Democracy for New Mexico

ACTION ALERT: ABQ Living Wage Press Conference & Bill Intro

From ACORN: Living Wage Press Conference Rescheduled

City Councilor Martin Heinrich has moved the living-wage ordinance press conference to SUNDAY, May 1, at 1:00 PM, at the home of Danielle Pedrol, an ACORN member and a low-wage worker, 1012 Mary Ellen NE in Albuquerque(directions below).

ACORN, which is spearheading the drive, is also seeking low-wage workers willing to speak at the press conference and your presence.

"Speakers at the press conference will include Martin, a couple of low-wage workers, and a friendly economist.  We will then have weekly press conferences that focus on different constituencies: small business supporters, people of faith, etc.," according to an ACORN announcement.

"Following Sunday's event, we want people to come to Monday's Albuquerque City Council meeting at 5:00 PM and speak out in support of Councilor Heinrich's living wage bill during the public comment at the start of the meeting."

If you or your organization can help, please reply to nmacorn@acorn.org

(Directions to 1012 Mary Ellen NE: Take Eubank north from I-40.  After Lomas, take a right on Marble.  Mary Ellen is your first left.)

(Editor's Note: Council Meetings are held in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers on the basement level of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center building, One Civic Plaza NW. All meetings begin at 5:00 PM. All meetings are open to the general public.)

Report from the Front

I just heard from Terry Riley that the Social Security rally this morning at Heather Wilson's office in Albuquerque was a success. About 25 people showed up to urge Rep. Wilson to come out of the closet and hold a REAL townhall meeting to reveal what her true position is on privatizing Social Security. Similar rallies are taking place all over the nation today as the Senate Finance Committee begins considering Bush's plan.

Police, including a guy from the SWAT team, were present and tried to get the people to clear the area, saying they were trespassing. Fortunately, Santiago Juarez, one of the leaders of the rally from NM PACE who appeared at our last DFA-DFNM Meetup, knew the law and calmly challenged the officers on camera. He led the way to a compromise whereby 7 people at a time could enter Wilson's office and speak with her office manager. There's a good chance that Albuquerque TV channel 13 will have coverage of all this later today. Keep an eye out.

The umbrella group NM United to Protect Social Security also released a comprehensive report to the media today on how damaging privatizing Social Security would be for New Mexico. Bush's plan would create a new $4.6 billion unfunded mandate on our state and would plunge at least 30,000 New Mexicans into poverty. Click to dowload this report produced by the Institute for America's Future.

See "Being Caribou" Free at UNM

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:

“Being Caribou”
April 27,2005--7 PM
UNM Campus
SUB Mirage Thunderbird Room
FREE!!!

“Being Caribou” is a film about one couple’s epic journey across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Join the UNM student chapter of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance in viewing this exceptional documentary. Admission is FREE!

For more information: 843-8696, nathan@nmwild.org 

One Dem's View of the SCC Meeting in Socorro on Saturday

The Democratic Party State Central Committee meeting and related events took place this weekend in Socorro. I'll be printing a few views of what occurred. Here's one of them.

Report from Anne Kass:

John Wertheim had a rough day Saturday at the Democratic Party State Central Committee meeting in Socorro.  First the gay/lesbian group and its supporters discovered he had unilaterally removed their resolutions--which HAD been passed by the State Resolution Committee--from the packet of passed resolutions because, he explained, he thought all the others were non-controversial and could be passed quickly as a packet, where the gay/lesbian ones would spark controversy.  He didn't want to lose the whole packet.  So he put the gay civil rights resolutions on a separate unattached page that had the heading "Special Consideration." Logical, but stinky and not his call. 

So the gay/lesbian rights folks beat him up for an hour or so, before the meeting started.  Then I went after him about the living wage resolution, and by time I got to him he was frustrated and yelling about how he'd done more for the living wage than I ever had, and I was a conspiracy nut suggesting he and Richardson had got together to keep the living wage resolution buried, and how dare I question his commitment, and rant, rant, rant. 

I asked him why he tabled the resolution.  He said because Hess had objected to it.  I reminded him that Hess has merely wondered out loud whether a living wage was different than the minimum wage, and if he had listened and just answered the question, it would not have been a problem, and his action made it look like he and Hess were working together, and besides, why didn't he tell us that the tabled resolutions were history, and on and on.  Then some women started in on him because he had, unilaterally again, combined a couple of reproductive rights resolutions, which changed one of them, and so by time the meeting started, he had become rather contrite.

