Democracy for New Mexico

More on Controversial Taos County Dem Party Elections

A collection of audio clips and photos from the Democratic Party of Taos County Central Committee last week are provided by CulturalEnergy.org (scroll down to stories of week of March 26, 2007 and click the Central Committee meeting link). After a meeting filled with arcane parliamentarian maneuvers and rulings, Chuby Tafoya was elected as Taos County Chair in a victory over the current County Chair, Billy Knight.

Background
The manner in which some of the County Party's earlier precinct elections were conducted was widely criticised, with challenges ultimately filed against the validity of the elections in five precincts. Next came a County Credentials Committee meeting, where the challenges were dismissed against four precincts where many of Chuby Tafoya's supporters reside. Many claim this was done without a proper review by the Credentials Committee of affidavits and ballots submitted to document alleged irregularities and rule breaking. One challenge, by Chuby Tafoya's supporters in the large Arroyo Hondo precinct, where most of Billy Knight's supporters (as well as Tafoya) live, was accepted by the Credentials Committee without a review.

Attendees report that despite the presence of the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, the DNC Field Organizer, Joseph Casados, and the State Party Parliamentarian, Robert Beck, on hand to chair the Credentials Committee meeting, not one single person was credentialed and not one single precinct's election documentation examined. Many who witnessed it are calling it an astounding display of incompetence and a violation of Party rules.

Taos County Central Committee Meeting
The audio clips are from the County Central Committee meeting where the Credentials Committee rulings were accepted in violation of the Party rules, and a majority voted to keep the Arroyo Hondo precinct winners from voting in the County Chair election. Some of the speakers describe their reactions to the Arroyo Hondo precinct delegation being kept from voting based on what they deem to be murky and minor technicalities, if any, while other more serious precinct election challenges were set aside without any real review of the evidence by the Credential Committee. Indeed, it seems that clear evidence of the alleged ballot tampering by Tafoya's father was suppressed from examination by the majority vote of the Tafoya-dominated Credentials Committee.

From approximately 7 minutes until 13 minutes on the audio recording, Margarita Denevan gives an especially passionate and clear defense of how the rules were clearly and closely followed in the Arroyo Hondo precinct elections -- ironically, the only precinct where the Credentials Committee saw supposed violations.

After the voting for County Chair was finished at the CCC meeting, giving Chuby Tafoya a victory without any votes from the Arroyo Hondo precinct, the majority voted to reinstate the Arroyo Hondo delegation.

What Comes Next
Emotions continue to run high in Taos, and much criticism continues to be leveled by many of those who attended the Credentials Committee meeting on State Party parliamentarian Robert Beck and Executive Director Matt Farrauto, who were present but did not question the proceedings. It's being alleged that the Credential Committee did not even vote to approve the credentials of those who were allowed to vote at the County Central Committee meeting, and the legality of holding the County Central Committee meeting itself was questioned by incumbent Chair Billy Knight. Knight reportedly intends to challenge precinct elections in three precincts — Talpa, Cruz Alta and Ranchitos — to the state party’s judicial committee.

This is a complicated and emotional situation and it has been somewhat difficult to get and communicate a clear narrative of what happened at the Taos Dem meetings from the reports I'm getting from up north. I hope I'm getting it right so far, as information continues to be released.

Previously Available Material
Check my that lists some of the challenges that were later to be filed against various precinct elections. There's also material on New Mexico Matters that describes alleged violations in one precinct, as well as scanned precinct ballots that show alleged tampering. There's also coverage of an article published by the Taos Daily Horse Fly, which presents the controversy as a rather humorous anecdote, rather than a serious situation where precinct election fraud is being alleged and the process by which Dem Party rules were applied (or not) is being challenged.

Vets for Peace Santa Fe to Offer War Stories

From Veterans for Peace Santa Fe:
Save April 5, 3-5 PM for a presentation entitled WAR STORIES. Daniel Craig and Tim Origer of the Joan Duffy Santa Fe Chapter of Veterans for Peace will read personal essays describing their experiences in war and the effects these experiences have had on their lives. These are the monologues Tim and Daniel read for the Lensic Core Witness program. If you missed that program, here is your chance to hear their graphic and compelling stories. If you attended the program, you will want to hear them again.

Ken Simonsen, also of VFP, will lead an open discussion after the readings. This event is sponsored by the Renesan Institute of Lifelong Learning and is open to everyone. Come and support the presenters. Bring your neighbors. Bring your friends. Bring young people.

Place: St. John's Methodist Church, 1200 Old Pecos Trail.
Time: 3-5 PM, Thursday, April 5.
Admission: $5 Renesan members, $7 non-members, payable at the door.

Questions? Martha or Ken, simonsen28@comcast.net.

