Diane Denish: News Articles

DA Tops in Extra Pay for Staffers

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Susana Martinez, the district attorney in Las Cruces and Republican governor nominee who has campaigned as a budget hawk, has been the most generous New Mexico prosecutor when it comes to awarding employees extra pay.

From fiscal years 2006 to 2010, Martinez gave out about $477,000 to employees for "out-of-cycle salary increases," nearly three times as much as any other district attorney in the state's 13 judicial districts, according to state records.

Martinez's campaign staff said that nearly 75 percent of her increases were paid for with federal funds and that much of that money stemmed from the proximity of her district to the border with Mexico and border-related crime.

An out-of-cycle salary increase is a one-time lump sum payout or permanent salary increase similar to a bonus. Martinez said in a statement Friday that her out-of-cycle increases were all legitimate.

"All out-of-cycle increases in my office were performance-related, within the appropriate guidelines and approved unanimously by the New Mexico District Attorneys' Personnel Review Board and the (New Mexico) Department of Finance and Administration," Martinez said.

Martinez has complained on the campaign trail about what she calls "out-of-control" spending by Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's administration since he took office in 2003.

General fund spending increased by more than 50 percent during the first six years of Richardson's administration but has declined to a net increase of about 37 percent because of budget cutting over the past two years.

The budget for Martinez's DA's Office grew by 70 percent from 2003 to 2009 — from about $2.7 million to about $4.6 million. The Legislature sets Martinez's budget.

"The appropriations made to my office by the Legislature coincide with our caseload increase and are used to fight crime," Martinez said. "For example, homicides increased over 133 percent, and the Legislature added a district judge and the required additional prosecutorial and defense attorney resources."

Martinez said a "key distinction" between her office budget and the overall state budget is that the state government budget "increased at an overall rate far beyond either inflation or population growth."

Other DA offices

The out-of-cycle increases take two forms: a one-time lump sum payment or a permanent salary increase instituted through the out-of-cycle option, in contrast to a regular raise that is scheduled to occur at regular intervals. Neither form of payment can exceed 15 percent of an employee's salary.

From fiscal years 2006 to 2010, Martinez gave 24 lump-sum payments to employees worth about $228,000, according to state records. The salary increases given to employees using the same option totaled about $249,000.

Martinez's office did not give any out-of-cycle increases in fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30.

Other district attorneys have not been as generous over the years, some telling the Journal that their budgets couldn't afford it.

The 4th Judicial District district attorney's office, based in Las Vegas, gave about $115,000 in lump-sum payments, ranking second behind Martinez in fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

The lowest lump sum payouts among district attorneys in the state's 13 judicial districts between fiscal years 2006 and 2010 was the $4,500 paid in the Albuquerque-based 2nd Judicial District.

For salary increases, the 1st Judicial District district attorney's office in Santa Fe had the next-highest, behind Martinez's office, with increases totaling about $141,000 over the same time period. The lowest salary increase total for the period was about $23,000 from the 10th Judicial District district attorney's office in Tucumcari.

While the number of out-of-cycle increases given to employees by Martinez was comparable to the number awarded by other offices, Martinez often gave higher amounts.

Martinez gave the maximum allowable payout or increase of 15 percent 39 times between fiscal years 2006 and 2010, although it's not clear to how many employees. The 4th Judicial District district attorney's office was the next-highest in the number of times the maximum payouts or increases were given — 16.

Martinez said the payouts ensure "we retain the best prosecutorial staff available."

Money source

The out-of-cycle increases are allowable through a state personnel policy. The policy says that employees can receive the payouts if they take on extra duties, find a way to save the office money over time or have an offer for a better-paying job outside the office, among other things.

The number of employees who can receive the out-of-cycle increases is limited to 20 percent of the total office staff.

Kelly Kuenstler, director of the Administrative Office of the District Attorneys in Albuquerque, said the payouts or increases are sometimes funded by savings from vacant positions in the office that are budgeted but not filled or from recurring savings that occur when a highly paid member of the office leaves and is replaced by someone making less money.

Many of the out-of-cycle payments are made using federal or nonprofit grants, Kuenstler said.

Martinez paid many of her employees using federal grant money from the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative. That program, run by the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies, reimburses local prosecutors for case costs and detention time for offenders who are caught by federal law enforcement agencies but prosecuted by local or state lawyers, Department of Justice spokeswoman Kara McCarthy said.

Martinez's district

Doña Ana County, which borders on Mexico and Texas and where Martinez is district attorney, has received more money from the federal program than any other county in New Mexico. From 2002 through 2008, it was awarded about $5.8 million.

Martinez said her office received more money because it does the more federal border cases, most involving drugs, than any other district in the state.

Ryan Cangiolosi, Martinez's campaign manager, said that about $355,000 of the out-of-cycle increases were paid for with the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative funding. The rest came from office savings in its own budget.

McCarthy said there are few restrictions on how the federal money can be spent and said using funds "for the support and enhancement of prosecutorial and detention services is encouraged."

Lemuel Martinez, district attorney for the 13th Judicial District, which encompasses Sandoval, Valencia and Cibola counties, said all the out-of-cycle increases are approved by the district attorneys' Personnel Review Board.

Lemuel Martinez, a Democrat who is not related to Susana Martinez, sits on the board with Susana Martinez and three other district attorneys.

He said the only time he has seen an out-of-cycle increase rejected is if the requesting district attorney had not followed one of the personnel rules or had made mistakes with paperwork.

He said most of the judicial districts don't give out maximum increases or the amounts of money Susana Martinez has because they don't have the budget for it.

"I can't go to 15 percent, because I don't have any money. That's what constrains me," Lemuel Martinez said.

Considering the future

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Denish says F-16 squadrons at Holloman provide new opportunities for Alamogordo

Early morning breakfast diners at the Waffle & Pancake Shoppe probably didn't expect to see Lt. Gov. Diane Denish when they walked through the front door of the restaurant Tuesday.

Denish, who is vying to become the first female governor of New Mexico in the November general election, graciously paused for a quick camera phone photograph with an employee while trying to eat a small plate of biscuits and gravy.

"Let me swallow this first," she said before posing for the camera. "If I don't, it will be on Facebook in about two seconds."

Denish didn't spend Tuesday night in Alamogordo so she could enjoy biscuits and gravy at Steve Brockett's restaurant. She wanted to calm fears within the community about the Department of Defense's announcement last Thursday that Holloman Air Force Base will be losing its F-22 Raptor squadrons.

The location of her visit was a natural choice. It's a place where many Alamogordoans stop for a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee or to exchange the latest town gossip before going to work.

Nothing spreads faster than word-of-mouth, especially in Alamogordo, which may be another reason why Denish picked the restaurant to get her message out.

Denish said the removal of the F-22s and the subsequent arrival of the much-older F-16 Fighting Falcon should be seen as an opportunity.

"I think the news took us all by surprise," she said. "This is a good opportunity to think about the future and the F-35."

Denish said that although Holloman is losing the F-22 and wasn't selected as a training base for the F-35, there is still a chance to land the coveted jet mission in the Tularosa Basin.

"Oh, we're going to fight like crazy to get the F-35," she said. "The F-22s are gone. I haven't thought about it from the perspective of getting all the F-16s, but it would be a smart business decision for the DOD to bring all of them to one place. That might be the first place to start because the F-35s are down the road."

The F-35s are not expected to arrive at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. - the DOD's chosen destination - until about 2015, and Denish said many things can happen in five years. While she's not promising to get the F-35s for Holloman, she said there is a chance to change a few minds.

"That will depend on what happens with some other bases," she said. "It was interesting to me that this whole process was so under the radar. We stay in touch with the (congressional) delegation. I really feel if they had known it was coming, I know they would have hustled to keep it."

Denish said the F-22s "won't be leaving tomorrow" now that people have had a chance to catch their breath and digest the gravity of the situation.

