation. However on their earnings call Netflix said it plans to decelerate spending on production, not increase it. That's a red flag for the film industry here. Big time. WEDDING CHATTER When a sitting Governor seeking re-election announces she will get married the personal quickly becomes the political. Here's ABQ attorney Armand Huertaz: Joe,
MLG goes with a ritzy Washington D.C. wedding at the Naval Observatory with VP Kamala Harris performing the ceremony in an election year? Was Santa Fe's La Fonda already booked? Is Sadie's still going to cater?
For someone who is constantly labeled an elitist and an out of touch politico, a wedding like this seems strange in an election year. I guess love makes you do strange things. The decision by MLG to get married in DC with VP Harris officiating was seemingly out of the blue since there has been no public discussion of a special friendship between them. Politically, having a prominent Hispanic couple wed with Harris presiding gives the Biden administration a bit of a boost with that critically important electoral group. Another reader wondered if perhaps MLG is looking to get back into DC politics after being rejected for a cabinet position in 2020 and whether Harris might be her patron in such an endeavor. The Guv did say that there would be a celebration in northern New Mexico in the days following her May 21 wedding. Maybe a matanza for a thousand "close friends" with some good New Mexico music might get her critics in a more celebratory mood. As for those of you wishing to give the Guv a wedding gift, Wagyu beef always hits the spot or perhaps a nice jewelry piece from Lilly Barrack. (Hey, just trying to be helpful here.) LUNDSTROM TAKES LUMPS  Joe,
I had to LOL when I read the blog re: Lundstrom for Speaker. Not sure how she thinks victory is possible with her payday loan history. She single handedly took more money and championed a predatory industry for over the past decade. She also undercut attempts to reform the industry prior to this years session. I'm sure she was fighting tooth and nail to weaken reforms that passed. Sounds like who we need representing the average New Mexican! That's true, Political Pat, but then you have House Majority Leader Javier Martinez, who would be her chief rival for the speaker's gavel, accepting a $5,000 contribution from tobacco giant Reynolds as well as a bevy of contributions from big oil. That might cause some reticence among his fellow progressives. All in all, it sounds like Lundstrom vs. Martinez would be a hot race. RAVI AND NATE Ravi Bhasker, District 38 Democratic primary state House candidate as well as mayor of Socorro, responds to a hit for accepting a $1,200 contribution from a PAC that former ABQ GOP Rep. Nate Gentry gave $10,000 to: Joe, I’ve been around long enough to recall when Dems and Republicans got along socially and were civil to each other. I have a lot of admiration for Nate Gentry as a Republican who was well respected by both sides. But if you notice that PAC he donated to has also given to other Democratic candidates in the past: Patty Lundstrom, Brian Egolf and Daniel Ivey Soto, to name a few.
Your ‘correspondent‘ was obviously trying to throw shade on my candidacy by association, I guess, but I’m proud of that contribution! Bhasker is opposed in the primary by progressive Tara Jaramillo, one of many candidates to receive the backing of First Endorser Martin Heinrich. A Senior Alligator of the Santa Fe variety writes of the PAC backing moderate Democrats in the primary election and that is co-chaired by ABQ Dem City Councilor Louie Sanchez: Joe, ABQ state House candidate Cherise Quezada is not the first one to reject the endorsement of the Working Together New Mexico PAC. Dem State Auditor candidate Joe Maestas tweeted his rejection on March 14. However, I notice both Quezada and Maestas' names are still up on the PAC's endorsement page. THE BOTTOM LINES  Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber is asking the city council to approve a police substation for the downtown area. And to the relief of tourist bladders everywhere he also announced that the first public bathroom for the Plaza area should be open next month:
It only took us 410 years to build a public bathroom in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It’s in the right place, with the right design, at the right price. It will be safe and accessible for visitors and residents. Okay, Mayor, but please don't try to speed up the police substation by placing it in the new bathroom.
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