Democracy for New Mexico

ACTION ALERT: Have Your Say on Contribution Limits and Public Financing of Elections

From Matt Brix, Executive Direction, Common Cause NM:
It's time again for the next ethics and campaign reform task force meeting! Please come, make a statement during public comment period, or just let members of the task force know the public is engaged in the process.

The next two meetings of the ethics and campaign reform task force will be Wednesday, September 20, 9:00 AM, and again on Thursday, September 21 at 9:00 AM.  Both meetings will be held in Santa Fe at the New Mexico Roundhouse, Room 307.  See here for a full agenda and minutes from past meetings.

The meetings this week are especially important because we will focus on the key issues of campaign contribution limits and public financing of campaigns. 

I will be giving the report on public financing and it would be great to have a lot of support from Common Cause members and friends.

This is really one of the last shots we have to push hard for a forceful final report to the governor.  We know how the public feels (Albuquerque Journal subscription required to view story) about these issues. A recent Journal poll showed 90% of respondents favored limits on campaign contributions. With a good report from the ethics task force, we will have a better chance of passing strong ethics and campaign reform legislation during the 2007 session. Please take this opportunity to speak out on the issues!

Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the task force meetings on September 20 and 21!

Get Involved with Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform

From Common Cause NM:
It's time again for the next ethics and campaign reform task force meeting! Please come, make a statement during public comment period, or just let members of the task force know the public is engaged in the process.

The next meeting of the ethics and campaign reform task force will be Tuesday, August 29, 9:00 AM on the 17th floor of the Bank of the West building. The Bank of the West building is located on the Northeast corner of San Mateo and Central in Albuquerque.

As I've stated in the past, it is of the utmost importance that Common Cause members and friends attend the task force meetings. There will be opportunities for public comment right before lunch, and again at the end of the meeting in the afternoon. Discussion topics for the day will include legislative salaries and the potential of creating an independent ethics commission in New Mexico.

Folks, I believe the forceful and insightful comments made by Common Cause members and friends at past meetings have made a real difference and have pushed the task force to be bold. We need to keep the pressure on and keep the momentum going as the task force heads toward its final recommendation process. Please take this opportunity to play an active role in the first step toward reform in New Mexico!

Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the task force meeting on August 29!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix
Executive Director, Common Cause New Mexico
Common Cause NM

ACTION ALERT: Next 3 Ethics & Campaign Finance Reform Task Force Meetings

As reported previously, it's very important for citizens and activists to attend the meetings of Governor Bill Richardson's Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform Task Force. If we can show widespread public support for such measures as voluntary public funding for state candidates and limiting campaign contributions and gifts, we have a much better chance of getting some meaningful bills at the NM Legislative Session in January.

So far, there's been an excellent public and DFNM turnout at these meetings and we want to keep it that way. Here are the next three scheduled meetings and their topics. If you can, please attend one or more of these:

August 16, 9:00 AM (Room 307, at Roundhouse, Santa Fe)
Gifts Subcommittee Report (morning)
Legislative Salaries Report (afternoon)
Click for agenda (PDF)

August 29
Ethics Commission Subcommittee Report

September 20
Campaign Contribution Limits Subcommittee Report
Public Campaign Financing Subcommittee Report

Thanks to Matt Brix, Executive Director of Common Cause New Mexico, for the heads up. If you have any questions, you can reach Matt at 505-323-6399 or mbrix@commoncause.org

Big Turnout Needed for Next Ethics & Campaign Finance Reform Task Force Meeting

From Common Cause NM:
It seems like every day we hear new stories about state contractors making huge campaign contributions. With New Mexico's lax campaign finance and ethics laws, just about anything is legal.  And, it will not be long before we are reminded of an ongoing federal corruption trial.

With all of this bad news, the prospects for reform can seem pretty bleak.  But, Common Cause members and friends do have a venue for addressing these ever-increasing problems over the next several months; the ethics and campaign reform task force. The next meeting of the ethics and campaign reform task force will be Wednesday, July 26, 9:00 AM at the UNM Law School, Room 3042.  Public comment is scheduled for 12:00 PM, and again at 3:45 PM.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for Common Cause members and friends to attend the task force meeting.  As always, there will be ample opportunity for public comment, so please let your voice be heard next Wednesday!