"The F-22s will be here for a while, and the F-16s will come. I think we have some real opportunities created by it. That's what we do; we go to work on those opportunities."

Denish said the F-16 Fighting Falcon is "the work horse of the Air Force" and the nation's budget constraints should lengthen the aircraft's lifespan.

"Any time you make a substantial change, people will - at first glance - be worried," she said. "We have to grab a hold of the opportunity and think of it as an opportunity."

Denish said Alamogordo and other southern New Mexico communities need to diversify their economies. She noted the region's aerospace abilities, as well as the need to focus on small business job creation.

"We need to expand on aerospace abilities here," she said. "The spaceport will create opportunities for us to use White Sands Missile Range, Alamogordo and Las Cruces as a triangle to expand on that.

"Small job creation happens primarily in our small business community. Frankly, as we go out there and get the biscuit companies and the flower companies, we will always need to think about how to stabilize the underpinning of the community which is the base and small businesses."

But Denish also noted that Holloman pumps about $1.1 million into the economies of Alamogordo and Otero County.

"Unless you live in a base community, you really don't understand the economic value of the bases to New Mexico," she said.

Another way to diversify the economy, Denish said, is to start creating alternative forms of energy.

"In this part of the state, we have a chance to create geothermal energy. That is going to be the wave of the future," she said. "We need to do that. We need to take advantage of our alternative energies in New Mexico. (Alamogordo) is one of the places where we can actually do that."

Denish said the government can "supply the tools" if the community and its leaders are willing to forge ahead with it.

Still, the importance of retaining the military in the region isn't lost on Denish, which is why she said she plans to ensure that the Base Planning Commission stays intact.

"I want to reassure people that my commitment is to continue the Base Planning Commission and make sure we're working hard and maintaining our relationships not only across the state, but with the Pentagon and the Department of Defense," she said.

Contact Michael Johnson at mjohnson@alamogordonews.com.

Martinez's Plans and Positions Need More Substance

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Let’s face it: Diane Denish is killing Susana Martinez when it comes to releasing substantive policy positions and detailed plans about what she wants to accomplish as governor.

Denish has released plans for ethics reform, helping small businesses, workforce development and government reform. The closest Martinez has come to issuing a similarly substantive plan came in a fairly detailed guest column on this site about growing jobs. She has recently released less-detailed statements about eliminating waste and making New Mexico competitive.

While both candidates have done some dodging of reporters’ questions, as far as I can tell, Martinez has done it more. She failed to answer at least two policy questions asked by journalists that Denish did answer, about a situation involving Helena Chemical Company’s facility in Mesquite and the Public Regulation Commission’s authority over insurance rate hikes.

It’s time for this to change.

Martinez has been on fire since her popularity began to spike a few weeks before the primary. Denish tried to halt that surge with a barrage of negative attack ads in June. It doesn’t appear to have worked. Polling has been done since then, and both campaigns are still operating as if the race is neck-and-neck at best, and maybe even leaning in Martinez’s favor.

Martinez is a candidate many find exciting. She’s Hispanic. She’s a woman. She doesn’t fit the mold. She talks about change and has successfully crafted an image as an outsider in a throw-the-bums-out year. She talks about taking down bad guys – and as a prosecutor she’s actually done it.

But Martinez’s honeymoon with New Mexico voters won’t carry her through the Nov. 2 election. She’s going to have to go into more detail about her plans and her stances on issues. Voters are paying attention this election cycle. Superficial slogans and statements won’t cut it.
Martinez must show she’s not an ideologue

Martinez is running to the right of the New Mexico electorate. Political analyst Jose Garcia said in early June that Martinez doesn’t have to follow the conventional wisdom for Republican candidates and move to the center because her ethnicity and law-enforcement background will attract Hispanic voters. He also predicted, correctly, that the unprecedented dynamics in this race would force Denish to move to the center.

I have heard from many moderate Democratic and independent voters that they’re interested in Martinez’s candidacy. That’s critical, because she can’t win without those voters.

Many of those people have told me they don’t know where Martinez stands on most issues. They do know about her far-right stance on immigration – and it makes them nervous.

Those are many of the voters still up for grabs: moderate Democrats and independents who are more closely aligned with Denish’s center-left philosophy but are tired of business as usual in Santa Fe and suspect that Martinez will more aggressively try to change things.

To win them over, Martinez is going to have to take detailed stances on the most important issues to voters – the economy, education and health care – in addition to other issues like ethics reform. She doesn’t have to move to the left. But she has to show that she understands the complexities of issues and has tangible plans to accomplish her goals.

Martinez has to show that, while she may be more conservative than most New Mexico governors in modern history, she’s not an ideologue. Displaying intelligence and substance on the issues would go a long way toward proving that she’s not Sarah Palin. Showing that she understands the complexities of issues would create the potential for compromise that will be critical to working with the Legislature and accomplishing anything.

Denish Has Done Her Homework on Budgetary Issues

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Last week the Legislative Finance Committee warned that the state could see another revenue shortfall, even with the combined cuts and tax increases delivered in the last legislative session, even with federal stimulus money. The governor is presently ignoring the committee's Nervous Nellies and waiting for consensus estimates by government economists.

You will recall that if we see red ink, the ball - tossed to him by legislators - is in the governor's court.

The good news is that taxes and royalties on oil and natural gas are up, and from visits to Santa Fe and Ruidoso, I see tourism is rebounding. (Thank God for oil, gas and Texans.) The bad news is that certain Legislative leaders and the governor counted on 6 percent revenue growth, a number many questioned at the time as overly rosy.

What do our candidates for governor have to say? Republican Susana Martinez has three paragraphs on her Web site. Democrat Diane Denish has six pages. Six pages!

Of her three paragraphs (susanamartinez2010.com), Martinez spends the first one complaining about the current administration's "wild spending spree." In her second and third, she says she would oppose raising taxes to solve budget problems, cut wasteful spending, tighten belts, put money in a rainy-day fund (we already do this), rebate tax dollars during good years, eliminate programs that don't work, and balance revenue and spending.

For the most part, these are platitudes, not plans.

Martinez is a smart lawyer, but as a district attorney she hasn't had the same kind of exposure to state budget issues that Denish has enjoyed (if I can use that word) as lieutenant governor. Even so, you'd think the Republicans could have rounded up some knowledgeable people to produce a statement that doesn't sound like Jello thrown at the wall.

(I have a feeling defeated Republican candidate Janice Arnold-Jones, a state representative, wouldn't be so unprepared.)

Denish (dianedenish.com), on the other hand, offers a plan she calls "A New Way of Doing Business" that puts a number to each element, with $450 million in savings over the next 5 years. It's so beefy it can't be adequately described in this space. Briefly, Denish would cut another 100 political appointments, return the number of exempt positions to pre-2002 levels, and offer one-time, voluntary buy-outs to state employees not in high-demand. She would require agencies to meet performance standards and as those standards revealed inefficiencies, eliminate them.

Under the heading of accountability, she proposes a series of measures to gauge the benefits of tax credits. Now that the state's checkbook is online, Denish would implement an expansion of the Sunshine Portal to allow citizens to report waste. She would consolidate all agency inspectors general and fraud and abuse staff in one Office of Government Accountability led by a Chief Performance and Accountability Officer who answers to the governor.

She would eliminate at least four cabinet-level positions, cut or consolidate at least 100 boards and commissions, and reduce the state's auto fleet.

She has a seven-step plan to reform New Mexico's truly awful capital outlay process. It includes a strict use-it-or-lose-it policy that returns unused capital outlay money after two years on the books, a state Capital Outlay Planning Board that drafts and maintains a five-year plan, no use of long-term bonds to finance short-term projects and property, help for local governments to prioritize projects and a limit of three a year on their requests for funding.

Finally, she calls for a culture of customer service in state government to be achieved, in part, by training and new, customer-friendly hours.

It's painfully obvious that one candidate has given the state's budget a great deal of thought. The other? The dog ate her homework.

