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Tuesday, August 26, 2025Progressive Hope For Takeover Of ABQ Council Seat Falters With Candidate Withdrawal, Plus: More State of the City React With Buchanan Farmer out, Colton Newman is now Grout's sole rival but he has only raised $100 while Grout has qualified for about $50,000 in public financing. District 9 in the far NE Heights and Foothills area has grown more moderate in recent cycles. Grout is a down the line Trumper, but has tried to be quiet about it, focusing on community involvement while adopting conservative policies on crime and homelessness. Buchanan Farmer did not say why she is abandoning the race only that it is due to "personal and family circumstances." The current Council leans 5 to 4 favor of the GOP, with conservative Dem Councilor Louie Sanchez often voting with the four R's. He is leaving his District 1 seat to run for Mayor so the seat is expected to fall back into the Dem column. Dems are still holding out hope that they can take down longtime District 5 GOP Councilor Dan Lewis on ABQ's westside with Dem Athena Allen, wife of BernCo Sheriff John Allen. But Lewis, another Trumper who has fled to the closet, is celebrating pork barrel projects he has brought home in his recent spate of advertising. With Mayor Keller favored to win a third term, he is line to face a slightly more favorable Council although his relations with the nine member panel have been more strained in his second term with councilors from both parties. MORE STATE OF CITY We blogged Monday that we found Mayor Keller's State of the City address mostly pollyannish but city spokesman Gilbert Gallegos says a good portion of the Saturday talk had Keller acknowledging the serious issues facing the city: Joe, Here is a link to the full speech, and for what it’s worth, some examples of the Mayor’s perspective: “Don’t get me wrong, I see what you see, challenges seemingly all around us: addiction driven crime and homelessness, families worried about rent, guns in our schools and parents targeted by ICE.” “If there were easy solutions to our long-term problems, I would have fixed them in a heartbeat, I assure you. But we’ve been doing the hard work, now alongside those challenges are signs of progress and resilience that remind us we can hold our community together and lift up Albuquerque.” “We still have a ways to go, but the path is clear: follow through, match investment to the scale of the problem, and deliver lasting outcomes we all deserve.” Reader krent201 came with this critique of Keller's State of the City: Crime: There is no way to provide a comparison for how bad it is. Making statements like, “when you’re in the middle of a turn-around” is the most chilling feature of ABQ and the voters may actually believe it! There is no mistake about what is happening in ABQ and NM. The only thing said that is correct is that “projects are finally showing results." For those results take a drive down Central or 2nd St. Better still come to my house where junkies and derelicts are sitting out front shooting up, leaving their waste droppings and food wrappers, all within a five foot area. Yes, the results of 8 years of this fantasy riddled administration is stated clearly in your last sentence, “Don’t worry, be happy”. Maybe he needs to take another toke? This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.
Monday, August 25, 2025ABQ Mayoral Campaign Becomes Psychological Warfare: Keller's Sunny Reality Versus The Field, Plus: Possible GOP Guv Hopeful Weighs In On State Doc Shortage
ABQ Mayor Tim Keller did not cite that famous quote from a Marx brothers movie at his annual State of the City address Saturday but that was the essence of the buoyant half-hour summary he offered to Mr. and Mrs. Albuquerque before a considerable crowd at the ABQ BioPark. Another quote that would fit the bill for the pre-election oration is: "Everything's coming up roses." Here was Keller's paraphrase: It’s not always easy to recognize when you’re in the middle of a turnaround that’s actually happening, but the signs of resurgence are in plain sight. . Projects years in the making are finally showing results. Now we still have a long way to go, but the path is clear. The November 3 election is pure psychological warfare now. There is Keller's sunny side of the street and the more dystopian views from his rivals seeking to deny him a third term at the helm of the state's largest city. However, challenger Alex Uballez did not directly rip into Keller's version of reality as did the other five mayoral hopefuls. He accepted Keller's boast of mild improvement on crime and homelessness but argued it is not enough: The people of Albuquerque know eight years is too long for you to be gaining traction. The people of Albuquerque know that a third term is something you give to someone who is hitting home runs and just nailing it. Okay, but if a third term should go only to a homerun hitter, who gets a first term? A pinch-hitter? That's the box city voters are in as they see with their own "lying eyes" that many city conditions have deteriorated under Keller, but they don't see any credible alternatives on the roster to put into the big game. Given that backdrop, Keller is delighted to put the spotlight on himself and welcome the comparisons. On Saturday he reveled in taking joyful selfies with bystanders, creating images to match the reality that he so wants voters to come to adopt as their own. The display brought to mind a third quote for the day and the campaign: "Don't worry, be happy." THAT DOCTOR SHORTAGE The debate continues over how much medical malpractice insurance premiums ares responsible for the state's doctor shortage. Duke Rodriguez, head of cannabis company Ultra Health, a former top state health official under GOP Gov Gary Johnson and now considering a Guv run of his own, comes with this take: Joe, you’re right that the media is only telling half the story when it comes to New Mexico’s doctor shortage. Yes, malpractice premiums are a piece of the puzzle. We could cut them in half tomorrow, lower caps on pain and suffering, even keep pointing fingers at the trial bar and their PAC disclosures. We could also raise Medicaid reimbursement rates and issue dire warnings that half a dozen rural hospitals may close. But let’s be honest—none of those single fixes will solve the physician shortage in New Mexico. The fact is, there is a physician shortage across the entire country, not just here. Doctors are aging out of practice, and the next generation is smaller in number and more selective about where they choose to live and work. The competition for quality physicians is fierce, and it’s not going away. The winners will be those states that can offer doctors a complete package of quality of life: strong schools for their families, safe and vibrant communities, and an economy with a healthy mix of payors—not just a population heavily dependent on government-sponsored coverage. Until we address those fundamental issues, we’ll continue to be outbid in the national contest for medical talent. So yes, malpractice reform can help around the edges. But if we don’t confront the bigger picture—education, safety, economic vitality—New Mexico will remain on the losing end of this competition. That’s the reality no sound bite or bandwagon can avoid. This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.
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