Democracy for New Mexico

NM Recount Case Makes News

Washington Post excerpt:

SANTA FE, N.M. -- The state's highest court was asked Monday to order a recount in the razor-close 2004 presidential election in New Mexico even though it's too late for a new vote tabulation to change the outcome.

A lawyer for Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik made the request to the New Mexico Supreme Court during a hearing on a challenge to the state's handling of the candidates' request for a recount.

Cobb and Badnarik contend they were wrongly required to pay $1.4 million as a security deposit for a recount, which never happened because of the legal dispute over the cost.

John Boyd, a lawyer for Cobb and Badnarik, said a recount of paper ballots and a recheck of voting machine results was still needed to highlight problems with New Mexico's election system.

"There is no more important issue than the purity of elections in this state," Boyd told justices during an hour-long hearing. "And I will tell ... the court that the elections are not pure."

Articles on this case also in appeared Salon and the Guardian UK.

You can find more information on the 2004 election problems in NM at Voter Action. This site also describes another lawsuit filed on behalf of a number of NM voters that aims to obtain a permanent injunction against use of the voting machines linked to the problems.

Keep On Talking

The national political blog TPM Cafe has picked up on Joe Monahan's item and our discussion about a candidate to run against Heather Wilson.

Cafe's jgmallory mulls the possible reasons why one hasn't yet emerged and laments what appears to be shaping up as a free ride for Rep. Wilson. Read down a bit and you'll see the link to our original post on this, which generated a good discussion on candidates the progressive community might support.

Excerpt from TPM Cafe:

[The lack of a Dem to run against Heather] . . . shows that the national party's stagnation can reach the state level even in a state with a strong Democratic governor and a fully-Dem legislature, and in a city that is itself pretty solidly Dem . . . The failure here has to be on the political level, because there is no reason for this district to be safe R . . .

. . . So without the national party's backing, it looks like there might be nobody to stand up to Heather. The national party's stagnation has reached inward to the state level, and looks like it will result in Heather getting a free ride. I think that is a crucial strategic error and a terribly sad mistake.

One of the commenters at TPM Cafe also goes into the adventures of Miles Nelson in the 2004 Congressional primary and compares him to Paul Hackett.

While we got a good start on discussing possible candidates in our first DFNM thread, there's still alot to hash out. Come on, it's the weekend, you've got a little time to comment! Do it here and/or at the Cafe! --BW

Conservation Voters New Mexico Endorses Candidates for Albuquerque City Council

From Conservation Voters New Mexico:
Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) is pleased to announce its endorsements of Miguel Gomez (District 1), Isaac Benton (District 3), Marianne Dickinson (District 7) and Chris Catechis (District 9) for Albuquerque City Council.  CVNM has already endorsed Eric Griego for Mayor.  (Note: You can visit these candidates' websites by clicking on the links on the left-hand sidebar of this page.)

“All these candidates have demonstrated a commitment to protecting the qualities that make Albuquerque a great city,” said Sandy Buffett, Executive Director of CVNM.  “We look forward to working with these talented individuals to build vibrant neighborhoods that bring people together.”

Conservation Voters New Mexico, a nonpartisan organization, works to protect New Mexico's natural environment and our cherished way of life.  CVNM’s mission is to make sensible conservation policies a top priority for elected officials, political candidates, and voters across the state. 

More information on Conservation Voters New Mexico can be found on our web site at: www.cvnm.org

Sandy Buffett, Executive Director
Conservation Voters New Mexico
320 Aztec Street, Ste. B
Santa Fe, New Mexico  87501
tel:   505.992.8683   cell: 505.270.5743
sandy@cvnm.org

Support CVNM's efforts to hold NM elected officials accountable for their environmental decisions and to elect a pro-conservation majority!!  https://www.cvnm.org

Editor's Note: Click to find your . You must be registered to vote by 5:00 PM on September 6 to vote in the October 4 municipal election. The League of Women Voters has information on registration and voting at its website, or you can call the Democratic Party of New Mexico at 505-830-3650 or the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County at 256-1855 for more information.

