Democracy for New Mexico

Phonebank With Conservation Voters

From the League of Conservation Voters:
There's still time to help our state-level partner, Conservation Voters New Mexico (www.cvnm.org) elect a pro-conservation city council and mayor of Albuquerque!

Their phone bank last week was very successful -- volunteers called over 1100 Albuquerque voters, thanks to your help -- but there are still opportunities to participate in the campaign, and CVNM really needs your help for the final push. Remember, by volunteering, you can help three candidates and your favorite conservation group -- all at the same time!

Please read below to sign up for our upcoming activities -- CVNM can't do it without you!

Volunteer Phone Bank
Thursday, September 29, 5 PM - 9 PM
*(shifts are 5 PM - 7 PM, 7 PM - 9 PM)
LCV New Mexico Office -- 400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 110
Volunteers will be calling voters in District 3 and 9 to remind supporters for Griego, Catechis and Benton to vote. Please bring a cell phone with you if possible, our phone lines are limited.
To sign up, click here

Volunteer Phone Bank
Monday, October 3, 5 PM - 9 PM
*(shifts are 5 PM - 7 PM, 7 PM - 9 PM)
LCV New Mexico Office -- 400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 110
Volunteers will be calling voters in District 3 and 9 to remind supporters for Griego, Catechis and Benton to vote. Please bring a cell phone with you if possible, our phone lines are limited.
To sign up, click here

Election Day
Tuesday, October 4 10 AM - 7 PM
*(shifts are 10 AM - 1 PM, 1 PM - 4 PM, 4 PM - 7 PM - come for any part of any shift)
LCV New Mexico Office -- 400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 110
Conservation Voters New Mexico needs volunteers to phone bank and act as poll watchers, and other potential election day activities. If you are available at any time, they need you! Please bring a cell phone with you if possible, our phone lines are limited.
To sign up, click here.

Thank you for supporting this effort!
Maggie Toulouse, Campaign Manager, Southwest
League of Conservation Voters

Griego Challenges ABQ Chamber of Commerce to Debate on Living Wage

Albuquerque Mayoral Candidate Eric Griego has challenged the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce to a public debate on the living wage ballot intiative voters will consider in the October 4th municipal election. Griego is the only candidate for mayor who supports the measure. Click to read his letter to the Chamber's, Terri Cole.

The Chamber and other parties opposed to raising the minimum wage in Albuquerque have created a front group called "The Coalition to Expose Ballot Deception."  I received a mailer from them this weekend that was full of lies and half-truths, and a similar full page ad appeared today on the back page of the Albuquerque Journal's Business Outlook section.

Apparently unwilling or unable to counter the merits of a raised minimum wage, the Chamber and its cohorts have decided to attack a provision that would allow information on the rules to be discussed with employees on sidewalks and other public areas of businesses. Among a string of deceptions, they wrongly claim the measure would allow "complete strangers to enter your child's school," and that a clause "allows protestors and organizers to invade private property, badger customers and bring business to a complete standstill." Talk about using inaccurate, lower than low scare tactics. I think it's shameful, not to mention desperate.

Here's Matthew Henderson's response to the Chamber's deceptions, as published in the Alibi:

Matthew Henderson, head organizer for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which is spearheading the drive for a living wage here, said the language used in the ordinance already exists in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) case law. "There's nothing to stop you from saying to a cashier, ’Hey, I hope you're earning more than $5.15 an hour. Do you know what the new minimum wage is?'" On the other hand, Henderson said, "An employer has the right to kick you off their property if you're disrupting their business. This ordinance doesn't change any of that."

Bird Vote Blogging

Absentee voting in-person and early voting in-person for the October 4 election are both occurring now. Plan on voting election day? See where do I vote? You can online. In addition to candidates and ballot initiatives, voters will also see a number of general obligation bonds on the ballot. GO bonds are used to fund essential infrastructure such as roads, sewer systems, and libraries. Voters may before voting.

The League of Women Voters of Albuquerque - Bernalillo County has a website that includes an online version of their always excellent nonpartisan Voters Guide, with information on voting, deadlines, candidates, ballot initiatives and more.

You can visit the websites of many of the candidates and groups advocating on behalf of ballot initiatives by clicking on the links on the left-hand side of this page.

Ginger, our lutino parakeet, intends to help get out the avian vote, even those birds who aren't exactly alive (see above). She's a staunch supporter of Eric Griego and Marianne Dickinson, and is particularly concerned about making sure the living wage proposal wins. Ginger owns a small election consulting firm and she pays her human workers (see top) quite well, but she wants to make sure ALL of Albuquerque's workers start getting a better deal.

10 Days to Get Out the Vote!

From the Albuquerque Living Wage Campaign:

Minimum Wage Will Benefit Workers & Businesses, Say Economists
Distinguished economists, Robert Pollin and Arin Dube, discussed their findings on the expected impact of the Albuquerque minimum wage ordinance and the impact of the San Francisco & Santa Fe ordinances at an event hosted by the UNM Economics Department on Monday, September 19.  Both agree that the Albuquerque workers will benefit enormously from the increase while the impact on businesses and consumers will be negligible.  For more details, go to www.abqlivingwage.org.

