Democracy for New Mexico

Get Your Live Election Results Here

The polls close at 7:00 PM tonight. Click for provided by Bernalillo County to the Albuquerque City Clerk. KRQE-TV's News 13 site also has live results.

Starting at 6:30 PM, you can listen to Joe Monahan's coverage of the returns on radio KANW, 89.1 FM. The show will include reports and analysis by lobbyist Scott Scanland, Republican Rep. Larry Larranaga, Dems Lenton Malry and Terry Brunner, Green Steve Cabiedes and Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera.

AFTER You Vote and Help GOTV, Stop In at the Victory Parties

When you're done with voting and helping to get out the vote, head over to any of these victory parties after the polls close at 7PM:

Eric Griego Victory Party
St. Clair Winery & Bistro
901 Rio Grande Blvd. NW
(505) 243-9916
(Across from the Sheraton Old Town on Rio Grande Blvd.)
7:00 - 11:00 PM
Great local food and wine, live music and a beautiful atmosphere!

Miguel Gomez (District 1)
Councilor Gomez's house:  2804 El Tesoro Escondido
(Just West of Ladera Golf Course)
Starts 7 PM

Ike Benton (District 3)
Ike's house:  204 Gallup Ave. SW, 7 PM
Call 268-0310

Michael Cadigan (District 5)
Councilor Cadigan's house:  2705 Bosque del Sol NW
(Near Coors and Eagle Ranch)

Marianne Dickinson (District 7)
Marianne's house:  926 Avenida Estellita NE
(South of Constitution, West of Washington)
Call Keegan at 385-8760 if any questions
Begins at 7:00 PM

Chris Catechis (District 9)
Chris' house:  1125 Monte Largo Dr.
(Nearest major streets:  Lomas and Tramway)
Call 363-2747

Living Wage Victory Party:
Letter Carrier's Hall
123 Quincy NE, across from Highland Theater
Free food, cash bar, high spirits! (Starts 7:30 PM)

Clean Elections Campaign
Gecko's
(between Scalo and the CO-OP, near Carlisle and Central)
After 8:00 PM

RECAP: Info on Voting in ABQ City Election

(NOTE: This post relates to the 2005 Albuquerque municipal election.) The League of Women Voters site provides an excellent online Voter's Guide, which includes sections on all the candidates, bond issues and ballot questions. The city clerk's site has a . Type in your address here to find out where to vote. NOTE: Some precincts have been consolidated for this election so you might NOT be voting in your usual polling place. Best to double check.

REMEMBER, the candidates and ballot initiative groups need your help to get out the vote. Campaign offices will open late tonight and all day tomorrow, starting at 6 AM. Read all about it.

After the polls close at 7 PM, come on down to celebrate and watch the returns come in at the Eric Griego Victory Party at the St. Clair Winery & Bistro, 901 Rio Grande NW, across from the Sheraton-Old Town, for great local food and wine, live music and a beautiful atmosphere.

KUNM's 'Espejos de Aztlan' Tonight: What's At Stake in Tomorrow's Election?

From Javier Benavidez:
Check out KUNM 89.9 TONIGHT, Monday, October 3rd, from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM for "Espejos de Aztlan," a weekly radio program highlighting the courage, strength and beauty of the Chicano/Latino community in New Mexico. I will be interviewing three local community organizers who have been working tirelessly on various issues that are up for vote on tomorrow's city-wide election ballot.

Answering the question "what's at stake for our community in tomorrow's election" will be Dr. Teresa Brito-Asenap, a leader with Albuquerque Interfaith, Rey Garduno, an activist in the Clean and Open Elections campaign and Danny Rivera, a union organizer from the Albuquerque Living Wage Coalition.

Espejos has been on-air since 1979 and is part of the Raices Colectiva which conducts programming on news, culture and music from a Latino perspective on KUNM 89.9.

ACTION ALERT: It All Comes Down to US

As we tick down to the final hours before the Albuquerque election this Tuesday, all our progressive candidates and issues are in the running, and I'm convinced we can win every race. IF:

IF we work like hell to get out the vote (GOTV) today and tomorrow

IF we all vote and get our like-minded friends and neighbors and family members to vote

What we need is a BIG TURNOUT tomorrow, of new voters and regular voters and those who only vote sporadically. If we get it, we can win. If we don't, the task will be much harder. And only WE can make that turnout happen.

Remember that the poll numbers you may be seeing can be deceptive. The polls only include "likely voters," which means those who have a record of voting in recent elections. They only contact those with landline phones, not cells. This omits signficant numbers of OUR voters, including the many new ones who have recently registered to vote because of the living wage and clean elections proposals or for other reasons.

Given that candidates need at least 40% of the total vote to win, runoffs are likely in at least several races, even those that don't seem that close now. And if a runoff happens, all bets are off on monied favorites.

So please contact one of the progressive campaigns ASAP and sign up to help today and on election day. Consider taking the day or part of a day off tomorrow to vote and then volunteer to help get others out to vote. There's plenty of work at all the campaigns:

Eric Griego for Mayor: 224-9042

Living Wage Campaign: Call Acorn @ 242-7411

Clean Elections Code Campaign: Call Matt Brix, Common Cause NM, @ 323-6399

Miguel Gomez for City Councilor, District 1: 839-6638

Ike Benton for City Councilor, District 3: 268-0310

Marianne Dickinson for City Councilor, District 7: 385-8760

Chris Catechis for City Councilor, District 9: 271-9876

Unfortunately for me, I'm down with some awful fevered cold or flu bug, reduced to sucking down cough syrup, downing antibiotics and making Kleenex stock rise. But I thought the least I could do was get on the computer and urge all able bodied progressives, LIKE YOU, to VOTE AND GOTV. We can win these races. IF.

