Democracy for New Mexico

Final Observances Announced for Sen. Ben Altamirano

From the office of the New Mexico Senate Democrats:
Santa Fe, NM—Details of the official observances in the State Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe and public services in Silver City for Senate President Pro Tempore Ben D. Altamirano (D-Catron, Grant & Socorro-28) were released today. Senator Altamirano died suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday evening, December 27th, at his family home in Silver City.

Senator Altamirano’s body will lie in state for public viewing beginning at 8:30 AM and ending at 5:00 PM on Monday, December 31, 2007 at the State Capitol Rotunda in Santa Fe. A memorial service honoring Senator Altamirano will commence at 11:00 AM on Monday. Speakers that day will include Senate majority and minority leaders, Barbara Richardson, New Mexico’s First Lady, Diane Denish, New Mexico’s Lieutenant Governor who is acting Governor in the absence of Governor Bill Richardson, majority and minority leaders of the New Mexico House of Representatives and other leading public officials.

Members of Senator Altamirano’s immediate family will be present for the memorial service. “We invite the people of New Mexico to come pay their last respects to this great leader and legislator,” said Senator Michael S. Sanchez (D-Valencia-29), the Senate Majority Leader.

On Wednesday, January 2, 2008, the public may pay their respects from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Bright Funeral Home, 210 W. College Ave., Silver City, New Mexico. A Rosary will then be recited at 7:00 PM that evening at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 420 W. Market Street, Silver City, New Mexico – which was Senator Altamirano’s parish church. The funeral mass will take place at 10:00 AM on Thursday, January 3, 2008, also at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Internment will follow at Memory Lane Cemetary, Memory Lane Road, Silver City.

Flowers and messages may be sent to the family home at 1123 Santa Rita Street, Silver City, New Mexico 88061. The family has requested that memorial gifts in Senator Altamirano’s honor be sent to the New Mexico Heart Association, 2201 San Pedro, NE, Building 2, Suite 102, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. The Association may also be contacted at 505-353-5800.

See our previous post on the passing of Sen. Ben Altamirano.

(Updated) R.I.P. State Senator Ben Altamirano: 1930-2007

Senator Ben. D. Altamirano:
October 17, 1930 - December 27, 2007

UPDATE 12.29.07: See our subsequent post for details about final observances to honor Sen. Altamirano.
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Ben Altamirano, the New Mexico Legislature's Senate President Pro-Tem, passed away Thursday at his home in Silver City at the age of 77 after a heart attack. In recent years he had suffered with coronary problems and underwent surgery. He was also hospitalized in 1981 after suffering a heart attack. According to an AP article, Gov. Bill Richardson made the announcement late Thursday, saying Altamirano was a true statesman whose love for New Mexico helped him earn the respect of everyone who crossed his path.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of a great New Mexican and my dear friend, Benny Altamirano. ... Benny will be dearly missed," Richardson said.

Click to read a statement (pdf) released this afternoon by Senate Majority Leader Michael S. Sanchez on behalf of the New Mexico Democratic Senators. An update on funeral arrangements is expected to be available soon at the New Mexico Senate Democrats website.

According to a report by KRQE News:

Senate Majority Whip Mary Jane Garcia of Doña Ana saw him last week when Democrats caucused in advance of the opening of the Legislature on Jan. 15.

"He looked so healthy and so happy looking forward to the holidays," she told KRQE News 13. "We were visiting and chit-chatting.

"Then he was in caucus, and there we were discussing the healthcare initiatives that are going to come before the session. He's always been a kind of peacemaker working with both sides of the aisle."

Senator Altamirano, a prominent Democrat, represented District 28 encompassing most of Catron, Grants and Soccoro Counties since 1971, and was the longest serving member of the New Mexico Legislature. For 17 of those years he held the powerful post of Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Over the years he served on Senate Committees dealing with public school appropriations, capital outlay funding and conservation. For the last three years he was President Pro-Tem, following Democrat Richard Romero in that post.

Governor Richardson will appoint a replacement Senator from among a list of nominees recommended by the county commissions in the three counties represented in District 28.

Altamirano worked in insurance and retail outside the Legislature and unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 1994. He was one of four Democratic candidates that year in a primary election race won by Patricia Madrid.