Early in the meeting he announced several appointments to the Central Committee and Sheryl Williams Stapleton took the microphone and challenged his authority to do that.  Then the Los Alamos County Chair, Steve Fetik made  a motion to change the agenda order so resolutions would come before the speakers (with Richardson, Denish, Bingaman, Udall, Patsy Madrid and state legislators all sitting there waiting to wax eloquent).  The motion was voted on by voice vote, and John declared that it had lost, but IF it did, it wasn't by much.

Then it came time to elect State officers, and the treasurer, secretary and vice chair went without a hitch, meaning the existing office-holders were voted back in unanimously.  Then the State Chair office came up and Ann Dunlap nominated Mel O'Reilly, who had agreed to have his name put forward, with Terry Riley seconding it.  We had speeches and a ballot vote.  Mel took 108 votes of the 294 cast, not bad given that all the speakers had gushed over John when they talked, and the challenge had come out of the blue.

When the resolution agenda item finally came to the floor, John announced that he had made a mistake by separating the gay/lesbian resolutions, and they were again part of the packet (even though in physical reality they were not, and so most people didn't even have a copy of them). Then there was a motion to adopt the whole packet of resolutions, a second, and then a woman got to the microphone about the reproductive rights thing, and John said, would the committee as a whole object if the separate reproductive rights resolution were added, and the crowd agreed it was o.k. and then Terry jumped up and said what about the living wage resolution, and John asked the crowd if it was o.k. to add that too, and the crowd agreed, and, as Molly Ivins says they say in Texas:  Viola!

Interestingly, every one of the speakers mentioned how half or more of the members of the Central Committee were new, and wasn't it wonderful that people had become involved, and welcome, and so on, but Richardson revealed how antsy all these new faces made him.  When he started his talk, he said, "There are a lot of new faces here.  In fact, who are you?"  and then he said, "I like new energy, and it's great that someone suggested that you want to talk about resolutions first and Richardson and Bingaman can just wait and listen to us."  I think the "leadership" are a little unsettled about the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

If any of the so-called "leaders" who attended the meeting to give their speeches were really top notch, (Tom Udall actually comes close) she or he would have said, in response to Steve Fetik's motion that resolutions be discussed before speeches were given that it was a fine plan, and that the "leaders"--who always claim they want to hear from their constituents [but only by way of them responding to questionnaires created and sent out by the "leaders" which are designed to prevent dialog or, heaven forbid, actual face-to-face exchanges]--that the  leaders would love to participate in the discussion of resolutions.  But NOOOO.  They want to go first, talk, and get the heck out of there.  Listening?  What's that?

I also think, the next time Richardson starts to pontificate about how Democrats need to reconnect with American values, that the best way to do that is to engage in lively discussions about ideas (resolutions) so we can get beyond the labels and jargon of family values, whatever the heck that might mean, and start to actually develop operative meanings for the words that get thrown about.  Resolutions are how we articulate and understand the core principles and values, but it often seems to me that "leaders" just want to talk in sound-bites, talking points, buzz-words or what ever label you prefer to give to the empty language they all seem so skilled at using.

So, that's what you missed if you weren't there. It was a good event. 

Anne Kass

Off to Socorro

I'll be joining a bunch of other progressives traveling down to the Democratic Party State Central Committee meetings and events in Socorro later today. In addition to voting members who were elected to seats on the SCC, others will be going down as interested parties to check out the fundraiser reception tonight, attend the SCC meeting and participate in the planning meeting for a progressive caucus and afternoon training sessions on Saturday .

I hope we get a huge turnout at all the events, but especially the progressive caucus meeting. It will be terrific to meet like-minded folks from around the state to discuss organization and strategy.

Bosco the peach-faced lovebird, he of Sunday Bird Blogging fame, will be traveling with us. It will be his first extended trip on the road and at a hotel, so I imagine he'll be quite excited and curious about all things Dem. We bought him a new traveling cage (yellow with palm trees) and hope we'll get alot of use out of it if we actually get some weekends free of politics and we can camp out in some of our favorite haunts this summer. The cage even came with mosquito netting!

It's been quite a week for political meetings. It started with a legislative townhall meeting put on by the State Party in Albuquerque on Tuesday that featured local legislative committee chairs. The speeches in some cases were excellent, some went on a bit long, and not enough time was left for questioning and provocation from the audience (!), but the after-meeting discussions were top-notch. It was great to see a meeting where the check-in process was easy, comment cards, free bottled water and hard candies were at the sign-in tables, and a roaming microphone and video-cam recorded the events and allowed comments and questions to actually be heard.

