2-3 Most important events since statehood

20312ImportantEvents

SANTA FE – What were the most important events of New Mexico's first 100 years? I'll start the bidding by suggesting my Top Ten. I've listed them in chronological order. Ranking them may be the next step.
Pancho Villa's 1916 raid of Columbus marked one of the few times the United States has been attacked by an outside force. The subsequent Punitive Expedition into Mexico, led by Gen. "Black Jack" Pershing, provided an opportunity to improve U.S. battle readiness for World War I.
In 1917, wealthy heiress Mabel Dodge Luhan moved to Taos and fell in love with its fledging art community. She enticed many of her artist and writer friends in Europe to join her. Those friends, in turn, lured many more. The colony spread and Santa Fe now is one of the top three art centers in the nation.
In 1926, Route 66 was designated through New Mexico. It captured the imagination of the nation and became known as the "Mother Road."
Oil was discovered at Hobbs in 1928. It soon became New Mexico's leading industry in terms of revenue generated and is the major contributor to our state budget.
In the summer of 1941, the New Mexico National Guard was activated to help defend the Philippines and slow Japan's advance through the Pacific to Australia. Its valiant defense of the Bataan Peninsula gave the United States and its allies time to mobilize.
In 1942, Dr. Robert Openheimer convinced Gen. Leslie Groves to locate the Manhattan Project at a boys' school Oppenheimer had once attended in the Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico. The world's first atom bomb was exploded at Trinity Site, between San Antonio and Carrizozo, in July 1945. Sandia Base, in Albuquerque, puts nuclear weapons together and stores them. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, near Carlsbad, stores the nuclear waste. Among them, they are the largest employer in the state.
In the spring of 1945, our government decided to continue holding land it took from ranchers for the Alamogordo Bombing Range and convert it into the White Sands Missile Range, where captured German scientists were brought to continue their work on the V-2 and other rockets. WSMR has remained the nation's top area for military space research. It is no accident that New Mexico and its chief tenant, Virgin Galactic, have located Spaceport America adjacent to the missile range.
In July 1947, the Roswell Army Air Force Base issued a news release stating that it had captured a flying saucer. The following day, the story changed to a weather balloon and 50 years later to a spy balloon. Whatever it was, it captured the world's attention. Ufologists say there are better UFO stories than this but Roswell has become the UFO capital of the world.
The 1949 murder of Cricket Coogler, a Las Cruces waitress, wasn't like any other murder. It involved numerous state and local elected and appointed officials, a pro football player and the mafia. A courageous local grand jury swept aside law enforcement officials and judges until it was satisfied it had some who weren't corrupt to pursue the case. The murderer was never found but corrupt officials went to prison, government was cleaned up at the top levels and the mob quietly slipped out of town before making New Mexico the gambling capital it was convinced Nevada never would be.
In 1955, Ernie and Rhoda Blake opened the Taos Ski Valley on Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in the state, at 13,161. The operation still is managed by the Blake family. Since 1955, eight other ski areas have opened around the state, making New Mexico a top destination for skiers. The Taos ski school is the highest rated in North America.
Notice that five of these top 10 events occurred in the 1940s. It gets my nomination for our top decade, which also included tremendous post-war population growth.
Let me know what you think.

Just realized I didn't send 2-1 column yesterday. Here it is.