Born in Silver City on Oct. 17, 1930, Sen. Altamirano enlisted in the United States Army in 1946 and served with the European occupation forces during World War II. Upon returning to Grant County, he attended Western New Mexico University. He served as a Grant County commisssioner from 1966 to 1970 and a city councilor in Silver City from 1960 to 1970 before he got elected to the Legislature. For 40 years Altamirano also owned several grocery stores.

He is survived by his wife, Nina Melendez; his two sons, Ben Jr. and Paul; and daughter, Yolanda Manzano.

Tecton Says 'Frack You': Denies Request to Withdraw Drilling Applications in Santa Fe County

On December 24, 2007, Forest Guardians, Drilling Santa Fe and Santa Fe Not Oil released the following statement:

Santa Fe, NM – Tecton Energy, a Houston, Texas based oil and gas company, has denied a request from various conservation groups and individuals to withdraw three applications for permits to drill in Santa Fe County that it recently submitted to the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. On December 22nd three organizations—Forest Guardians, Drilling Santa Fe and Santa Fe Not Oil—and four individuals sent a letter to Tecton asking them to withdraw their applications. 

The letter was signed by the majority of participants in the Santa Fe County oil and gas ordinance working group that Commissioner Paul Campos convened for its first meeting on December 13th—the same day that Tecton submitted its three applications. The letter requested that Tecton Energy withdraw the applications because doing so would “demonstrate [Tecton’s] good faith participation in the County’s oil and gas working group.”  Further the letter said filing the applications on the same day that the working group convened “show(s) disrespect for the County Commissioners who are trying to responsibly gather relevant community and expert input to inform their decisions.”

In denying the request just two days after it was sent to them, Tecton asserted that it “has an obligation to [mineral] lessors to make a best-efforts attempt to develop the minerals. Filing applications with the State was a necessary step 1 in a multi-stage process required to pursue that goal.”

“Their denial of our request shows that Tecton couldn’t care less about what the people of Santa Fe County think about the real threat of oil and gas development,” said John Horning, Executive Director at Forest Guardians. “They’re putting their corporate profits above the will of the people of Santa Fe County who don’t want to see our landscape transformed into an industrial sacrifice zone,” Horning added.

The groups and individuals that attended the meeting convened by Commissioner Campos on December 13th believe that Tecton’s denial of the request to withdraw the drilling permits is another example of the company’s belief that Santa Fe County has no authority to regulate oil and gas development.

“Tecton’s submission of those permit applications on the same day that they met with us and the County is a symbolic denial of the county’s authority to regulate oil and gas,” said Johnny Micou, a leader of Drilling Santa Fe. “Tecton just keeps thumbing their nose at the majority of the citizens by steamrolling along with their development plans.”

Steve Sugarman, a Galisteo Basin resident and local environmental attorney, who has been a vocal opponent of Tecton’s development plans argues that it is the Commissioners and not just the citizens who should feel snubbed. “Tecton threw sand in the commissioners’ faces when it filed its applications for permits to drill on the morning that the working group first convened,” said Sugarman. “Tecton added insult to injury when it stated at the work group’s first meeting that it is not legally bound to abide by the terms of the County’s moratorium.  Clearly, Tecton has no respect for our Commissioners’ authority to regulate land use in the County.”

In light of Tecton’s denial, the groups and individuals that participated in the working group are re-evaluating their next steps. Regardless of the next steps the groups that sent the request to Tecton say they will be participating in Santa Fe county hearings in early January on the proposed ordinance as well as state Oil Conservation Division hearings in early February on the three applications for permit to drill that were the subject of the letter.

KUNM 89.9FM Tonight @8PM: A New Mexican Christmas Tradition, Las Posadas

From Espejos de Aztlan:

Happy Holidays, from the Raices Collective! Check out KUNM 89.9FM tonight, Christmas Eve 2007, (Monday, December 24th), at 8:00 PM for a half-hour Christmas special of Espejos de Aztlan. Host Javier Benavidez will interview organizers of the Posadas tradition in the Barelas Neighborhood, a New Mexican practice of celebrating Christmas for 62 years now in the downtown neighborhood. Also, tune in again on Dec. 31st, 2007 at 8:00 PM for a New Year's Eve special of Espejos de Aztlan, including warm wishes from the many deejays of the Raices Collective and upbeat music to bring in the New Year.