Denish Proposes Career Incentives

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Denish Proposes Career Incentives

Governor candidate Diane Denish on Monday proposed using government programs and public-private partnerships to entice more New Mexicans into technical training for careers that she says have a future in the state.

Free tuition and other incentives for recent graduates, GED recipients and people who need new career training would push more residents into local community colleges, the Democratic nominee told a news conference in Albuquerque.

The idea is to enroll those students into film, alternative energy, construction, health and tourism programs, among others, which would bolster New Mexico's work force for potential businesses looking for a place to set up, Denish said.

Denish is running against Republican nominee Susana Martinez in the November general election.

Major points of Denish's plan include:

    • Giving one semester of free tuition to a state community college for every student who receives a high school diploma or GED and enrolls in one of the "high-demand career" programs outlined in Denish's plan. After the free semester, those students would be eligible for the state's lottery scholarship.

    • Using federal funds to retrain people who have lost their jobs in the past two years. Only those enrolling in a "high-demand career" program would be eligible.

    • Beefing up internships, advanced placement classes and apprenticeships for high school seniors.

    • Establishing partnerships with public schools, community colleges and business to create more on-the-job training for students in high school and community colleges.

Harvey E. Yates Jr., chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, called the Denish plan "too little, too late."

"After more than seven years in office, the (Gov. Bill) Richardson/Denish administration has only dismal educational rankings to show for its efforts," Yates commented in a news release later Monday.

Denish for Governor Text Message Service is Now Live

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Beginning today, Diane Denish for Governor is offering SMS message updates for information from the Campaign Trail.

Please visit us here to sign up.

Denish has stood up against corruption

Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I recently heard Republican gubernatorial candidateSusana Martinez say Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has done nothing during her tenure to combat or speak out against corruption, “not even a whisper.”

Martinez isn’t alone in making that claim. One of her primary opponents, Allen Weh, has made similar accusations, as have a number of other Republicans who are trying to tie Denish to corruption and other problems that have plagued the Richardson administration.

Martinez, Weh and the others, however, are wrong. Whether Denish has done enough to combat corruption is up for debate, but to say that the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor has done nothing in 7.5 years as lieutenant governor is patently false.

I know because I watched Denish publicly stand up against corruption within her party three years ago when no other Democrats would.

Speaker tried to kill housing authority reform

It was during the 2007 regular legislative session. I and other journalists had spent months writing about the scandal in the state’s affordable housing system that exploded when the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority defaulted on $5 million in bonds it owed the state in 2006. The controversy centered on a former legislator who was a close ally of House Speaker Ben Luján.

Denish had taken the lead in lobbying for approval of legislation that would reform the housing authority system and fund an audit. But Luján and others, including state Rep. Joe Campos of Santa Rosa, were working to kill the proposal.
Campos was doing it openly, using outdated audits to argue that the housing authorities didn’t have problems even though I and other journalists had already documented the issues.

Luján was working behind the scenes – you know, doing what he does. He walks into a committee meeting and whispers in a committee chair’s ear, and then a bill dies. The speaker was working to protect a political ally who was in a heap of trouble.

Luján already had a committee kill the House version of the reform bill, and the Senate version was coming before the same committee. Some Democratic lawmakers complained to me that the Senate bill was headed for the same fate and asked me to shine light on it so the bill could get a fair hearing.

I called around asking someone – anyone – who believed that Luján was trying to kill housing authority reform to go on the record. None would, until I spoke with Denish’s office.

Denish stood up to Luján

Denish’s spokesman told me it appeared that Luján was attempting to kill the bill sponsored by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, just as he had killed the bill from Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones.
“The overall impression we’re getting is that this bill is following in the footsteps of Rep. Arnold-Jones’ bill,” Denish spokesman Michael Henningsen said.

Denish also spoke up against Campos’ efforts to kill the reform proposal using outdated audits. And she was working to help coordinate efforts between representatives and senators to find a compromise.

Denish succeeded. Her work, along with public threats from then-House Minority Whip Dan Foley and some intense behind-the-scenes politicking by a handful of House Democrats, combined to create a greater force than Luján. The speaker was eventually forced to accept a compromise and allow the reform bill to pass.

Denish later signed the reform bill into law.

Denish made a difference

The state auditor has released a damning reporton what happened in the housing authorities. The AG has indicted several people in the scandal – including former state Rep. Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos, the close friend of Luján.

Let there be no doubt that there was an attempt to bury corruption in this instance, and that Denish stood up against it.

Let there also be no doubt about the speaker’s ties to the scandal. In 2006 we learned that a top aide to Luján was living rent-free in a home owned by the Region III Housing Authority, even though she was earning more than $71,000 per year. The agency was supposed to be providing housing for low-income New Mexicans.

Gallegos became a lobbyist after he left office in 1996, and he spent a lot of time in Luján’s office during legislative sessions. The aide, Luján’s office manager, later said that’s how she and Gallegos came to work out a deal for the house. She claimed she and her boyfriend were “defrauded and victimized” by the housing authority.

There’s no doubt in the minds of most people who were involved in this situation – and in my mind – that the speaker tried to kill housing authority reform. Denish stood up when other Democrats would not and challenged the speaker, the second most powerful official in state government and a leader in her own political party.

Her willingness to do so made a difference.

GOP claim is false

I understand why Republicans want the public to believe Denish has never fought corruption. It would be easier to tie her to the scandal-plagued Gov. Bill Richardson if she had never spoken a word against the powers-that-be in Santa Fe and in her own party.

Tying Denish to corruption – or at least convincing voters that she stood by and did nothing while it was happening – would help Republicans win the governor’s race in November.

There are other situations Republicans will cite in claiming Denish hasn’t done enough to fight corruption. But to say she’s done nothing is simply untrue.

Stumping for support

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish visited Alamogordo again Saturday, reminding her constituents she is all about job creation and supporting small businesses in New Mexico.

"We need to get back to our rural roots," Denish said at the meet and greet event conducted at Sunset Run Restaurant. "We are proposing some really fun things not so hard to do."

Denish said she is working on a $2,500 tax credit for start-up small businesses and loan-back guarantees for banks so it will be safer to offer loans for the "ma and pa" operations.

"We can support community banks," Denish said.

Also for small businesses starting up, Denish would like to see technology used to reduce the steps applicants have to take. Currently, a business has five government offices to visit before they can start, she said.

Denish also said she is working with the agricultural community on "farm-to-table" initiatives for communities to buy locally grown produce.

"We haven't really done much for the small farms," she said. "I would like to help them better."

Denish said it's 192 days until the general election and she's going to be doing all she can to let voters know she's a part of the race for the governor's position.

"We have five people on the other side who have no ideas as to how to get us through these tough times," Denish said, referring to the five Republican candidates vying for their party's nomination in the June 1 primary election.

"I want everybody to stick together," Denish said to the room full of Democrats. "We are the party of ideas."

Denish also talked about health care and making sure the new guidelines are instituted and followed.

"We need to make sure everybody has health care," she said. "We are going to have a job here to do in New Mexico.

"I am not upset about 300,000 more people in New Mexico getting insurance. People are afraid of the new ideas. Well, I'm afraid of the old ideas and I'm not going to give an inch."

The state is going to have to vie for funds coming to it from federal health care dollars and Denish wants to do it right, she said.

"It's going to be a job," she said. "I don't think people realize they are paying for the uninsured, anyway."

The uninsured get critically sick and end up in the emergency room because hospitals can't turn them away, she said. But with the same people having insurance, prevention becomes part of the package and the cost of health care goes down.

"There is more bankruptcy over health care than any other thing in the United States," she said.

Denish said she is planning to consolidate the size of state government by reorganizing departments and getting rid of about 100 exempt employees.
She said she also would like to see money saved by reducing travel costs and using technology more efficiently.

Denish said she has taken the office of lieutenant governor to a new level and used it to focus on things that matter to families.