Raising some old political ghosts

20112ghosts

SANTA FE – The ghosts of New Mexico's political past are back to raise their mischievous heads again. The opening two weeks of this Legislature have been more lively than most. After a do-little regular session last year, followed by a do-nothing special session, the change is refreshing.
The session is seeing its usual demonstrations but this time some are taking on the aura of the more rowdy demonstrations of the 1960s and 1970s. The Occupy movement has shown up twice for legislative events and has stretched the meaning of peaceful to its limits.
First it was the governor's opening day address to the Legislature and a week later it was a dinner hosted by a national conservative organization that were disrupted by a handful of shouting protesters. We may not have seen the end of the occurrences.
A few of the demonstrators walked all the way from Albuquerque in mid-January. That would seem to indicate some sort of resolve to do more than just hold a picket sign.
In the wake of the disturbances, Albuquerque Rep. Bill Rehm, whose female companion was accidently injured during the banquet disruption, questioned on the floor of the House two days later whether the Legislature has enough security and whether Santa Fe is a safe setting for the Legislature or whether another city should be considered.
The increased police presence has been a sore point at times in the past, especially when it was difficult to find a parking place within blocks of the Capitol Building. Police cars always seemed to have all the good spots near the building. That concern has been eased with the construction of a parking garage across the street.
But the suggestion of moving the state capital out of Santa Fe opened old wounds. Albuquerque began pushing for moving the capital back in the 1880s, when the railroad avoided Santa Fe and chose Albuquerque. The city was even blamed by many Santa Feans for burning our second Capitol Building to the ground.
As soon as Rep. Rehm finished his lengthy speech, House Speaker Ben Lujan provided evidence of those strong Santa Fe feelings when he told Rep. Rehm that he resented his suggestion.
For many decades the capital has been slowly moving toward Albuquerque as new state buildings are constructed, first in southern Santa Fe and now south of town. Statewide elected officials and cabinet secretaries, living in Albuquerque, have long opened Albuquerque offices in order to avoid Santa Fe.
Moving the entire state capital would be quite a chore, involving a constitutional amendment and the construction of new government buildings. It would mean much economic development for the city chosen and Rehm didn't mention Albuquerque specifically.
Rehm also mentioned a legislator who did not attend the dinner where the disturbance occurred; whom he thought might have had advance knowledge of the Occupy plan but gave no warning of it. He didn't mention any legislator by name but Santa Fe Rep. Brian Egolf was seen in the building talking with some of the people who later caused the disturbance.
Egolf later said his office is near Eldorado Hotel where the dinner was taking place and that he often drops by the hotel on his way home. He said he was not told of the plan and left before the action took place.
What then appeared to be a heated exchange occurred on the floor between Reps. Egolf and Rehm. It wasn't the first time heated exchanges have occurred during legislative sessions in Santa Fe. Occasionally chairs get knocked over in bars and maybe a few punches thrown.
And more heated exchanges have occurred in the past. I have read more than one source concerning a state lawmaker named "Diamond Tooth" Miller who shot and killed a state Supreme Court chief justice at La Fonda Hotel many years ago.
I have consulted all my trusty historical sources without luck. Google only wants to sell me diamond teeth. I would appreciate someone helping me with the story.

20112ghosts

SANTA FE – The ghosts of New Mexico's political past are back to raise their mischievous heads again. The opening two weeks of this Legislature have been more lively than most. After a do-little regular session last year, followed by a do-nothing special session, the change is refreshing.
The session is seeing its usual demonstrations but this time some are taking on the aura of the more rowdy demonstrations of the 1960s and 1970s. The Occupy movement has shown up twice for legislative events and has stretched the meaning of peaceful to its limits.
First it was the governor's opening day address to the Legislature and a week later it was a dinner hosted by a national conservative organization that were disrupted by a handful of shouting protesters. We may not have seen the end of the occurrences.
A few of the demonstrators walked all the way from Albuquerque in mid-January. That would seem to indicate some sort of resolve to do more than just hold a picket sign.
In the wake of the disturbances, Albuquerque Rep. Bill Rehm, whose female companion was accidently injured during the banquet disruption, questioned on the floor of the House two days later whether the Legislature has enough security and whether Santa Fe is a safe setting for the Legislature or whether another city should be considered.
The increased police presence has been a sore point at times in the past, especially when it was difficult to find a parking place within blocks of the Capitol Building. Police cars always seemed to have all the good spots near the building. That concern has been eased with the construction of a parking garage across the street.
But the suggestion of moving the state capital out of Santa Fe opened old wounds. Albuquerque began pushing for moving the capital back in the 1880s, when the railroad avoided Santa Fe and chose Albuquerque. The city was even blamed by many Santa Feans for burning our second Capitol Building to the ground.
As soon as Rep. Rehm finished his lengthy speech, House Speaker Ben Lujan provided evidence of those strong Santa Fe feelings when he told Rep. Rehm that he resented his suggestion.
For many decades the capital has been slowly moving toward Albuquerque as new state buildings are constructed, first in southern Santa Fe and now south of town. Statewide elected officials and cabinet secretaries, living in Albuquerque, have long opened Albuquerque offices in order to avoid Santa Fe.
Moving the entire state capital would be quite a chore, involving a constitutional amendment and the construction of new government buildings. It would mean much economic development for the city chosen and Rehm didn't mention Albuquerque specifically.
Rehm also mentioned a legislator who did not attend the dinner where the disturbance occurred; whom he thought might have had advance knowledge of the Occupy plan but gave no warning of it. He didn't mention any legislator by name but Santa Fe Rep. Brian Egolf was seen in the building talking with some of the people who later caused the disturbance.
Egolf later said his office is near Eldorado Hotel where the dinner was taking place and that he often drops by the hotel on his way home. He said he was not told of the plan and left before the action took place.
What then appeared to be a heated exchange occurred on the floor between Reps. Egolf and Rehm. It wasn't the first time heated exchanges have occurred during legislative sessions in Santa Fe. Occasionally chairs get knocked over in bars and maybe a few punches thrown.
And more heated exchanges have occurred in the past. I have read more than one source concerning a state lawmaker named "Diamond Tooth" Miller who shot and killed a state Supreme Court chief justice at La Fonda Hotel many years ago.
I have consulted all my trusty historical sources without luck. Google only wants to sell me diamond teeth. I would appreciate someone helping me with the story.