Folks, there is more than a little skepticism in the media and from the general public about the chances to achieve real reform. I can think of no better time than now to let public officials know that anything short of systemic reform in the areas of gifts, campaign contributions, oversight and disclosure is unacceptable.

We can make a powerful statement by filling the seats in the meeting room, so please join me on July 26 at the UNM Law School!

Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the task force meeting on July 26!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix
Executive Director, Common Cause New Mexico
Common Cause NM

ACTION ALERT: Join Common Cause at NM Ethics Task Force Meeting This Week

If you care about ethics and honesty in politics and government, now is the time to act. From Matt Brix at Common Cause NM:

It's that time again, folks. The monthly meeting of the governor's ethics and campaign reform task force will take place over two days this week. The open and extended meeting times will offer plenty of time for public input, so please take the time to join me if you can on Wednesday, June 28, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM and Thursday, June 29, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM. The meeting site both days will be Room 322 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.

The two-day meeting will be split into four half-day discussions. So, if you're not able to make it to both days of the task force meetings, here's what the schedule will look like (please note that I will lead the campaign finance discussion on the afternoon of June 28).

Day 1 Wednesday, June 28

Conduct of Government Officials (9:15 AM-12:00 PM)
Discussion Group Leader: Hilary Tompkins
Discussion Facilitator: Dean Suellyn Scarnecchia

Campaign Finance (1:30 PM-5:30 PM)
Discussion Group Leader: Matt Brix
Discussion Facilitator: Governor Garrey Carruthers
Expert witness will be Todd Lang of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

Day 2: Thursday, June 29

Legislative Compensation (9:15 AM-12:00 PM)
Discussion Group Leader: Governor Garrey Carruthers
Discussion Facilitator: Dean Suellyn Scarnecchia

Prevention and Enforcement (1:30 PM-5:30 PM)
Discussion Group Leader: Jim Noel
Discussion Facilitator: Dean Suellyn Scarnecchia

Remember folks, the task force meeting is this Wednesday and Thursday, June 28 and June 29 in Room 322 of the New Mexico Roundhouse in Santa Fe. If you can attend one of the four sessions, I would strongly recommend attending Wednesday afternoon's discussion on campaign finance reform!

Thank you, I look forward to seeing you at the ethics task force meeting on June 28 and June 29!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix
Executive Director, Common Cause New Mexico
Common Cause NM

Check Out Robert Greenwald's Film on DeLay This Weekend in ABQ

From Terry Riley:
Robert Greenwald has produced a movie about Tom DeLay and his campaign practices called The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress. This is going to be presented on Sunday in Albuquerque at the Guild at 2 PM. The director, Mark Birnbaum, will also attend and enter into a discussion with the audience. I am also holding a showing at 7:30 PM for those who cannot attend the 2 PM showing. Use whichever URL below serves your needs to RSVP. The movie is about election manipulation and how badly we need election reform. Please come to one of the showings:

Guild at 2 PM, Sunday June 25
https://bigbuy.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/5436

My Home at 7:30 PM, Sunday June 25
https://bigbuy.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/5263

A Private Home in the NE Heights at 7 PM on June 28
https://bigbuy.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/5414

Excerpt from the :

In a stunning 1994 interview, shortly after the now infamous Republican revolution, Tom DeLay sat down and laid out his vision for America: to destroy the Department of Education, HUD, OSHA, the NEH, the NEA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. His self-stated goal was to "completely redesign government."

The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress is the story of how he did just that. It's the story of one of the most blatant power grabs in American history, and how a District Attorney in Texas turned out to be the biggest threat to the national DeLay Machine. The film is a warning about how easy it is for American democracy to be hijacked by a combination of relentless ambition and corporate millions. It makes the case that DeLay built a "custom-made Congress" that is still providing votes for his agenda.

The Ties That Bind: Wilson & Abramoff & Safavian & Cunningham & DeLay

More evidence of Rep. Heather Wilson's ties to the Jack Abramoff scandal emerged this week. On Tuesday, David Safavian (right), an Abramoff crony and former member of the Bush administration, was convicted for obstruction of justice as part of the wide-ranging Abramoff investigation. Wilson's campaign has accepted money from both Safavian and Abramoff, as well as the now jailed former California Congressman, Duke Cunningham, and the indicted and disgraced former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay. Peas in a pod?