NEWS FLASH: Griego - Winter News Conference on Chavez Fundraiser

I can't believe that Mayor Chavez thinks he can get away with sending city employees on city time to a joint press conference by two of his competitors in the mayoral race. Read all about it in this news release:

Griego, Winter Jointly Call on Chavez to Fully Disclose Fundraiser Information: Mayor Uses City Employees as Shield

City Councilors Eric Griego and Brad Winter on Thursday held a news conference on Civic Plaza calling on Martin Chavez to fully disclose the details of his fundraiser at the home of Angelo Garcia – the convicted bagman in the Vigil-Treasury Scandal. Rather than publicly responding to the councilors’ request, Chavez sent city employees – during city work hours -- and campaign staff to protest and disrupt the press conference.

“Angelo Garcia is one of the most corrupt individuals in our state,” Griego said. “And he hosted a fundraiser for Martin Chavez. The public deserves to know the details of this event to ensure that corruption is not occurring - once again - in our city’s highest office.”

So far, the Chavez campaign has cited three different dollar amounts allegedly raised at the event and they have not disclosed who else attended.

“Martin Chavez needs to come clean to the public immediately,” Winter said. “Who was at the Angelo Garcia fundraiser, how much did they give, and was every donation – cash, check or otherwise – reported correctly in the September 9th finance report?”

Winter added, “If Martin Chavez is upset with the press conference today, he should step forward personally, rather than send hard-working city employees to the event when they should be doing the city’s work.”

City workers attended the news conference at the mayor’s request, including 311 Director Michael Padilla, APD Spokeswoman Trish Ahrensfield, Transit Department Director Peter Behrman, Deputy Transit Director Leonard Garcia, Boards and Commissions Director  Richard Kennedy, several firefighters and others.

Martin Chavez used Angelo Garcia to host a fundraiser for Chavez’s mayoral campaign on August 15. Garcia has been indicted for bilking New Mexico’s senior citizens of close to $1 million. Garcia has also pled guilty to serving as the bagman for Robert Vigil and Michael Montoya.

Bagman Blogging

Marston Moore at Duke City Fix has an excellent run-down on the continuing saga of the NM Treasurer's Office scandal, the tentacles from that story that reach into Mayor Marty Chavez's campaign fundraising and the Albuquerque Journal's handling of this story.

Cocoposts chimes in on the Cost of Influence and highlights an on-target quote by Bob Schwartz of the Alibi on "civic extortion." Coco links to Andy Lenderman at the Santa Fe New Mexican, who lays out the facts on alleged bagman Angelo Garcia. And Mario Burgos ponders Chavez's response to the revelation that one of his campaign fundraisers was held at Garcia's home.

Speaking of corruption, how about yesterday's indictment of Rep. Tom Delay for a money laundering conspiracy charge? Seems the corrosive effect of big money in politics is an equal opportunity scandal these days, bagging headlines about offenders from both political parties. Isn't it time for a big pushback from the public to remind crooked politicos of whatever stripe that elected officials should be representating the people, not just seeking what amount to bribes from big-pocket players?

Back in Their Court on Living Wage Debate

Remember how mayoral candidate Eric Griego challenged the Albuquerque Area Chamber of Commerce to a debate about the living wage proposal? Terri Cole responded they would prefer to host a mayoral candidate debate on the issue. Eric just agreed.

OK, Terri, is it set up yet? Let's see if the other candidates, especially Martin Chavez (who has often failed to show up at candidate forums), are up to the challenge! I'd love to see this debate.

Uh Oh: Man Indicted in Treasurer Probe Held Fundraiser for Chavez

From KOB-TV:

One of the men who has already pleaded guilty in the Robert Vigil extortion case recently staged a fundraiser at his Albuquerque home for Mayor Martin Chavez.

Angelo Garcia’s fundraiser on August 15th took place three weeks after he had entered guilty pleas and admitted to being the middleman in a kickback scheme.

The Albuquerque Tribune chimes in with more info on this story.

Of course this proves nothing, given that the treasurer's office indictments hadn't yet been unsealed when this fundraiser took place. However, it seems clear that certain fundraising and campaign donation circles are rather messy here in New Mexico. It should also be kept in mind that, according to the Tribune article:

[Angelo] Garcia  is also under indictment in relation to a securities fraud investigation by the state which alleges he and two associates bilked senior citizens out of nearly $1 million for investments in a Santa Fe real estate project that was never completed. 

Just on that basis, you'd think Mayor Chavez would steer clear of any fundraisers hosted at Garcia's house, wouldn't you? Then again, this is a Mayor who benefited early in his administration from ABQPAC, which funneled "donations" from city employers and contractors to the Mayor to cover things like his travel and cell phone expenses. Marty ended up having to pay most of the money back to contributors after being chastized by the ethics board. I guess you could say he doesn't pay too much attention to the particulars of ethical standards when he's building huge blocs of money to serve himself or his mayoral campaign. "Follow the money" is always good advice.

REMINDER: Last Comedy Fundraiser for Griego Tonight

Last Chance! Tonight. Golden West Downtown. 7:00 PM. Griego serves up comedy to benefit his campaign and keep his TV ad running. Click for info.