Redistricting, term limits tie lawmakers in knots

13012redist

SANTA FE – You can't get politicians to vote against their own self-interests. All politicos talk about the sacrifices they make in order to serve the public. But impede their path to the next election and you have a fight on your hands every time. Redistricting and term limits are the best examples.
Look at any redistricting map in any state and you will see some mighty strange shapes. They are the result of the majority party's efforts to protect their own and take some of the other guy's stuff.
At its exaggerated worst, we saw Texas congressional districts, gerrymandered by Democrats in 2001, redrawn by Republican legislators after gaining control in 2002. The result was a switch of more than 10 congressional seats from Democrat to Republican.
A few other states did it also but the impact wasn't as great. That was the year Texas Democratic senators holed up in New Mexico for a month before going home to face the music.
If only there were a way to district fairly. But we aren't going to find a majority of any legislative body that is willing to do what is best for the state.
In states that allow voters to put items on general election ballots, independent redistricting commissions have been created in order to draw fair districts. But if any of those proposals ever favor the minority party, the majority party always springs into action.
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer fired the chairwoman of the independent commission for recommending a congressional redistricting plan that created too many competitive districts. The governor doesn't have the power to appoint or remove the committee chairperson but she did it anyway because competition is bad.
In New Mexico, where Democrats rule, the opposite is the case. Republicans want competition. Democrats don't. The only way to take redistricting power away from a legislature is to go to court. That is where state House Democrats are right now, appealing to the Supreme Court the decision of a judge it appointed. Democrats essentially contend the decision creates too many competitive districts.
Technically, it isn't just Democrats appealing the House redistricting. The suit is in the name of the entire Legislature and we, the taxpayers, are paying for it. Democrats control both houses of the Legislature, so they get to decide.
Term limits for legislators is another area in which lawmakers' self-interest rules. The governor and other statewide elected officials are limited to two four-year terms. Legislative terms have no limits.
Rep. Dennis Kintigh, of Roswell, introduced term limits this year for the third time in his brief legislative career. The bill already has been killed but Kintigh evidently wants to keep the issue before the public.
Kinthgh's bill would have limited all state lawmakers to 12 years in office. A great argument for the idea is that it allows a lawmaker to think more about what is good for New Mexico rather than what it will take to get reelected.
On the other side of the coin, term limits put more power in the hands of paid staff who stick around for a career. It also gives longtime lobbyists an advantage.
But voters tend to like term limits. In 1994 Rep. Newt Gingrich led the GOP in taking over the U.S. House of Representatives. The centerpiece of the takeover was a list of promises called "Contract with America."
Knowing Gingrich, he had tested all items in the contract for public acceptance. One of them was term limits. Gingrich required all Republicans running for office for the first time to pledge to serve only three terms – six years – and then step down.
A term limit bill was introduced in the first 100 days of the 1995 Congress. It failed miserably but Gingrich said he had kept his promise.
As for the House members who had pledged to stay only six years, somehow it slipped the minds of all but a few.