"I'm not going to give an inch," she said. "I believe New Mexicans want someone who is committed to our children."

A Shot in the Arm for Small Biz

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

During a webcast press conference hosted by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish last week, she said the state’s economy could recuperate by “doing things we never believed possible.”

One of those “impossibles” includes laying the foundation for a statewide rural broadband network that would allow workers in agrarian areas high-speed access to the Internet to work remotely with industry partners and other businesses, she said.
“Small towns continue to suffer from what we know as the digital divide,” she said. “Many people want to live and work in small, rural communities and the way we can make that possible ... is to make sure they have broadband connectivity.”

In December 2009, the New Mexico Congressional Delegation announced the state was awarded $1.45 million in recovery funding to expand broadband technology to rural areas across New Mexico.

Dubbed the “Fast Forward New Mexico” program, administered through a partnership with the University of New Mexico, Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship and the 1st-Mile Institute, the initiative aims toincrease statewide broadband adoption and promote computer literacy and Internet use in rural, Hispanic and Native American populations. The initiative will also reach out to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Denish said rural economic development will remain one of her “highest priorities.”

Exactly how those funds will be used and in what communities is yet unknown.
Another economic-boosting program for rural New Mexico is the proposed creation of a “Farm to Table” initiative that would mandate municipal, county and state institutions to buy local agricultural products.

“Our schools, our correctional facilities and government institutions who need to buy food and fresh vegetables can do it all at the local level so that we support our agricultural industry in New Mexico,” she said. “I can’t think of a better way for good food, good farmers and good people to connectin small towns.”

A more business friendly government.

Local business owners and champions of economic development have said for the last year the state must remain competitive with neighboring states in its approach to business growth to get the economy back on its feet.

Denish echoed those same sentiments and vowed to take action.
“We need to adopt an Administrative Practices Act that works well in New Mexico,” she said. “We’re one of the few states that doesn’t have one. This will give our businesses timelines and predictability. We think it’s very important to create that kind of environment for New Mexico businesses.”

State and federal administrative practice legislation includes law that governs the way in which administrative agencies may propose and establish regulation, includingfor businesses. Denish also added that a full and thorough review of workman’s compensation law was overdue.“People are saying things are out of wack, there’s too much paperwork and it doesn’t work quick enough,” she said. “We will review workman’s comp law to see what works and what needs to change.”

To streamline the process of starting and owning a business, Denish also proposed the creation of a “one-stop shop” for small business owners.“If you’re a business owner or thinking about starting a business, you need five or more stops to find out what you need to do,” she said.“An online, one-stop shop will create a place for licensing, permits, registration forms and a directory of state services that would be important for any business owner looking to see what they need to start a business.”

Access to capital

Denish said she knows all too well of the current credit crunch. “Small business people know when they can, want or need to create a new job or product, and they need to have the access to capital to do that,” she said. Through use of the New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation (NMS-BIC), created by state legislation in 2000 to provide equity or loan capital to small businesses, “more than 1,800 businesses through New Mexico have either grown, expanded or got started,” Denish said.

“It’s one of those things we think has been able to shore up small business in these tough times,” she said. “I propose we reinvest in that program, making it possible for small business to continue to have access to capital on a regular basis.”
Upping the ante in the lending area even more, Denish said she would lead the way in creating a loan-backed guarantee program for community banks that will allow small financial institutions to “make more loans and have a little bit less risk.” “We would put $2.5 million dollars in this loan-backed guarantee program that would allow (community banks) to loan to up to 500 businesses in New Mexico,” she said “We need to work with our state investment folks.”
Procurement and tax credits.

Locally, the City of Las Cruces gives a 5-percent procurement preference to state companies who bid on city projects. Santa Fe, on the other hand, gives a 10-percent preference to local business. Overall, the state needs to do a better job to improve those efforts, Denish said. “We must give procurement points to New Mexico businesses,” she said. “We need to to do what we say we’re going to do and that’s grow New Mexico business. As we go forward, giving New Mexico business procurement points is one way we can do it. It helps support local business. It’s just common sense for us to do that.”

To further incentivize job creation in the small business sector, Denish said she’d like to see a $2,500 tax credit for every job created in state. “It would have to be a (position) making the average salary in the county, would have to have benefits, and it would also make certain that there is a state benefit,” she said. “For every tax credit, the state would receive $3,700 in increased revenue. That’s a win-win for the business owner and the state.”

To better link private industry with public policy, Denish also proposed the creation of a small business ombudsman in the governor’s office. “(If elected governor), I want a small business ombudsman talking to me,” she said. “We’ve had it in the lieutenant governor’s office, we want to continue that in the governor’s office – simply because too many times small and rural businesses get left out of the equation.”

Playing down the film monopoly

There’s no argument that Albuquerque and Santa Fe have snagged the majority of the state’s film projects since it first started offering rebates, in the form of tax credits, to filmmakers who come to New Mexico. When asked if the state would become proactive in marketing other parts of New Mexico as a filmmaking destination, Denish said it was a “no-brainer.”

“We will require the movie industry to use (alternative) locations throughout New Mexico,” she said. “It’s a very strong, emerging industry in New Mexico and you can depend on me to continue (directing) where (films) need to go – such as Las Cruces, the Hatch Valley, Sierra County and all its surrounding areas.”

When asked if the lucrative film credits have helped the economy, Denish said the industry has created 10,000 jobs since the credits were first offered. “We are working closely with the industry to make sure those credits are job creators,” she said.

A more liquid solution

Many small towns in New Mexico no longer have a center gathering place, Denish said – no inn, no tavern, no local restaurant or watering hole. “Many small communities have lost their liquor licenses to larger communities or corporations,” she said. “Liquor licenses are many times required for places with social gatherings.” But with the contention of a “very strong” liquor lobby in Santa Fe and the limitation of licenses, those small communities have been hard pressed to create legal venues that would fuel economic development.

“There’s a lot of talk going on right now about this. I’ve spoken to regulation and licensing about reviewing the alcohol license (policy) in New Mexico,” she said.“We can do that and create a category of liquor license for smaller areas or certain counties. We’ve got to get the liquor lobby to get on board with us and make sure that it happens.”
To reform liquor license law, “all stakeholders must sit at the table to make sure a win-win for business and the communities that are in desperate need of being able to open a (gathering place) but don’t have a quarter of a million dollars to do it.”

Denish Has Solid Fundraising Lead

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

SANTA FE - Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has nearly $2.6 million stockpiled for her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, giving her a large fundraising advantage over the Republicans in a crowded gubernatorial primary field.

Denish reported Monday that her campaign had received monetary contributions of $1.1 million and in-kind contributions of goods and services worth $51,308 from October through April 5. Her campaign spent $715,539.

Five Republicans are seeking the GOP nomination for governor. Denish is running unopposed on the June 1 primary election ballot.

Former state GOP Chairman Allen Weh used personal money to give a financial boost to his gubernatorial campaign.

Weh raised $691,003, with a half-million dollars of that from a personal loan, according to a summary released by the campaign. He previously had lent his campaign $250,000.

Weh's campaign spent $519,026 and received $48,843 worth of in-kind contributions. The campaign had a cash balance of $544,142 as of last week. Weh owns an air charter company in Albuquerque.

Susana Martinez, Doña Ana County district attorney, collected contributions of $428,064, with about half raised since last month when she won the most support from delegates at the party's pre-primary nominating convention and gained the top position on the GOP primary ballot.

Martinez received in-kind donations of $50,720. Her campaign spent $194,809 and had a cash balance of $363,913.

Doug Turner, an Albuquerque businessman, raised $400,772, including candidate loans of $198,746.

His campaign spent $351,657 and had a cash balance of $260,215.

Turner's campaign received in-kind contributions of $174,925.

Pete Domenici Jr., an Albuquerque lawyer, raised $372,108, including $70,000 in loans from the candidate. In-kind donations totaled $14,931.