Sound Off From "progressive dem": Who Will Take On Heather?

Editor's Note: I'm bumping this up from the comments section of several posts. I don't know who "progressive dem" is, but I think he or she is asking the right questions at the right time about who we can get to run against Rep. Heather Wilson (R-CD1) in 2006.

As Monahan reports, NO-ONE is stepping up to run against Scary Heather, despite the fact that the DNC is strongly pushing its 50 State Strategy in challenging Republicans. How can we allow this to happen? I know that finding, developing and supporting candidates is one of the most vital functions of the State Dem Party. However, years of neglect in Party building and member recruitment, coupled with establishment efforts to keep out "new blood" that doesn't toe the line of the bigwigs, has resulted in a very small and weak pool of potential candidates. Yes men and yes women usually don't make passionate and inspiring candidates.

It seems cruelly ironic that Miles Nelson, one of the most popular and passionate outsider candidates to date , was eternally stymied by the Governor and the powers that be when he ran for the chance to go up against Wilson last time. You know what happened. Now Miles lives out of the district and NOT ONE DEM is stepping up to the plate.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? Let's hear your thoughts after you read what "progressive dem" has to say. Can we come up with a candidate? -BW

YOU'RE INVITED: A Night of Music to Benefit Eric Griego for Mayor

Join us for a night of live music
to benefit Eric Griego for Mayor!
 
Live music featuring:
Red Earth,
Mystic Vision,
Elliott's Ramblers
and dv8.

Location: Sauce, 4th & Central Downtown
When: Tuesday, August 30, 2005
from 5:30-10:00 PM

Enjoy food, live music & spirits

Contact Tara at 224-9042 or tara@ericgriego.com for more information.

Contributions will be taken at the door.

Young Professionals Host Committee

City Councilor Martin Heinrich
County Commissioner Deanna Archuleta-Loeser
APS Boardmember Miguel Acosta
Josh Anderson
Diane Albert
Tara Aschenbrener Geise
Ozawa Bineshi Albert
Amber Carrillo
Jennifer DeGarmo
Gwyneth Doland
Brian Egolf
Josh Geise
Moises Gonzales
Michael Henningsen
Cheryl Hooks
Wade Irving
Tara Javaheripour
Jessie Keefe
Rachel Lazar
Antonio "Moe" Maestas
Gabriel Nims
Giovanna Rossi
Jared Saia

Click to dowload a pdf flyer on this event

Editor's Note: DFA-Democracy for New Mexico has endorsed Eric Griego for Mayor. You're urged to attend this event and pass the flyer on to friends, neighbors and coworkers. Only WE can provide the support that can make Eric Griego the next Mayor of Albuquerque! Visit Eric's website NOW to volunteer some hours or make a donation.

SEEDPAC Endorses Dickinson for ABQ City Council

Campaign Updates & New Endorsers

The campaign is really picking up momentum now and has received some new endorsements. In the past few weeks numerous unions, community organizations, legislators and constituents have given us their support and we are truly honored that so many of you have decided to support our campaign.

Some of the organizations that have endorsed as of August 18, 2005:

Central New Mexico Labor Council

AFSCME Council 18

AFSCME International

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1564

SEEDPAC

The strong stance Marianne has taken on Labor and Environmental issues has enabled her to win the support of these great organizations.  But we still need you to help us get the good news out to the voters of the district. If you are available to doorknock or phone for Marianne please contact us at 385-8760 or by visiting our newly revised website - www.MarianneDickinson.com and going to the Contact page.

Thank you for your continued support!

Contact: Keegan King @ 385-8760, 842-5539 or keegan@mariannedickinson.com
************
Editor's Note: You can donate to or volunteer for Dickinson's campaign regardless of whether you live in her district or not. Of course, if you do live in ABQ City Council District 7, I know you want a change!

Click to find your . Remember, to vote in the October 4th municipal election, you must be registered to vote by September 6th at 5:00 PM.