1-27 Traffic cameras may be on way out

12712cameras

SANTA FE – Are traffic cameras headed your way? Albuquerque launched its cameras in 2006 to detect speeders and red light runners. The Legislature didn't like it.
There weren't enough votes to kill it but restrictions were placed on the program. Among them were provisions that the program could not produce any extra revenue for the city. Fines could only be enough to cover expenses. The rest went to the state. Fines were set at $75.
In the next few years, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces and Santa Fe began using traffic cameras. Law suits were filed in Albuquerque. The city council scaled its program back to just red light runners. Public pressure continued anyway so the council held an advisory vote. A majority of 53 percent wanted cameras to go away. The council accepted the voters' desire.
That affected only Albuquerque. But those two Albuquerque lawsuits now have reached the state Supreme Court. Its decision could affect the entire state. The state court of appeals narrowly decided in favor of the cameras but the Supremes could go the other way.
Claims made against the program allege that it is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, a moneymaker, creeping government and a violation of rights. Also under fire is the presumption that the owner of a vehice is the guilty driver.
Defendants in the suits counter that if the owner of the vehicle identifies who was driving then that person will be charged. The owners never seem to know. Photographs of vehicles' front seats are used in some places to identify the driver. This also identifies a front-seat passenger who is not a suspect but sometimes is an embarrassment to the driver.
As for the privacy argument, what right to privacy does a driver have who is speeding and/or running a red light on a public road? Vehicles are under surveillance but so are individuals in stores, public buildings, airports and on crowded streets.
The moneymaking argument has been addressed by the New Mexico Legislature but it still persists. Unfortunately it was given a very bad reputation by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano in $2008 when the recession was first hitting.
As a revenue raising measure, she talked the legislature into buying a fleet of speed vans to place around the state. The fine was $200 and insurance companies were not notified. If you could afford the fines, it didn't matter how often you were caught. No mention was made of safety.
But safety should be the reason for all traffic laws. Everyone knows no rights exist for drivers to do whatever they want. There must be rules. The problem comes with enforcement. No one likes to be caught. Please enforce the laws against everyone but me.
Unfortunately traffic cameras are a little too efficient. They sneak up on you. But remember how motorcycle cops hiding behind billboards are reviled? What is it that causes people not to like traffic laws being enforced?
It seems as though the biggest opponents of traffic cameras are the American Civil Liberties Union and same people who want law and order. Is it the electronic part of it that seems too big-brotherish?
The Albuquerque police have come up with a solution to losing cameras. It has taken police off the crime beat and put them at the intersections that no longer have cameras. They are watching not only for red light violators but for speeders and vehicles with altered license plates. Fines now run as high as $270.
Santa Fe has an even better solution which others may want to copy. The city has speed vans parked conspicuously in school zones, hospital zones and streets where violations frequently occur. Signs are placed a half block on either side of the van warning that it is a speed zone. The location of these zones is published in the paper every day and on a weekly basis. It is much more pleasant than speed bumps.

1-25 Gov. Martinez being considered for veep

12512Legis5

SANTA FE – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has confirmed that he is looking at New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as a possible vice-presidential running mate.
When asked what vice-presidential possibilities he was considering, Romney indicated his interest in some of the party's first-term governors. Gov. Martinez was one of the first he named. He, of course, omitted any of those who already have created major controversies in their states. And he didn't mention any U.S. senators.
It is interesting that Romney, a former governor, has his eye on new governors rather than current members of Congress to complete his ticket if he is nominated. Senators often are the choice for running mates because they have the contacts to aid a president in getting legislation through Congress Senators also are preferable to House members since they represent an entire state that they might be able to help win in the general election..
But Romney apparently is looking at people with executive experience to help him run government. One drawback is that governors have little foreign policy background, which often is a major subject in vice-presidential debates.
Gov. Martinez has responded to this and a mention last week on national television that she would be the best balance for a ticket headed by Rick Santorum, the only true conservative in the GOP presidential race.
Martinez says she is not interested in the vice presidency because her full attention is focused on being the best governor she can be for New Mexico. That always was former Gov. Bill Richardson's response the three times he was considered for the vice presidency.
Disinterest almost always has to be a governor's response. The possibility of being the selection out of the many being considered is low. It weakens one's power and popularity at home and it eliminates the embarrassment of not being selected.
One time when Richardson was being considered, he eventually wrote a letter presidential nominee saying he was not interested. Some wonder if Richardson ever was seriously considered. The consensus is that he was seriously considered by Al Gore in 2000, when Richardson was U.S. Energy secretary and former United Nations ambassador.
The gasoline price spike and the loss of documents during the Los Alamos fire ruined his chances that time. In 2004, Richardson had two successful years as governor under his belt and probably wasn't particularly interested in leaving his job.
I do know that he was seriously enough considered that year to be vetted. I received a phone call from a member of that committee asking whether I thought Richardson's interest in Billy the Kid and the Roswell Incident were an indication that he would be too off-the-wall.
Despite their assurances about remaining as governor, if the call ever comes, it is difficult to decline the request to serve one's country.
Martinez wouldn't have to give up her office in order to run. Governors and members of Congress do it all the time. Gov. Sarah Palin and Gov. George W. Bush ran while remaining in office. So did Martinez and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish while they were running for governor. Gov. Martinez, however, has indicated some strong feelings about others running for office while serving in her administration.
She told Lt. Gov. John Sanchez she would strip him of all duties when he announced as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Sanchez noted that he also is an elected official and doesn't take orders from the governor.
Jon Barela is the Secretary of Economic Development for the governor and, as such, is not an elected official. Martinez said that if Barela were to run for Congress in the 1st Congressional District, he would have to resign his position.
Barela waited a long time to declare whether he would run. He finally did so last week, announcing that he will stay put. He, of course, didn't say whether Martinez's requirement that he resign played a part in his decision.