Domenici's campaign spent $242,409 and had a cash balance of $129,699.

Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones of Albuquerque received monetary contributions of $164,587 and in-kind donations of $22,021.

Her campaign listed loans of $54,193 from individuals, vendors and $500 from the candidate.

Arnold-Jones reported expenditures of $154,747, and a cash balance of $18,126 in her campaign account.

Monday was the deadline for candidates and political committees to file reports on campaign contributions and expenditures since last fall.

It also was the first time that candidates used a new computer system at the Secretary of State's office to submit their reports. Several gubernatorial campaigns reported technical problems in trying to electronically file their campaign finance disclosures.

Reports: Denish Still Dominates Governor's Race Fundraising

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Reports: Denish still dominates governor's race fundraising - Steve Terrell, Santa Fe New Mexican

Lt. Gov Diane Denish, who has been running for governor for at least three years, continued her dominance in fundraising, bringing in more than $1.1 million in the past six months, according to campaign finance reports filed Monday.

Denish is the lone Democrat seeking to replace outgoing Gov. Bill Richardson this year. Five Republicans are seeking their party's nomination in the June primary.

This round of reporting marked the launch of a new campaign finance Web site for the Secretary of State's Office. Secretary of State Mary Herrera said the site will be a vast improvement over her office's much criticized former site. It's based on a highly praised site operated by her counterpart in Washington state and includes searchable databases for contributions.

However, Herrera and her staff warned there would be "glitches" and that it could take a few extra days before all the reports are up.

Her caution turned out to be well founded. By late afternoon Monday, the office extended the 5 p.m. deadline for posting of reports because some candidates had trouble with the new system.

Denish said she raised $1,114,142 in this reporting period and spent $715,538.69, leaving her with $2,598,632 cash on hand. Her campaign pointed out that she did not raise money during the 30-day legislative session or the following 20-day bill-signing period.

Denish's largest contributions included $55,000 from Emily's List, a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee that backs Democratic women; $25,000 from the Democratic Governors' Association; $25,000 from the Heard, Robins, Cloud and Lubel law firm, which has offices in New Mexico and Texas; $25,000 from Jeffrey Wilson, who owns the Cattle Baron restaurant in Roswell; and $20,00 from the Service Employees International Union.

Denish also received in-kind donations totaling $33,198 from Gulfstream, an Albuquerque property management company.

The lieutenant governor has raised nearly $4 million in cash contributions since beginning her campaign.

Among the GOP gubernatorial field, former party chairman Allen Weh reported raising $691,000, of which $500,000 was from a personal loan. Last year, Weh had loaned another $250,000 to his campaign, which he reports has about $544,000 in the bank.

Las Cruces District Attorney Susana Martinez raised $428,064 and spent $194,809, according to her report, leaving a balance of $363,913. About half of her contributions were made since last month when Martinez pulled an upset, winning the most delegates at the Republican preprimary nominating convention. Her biggest contributor by far was Mack Energy Corp. of Artesia. The company gave her a total of $117,500.

Doug Turner, who owns an Albuquerque public relations firm, raised $400,772, nearly half of which - $198,746 - came from loans to himself. Turner spent $351,657, leaving $260,215 cash in hand.

Pete Domenici Jr. - an Albuquerque environmental lawyer and son of a former U.S. senator - reported raising $372,107, of which $70,000 was a loan from himself. Domenici spent $242,409, leaving a balance of $129,698.

State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones of Albuquerque reported contributions totaling $164,587 and in-kind donations of $22,021. Her campaign listed loans of $54,193 from individuals and vendors, and $500 from the candidate.

Both political parties have a large field of candidates seeking nomination as lieutenant governor in the primaries.

Among the Democrats, former state party chairman Brian Colón reported raising $156,489. He reported spending $201,651, which leaves him $205,886. His biggest contributors were his Albuquerque law firm Robles, Rael & Anaya, which gave him $11,879, and L&F Distributors of McAllen, Texas, which contributed $10,000.

Longtime government administrator Lawrence Rael's report listed contributions of $162,175, of which $105,000 are personal loans.

Reports for Democratic candidates Joe Campos, Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Linda Lopez weren't available by Monday night.

Among the Republicans seeking election as lieutenant governor, former state Rep. John Sanchez reported raising $279,300. But $273,800 is from a series of personal loans. In addition to the loans, $2,500 of the $5,500 in monetary contributions was from Sanchez himself. And Sanchez's Albuquerque roofing company gave an in-kind contribution of $6,735. Sanchez spent $23,018, leaving $256,281 in his campaign treasury.

Brian Moore of Clayton, another former state legislator, said Monday that he submitted his report, but it had yet to show up on the Secretary of State's Office Web site. Moore e-mailed a spreadsheet to reporters. He said he raised $139,840, $100,000 of which was a personal loan to himself. Moore spent $14,231, leaving $129, 535.

State Sen. Kent Cravens of Albuquerque reported raising $57,990 and spending $34,583.

J.R. Damron, a Santa Fe doctor who has dropped out of the race, raised $24,975 and spent $24,451.

In the only contested local legislative primary, House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, maintained a huge financial lead over challenger Carl Trujillo, a technologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Luján raised $17,150 during the last period and spent $17,978. But the speaker, who has been in the Legislature since the 1970s and normally runs unopposed, started out with more than $132,000 in his war chest and still has more than $131,000.

Trujillo raised $5,540 - $4,000 of which was a personal loan - and spent $6,463, leaving his campaign more than $600 in the hole.

Denish stops in Silver City

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

SILVER CITY -- New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is running for governor, visited Silver City on Friday to promote her small business and rural jobs plan, which she announced this week.

Denish, a Democrat, said her plan encourages rural job creation, entrepreneurship and focuses on keeping small businesses alive and well.

"We need to be more small-business friendly," Denish said of state government. "It's about getting back to our agricultural roots and encouraging institutional use of our agricultural products."

Denish said institutions such as schools, government facilities and other large-scale operations should look to New Mexico first to fill food and produce needs. She cited the Healthy Foods/Healthy Schools program as one that provides nutritional foods for students while benefiting the state's agricultural industry.

Denish said more has to be done to encourage micro-lending -- smaller financial institutions that provide financial assistance to up-and-coming small businesses.

She also is pressing for a direct tax credit for small businesses that create good jobs with benefits. The business would receive a $2,500 tax credit for each job created. And while some might say the state can't afford the tax credit, Denish maintains that the new job would generate about $3,700 in revenue for the state.

"That sounds like a pretty good return on your money to me," Denish said. "And this is something that could be done right now."

Silver City and Grant County also have tourism resources, including outdoor opportunities, such as the upcoming Sram Tour of the Gila bike race, that have great economic development potential, she said.

Jack Brennan, race director and owner of Gila Hike and Bike, which Denish visited Friday afternoon, said he considered Denish's downtown tour significant.

"I see this more about the race than just my business," Brennan said. "We want to keep the state involved in the Tour of the Gila. We have national and international coverage and now the state is involved heavily. And we want that."

Brennan said the economic impact of the race -- for stores, restaurants and hotels -- is tremendous.

"This is important to the state and it's important to me," Brennan said.

Denish also made her traditional stop at Alotta Gelatto, which is owned by Mitch Hellman. He said while he hadn't had a chance to look at Denish's jobs plan, she does seem committed to small businesses. Hellman first met Denish in 2006 after his business won the Small Business Development Center Client of the Year award.

"She continues to follow my store and how we're doing and she values my input," Hellman said. "She comes by whenever she is in town. Her current favorite flavor is Girl Scout Mint Cookie Crunch."

Denish said she values Hellman's opinion because "he is in touch with the community."

"He tried to tailor his products to the community," Denish said. "He understands what can bring economic stability to the area."