Espejos de Aztlan has been on-air since 1979 and is part of the Raices Collective which conducts programming on news, culture and music from a Latino perspective on KUNM 89.9. Beginning in 2008, Espejos de Aztlan will begin airing at 7:00 PM on Monday evenings, immediately following "All Things Considered." For more information or to submit input about Espejos de Aztlan, please visit the "Raices" link at https://kunm.org/culture/.

Tonight at ABQ City Council: Red Light Cameras & TIF

You may recall that the last Albuquerque City Council meeting was bereft of the erudite presence of Councilors Sally Mayer, Trudy Jones, Ken Sanchez and Don Harris, who had run away to Capo's restaurant because they were mad at Brad Winter for voting for himself for City Council President. In their absence, the remainder voted to approve Michael Cadigan's TIF amendment that would ban such funding for developments in "greenfields" on the edges of the city. They also passed Brad Winter's bill to suspend the red light camera ticket fines until Mayor Chavez's hand-picked task force reports on their study of the cameras' effectiveness in decreasing accidents at intersections. Mayor Marty has vetoed both bills.

Tonight the Council will take up attempts to override the Chavez vetoes on both bills. Any guesses on their success? Among other things, they're also scheduled to decide whether the City can charge those holding loud parties for the services of APD officers sent to break them up -- a bill proposed by Ken Sanchez. Of course the most compelling mystery about tonight's meeting is whether or not Sally Mayer can get time off from her new, beloved, $7 an hour part-time job at Kmart to make the meeting. Baited breath.

(Updated) Tonight on KNME's "NM in Focus-The Line": Volunteerism, Local Politics and Yours Truly

UPDATE 12.16.07: You can now see video clips of the entire show at MySpace and comment about it at KNME's online forum.
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Pre-show preparation

I've long been a fan of the local KNME political talk show, "New Mexico in Focus - The Line," co-hosted by Santa Fe Reporter writer David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, respectively. Being unrepetentent political junkies, the show is part of our Friday night TV ritual that also includes "Washington Week", "Bill Moyers" and Bill Maher's "Real Time."

This week, producer Kevin McDonald invited me to participate as a panelist on Gene Grants' "The Line" segment of the show, along with fellow guest panelist Pat Frisch, AM operations manager of Citadel Communications, and regulars Margaret Montoya, who's a professor at both the UNM Law School and School of Medicine, and Jim Scarantino, an attorney and columnist at the alibi. You can watch the show tonight -- Friday, December 14, at 7 PM and on KNME, Channel 5 or tune in for the repeat on Sunday, December 16, at 6:30 AM.

You might say I was a bit nervous about appearing on the show. I'd never been on TV before and I have to admit I had visions of myself becoming entirely tongue-tied or babbling incoherently during the taping. Thankfully, the show's hosts, participants, producers, director and techies made me feel right at home and helped me relax enough to make some sense during Tuesday's taping. At least I think I made sense -- but I won't really know until I see the show for myself tonight.

Lights, camera, action

Thankfully, "The Line" folks all said I did a fine job, but then they probably tell that to all their guests, being the gracious people they are. The proof will really be in the viewing. I hope I did DFNM proud. Phew. After the initial jitters, the experience turned out to be exciting and fun -- you know how much I like to talk and debate about politics. Our fast-moving discussion touched on a wide range of topics, including Mayor Martin Chavez's withdrawal from the Senate race, Hispanic voters moving back into the Dem column, the latest news about Gov. Bill Richardson's presidential run, the new Spaceport director, immigration, the new medical marijuana regulations and more.

It definitely helped to have Mary Ellen along for the ride as my behind the scenes sidekick, offering much appreciated moral support and humor. She produced the photos in this post and got to hang out in the control booth with the important folks who work out of camera range to make the show a reality. She reports being fascinated by the inside look at tv production, and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Of course she didn't have to sit under the lights, face the cameras and attempt to be spontaneously articulate!