1-23 Gov. aims to improve economy and education

12312Legis4

SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez wants to exempt small businesses paying less than $200 a month in gross receipts tax from having to pay the tax. She says it will affect over 40,000 small businesses in the state, most of which are one-person businesses.
I am one of those businesses and the chances are fairly good that you may be one too. And for the life of me, I can't figure out how it is going to help anyone. Supposedly it will help me hire an employee.
This column appears in many newspapers around the state but even if it appeared in all of them, it isn't enough to share with anyone but my wife, who does the bookkeeping for free.
We're not going to benefit from the exemption because we pass the tax on to newspapers, which will be the beneficiaries. But not to the extent any of them can hire another employee.
It also doesn't make work any easier for us because as I understand the bill, which hasn't yet been introduced as of this writing, applies only to the state's share of gross receipts. Several local governmental bodies also levy a gross receipts tax.
The Taxation and Revenue Department of state government collects all of the tax and distributes the local shares to the other recipients. The only change in my work would be to multiply by a lower number. Under the governor's proposal, the state will continue to do just as much work but without collecting any of the tax for itself.
As a small business owner, I can't find much to be grateful to the governor about for having this legislation introduced. The purpose is to improve our state's economy by aiding small businesses but I don't see how this is going to mean jobs for more New Mexicans.
Here's another gubernatorial proposal that Martinez may not have quite right yet. But she's getting there.
We know New Mexico students lag far behind national testing norms. Former Gov. Bill Richardson tried hard to close that gap, mainly by getting significant new revenue into the system. His administration also tried many new programs to improve teacher pay and quality and to get parents involved. But it didn't do much for student performance.
Gov. Susana Martinez also is willing to put more money into public schools but she wants it targeted in different ways. She wants to be sure students develop adequate reading skills in the first three grades.
Last year, she proposed legislation to hold students at the third grade level until they developed the reading skills to move on. Lawmakers learned it is necessary to obtain parental consent before holding a student back.
If school districts hold students an extra year, they get more money from the state – which the state can ill-afford. It also costs the district more because it has to find extra space to educate students for an extra year or two. And class sizes go up or more teachers have to be hired.
Problems also are created by having students who are one and two years older in a class with third graders. They tend to become the bullies.
The solution is to begin providing extra help to poor readers as soon as they are identified in kindergarten so they are less likely to have to be held back at the third grade level. That has been the direction of Gov. Martinez's efforts for the past several months.
Parents are the key factor in school success for a child. If they are unable or unwilling to help their children achieve success in school, it means the schools have to provide that extra help and encouragement.
That means more money for special reading teachers. Gov. Martinez is willing to make that a top priority for our strained state budget. With those students for which it doesn't work, she is willing to hold them in third grade against parental wishes.
She'll get static on that but she's willing to take the hit.

1-20 Can Gov. and Legislature work together?

12012Legis3

SANTA FE – Lawmakers are scheduled to take their usual Friday recess today. It gives the staff time to catch up with the flurry of bills introduced during opening days of the session and into binders for committee work.
It also gives some lawmakers from the far reaches of the state an opportunity to get back home for the last time before the session ends. The Capitol won't be completely vacant however. Finance committees and others will already be meeting.
Before high speed presses became more accessible, bills were flown by private contractors to places like Portales and Roy for duplication over the long weekend.
Mother Nature didn't send its customary blanket of snow for opening day but she did send some unexpected flurries beginning on Monday to remind us she still is around.
Gov. Susana Martinez said before the session started that legislators need to work every hour of every day to insure that the public's business gets done. That surely was an allusion to the slow-moving nature of last year's 60-day session and the even slower and somewhat erratic pace of September's special session.
The governor was partly responsible for last year's regular session moving so slowly. She laid out her priorities before the beginning of the session and then basically left town to travel, mostly in the southern part of the state, talking to groups about her priorities and reading to children.
Lawmakers had become accustomed to Bill Richardson's style of governing, in which he presented an ambitious program at the beginning of the session and then relentlessly pushed the Legislature to move it along.
There is nothing wrong with legislative leaders formulating their own initiatives and pushing the governor to accept them. In fact, that is the way it is supposed to work. But legislative leaders became so accustomed to Richardson controlling the agenda that they didn't get much done.
We learned on opening day that House Speaker Ben Lujan has been treated for late-stage lung cancer the past two years. Surely that must have slowed him down some. It is amazing that Lujan managed to conceal his illness for so long. Word normally spreads fast in the political arena.
Gov. Martinez has promised to be more engaged and cooperative this session. Her remarks to the opening session of the Legislature gave hope that may happen.
To this writer, she appeared much more confident and self-assured. Her delivery was polished and often passionate even without the tele-prompters used by most at the national level.
Martinez handled the disturbance by protesters at the beginning of her speech with grace. She seemed unflustered as the ever-present state police hustled the protesters out of the House gallery.
Her opening sentences were a little shaky but once she started talking about her family, she settled down. It spoke well for her administration that no arrests were made. The media quickly loses interest and any talk about First Amendment violations is quelled.
So our new governor showed up well in her as she begins her second year. Her popularity polls are all over the map, ranging from high 40 percent to low 60 percent, depending on who is doing the polling.
Her vice-presidential chances continue. If Republicans choose a conservative presidential candidate is chosen, many pundits presume a vice-presidential candidate will be needed to balance the ticket.
Last weekend Martinez was mentioned on a national network as an ideal balance for Rick Santorum whom the analyst speculated is so conservative he needs both a woman and a minority to provide enough balance.
So maybe enough forces will be at work to produce agreement on some of the state's more cantankerous issues. If it could be done on congressional and state Senate redistricting, good things may be possible.
But this is an election year. A change of one more seat from Democrat to Republican will put the House under GOP control. The redistricting map approved by a judge last week makes that possibility look very likely.
Right now, Democrat-turned-Independent Andy Nunez, from Las Cruces, creates a very delicate balance. In her opening day speech, Gov. Martinez teased several times about the uncomfortable situation Nunez creates for Democrats.