Di Still Wears Money Crown

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Di Still Wears Money Crown; Weh Comes With Huge Personal Cash In GOP Scramble; Analysis And Context On Money Reports From Alligators & Insiders

She's loaded up with Big Bill baggage, no woman has ever been elected governor of New Mexico and no lieutenant governor in the modern era has manged to get elected governor. But Diane Denish sent a message Monday that in spite of all that she remains the favorite in the 2010 race for Governor, announcing her cash hoard has now grown to $2.6 million.

Denish raised $1.1 million in the October to April 5 fund-raising period, reporting to the Secretary of State that during that time she spent $700,000 of her campaign kitty. Her cash balance grew by $400,000 from last year's report. (The AP wrap on the campaign reports ishere.)

Surveying all the required reports revealed that the recession-busted economy is taking its toll on candidate fund-raising, but Denish continues to plod along and, unlike several of her would-be GOP challengers, not relying on any of her considerable personal fortune.

There was big money flowing Di's way. The Alligators, splashing like newborns in a muddy Rio Grande, played through the night with the new campaign database at the Secretary of State's Web site (it works!) and came with this:

Denish had 312 donations of $1,000 or more, totaling $863,000. Seventy-seven per cent of all her contributions came from 12 percent of the donors. She had a total of 2,498 contributors.

Her largest contributors included Emily's List with $55,000; Mesa del Sol land developer with $20,000; George Maloof of the Vegas gaming family came with $15,000.

Well, so much for campaign contribution limits, but they do take effect 2011 when the maximum donation allowed shrinks to below $5,000. But it's the here and now that's in play. Denish's prodigious fund-raising in relation to her Republican rivals and her ability to manage her millions effectively keeps the gubernatorial front runner crown firmly on her head.

THE R MONEY RACE

So who will get the chance to knock that crown off of Di? Based on the Monday money reports, former GOP chairman Allen Weh, at a minimum, is a major prospect for the R Guv nomination; Susana Martinez is a credible contender and Pete Domenici Jr. remains the X factor. Doug Turner can step up to the top tier, if he is willing to ante up, but Janice Arnold-Jones is going to have a hard time staying in the game.

But it's Weh who is shaking this race up, coming with a monster $500,000 personal loan, on top of $250,000 of personal cash he put up earlier. He had $544,000 in cash as of April 5, more than enough for a saturation TV and mail buy. Weh has been on TV since about March 19. Can he buy the nomination? It's not like this thing is not for sale. GOP Guv hopeful Gary Johnson, in 1994, came with his own cash and carried the day. Another factor helping Weh: No one is attacking him yet because they've been too busy trying to raise cash. As for his TV, it's good.

Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez is now looking down the barrel, with Weh poised to pull the trigger. But she's showing moxie and even some brazenness as she tries to stop the Weh express and also move Pete Jr. aside. She reported raising $428,000 for the six month reporting period and has $363,000 in cash for the final stretch. She went up with $50,000 in TV earlier this month. Among the five candidates, only she and Weh are on the tube. Also, her campaign claims the fund-raising momentum since she sent her rivals home crying from the GOP preprimary convention where she blew the doors off among party activists.

As for the brazenness, Martinez collected a massive $100,000 contribution from Mack Energy Corporation out of Artesia, one of the largest single contributions in state history. (The company made another contribution of $17,000 as well). She'll deal with the downside of that if she gets to the general election, but R's voting June 1st aren't known for moaning about candidates being bought and paid for by the oil boys in Little Texas.

MORE R MONEY

Turner

Meantime, he of the famous last name is in danger of fading fast, reporting a cash balance of only $130,000 after loaning himself $70,000. Domenici has raised a total of $372,000 since entering the race in mid-January. However, the son of retired US Senator Pete Domenici has spent heavily on staff and did one mailer that cost him $40,000. Will Pete Jr. have the money for the all-critical May TV buy? And does that famous name still mean he can get away with spending less than his rivals? The answers are very likely no and no.

Doug Turner is a darn good businessman, but how much of a gambler is he? Like Allen Weh, Turner is self-financing just about all his effort. He loaned himself nearly $200,000 in the last six months, and now has $260,000 in cash. But with Weh threatening to write even more checks, is that enough for Doug to stay competitive, or should he lay down his arms and fight another day?

ABQ state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones has struggled from the start to keep up with the big dogs. She is still only nipping at their heels, reporting she picked up $110,000 over six months, $54,000 of it in personal loans. She has only $18,000 in the bank, enough to run a good race for a state House seat. You know, the one she decided to bail from to run for Governor.

Denish: Cut exempts, offer buyouts

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is running for governor, today will release a plan for cutting state government that involves reducing the number of political appointees, offering all state workers a voluntary retirement buyout and consolidating several agencies.

Denish, the only gubernatorial candidate in the June Democratic primary, claims her plan will save the state $450 million over five years.

She will call for cutting 100 exempt positions, which she says would save $8.8 million a year. Exempt, or political, employees do not fall under state personnel rules. They serve at the pleasure of the governor and tend to be paid more than classified employees.

Gov. Bill Richardson has been criticized by Republicans as well as some Democrats for greatly increasing the number of political hires since taking office. He recently cut 59 exempt positions - though some who filled those positions reportedly have found other jobs in state government. Richardson has refused to name those exempt employees or even say which agencies they worked for.

Denish's buyout proposal is aimed at state workers who are close to retirement. Classified workers who have been with the state for at least five years would be offered $1,000 for every year they have worked for the state. That amount could not exceed $20,000. Employees accepting the buyout wouldn't be allowed to take another state job for at least three years. Any employee seeking to return to work before the three-year time period would have to pay back the incentive.

The buyouts, Denish claims, would save $24 million to $33 million in the first year.

The idea of consolidating state agencies was proposed early this year by a Richardson-appointed task force headed by former Gov. Garrey Carruthers, a Republican. Denish's plan does not follow the task force's proposals exactly. For instance, the lieutenant governor's plan would consolidate the departments of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Parks and Economic Development into a new Commerce Department. This would eliminate two cabinet-level positions, saving an estimated $490,000 a year.

She'd also put the General Services Department and the State Personnel Office under the Department of Finance and Administration, which Denish claims would save $880,000 a year.

Denish also will call for eliminating and consolidating about 100 state boards - which is about a third of the current total.

In addition, she would create a single Office of Government Accountability, which would take the place of the inspectors general currently at each state department. She'll also call for holding accountable companies that get tax incentives to make sure they create the jobs they promise. The Legislature this year considered but ultimately rejected a bill aimed at doing that.

Other parts of the plan call for reducing the state motor pool and encouraging video conferences for meetings in a move to cut down on state travel.

There are five Republican candidates for governor. Las Cruces District Attorney Susana Martinez and former GOP Party Chairman Allen Weh definitely will be on the ballot because they got enough votes at the state pre-primary convention this month. State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, businessman Doug Turner and lawyer Pete Domenici Jr. are collecting petition signatures to get their names on the ballot.

Focus on Job Creation, Not New Regulations

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On Thursday, March 18, it was reported that the New Mexico Environment Department is seeking to implement a New Mexico-specific greenhouse gas cap-and-trade plan. That’s the last thing we should do. In these historically challenging times, this new regulation would put New Mexico at an economic disadvantage and put countless jobs in our state at risk.

I understand where supporters of cap-and-trade are coming from – climate change is a serious issue. But New Mexico is certainly doing its part, consistently at the forefront of combating it. We were a leader in the formation of the Western Climate Initiative in 2007 and rallied other states in the region to follow our lead. Because of our natural resources and commitment to new energy solutions, we are also leading the charge to create 21^st century jobs in wind, solar, and other alternative energy sources. I firmly believe that commitment to creating the clean energy jobs of tomorrow must only grow stronger.

But right now, with so many New Mexicans struggling to make ends meet, we cannot ignore the impact that new cap-and-trade regulations will have on all of our families. A New Mexico-specific cap-and-trade plan would be like enacting a New Mexico-only gasoline tax; every family and business would feel the pinch. Our businesses may think twice before expanding and that’s simply not a risk we can take.