JOIN THE VOTER BLITZ
Only two weekends remain to get out the vote for the wage increase!  Sign up to join in the voter canvassing blitz this Saturday, or contact us to phone bank or canvass another day: 242-7411, matthew@abqlivingwage.org.

Fight Night: Chris Catechis Needs Your Help

It's Fight Night: Albuquerque NM
The Fight of 2005: Chris Catechis Vs. City Councilor Tina Cummins
 
Friends-- Let get ready to rumble. We need your help -- TODAY! Chris Catechis needs your help, the people of District 9 need your help.
 
"We can win this fight.........we are going to win this Fight."
 
Chris and his camp are working very hard, going door to door -- canvassing, phone banking and raising money all in a final push to victory.  Chris will be the Champion of the people and for the people of District 9. We only have 9 days left till the Big Fight and we need your HELP!!!
 
Chris is the only Democrat running and his upper cut is lethal. He has the Republicans scared and on the ropes, so much so they have opened and increased their resources, pockets and their WAR chest to his opponent......and for good reason.
 
Chris is a fighter, he is responsive, a strong leader, who has vision , and will work for the people of District 9, not against them. Chris is the true and undisputed  Champion of District 9. So please consider helping Chris send out a the Knock out punch to the Republicans. Please consider sending  Chris your financial support.
 
"And winner by TKO and new City Councilor - Chris Catechis". 
 
So please help, consider a donation for Chris Catechis. The camp is also looking for volunteer's to canvass and phone bank. Visit our website: www.chriscatechis.com

Click for the Alibi's endorsement of Chris Catechis.

Support Last Griego Comedy Fundraiser!

“It’s better than Cats!”

“I can’t wait to see the Chavettes!”

Please join us for a Final Fundraiser with Mayoral Candidate
Eric Griego

An Evening of Comedy
The Golden West Saloon
620 Central Ave. SW
7 PM, Monday, September 26

Suggested Donation:  $20
For Tickets call the Golden West Saloon at 242-2353 or call Molly at 224-9042
Click for flyer

Hey Big Spender

Ex-Mayor Jim Baca finally relents and comments on his blog about the October 4 mayoral election. He says he was prompted by what he calls Mayor Marty Chavez's "campaign untruths" about fiscal matters, as well as Marty's extravagant spending record. Well worth a read.

Also highly recommended (if you haven't read it yet) is Jerry Ortiz y Pino's Alibi column on city finances under Chavez. Excerpt:

. . . I just saw a television ad for Mayor Chavez' re-election which made my jaw drop. In it, while standing first in a deep trough and then on a high pile of dirt (get it?) he takes credit for restoring Albuquerque's fiscal health. Now that's cajones! The guy did nothing to promote the quarter cent tax increase that bailed out the city and his administration from the depths of the trough (they were digging fast down there, too). He sat quietly on the sidelines while Griego, Councilors Debbie O'Malley, Martin Heinrich and others expended enormous political capital to get the tax passed.

As Baca says:

Marty is always ready to take credit for good things whether he had anything to do with those things. (Witness putting his name on the baseball stadium and the museum expansion.) But the least he can do is tell the truth in his slick advertising. Otherwise we might construe he is ethically challenged.

You might say.

And still on the topic of money, be sure to read for a terrific take-down of Vern Raburn, President and CEO of Eclipse Aviation, and Vern's terrible op-ed against the living wage in this morning's Albuquerque Tribune.

Only Two Weeks Left

NOW is the time to help the Griego for Mayor Campaign:

Go watch the cool new TV ad, then please donate online to help us get it aired as many times as possible!

Yard Signs and Bumper Stickers - where are yours? Here at the office! Call 224-9042 ext 6# to gather your Eric Griego gear.

YOU are the necessary part of Eric's campaign. A couple hours over the next two weeks will MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! Call now and sign up for door-knocking and phone-banking:

Door Knocks: Two hours, walking shoes and you! The schedule is:

Monday - Thursday from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Call Melanie at 224-9042 ext. 6# to schedule a time to volunteer.

Phone Banks: Call, call, call! The schedule for phone-banks is:

Monday - Thursday from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM.
Saturday 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Call Melanie at 224-9042 ext. 6# to schedule a time to volunteer.