oops

My apologies. Column for 1-18 did not get sent to you two days ago when I wrote it. That is regrettable considering how fast things move up here at beginning of session. 1-20 column should be to you in a couple of hours.

Expect Fireworks

11812Legis2

SANTA FE – Expect fireworks from the 2012 Legislature even though everyone promises to be nicer. The thaw in relations began when Republicans, Democrats and Gov. Susana Martinez reached some agreements late in the redistricting process.
Short 30-day legislative sessions were created for the purpose of building the following fiscal year's budget. The governor and Republican lawmakers would like to see tax breaks for businesses and Democrats want to reinstate some program cuts.
Now that the word "compromise" seems to be less onerous, a few tax cuts and a few increases in previously cut programs may be on the horizon.
Legislators are limited to introducing only bills relating to the budget but the governor is allowed to request introduction of any additional subjects she desires. The procedure is for her to send messages to both houses on each additional subject she would like them to consider.
At that point, she will have already found one or more legislators to introduce a bill her office has drafted on the subject. That act then allows any other lawmakers to introduce their own legislations on the same subject. Each house has a committee to determine whether such bills are appropriately germane to the governor's message.
It is those non-budget bills that will cause the fireworks this session. Gov. Martinez has said she wants to try a third time to take driver's licenses from illegal aliens. If the vote appears close, Democrats may propose amendments to grandfather existing license holders or to stipulate how the program will be administered.
Martinez had an all-or-nothing attitude on her legislative priorities last year. If she is willing to accept half a loaf on some of her priorities this year, she may get some of them up to her desk and fight for the rest another day.
Former Gov. Gary Johnson insisted in all or nothing during all eight years he was in office. In his final year, revenues were very good and he proposed some big tax cuts. The Legislature sent him a package of smaller cuts, which Johnson vetoed.
The following year, new Gov. Bill Richardson got a similar package of tax cuts through the Legislature, for which he received national acclaim. Rush Limbaugh even praised him. Johnson complained but the fault was basically his for a take-it-or-leave-it approach.
Other non-budget items we likely will see from the governor this session are bills to halt "social promotion" of third graders, Public Regulation Commission reform, requirement of voter identification at the polls and an increase in the age requirement for public employee retirement eligibility.
Gov. Martinez likes the idea of reorganizing state government, which has been discussed since the final year of the Richardson administration. But instead of a major legislative hassle about how to do it, Martinez likely plans to continue her quiet consolidation of government programs and personnel.
Now that the governor has unexpectedly become a fan of the film industry, might she want to remove the cap she got put on rebates to that industry for expenses incurred in New Mexico? She has said nothing and film industry representatives are talking among themselves about doing it in 2013.
It all may become a moot issue now that Disney has announced it will film a big Lone Ranger adventure in the state. It has been difficult to get any figures on whether the cap on film rebates has hurt or not. All I know is that there have been far fewer star sightings reported in the Santa Fe area the past several months.
Speaking of former Gov. Richardson, this column reported a month or so ago that he had dropped from sight after a grand jury began investigating him again. But Richardson was highly visible last week at the huge funeral for former state Tourism Secretary Mike Cerletti at the St. Francis Cathedral Basilica.
His website, www.billrichardson.com, also is full of information again on his travels and activities.

I just discovered I didn't email 1/18 column after writing it two days ago. Bad mistake on my part when events breaking fast up here. 1/20 column should be to you in a couple of hours.