Let’s remember, when New Mexico first took a leadership role in combating climate change, we had a President in George W. Bush who wanted to pretend the problem didn’t exist. That’s changed. We had a robust national economy. That’s also changed. The new policies we enact must reflect the priorities of the time. And right now, we need to focus like a laser beam on job-creation and economic growth. Plain and simple.

Arizona announced in February that it would not take part in a cap-and-trade agreement. Many of the top oil-producing states – including several of our bordering states – have not even joined the Western Climate Initiative: Louisiana, Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and North Dakota. We simply can’t afford to cede economic ground to these states, particularly when times are already so tough.

I’m proud that New Mexico is a national leader in the battle against climate change and we cherish our state’s unique environment. However, if New Mexico implemented cap-and-trade and our neighboring states did not, it’s likely that the environmental improvement wouldn’t even be measurable. After all, we can’t prevent air from flowing into New Mexico. However, we can prevent jobs from flowing out. Climate change is a national (in fact international) problem that needs national solutions.

Everyone can agree that our state’s economy depends heavily on oil and gas production, so we need a balanced approach to stay competitive with our neighbors. That’s why I also support revisiting the pit rule and I believe the Environmental Improvement Board must not only be passionate stewards of the environment, but also mindful of the potential economic impact of its regulations.

I strongly urge the Environment Department to reconsider moving forward with cap-and-trade at this time. Instead of enacting New Mexico-specific regulations, we must enact innovative New Mexico-specific ideas that will help create jobs and turn this economy around.

Denish, Colon Top Choices

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

POJOAQUE PUEBLO — New Mexico Democrats named an unchallenged Diane Denish to the top of their June 1 primary election ballot for governor Saturday, while former state party chairman Brian Colón headed up a list of lieutenant governor candidates.
        Denish, New Mexico's current lieutenant governor, was the only Democratic governor candidate seeking primary election ballot designation at the party's pre-primary convention at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino.
        Denish, along with an eager field of Republican candidates, is seeking to take over the governor's office next year, after the end of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's two, four-year terms.
        "I'm going to be a different kind of governor," Denish told more than 1,800 party delegates.
        Colón, an Albuquerque lawyer, won the top June 1 ballot position for lieutenant governor.
        "I think what we got today is a message that people want fresh ideas and new leaders at the table," said Colón, who received about 34.5 percent of the vote.
        Lawrence Rael, former executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, received about 22 percent of the vote and was the only other lieutenant governor candidate to pass the 20 percent mark, which gives candidates a convention designation to the primary ballot.
        State Rep. Jose Campos of Santa Rosa came in third with 19.9 percent, falling a single vote short of the 20 percent threshold.
        His campaign immediately requested a manual recount of votes cast, which was expected to be completed Saturday night.
        State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque received about 19 percent of the lieutenant governor vote and state Sen. Linda Lopez, also of Albuquerque, received about 5 percent.
        Candidates who didn't receive enough convention votes to qualify can still have their names added to the primary ballot by securing additional nominating signatures.
        Both Ortiz y Pino and Lopez said they plan to gather and submit the necessary signatures.
        Democrats control all statewide elected offices in New Mexico, except for commissioner of public lands.
        Former Land Commissioner Ray Powell received the most votes among four Democrats vying for the land commissioner nomination with about 44 percent of the votes tallied.
        Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya came in second with about 19 percent, Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones received nearly 19 percent and Santa Fe County Commissioner Mike Anaya pulled in nearly 18 percent.
        Other unopposed candidates winning June 1 ballot designations Saturday included:
        • 1st Congressional District: Rep. Martin Heinrich of Albuquerque.
        • 2nd Congressional District: Rep. Harry Teague of Hobbs.
        • 3rd Congressional District: Rep. Ben Ray Luján of Santa Fe.
        • Attorney General: incumbent Gary King
        • Treasurer: incumbent James Lewis
        • Auditor: incumbent Hector Balderas
        • Secretary of state: incumbent Mary Herrera
        • Court of Appeals: incumbent Judges Tim Garcia and Robert Robles

NM law requires online governmental information

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

SANTA FE - A new law will allow New Mexicans to go to a governmental Web site to track the salaries of political appointees in state jobs.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish signed legislation into law on Friday requiring the Department of Information Technology to establish the Web site by July 2011.

Known as the "sunshine portal," the Web site is to provide a wide range of information about state government, including operating budgets of agencies, a directory of government jobs, revenue collections from fees and taxes and a summary of state investment accounts.

Names of government workers, along with their salaries, will be provided for those in appointive jobs. Salaries and job titles - but no names - will be available for workers in classified positions with civil service protections.

"People like to say that making laws is like making sausage. I've always felt that's kind of an excuse to say you don't really want to know what happens," Denish said at a news conference. "I believe that the citizens of New Mexico do want to know what happens and they want to know how their money is spent."

Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, who sponsored the legislation, said the planned Web site will make it easier to find governmental information by providing people with a central link rather than forcing them to search agency by agency.

The measure was approved by lawmakers during the 30-day session that ended last month.

Denish served as acting governor while Gov. Bill Richardson was in Arizona meeting with a Navajo Nation leader.

Richardson later signed bills in Gallup, including ones to:

- Earmark 5 percent of the yearly state's severance tax bonds for capital improvement projects for Indian tribes and pueblos in New Mexico. The provision takes effect in July 2011 and is estimated to provide about $10 million in the 2012 budget year for tribal projects.

- Increase penalties for selling fraudulent Indian art and crafts. Starting in July, it will be a second-degree felony for violations involving art valued at more than $20,000. Convictions could carry a prison sentence of up to nine years in prison.

Also signed into law by Denish was a bill to improve the handling of missing persons cases by law enforcement. For example, police and sheriff's officers must start an investigation within two hours after receiving a missing persons report and enter the information into state and national databases within the same time.

The new law also requires at least four hours of enforcement training in procedures for missing persons reports and the Amber Alert system, which provides for the emergency distribution of notices of child abduction.

State Police Chief Faron Segotta said all law enforcement officers are trained how to investigate crimes but the planned training in missing persons cases will "hone our skills and just make that information more consistent."

Denish Exhorts Small Business

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Lt. Gov Diane Denish told a group of about 200 small-business owners on Wednesday they are the backbone of the state's economy and the key to creating jobs.
        "I look out across this room and that's what I see," she said. "I see job creators. That's what small business is ... and it's very important that you come together and you figure out how you create that one job that will create 300, 400, 500 jobs in Bernalillo County."
        Denish spoke at Bernalillo County's Business Summit at Albuquerque Studios focusing on the county's Increment of 1 Initiative, along with Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack, Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry, chairman of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners Art De La Cruz, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins and other county officials.
        The five-year initiative focuses on reaching out to small-business owners and providing them with resources in order to help them expand and create more jobs.
        "It's about all of us working together to make sure we are doing the things that help small business grow and survive in New Mexico because it's just about one thing," Denish said. "It's about jobs. It's about jobs for you. It's about jobs for your children. It's about jobs for your neighbors, It's about jobs for other people. It's about New Mexico's economic security and you're going to be the leaders, not us."
        The event included a series of panel discussions and a networking reception.
        Margo Dominguez and Kathleen Gallegos attended the event in the hopes of finding some resources for their new business, Hands Up LLC. The company makes green chili cheese meat balls and is currently using another company's kitchen to produce the product.
        "We need support with getting a kitchen," Gallegos told the Journal.

Denish Calls for Efficiency Moves Before Tax Hikes

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

SANTA FE - The Senate is expected to begin sifting through the House-approved $5.6 billion budget this week, and several influential senators have already said they're opposed to relying on tax hikes to balance the budget.

A spokesman for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said Monday that the lieutenant governor, who's the sole Democratic gubernatorial candidate, would like to see a slew of efficiency measures adopted before lawmakers enact tax increases.