CVNM Reports on NM Legislature Environmental Successes

From Conservation Voters New Mexico:
At this year's New Mexico Legislature, we passed a breathtaking number of pro-environment bills (over 20 great bills!!) and we defeated the worst anti-environment bills, such as the Desert Rock coal subsidy and the Administrative Accountability Act!  Indeed, this legislature passed more pro-environment bills than we've seen in years.  We provide for you below a link to our final report on the status of all the pro- and anti-conservation bills that CVNM lobbied and tracked during the session.

Of course, we owe this year's environmental achievements to the leadership and tenacity of our pro-conservation legislative , to several new pro-conservation , to the broader NM environmental community, and to the numerous phone calls our CVNM members made to their legislators on specific bills. Thanks also to Speaker of the House Ben Lujan for creating the best House Energy & Natural Resources Committee in recent memory!

Further, our pro-conservation Governor has fulfilled, to date, our veto requests—THANK YOU GOVERNOR RICHARDSON —and we look forward to two additional vetoes in the coming weeks. 

With the arrival of spring, we turn our attention to scoring the votes of legislators for our annual so that you can know how each of your legislators voted on these critical issues.  Thanks for being a conservation voter and let us know if you have any questions or comments about the progress report provided here.

Sincerely,
Sandy Buffett, CVNM Executive Director

In the Spirit of César Chávez 3.31.07

From the Recuerda a César Chávez Committee: Come celebrate the memory of César Chávez and the diversity of Albuquerque.

“In the Spirit of César Chávez, UNITE for Human Rights!”
MARCH & RALLY, Music * Entertainment * Speakers * Food
Featuring Son de Madera & Concepto Tambor
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Music and Poetry at 10:30 AM, March begins at 11 AM
(Bring your banners!)
South Broadway Cultural Center Park
(1025 Broadway SE)
Rally and Celebration 12 Noon
National Hispanic Cultural Center
(4th and Avenida César Chávez)

CO-SPONSORS
Recuerda a César Chávez Committee
City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department
Lo Maduro de La Cultura
National Hispanic Cultural Center
New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
For more information call Michael Casaus 417-5288
------------------------------------
Celebre la memoria de César Chávez y la diversidad de Albuquerque:

“Honrando el espíritu de César Chávez, Unámonos por los derechos humanos”
Marcha y Manifestación, Comida * Entretenimiento* Oradores* Música
Presentando a Son de Madera y Concepto Tambor
Sábado, 31 de marzo, 2007, Musica y poesía a las 10:30 AM
La marcha comienza a las 11 AM
¡Traiga sus Pancartas!
Parque de El Centro Cultural de Broadway
(1025 Broadway SE)
Manifestación y evento cultural, 12 del mediodía hasta las 3PM
Centro Nacional Hispano
(Calle 4 y Avenida César Chávez)

CO-PATROCINADORES DEL EVENTO
Recuerda a César Chávez Committee
City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department
Lo Maduro de La Cultura
National Hispanic Cultural Center
New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

Para recibir más información llamar al Michael Casaus 417-5288.

Sunday Funnies

We're too busy planning a trip to Arizona to come up with new bird blogging material today, so instead I'm offering the latest edition of Sunday Funnies from YouTube and Kos. Enjoy.

(Updated) NM Senators Leave Citizens, Ethics in the Lurch

UPDATE 3.25.07: We now know 3 Dems voted with Repubs to adjourn: Senators Linda Lopez, Tim Jennings and John Arthur Smith. We also know 4 Dems were absent: Senators Cisco McSorley, Ortiz y Pino, Cynthia Nava and Mary Kay Papen. Adjournment was achieved by an 18-17 margin. According to this morning's Sunday Journal article it appears that Governor Richardson and the NM House leadership intend to keep going. Richardson is quoted as saying he'll basically keep a Special Session going until the Senate gives him an up or down vote on the bills he specified in his proclamation. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and some others appear to favor a cooling down period, with a break before another Special Session is called. The Governor doesn't agree, saying:

"I don't want them to go home and get comfortable and then find excuses not to come back," Richardson said. "If there are some senators that would rather politic and make excuses than do their work, I think the people are going to respond at the polls.

"I want the Senate to ask: What do they say to victims of domestic violence? What do they say to the (people) of New Mexico that wants roads in their cities and counties? What do they say to gay couples that want a fair shot? What do they say to controlling the meth problem in the state? And what do they say about ethics? I mean, we've had all these scandals, and the Senate doesn't even want to vote?"

********
Kate Nash reports briefly:

UPDATE 11:23 AM The clerk is calling the roll. At 11:30, Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle made a motion to adjourn. It was a voice vote, which is being challenged. The clerk is now calling the roll. There were enough votes, by one, to adjourn. The Senate is clearing out.

They voted on nothing except adjournment, failing to pass even a feed bill to pay themselves. I'd love to know which Democrats voted to adjourn so I could personally thank them for the valiant efforts they made to show Governor Richardson who's boss, to stick it to the majority of New Mexicans who support ethics and campaign finance reform in the wake of ongoing ethics scandals, to make it clear to New Mexican families who critically need the very basic civil law protections of the domestic partnership bill that their civil rights aren't considered important and, well, you get the idea. Shameful. In my view, if there's ever been an argument to be made for terms limits, this is it.