2012 Legislature may feature more cooperation

11612Legis1

SANTA FE – The 2012 Legislature may be very different than the 2011 version now that Gov. Susana Martinez has a year of chief executive experience under her belt.
Martinez appears to have learned that the adversarial approach necessarily taken by district attorneys doesn't work when dealing with another branch of government. She says a No. 1 priority this year will be to cooperatively work with the Legislature.
The 2001 Legislature had embarrassingly little to show for its efforts. The special session on redistricting was even worse. A surprising improvement in relations was evident when Gov. Martinez and a handful of Democratic legislators presented a bipartisan congressional redistricting proposal to the court last fall.
Judge James Hall ended up approving a plan very similar to the one proposed by Martinez and some Democrats. No such agreement was accomplished on state House redistricting. But after what Democrats considered a Republican-leaning decision by Judge Hall, Senate leaders huddled with Martinez and came up with a joint proposal for redistricting that body.
If Gov. Martinez can agree with Democrats on redistricting, the most controversial of all political topics, there is no telling what might be possible from the legislative session beginning tomorrow.
What caused this new-found openness from the governor? Some guess that former Gov. Garrey Carruthers, a Republican from Las Cruces, may have whispered in her ear. Others note that newly-elected Republican governors in other states have recently adopted a similar approach. Or maybe our new governor may have figured this out by herself.
Martinez and Democratic lawmakers are far enough apart on many issues that bipartisanship won't be easy, but enough small steps can be taken over the next three years – or seven years – to amount to something big.
State economists predict about $250 million in new revenues nest year. That's an encouraging change from the hundreds of millions of cuts necessitated over the past three years. But the fiscal plans of the two sides vary considerably.
Martinez wants tax cuts to stimulate growth in the economy. Democrats want to use the extra money to restore government services that have been cut.
This session is sure to move much faster than last year's, which really never got up to speed. The governor presented her budget plan 10 days ago. The joint Legislative Finance Committee released its plan a few days later.
That meant the House appropriations Committee could begin work a week ago on the session's appropriation bill. This will be a short, 30- day session so early starts are a help. It only is possible to start committee meetings early in even-numbered years because all lawmakers are in the middle of their terms. In odd-numbered years, new legislators have been elected and committees have not been appointed.
Two other committees got off to an early start last week. The House Education Committee and the House Transportation Committee also have input into the budget-making process.
For a change, people traveling from the south aren't forecasted to have bad roads to fight on their trip to Santa Fe, although the folks from Hobbs may have trouble getting out of their driveways this year.
New Mexico has one of the most citizen-friendly capitols in the nation. You may wander the hallways freely, looking for your legislator or anyone else you might like to see. You can't bother your legislator on the floor when the chambers are in session but that is one of the few restrictions.
The governor's office also is in the Capitol Building. That requires an appointment but staff members often are available to talk about your issue. The governor's reception room also is very hospitable and has a nice gallery.
And speaking of galleries, our capitol looks like an art museum, with native New Mexico art everywhere. Even the hallway furniture is handmade by New Mexicans. Another welcome addition is a parking garage across the street, which eliminates blocks of walking.

Mike Cerletti was master hotelier

11312 Cerletti

SANTA FE – Former state Tourism Department Secretary Michael Cerletti was known to the public for his 10 years heading the department and two years at Expo New Mexico. But that wasn't what made the recently deceased Cerletti the legend he was.
Cerletti had a talent for taking aging hotels that had lost some of their charm and returning them to their former grandeur. In New Mexico, he began with La Posada de Santa Fe. Then he moved on to the old downtown Albuquerque Hilton and made it La Posada de Albuquerque.
Then he took on the De Vargas Hotel near the state Capitol and made it the stately St. Francis Hotel. Then it was the Sprawling Rancho Encantado guest ranch north of Santa Fe. In the course of his career, Cerletti bought and sold many hotels in New Mexico and in the San Francisco area of his native California.
Most of his transactions involved finding partners. That was a natural for Cerletti, with his always-positive attitude and great personality. On the final day of his two-year fight against brain cancer, his family says he donned a sweat shirt saying, "I'm Michael and here's the deal."
In between stints with state government, Cerletti served as director of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Department at New Mexico State University. During that time Mike and his wife Helen had a house in the southern part of town in a neighborhood filled with huge pecan trees.
I remember his surprise when he learned that neighbors had contracted with a firm to harvest all their pecans, sell them and distribute the proceeds. Mike was very pleasantly surprised to learn how much he had made off the deal. From that time on, his friends often called him Farmer Mickey – quite appropriate for a director of our agricultural university.
A few days after Mike Cerletti's death, another former hotelier, Michel Fidel, of Santa Fe, passed away. Fidel had owned and managed El Fidel Hotel at the corner of Don Gaspar and Water streets in Santa Fe. Old timers will remember El Fidel Hotel in Albuquerque, which later became the Cole Hotel downtown. And El Fidel Hotel in Las Vegas, NM is still in business.
"Mitch" Fidel came to this country from Lebanon in the early 1920s. He was a chemical engineer, who helped enrich uranium at Oak Ridge, Tenn. during the Manhattan Project. Following World War II, he and wife Christine moved back to Santa Fe to join the family businesses.
I usually stay out of presidential politics unless it involves New Mexicans. But current GOP politics intrigue me. I keep hearing that this race will go all the way to the convention. But I remember four years ago when the same predictions were being made.
Then, suddenly, everyone was out but Sen. John McCain. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul seemed to have plenty of money to go the distance. Conservatives had agreed that Mike Huckabee was their candidate. But they all got out.
This year, Romney looks much stronger to me than McCain did at this time in 2008 but nearly everyone is predicting this one will go down to the wire. I'm guessing that if Romney does well in South Carolina, the bigwigs are going to huddle and say it is Romney's turn so everyone else should get out.
And they will.
Regardless of what happens in the Republican race, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson's switch from Republican to Libertarian will have an impact on the general election results here.
Much can happen between now and then to affect the race between Republicans and Democrats but Johnson is going to pull more votes from Republicans than from Democrats.
Early in the campaign, a poll showed Johnson winning the Republican primary in New Mexico. That may not still be the case but it is an indication that he will tilt the race toward President Obama.