Events: We have events that we need your help at to cover and share information about the campaign. This week we have:

WHAT: Swing Dance
WHERE: Jefferson Middle School
WHEN: Tuesday, September 20th, 7 - 9 PM

WHAT: MAS Poetry Slam
WHERE: Winning Coffee Co, 111 Harvard SE
WHEN: Wednesday, September 21st, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

WHAT: Preview Gala for Downtown Arts Fest
WHERE: Downtown
WHEN: Thursday, September 22nd, 6:00 - 9:00 PM

WHAT: Dist 4 & Dist 8 Coalitions of Neighborhoods Mayoral Forum
WHERE: Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church
WHEN: Thursday, September 22nd, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

WHAT: GO Downtown Arts Festival
WHERE: Downtown
WHEN: Friday, September 23rd, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM      

WHAT: UNM Tricentennial Day
WHERE: UNM Campus
WHEN: Friday, September 23rd, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

WHAT: Symphonic StarWars
WHERE: Popejoy
WHEN: Friday, September 23rd, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Weekend Events:

WHAT: Downtown Growers Market
WHERE: Robinson Park, 8th & Central
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 7:00AM - 11:00AM

WHAT: AIDS Walk 2004
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

WHAT: Corrales Harvest Festival
WHERE: Corrales
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

WHAT: GO Downtown Arts Festival
WHERE: Downtown
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

WHAT: Fundraiser to benefit the Annual Dia De Los Muertos Marigold Parade and Festival
WHERE: Out Ch'Yonda, 929 4th Street SW
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 6:00 - 9:00 PM

WHAT: Salsa Dance at UNM
WHERE: UNM Sub Ballroom
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Call Melanie at 224-9042 ext. 6#

The Eric Griego Campaign looks forward to seeing you at upcoming events, and appreciates and needs your continued support!

ERIC GRIEGO FOR MAYOR
Melanie Maldonado
Field Director

email: info@ericgriego.com, phone: 505-224-9042
web: https://www.ericgriego.com 

You. Yeah, You.

I mean YOU.

If you're reading this blog, chances are you consider yourself in possession of at least some degree of political saavy. You may even see yourself as a grassroots political activist of the progressive persuasion. Note that the root of the word "activist" is ACTIVE, one definition of which is "marked by or involving direct participation."

So what are you ACTIVELY doing to support progressive candidates and causes with only a few weeks left before the October 4th Albuquerque municipal election? With the future direction of Albuquerque in the balance, NOW is the time to put your money and your body on the line for positive change. Yes, I'm guilt-tripping YOU!

Liberal circles are constantly buzzing about the growing power of grassroots campaigning and activism. But it's only talk if you do nothing ACTIVE to support the candidates and causes that depend on small donations and volunteer hours from many people to win.

As they used to say back in the day, you're either on the bus or off the bus. Get on board:

Progressive candidates for mayor and city council, as well as groups advocating on behalf of the living wage and clean elections ballot referenda, need your help NOW. You can volunteer to phone bank, door knock, deliver signs, enter data and more. And think of what a boost it would give campaigns if each of you reading this would kick in a few bucks in donations!

It doesn't have to be much -- a few hours of volunteer time each week and $10 or $20 to a couple campaigns. If many of us do this, our power multiplies and gains in clout, and our candidates and causes gain the tools they need to fight and win!

Check out the links under Coming Events on the right-hand side of this page for fundraisers you can attend in support of our candidates. Call the campaigns to find out how you can volunteer THIS WEEKEND and beyond, and click on the names below to visit websites to make donations or learn more:

MAYORAL RACE:

Eric Griego: Call Melanie @ 224-9042

CITY COUNCIL RACES:

Miguel Gomez (District 1): 839-6638

Ike Benton (District 3): 268-0310

Marianne Dickinson (District 7): Call Keegan King @ 385-8760

Chris Catechis (District 9): 271-9876

BALLOT INITIATIVES:

Living Wage: Call Acorn @ 242-7411

Clean Elections: Call Matt Brix, Common Cause NM, @ 323-6399: Sign up to help:

The Alibi has a terrific resource for learning more about these candidates and initiatives in their just published Election Guide. Read it and ACT!

Interfaith to Hold West Side Mayoral and City Council Accountability Session

A very important community event will take place this Sunday, September 18th on Albuquerque’s West Side. Albuquerque Interfaith will host an ACCOUNTABILITY SESSION with the candidates for Mayor of Albuquerque / West Side City Council Districts 1 & 5 from 3:00PM to 4:30PM at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, located at 5415 Fortuna Road (East of Coors Blvd. and approximately one mile north of Central Ave.).

The session will focus on the stories of those affected by many of the critical issues facing West Side families, neighborhoods and whole communities: parents camping out the night before to enroll their kids in before/after school programs only to find out that slots are severely limited, elementary schools busting at the seams due to explosive sprawl development, immigrant families afraid to access basic services because they live in fear, grandparents holding families together while young parents cope with substance abuse and a jail that has become dangerously overcrowded and in need of preventative/intervention services.

If you’ve ever been to one of Albuquerque Interfaith’s "accountability sessions," you know that they mean business. When Albuquerque Interfaith got involved in the school bond election two years ago (just after the school bonds failed in 2002), 600 of their community leaders knocked on 16,000 doors around the city and the bonds passed decisively, providing $144.9 million for the building and improvement of schools in our community.

Translation and child care will be available.

Music will begin at 2:30PM, peformed by El Grupo Amor Eterno and Holy Rosary’s Spanish Choir. For more information, call the Albuquerque Interfaith office at 268-3991.