In the booth: staff and interns who handle the technical end

Monitors and camera angles

As usual, the first segment of tonight's show will feature David Alire Garcia of the Santa Fe Reporter hosting "New Mexico In Focus." Tonight's topic is volunteerism, including a discussion on where New Mexicans rank when it comes to volunteering, and what local officials are doing to boost civic participation. His guests are Gregory Webb, executive director, New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism; Jean Block, ABQ The Magazine’s 2007 Humanitarian of the Year; Kerrie Copelin, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central New Mexico; and Brenda Wolfe, clinical psychologist. After that comes "The Line" segment, with our discussion and the infamous "On the Clock" sequence, where we have one minute per topic on five different issues.

You can check out blog posts and video clips from past and present shows in the series at the New Mexico PBS page on MySpace, or visit their online forum. KNME's pledge drive is also in full swing so please consider supporting public TV and local shows like this one by becoming a member and contributing to the future success of KNME.

"New Mexico In Focus" is a prime-time news magazine show covering events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. The one-hour show concentrates on bringing viewers important topics of our time, in a cohesive package. The show takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the “news of the moment.” This episode is co-produced by Karl Swanson, UNM intern. Support has been provided by McCune Charitable Foundation; closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.

Click on photos for larger versions. All photos by M.E. Broderick.

Latest on Galisteo Basin Oil & Gas Drilling

If you want to stay current on the nitty gritty of environmental happenings, you should check in daily at High Desert Reports, written by blogger (and free-lance reporter) Laura Paskus. Today she points her readers to an in-depth Santa Fe Reporter article by David Alire Garcia and Dave Maass about proposed oil and gas drilling in Northern New Mexico's Galisteo Basin. This issue has been much in the news of late, with Santa Feans and environmentalists trying to stop what could be vastly increased drilling due to the rising price of oil and gas. Areas with characteristics that once made them economically prohibitive for drilling are now being viewed as viable by energy producers. Santa Fe County is probably the first of many locales in the state where new drilling projects may be on the way.

Meanwhile, the following message was issued by SantaFeNoToOil.org about a proposed resolution to be considered tonight by the Santa Fe City Council:

"The City of Santa Fe knows how destructive oil & gas drilling can be to Santa Fe and our future, Below is a landmark resolution, which Santa Fe City Councilor Patti Bushee will introduce Wednesday night, December 12, 2007, at the Santa Fe City Council meeting. There may be some further language from the City hydrologist about potential impact on City wells & water sources, but the important information is complete.

"Please call or email Santa Fe City Council members with your support for this important resolution. It shows that the future of Santa Fe is on the line and the City knows it! Councilor contact info:

• Patti Bushee, (505) 955-6813 E-mail: pjbushee@santafenm.gov
• Chris Calvert,  (505) 955-6812  E-mail: ccalvert@santafenm.gov
• Rebecca Wurzburger, (505) 955-6815  E-mail: rebeccawrz@comcast.net
• Karen Heldmeyer,  (505) 955-6818 E-mail: kheld@earthlink.net
• Miguel Chavez, (505) 955-6816 E-mail: miguelmchavez@msn.com
• Carmichael Dominguez (505) 955-6814 E-mail: cadominguez@santafenm.gov
• Matthew Ortiz, (505) 955-6817  E-mail: meortiz@santafenm.gov
• Ronald Trujillo,  (505) 955-6811 E-mail: rstrujillo@santafenm.gov

Proposed Resolution:

"Whereas, the Governing Body of the City of Santa Fe has learned that at least one oil and gas exploration concern has acquired more than 60,000 acres of mineral rights in Santa Fe County and indicated to the offices and citizens of Santa Fe County its intent to initiate large-scale drilling operations in the Galisteo Basin; and
   
Whereas, there are, in other US cities and counties, ample and highly disturbing examples of the catastrophic impact of oil and gas exploitation on the natural environment, on the purity of surface and subterranean water resources, on air quality, on municipal infrastructures including roadways and highways, and on the social fabric of the communities themselves as evidenced by increased illegal-drug use resulting in burgeoning crime rates; and
   