According to campaign reports, Wilson got these amounts from Republican members of the culture of corruption:

• David Safavian: $500
• Tom DeLay: $46,959
• Duke Cunningham: $5,000
• Jack Abramoff: $1,000

Safavian was Bush's top federal procurement official in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he was responsible for setting purchasing policy for the entire government. Previously, he was chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA). Wikipedia provides an excellent summary of his career, his ties to Abramoff and others and the charges for which he was convicted. Excerpt:

On June 20, 2006, Safavian was found guilty by a jury in federal court on four of five felony charges. He was found guilty of lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, lying to a GSA ethics official, lying to the GSA's Office of Inspector General, and obstructing the work of the GSA inspector general. Safavian was cleared of of obstructing the committee's investigation.

If you accept money from the sleazy Abramoff pay-for-play A-team, does that make you a part of the scheme? I think it does. The corrupt, influence-buying methods of the Abramoff-DeLay cabal were an open secret in Washington and beyond for years. Could Wilson have been naive about what they were doing? Hardly. And yet she took the tainted money and kept almost all of it. To date, she's reported returned only $10,000 of the money from DeLay. The rest remains in her coffers.

What Abramoff, Safavian, DeLay and others constructed was a massive web of corruption and payoffs with strands stretching far and wide -- including into the Heather Wilson campaign. By all accounts the conviction of Safavian is only the tip of the iceberg, the first of many anticipated indictments and convictions against the Republican corruption machine. More will undoubtedly be revealed.

(Safavian photo credit: Melina Mara/twp - The Washington Post)

Quote of the Day: Election, Campaign Finance & Media Reform

"US politics is now based not on voters but on donors, just as the media here is based far less on readers/viewers/listeners than on the media cartel's advertisers and big shareholders. The point here is that we need election reform and campaign finance reform and media reform. There is no separating them. What we need amounts to revolution." -- Mark Crispin Miller, Words of Power interview, 6-20-06

The entire interview is a must read....

Final Reminder: Register for Common Cause Ethics and Campaign Reform Event

Editor's Note: This is a very important gathering to kick off efforts to pursuade every legislative candidate and officeholder in the state to support meaningful ethics and campaign finance reform. If you only go to one political event this summer, I think this is the one to attend. Is there any issue more important to the future of our democracy than restoring ethics to our political process?

If we want to lessen the effects of big donor money on our elected officials and candidates, we need to take an active role in supporting public financing for elections and achieving other important reforms to clean up how things operate. To do that, we need to support efforts like this one with everything we've got.

From Common Cause NM:
I know you've heard a lot about it over the past few weeks, but I want to send you one last reminder. The Common Cause Ethics and Campaign Reform kick-off event will be held on Wednesday, June 21 at the home of Michelle Rizek and Eric Griego in Albuquerque. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to reserve your spot for this event online.

As you know, we are trying to get at least 100 Common Cause members and friends to show their support for ethics and campaign reform on June 21, so please sign-up now!

When: Wednesday, June 21, 2006, 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Where: The home of Michelle Rizek and Eric Griego: 1421 Marble NW (three blocks from Tiguex Park, near Old Town, on the northeast corner of 15th Street NW and Marble).

Suggested donation: $50 per person to Common Cause New Mexico.  (Please note that Common Cause does not accept donations from active candidate committees.)

Sign up to join us today!  Or, if you cannot come, please consider making a contribution to our campaign efforts anyway:

https://www.commoncause.org/NMcampaignkickoff

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at Eric and Michelle's on June 21!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix, Executive Director
Common Cause New Mexico

DPBC Third Thursday Meeting to Focus on Campaign Finance Reform

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County e-news:
DPBC THIRD THURSDAY MEETING
Thursday, June 15, UNM Law School, Room 2401, 6 PM
All Democrats Welcome!

Speaker: Jack Taylor, State Chair, Common Cause New Mexico since 2002 and Member, National Governing Board of Common Cause.

Subject: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM: A discussion of current ethics-in-government issues and the question of ethics education and enforcement. Click for map: https://www.tinyurl.com/djdxu

If you are a registered Democrat that would like to be added to the e-news, please send your name, e-mail address and County to dpbc@att.net.