Those measures include cutting the number of political appointees in state government, ending the return-to-work law that allows for the practice of "double dipping" and reducing the number of employee vehicles in the state fleet.

However, it appears unlikely that those measures would generate enough to offset the $240 million that would be generated by the gross receipts tax increase.

Denish said Monday that an across-the-board tax hike is the "last thing" middle-class New Mexico families need.

"I understand that not everyone shares my view, but I firmly believe that before we even think about raising taxes, the Legislature should focus on implementing every cost-saving reform possible," Denish said.

Diane Denish Files for Governor to Bring About a New Way for New Mexico

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

SANTA FE - Joined by her family, Diane Denish today officially filed for Governor in order to bring about a new way forward for the state of New Mexico and its families. Upon filing with the Secretary of State, Denish issued the following statement:

"As a lifelong New Mexican who raised my family here and ran my small business here, I have developed a unique relationship with the people of our state. New Mexicans are the hardest-working, most caring people in America - and as I travel across our state, I'm inspired by the hope and optimism I see in communities large and small. Times are tough, but we New Mexicans are tougher.

"When people ask me why I want to be Governor during these historically challenging times, I tell them because now is when it matters most. I'm running because New Mexicans need a new way forward - a plan that puts our small businesses first and gets folks back to work; new ideas to cut wasteful spending and increase government efficiency; a government that is more open and transparent; and a new commitment to New Mexico's families.

"We can overcome these challenging times by focusing on what's important: kick-starting our economy and finding real solutions for New Mexico's families and job creators."

Denish filed today with more than 10,500 petition signatures, almost five times what's required to get on the Democratic primary ballot. More than 400 volunteers drove the campaign's signature-collection effort from every corner of New Mexico, garnering signatures from all of the state's 33 counties. Denish has also built a strong statewide organization. As of the most recent campaign finance report, her campaign had $2.5 million in cash on hand for the governor's race.

NM Proposal to Expand Online Gov't Information

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

New Mexicans could track spending by state agencies under a proposal that would create a Web portal for access to government information.

The measure by Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, has the support of Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

"People want the right and need the right to easily access as much information as possible about New Mexico's government and how their tax dollars are being spent," Denish told a news conference Tuesday with Rue.

The legislation requires the Department of Information Technology to establish a Web site by July 2011 to provide a wide range of information about state government, including the operating budgets of agencies, their monthly expenditures, revenue collections from fees and taxes, a summary of state investment accounts and a directory of government jobs and their salaries.

However, the bill won't require the listing of government jobs to disclose the names of workers in those positions although that's a public record under state law.

Most agencies and state offices have Web sites, but there's no law directing them to post online certain records and data that they maintain. The legislation will create a central online location for state government and will offer links to agencies and the services they provide.

Information on government spending initially will be limited to executive branch agencies because that is readily available through the state's central finance system. That means New Mexicans won't be able use the proposed Web site to look at expenditures by public schools, colleges and universities, which account for nearly 60 percent of state spending.

Rue said the Web site, once established, can be improved and more information should become available to the public.

Bill Would Put State Spending Online

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

New Mexicans could track spending by state agencies under a proposal that would create a Web portal for access to government information.

The measure by Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, has the support of Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

"People want the right and need the right to easily access as much information as possible about New Mexico's government and how their tax dollars are being spent," Denish told a news conference Tuesday with Rue.

The legislation requires the Department of Information Technology to establish a Web site by July 2011 to provide a wide range of information about state government, including the operating budgets of agencies, their monthly expenditures, revenue collections from fees and taxes, a summary of state investment accounts and a directory of government jobs and their salaries.

However, the bill won't require the listing of government jobs to disclose the names of workers in those positions although that's a public record under state law.

Most agencies and state offices have Web sites, but there's no law directing them to post online certain records and data that they maintain. The legislation will create a central online location for state government and will offer links to agencies and the services they provide.

Information on government spending initially will be limited to executive branch agencies because that is readily available through the state's central finance system. That means New Mexicans won't be able use the proposed Web site to look at expenditures by public schools, colleges and universities, which account for nearly 60 percent of state spending.

Rue said the Web site, once established, can be improved and more information should become available to the public.

In Brief - 'Sunshine Portal' Previewed

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish gave a preview of a possible state “Sunshine Portal,” an online database of most of the state's financial records. Rue is sponsoring, with Denish's support, SB195, or the Sunshine Portal Act, which would require the state to set up a real version of the Web site by October and have a system to update all the financial information ready by July 2011.

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish announced her support of a Senate Bill 195 by Republican Sen. Sander Rue to create a "sunshine portal" for the state government.

Sorry, it's not up on the Legislature Web site yet, so I can't post a link.

Among the features of the proposed portal:

* The State’s check ledger: regular updates of the state's cash balances by account or fund.

* A monthly summary of the state's investment accounts under the control of the State Investment Council.

*Annual operating budgets for each state agency with monthly expenditures by category.

* The Contractor Database, which became law last year and launch earlier on Jan. 1, 2010.

* The revenue that the state received in the preceding month by source, such as type of tax, fee, fine, administrative fee or other collection category.

* Special appropriations received outside the general appropriation act by each state agency and the purpose of those appropriations

* Approved budget adjustment requests by state agency and affected budget category.

* Reversions and cash balances by state agency and fund

* Capital Outlay tracker to give updates on capital outlay projects and appropriations.

* A directory of all employee positions, including exempt employee positions, by state agency, showing each position's title and salary.

* An open meeting tracker, so the public knows when key government meetings are occurring.

* And links to other areas of government where public information is kept, such as: The New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts and the Secretary of State's web sites for lobbyist regulation and political committee reports.

Take Politics Out of Investment Council

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Take Politics Out of Investment Council

By Lt. Gov. Diane Denish

          New Mexicans depend on members of the State Investment Council to be faithful stewards of the state's permanent funds — which finance state retirement plans, parts of our education system and key infrastructure projects. It's a rainy day fund that represents our promise to future generations of New Mexicans.
        Recently, an independent review identified a number of key recommendations to improve and reform many of the SIC's practices. Many of these recommendations are common-sense improvements and I support them.
        As lieutenant governor, I do not have a seat on the SIC and I have no involvement over its investment decisions, but I recognize the important role of the SIC and the need to ensure taxpayers have complete confidence in the council's policies and practices.
        We must take swift action to remove the specter of politics from the state's investment process and inject transparency into how investment decisions are made.
        These two themes reappear often throughout a recent independent review of the SIC and its practices. In the long run, every recommendation deserves careful scrutiny and consideration, but for now we need to do the following.
        First and foremost, the public SIC board members must not all be appointed by the governor — whether it be the current governor or a future governor. Limits must be put on the executive's power, such as taking all SIC staff members, including the state investment officer, off the board; allowing the SIC board to select its own chair and vice chair; and dividing the selection of board member appointments among more entities, including the Legislature. We must create the strongest safeguards to protect New Mexico's tax dollars and ensure the responsible growth of state investments from which all will benefit in the future.
        However, while the governor should not be intimately involved in investment decisions, the governor is ultimately responsible for overseeing the state's fiscal health and must receive regular investment reports.
        Additionally, legislative changes are also needed to properly overhaul the SIC. Legislators should change the law to allow for removal of board members who don't regularly attend meetings, require basic financial expertise and other relevant qualifications from potential new board members, expand disclosure requirements for board members and executive staff, require orientation and ongoing training for board members and develop a clear code of ethics and charter for the council. SIC staff members should also receive regular, continuing career development in best-investment practices.
        These are just a few of the common-sense reforms we can make to help remove politics from the SIC and restore public confidence in the investment decisions that are made.
        These funds are a public trust and the people of New Mexico deserve a State Investment Council that is dedicated to serving the best interests of our state and working with an eye toward the state's future development. The SIC must not be beholden to the fickle winds of politics.