I found it particularly satisfying brainstorming with Rep. Mimi Stewart, State Party Director of Field Operations Joaquin Guerra, Deputy Executive Director Gideon Elliot and others after the meeting about how we can improve the Party, get our message out to more people in every area of the state, run candidates in as many races as possible, get people trained and win a few elections. It was also fun meeting Field Organizer Meredith Dixon's handsome Bernese Mountain Dog!

Last night we missed the Third Thursday meeting of the Bernalillo County Dems because we wanted to attend our neighborhood association meeting. We should have skipped that one instead. What a disheartening experience to find that so many present strongly support the proposed new, massive, 24-hour Wal-Mart near Wyoming and Menaul.

It was sickening to hear people praising Wal-Mart, insisting they don't believe the company discriminates against women employees despite a huge class-action suit and saying they pretty much don't care that traffic, air pollution and noise will increase dramatically in the Hoffmantown neighborhood. Talk about moral values: I wouldn't be surprised if this bunch would trade their liberty and voting rights for the alleged "bargains" available at Wal-Mart. Merchandise produced under slave-labor conditions in Third World countries? Small, locally owned businesses closing down in the neighborhood due to Wal-Mart tactics? Who cares!

Ah, well, If anyone reading this attended the DPBC meeting last night at the law school, I'd appreciate hearing about it in the commments to this post. We hated to miss it.

And so, off to pack for Socorro. It will be interesting to see how the resolutions passed at last Saturday's State Resolutions Committee fare at the SCC. And what will happen with the numerous resolutions that got put aside for later discussion and voting that never happened. Considering the overwhelming support for many of these at the ward and county levels, like the one calling for a living wage, it would be a travesty for the Party to let them fade into oblivion. We'll be working on it.

Volunteer Opportunities: League of Conservation Voters

From League of Conservation Voters:
As promised, we have a host of volunteer opportunities, trainings, and events coming up - and we need you! 

Spring is in the air, and so are outdoor events.  We have a number of important events coming up and we need your participation: 

APRIL
Friday, April 22
EARTH DAY
9 AM - 3 PM
Tabling at UNM Earth Day Fair
University of NM,  South of the Student Union Building
We need anyone willing to help us man the table at any point during the day 

11 AM
Governor Richardson's Otero Mesa Rally
University of NM, Cactus Garden (across from the Duck Pond)
Please come and help us show the Governor support for his important announcement against the Bush Administration's decision to open Otero Mesa to oil and gas drilling!  We need as many bodies as possible!

Saturday, April 23
2 PM - 7 PM
UNM Fiestas Tabling and Volunteer Recruitment
Please help us man the table as we inform the UNM population about volunteer opportunities and recruit new volunteers.

Saturday, April 30
10 AM - 1 PM
Campaign and Leadership Skills Training
LCV New Mexico Office: 400 Gold Ave. SW (4th & Gold), Suite 110 (ground floor - 4th St. entrance). This training is for volunteers who want to become more active and learn the skills they need to become campaign organizers, trainers, and supervisors 

1 PM - 3 PM
Messaging Session
We are asking any volunteers and supporters to join us as we begin the work of crafting our messages for this year and next. We will evaluate proposed ideas and welcome new ones from volunteers. Topics such as issues, messages, slogans, labels, etc. will all be open for discussion.  Help us build the campaign!

MAY
Saturday, May 28 & Sunday, May 29
10 AM - 2 PM
Canvass
LCV New Mexico Office: 400 Gold Ave. SW (4th & Gold), Suite 110 (ground floor - 4th St. entrance). Join us as we continue our battle against the Bush Administration's bad policies. We're taking it to the people that matter -- the voters!  Help us ask voters to take action against Bush's bad energy policies and let them know that Bush's pro-corporate cronies must be held accountable. 

Maggie Toulouse
SW Region Campaign Manager
League of Conservation Voters
400 Gold Ave. SW, Suite 110
Albuquerque, NM 87120
(505) 244-1077

Rally for Social Security in ABQ

From True Majority and NM United to Protect Social Security:
The fight to save Social Security is tilting our way, but it’s far from over. So, here’s another opportunity to have your voice heard on the issue, at a key moment.

On Tuesday, April 26, 2005, our friends at New Mexico United to Protect Social Security is organizing a large rally in Albuquerque to coincide with the Senate Finance Committee's hearing discussing proposals to privatize Social Security in Washington, DC.  In addition to the rally in Albuquerque, rallies will be held in over 30 states and Washington, DC on that day.  By attending the rally we can make it clear to our members of Congress that Social Security privatization is wrong and unacceptable.