1-11 NM and AZ not sister states

11112 AZ centennial

SANTA FE – At first glance, New Mexico and Arizona appear to be sister states. Both were claimed and explored by Spain in the 1500s. Both had equal periods of Spanish, Mexican and American rule. And both were granted U.S. statehood a month apart.
But otherwise, the differences were great. For nearly a millennium, New Mexico was peopled by peaceful Pueblo farmers. Arizona was controlled by marauding, nomadic Apaches. New Mexico was colonized in 1598. But Spain had little interest in the land that now is Arizona. It was hard to traverse because of that huge canyon blocking northern exploration and travel. It was left to the Apaches.
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, it began allowing non-Spanish settlers and traders. That began the Santa Fe Trail, bringing people of many cultures and ethnicities from the East and Midwest.
Most of them didn't keep moving west to Arizona where there was no protection from Apaches. Arizona's early migration came from the Southern states looking for farm land. But the farther west they got, the more arid the land became.
The interest in Arizona didn't start until the United States decided it wanted California. Thus, in 1846, Gen Kearny's California Column claimed Santa Fe, stayed for a while to establish a government and then continued down the Rio Grande and through southern Arizona to California.
New Mexico came close to gaining statehood in 1849 but the compromise of 1850, heavily influenced by the slavery issue, made us a territory. It took Arizona another 13 years just to become a territory. It petitioned the U.S. government five times.
After the formation of the Confederacy, Arizona petitioned twice and finally was accepted as a Confederate territory after the Confederacy invaded New Mexico and claimed both states. That caught Washington's attention, which made Arizona a U.S. territory in 1863 after turning back the Confederates at Glorieta.
Tucson fully expected to become the territorial capital but because of its Confederate leanings, Prescott was the first capital. Soon Tucson grabbed it away. Prescott got it back and it eventually ended up in Phoenix. Santa Fe has been New Mexico's capital for over 400 years.
Between 1875 and 1910, New Mexico and Arizona tried many times to gain statehood from Congress but they never worked together. Several times one house of Congress or the other approved statehood for one state or the other.
In 1906, Congress tried getting everything together. Both houses approved statehood for a combined state called Arizona. It was subject to approval by voters of both states. New Mexicans approved it 2-1. Arizonans defeated it 5-1.Did they fear domination by the bigger New Mexico?
Even though the two states never liked each other, they both were mutually disrespected by Washington. General Sherman's famous comment about declaring war on Mexico again and making it take New Mexico back, he also applied to Arizona.
Gen. Lew Wallace hated his 1878 appointment as New Mexico governor and couldn't wait to get out. John C. Fremont was appointed Arizona governor the same year. When told that meant that meant he had to live in Arizona, he resigned.
According to True West magazine, published in Cave Creek, Arizona, the McDowell Mountains east of Scottsdale, Fort McDowell and McDowell Road all are named for Gen. Irvin McDowell, noted in history for losing both battles of Bull Run.
Also according to True West, which has dedicated its February edition to Arizona's centennial, on Feb. 14, George Warren had drinking and gambling problems and was judged insane. He also lost the Four Queens Mine betting that he could outrun a horse. That didn't keep his likeness from appearing on Arizona's state seal.
So, at the beginning of 2012, we honor two of the most unusual states to be admitted to the union. Both have made outstanding contributions to our nation despite 66 years of misgivings by Washington.

We're off..

...celebrating my birthday until Jan. 6. No column for the 9th. No email. A little cell phone: 505699-9982.