Thanks, Senators! You've shown your true colors.

No word yet on whether the NM House intends to join in the adjournment. If they don't, the Senate would be forced to reconvene again in three days. This could go on for 30 days beyond the start of the Special Session, at which point the Governor could issue another call for a Special Session. We'll see what happens. 

To access all our past coverage of the 2007 NM Legislature, visit our archived posts on the topic.

Saturday Music Hall: What's Goin' On?

I thought we could use some classic Motown on this rainy weekend. Here's the late, great Marvin Gaye doing a live version of What's Goin; On/What's Happenin' Brother in 1973 at a Save the Children concert. Note the top notch bass work by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Jamerson, who played on Motown hits during the 60s and early 70s. The video has scenes from the Maxwell Street Market, ghettos and parks of Chicago. Much has changed since that era, including the hairstyles, but many of the questions are still unanswered, the problems left unsolved, and another war's goin' on.

Video Available of Iraqi Voices Project

From Dal LaMagna, Iraqi Voices Project, Progressive Government Institute: Teamwork between visionaries, technologists, and Iraqi and American politicians may just give us the solutions we need to end the killing that is continuing in Iraq. A live video-conference with members of the Iraq Parliament and the U.S. House of Representatives was convened by Representative Jim McDermott with the help of Dal LaMagna and Raed Jarrar, both of the Progressive Government Institute.

The exchange between the members of Parliament and the Congressmen demonstrates the importance of thinking outside the box and listening to varied perspectives. Over the course of the conference, it became very apparent that there are solutions - concrete solutions that are likely acceptable to all sides - to ending the killing in Iraq. A half hour edit of the two hours of video is available online at the Progressive Government. A transcript of this edited video is also available from that same page or directly by clicking here.

Not Alone

Our steadfast Dem Senator Dede Feldman has a post and a podcast on her blog laying out her views on what she calls the "Standoff at the OK Corral - NM Style." Apparently, I'm not alone in believing that the legislation proposed by Governor Richardson for the Special Legislative Session -- especially the campaign and ethics reform and domestic partnership bills -- are important and need passage NOW. She urges folks who want to see the Senate take action tomorrow, instead of merely thumbing their noses, to contact their Senators, as well as this list of "renegades" who don't seem to get the need for reform:

Sen. Lopez Linda.Lopez@nmlegis.gov  phone:986-4737
Sen. Pinto John.Pinto@nmlegis.gov phone: 986-4835
Sen. John Arthur Smith john.smith@nmlegis.gov phone:986-4363
Sen. Michael Sanchez senatormssanchez@aol.com phone: 986-4727
Sen. James Taylor jamesg.taylor@nmlegis.gov phone: 986-4862
Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, especially. bernadette.sanchez@nmlegis.gov phone: 986-4267

NM Senate: Will They Stay or Will They Go?

Kate Nash at the Albuquerque Tribune says:

Word is that the Senate is expected to come back to Santa Fe at 9 a.m. [Saturday] to caucus and then reconvene at 10. We'll see how that goes. At the conference, Richardson said he wants to see the Senate to do the work the House did Wednesday night. I'd say it's up in the air right now as to whether they will stay. Senate President Ben Altamirano says he thinks the votes are there; I just talked to Senate Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson, who said the votes are there to leave . . .

This morning, an Albuquerque Journal article quoted Sen. Altamirano on the prospects of Senate action Saturday:

"I can almost say I'm positive we can go in there and get the Senate together," said Senate President Pro Tem Ben Altamirano, D-Silver City. But he said staying in session doesn't guarantee passage of the governor's agenda. "(Richardson) said that all he wanted is an up-or-down vote," Altamirano said. "If the guy wants an up-or-down vote on those bills, it's time we gave it to him."

Senators Griego and Altamirano also said a voter backlash might develop if the Senate again adjourned without voting on anything:

...  Altamirano and Sen. Phil Griego, D-San Jose, another Richardson ally, said they believe there could be a voter backlash if the Senate calls another adjournment. "Another turn of events would turn the general public against us," Altamirano said.

The most positive news was that the Senate might pass a couple of bills tomorrow, including the domestic partnership bill that failed in the Senate by a few votes near the end of the regular Session:

While he is willing to meet, Griego said he doesn't believe there are enough votes to pass measures that cost money— such as the $208 million highway package and the ethics commission. But he said he's hoping for a compromise: Pass the domestic partners bill, and possibly a House-approved measure to increase the penalties for domestic violence ... [emphasis mine]

We can only hope that everyone involved stops using the domestic partnership legislation as a political football and instead do what's right for a significant number of New Mexican citizens who have long been striving to obtain the most basic of civil law protections for themselves and their families.

To access the archive of all our posts on the 2007 Legislature, click here.

To read our archive of posts on the domestic partnership act, click here.