Click for municipal election info from the . For information on how to register, call the Albuquerque City Clerk's office at 505-768-4090, the Democratic Party of New Mexico at 830-3650 or the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County at 256-1855. Click for the facts on registering and voting in Bernalillo County.

Espinosa Loses Supreme Court Case

The NM Supreme Court today ruled against Albuquerque mayoral candidate Judith Espinosa and said the Albuquerque City Clerk had acted properly and within the authority of the City Charter in deciding on the validity of candidate petition signatures. Marston Moore at Duke City Fix has the details.

The only chance for Espinosa to get on the ballot would be to prove that 1,000 of the disqualified signatures are actually registered voters in Albuquerque.

Here are links to coverage of this story in the Albuquerque Tribune and the Albuquerque Journal.

Mayor Marty Goes Missing Again

He's in the money.

Greg Burton's Albuquerque Blog has the scoop on SEEDpac's city candidate forum this past Sunday. As he mentions, Mayor Martin Chavez was missing in action again. Excellent event by SEEDpac though!

As many of our DFA-DFNM Meetup members recall, Marty's campaign had confirmed his attendance at the Democracy for New Mexico mayoral candidate forum back in June, only to call and cancel as we were walking out the door to go down to the hall. The excuse: very important city business. Strangely, this important business seemed to entail Marty donning a pair of shorts and leisurely walking his dog, as reported by one member who witnessed it on the way to the event.

Marty also failed to show at the mayoral candidate forum put on by the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, but then I guess that's to be expected given how rarely he even pretends to represent Dem concerns these days. Why bother to try and get the votes of Dems when most of your big buck campaign contributions come from Republicans? Or when you have a mutual admiration society going with Republican members of the City Council, especially Tina Cummins and the loathsome Sallly Mayer, who both like to sit in the Mayor's back pocket.

I know the mayor's race is supposed to be nonpartisan, but isn't it time for our local Dem Party to disown Marty Chavez? As far as I can tell, he's against almost every single progressive and/or Democratic core issue we hold dear. How can any real Democrat support a politico who is vehemently AGAINST the Living Wage proposal, AGAINST cleaning up City elections by reforming campaign funding and AGAINST efforts to use our heads in planning, shaping and regulating the future of our city to benefit the common good?

Add in Marty's scandals to the equation, like the evidence room crimes and the ABQPAC bribery scheme, and what you've got is a severely ethically challenged and arrogant politician who works for the monied, right-wing establishment to the detriment of ordinary folks, day in and day out. Pandas anyone? I suggest Marty save some of his anticipated $1 million plus war chest to buy them himself. So he can enjoy them OUT of office. When he's defeated by Eric Griego on October 4th.

PS. You must be registered to vote by 5:00 PM on September 6th to vote in the October 4th municipal election. Click for municipal election info from the . For information on how to register, call the Albuquerque City Clerk's office at 505-768-4090, the Democratic Party of New Mexico at 830-3650 or the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County at 256-1855. Click for the facts on registering and voting in Bernalillo County.

Eric Griego for Mayor Meet-Up This Week!

From the Eric Griego for Mayor campaign:

Open to all:  Supporters, volunteers, and those who just want to learn more about Eric and the campaign.

Talk about what you're hearing, share your ideas, meet other Griego supporters and get to know Eric!

Every other Thursday from 5:30-6:30 PM
At Campaign Headquarters
1020 Coal SE (east of I-25, entrance on Mulberry)

Next Meet-Up:  August 18th

For more information call Molly at 681-3012.

Seniors to Elect Eric Griego Planning Meeting Set for Saturday

Seniors to Elect Eric Griego Planning Meeting
Saturday, August 13th
11AM - Noon

Campaign Headquarters
1020 Coal SE
Just east of I-25, entrance on Mulberry

Only 10 weeks until the election! Help us organize our group, schedule senior events, and brainstorm other ideas.

For more info call Molly at 681-3012