New Mexico United to Protect Social Security's Rally for Social Security in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Date:  Tuesday, April 26th, 2005 Time: 9:30 AM

Location:  20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603, Albuquerque, NM 87102

SIGNS WILL BE PROVIDED

Contact Information:  If you have any questions or to RSVP, please contact: Santiago Juarez at 505-255-4268 or santiago316@la-tierra.com

For an impressive list of local organizations that are members of NM United to Protect Social Security, click through to the continuation page of this post.

(Editor's Note: Folks who attended Democracy for New Mexico's April Meetup will surely remember Santiago Juarez and his passionate speech about Social Security and core progressive values. If you can, please attend this rally and press conference, and let the Bush administration and Heather Wilson know where Albuquerqueans stand on Social Security privatization.)

ACORN
AFSCME New Mexico
AARP New Mexico
ARA NM (Alliance for Retired Americans)
Gray Panthers
LACLA
Mesquite Community Action Committee
National Education Association
New Mexico Educational Employees/AFT
New Mexico Federation of International Association of Machinists
NM PRIG
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
PACE (Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment)
Rock the Vote
Rio Arriba Family Care Network
Re-Visioning New Mexico
Southwest Organizing Project
New Mexico State Federation of Labor – AFL-CIO
SAGE Council
Tribal Environmental Watch Alliance

Join NM PIRG and Sierra Club on EARTH DAY!

From NM PIRG:

Join us on Earth Day, Saturday, April 23, 9 AM, to prevent drilling in the Arctic. 

Immanuel Presbyterian Church at the corner of Carlisle and Silver in Albuquerque.

NM PIRG is working with the Sierra Club and we will be collecting petition signatures for two issues.  PIRG is gathering signatures in opposition to the Bush energy plan (drilling in ANWR in particular).  The Sierra Club is collecting signatures to protect Valle Vidal.  It's the same event, but the volunteers will be collecting signatures for both.

At 9 AM, we will have a fun little introduction to the campaign -- with coffee and bagels, etc.

The petitioning starts at 10 AM, and will run until approximately 2 PM.  If people can only join us for part of that time, that's fine as well. 

For more information, contact Lisa at 254-1244 or send email to lkramer@nmpirg.org.

Governor Richardson to Make BIG Announcement on Otero Mesa This Friday

Be a part of New Mexico History when Governor Bill Richardson and Attorney General Patricia Madrid make an Important Announcement on Otero Mesa on Earth Day!

Over the past four years a lot of hard work has been done and a lot progress has been made for protecting New Mexico’s Otero Mesa. Your support and efforts have made a difference! NOW—the State of New Mexico, using all of its power, will stand up for your voice and tell the Federal Government NO to drilling in Otero Mesa!

Show your support for Otero Mesa. Join us in making New Mexico History!

Who: Governor Richardson, Attorney General Madrid, and YOU!!!

What: Monumental Moment in New Mexico and Otero Mesa History!!!

When: Friday, April 22nd, 2005—11:00 am (Get There @ 10:30 if possible)

Where: UNM Campus—East of the Duck Pond

For more info. contact Nathan Newcomer at 505-843-8696 or nathan@nmwild.org

REMINDER: Dem Meetings This Week

TOWNHALL MEETING TONIGHT, TUESDAY, APRIL 19:

As reported previously, a special Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Town Hall Meeting will take place tonight at 7PM tonight in Room 2401 at the UNM Law School featuring local legislative leaders and Lt. Governor Diane Denish.

In addition, the regular Third Thursday Meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County will be held on Thursday. This is an especially important meeting for folks who won precinct, ward and State Central Committee positions and folks who'd like to learn more about how the Party works:

THIRD THURSDAY MEETING, APRIL 21:

The Third Thursday meeting of the DPBC will be held at the UNM Law School, Room 2401, April 21 at 6 PM. It is strongly advised that Ward Chairs attend. Ward Vice Chairs, Precinct Chairs and Precinct Vice Chairs are likewise urged to come as are other interested Democrats. Items for discussion will be officer responsibilities, procedures, coordination with the state party, increased voter registration efforts, information dissemination in respective wards and precincts and issues important to the Democratic Party at all levels.

STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE EVENTS, FRIDAY & SATURDAY 4/22-23:

if you haven't already done so, now is the time to check out and register for events this Friday and Saturday in Socorro for the NM Democratic Party State Central Committee meeting. Click for event descriptions and registration forms.