Whereas, the technologies announced by the oil and gas exploration concern for use in the Galisteo Basin include the practice of high-pressure injection of thousands of gallons of water, sand, and yet-to-be-determined chemicals into the wells to free the, as yet unknown quantities of oil and gas trapped in shale deposits (known as "fracking"), a procedure that both employs massive quantities of our most precious natural resource, water, and has a high probability of serious damage to the delicate ecological balance of the Galisteo Basin; and
   
Whereas, the City of Santa Fe prides itself on, and is economically dependent upon, the beauty and historical significance of the region both within and beyond its city limits, not just as an historical repository of known, and yet to be discovered, cultural and religious sites and treasures but also as a highly varied landscape of breathtaking beauty;
   
Be It Therefore Resolved by the Governing Body of the City of Santa Fe;
   
a. stands firmly opposed oil and gas exploitation in Santa Fe County;
   
b. urges the County of Santa Fe to take the steps necessary to protect and preserve our broader community from the environmental, social, and aesthetic damage concomitant with mineral exploitation;
   
c. calls upon the Governor and the State of New Mexico to protect this County's environmental and economic well-being by initiating a comprehensive study of the ecological and hydrological impact of  "fracking" in the Galisteo Basin and other areas of Santa Fe County;
   
d. instructs the City Attorney and Staff to promptly investigate, and report to the Governing Body, The City of Santa Fe's legal standing in this issue and to recommend ways in which our status and our resources can be most effectively employed to protect our Citizens, our environment and our economic well-being as a City from the impact of oil and gas exploitation in Santa Fe County."

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The grassroots activist group Drilling Santa Fe has been in the forefront for months on the Santa Fe County drilling issue, and their website is a storehouse of info on the controversy and recent actions taken by Santa Fe County Commissioners and others.

Chavez Allies on ABQ City Council Desert Their Posts

Councilor Sally Mayer cheering on Mayor Marty's victory in '05

Apparently the City Council allies of Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez would rather pout and throw tantrums than represent their districts and take up matters important to the community. Last night, Repub Councilors Sally Mayer, Don Harris and Trudy Jones, along with Dem Ken Sanchez, refused to attend the scheduled Council meeting. They said they were angry because Brad Winter allegedly changed his decision on who he supported for Council president. Ultimately, Winter ended up as the winner by a unanimous vote of the Councilors left at the meeting -- Debbie O'Malley, Ike Benton, Rey Garduno, Michael Cadigan and Winter himself.

The Mayor's clan headed off in a huff to Capo's restaurant in lieu of attending the meeting, and whined to the media that Winter is dishonest and lacking integrity because he didn't follow through on his alleged promises to vote for Mayer, and later Sanchez, for the Council presidency. Wah. I guess the political wheeling and dealing common to such battles for leadership was somehow shocking to their refined sensibilities. Or maybe they're sore losers just like their mentor Marty, who's running for the U.S. Senate and conducting a campaign so negative in tone it rivals those of the Bush people.

One factor figuring into the brouhaha is that the Council President would become the next Mayor of Albuquerque if hell freezes over and Marty Chavez wins his Senate bid. Marty and his minions, of course, would want one of their own to move up into the city's top spot. Clearly, Dem Councilors Debbie O'Malley, Ike Benton, Rey Garduno and Michael Cadigan find that outcome less than appealing as it would give the pro-sprawl forces the upper hand. As for Repub Brad Winter, he's been locked into a heated, often personal, battle with Chavez for years.

Red-Light Camera Fines Suspended
Despite the runaways, City Council business did proceed with only five councilors present. Winter's red light camera bill was passed by a margin of 3-2. The measure suspends the collection of fines generated by the unpopular intersection cameras until a study is completed in mid-January by a task force abruptly appointed by Chavez when he entered the Senate race. Cadigan, Winter and Garduno voted to suspend the fines, while O'Malley and Benton voted no.

TIF Banned for New Sprawl
A controversial Cadigan-sponsored measure, to preclude the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund so-called "green field" development at the city's fringes, passed by a margin of 4-1. Voting for the measure were Cadigan, Benton, O'Malley and Garduno, with Winter voting nay. About 30 people showed up to testify about the proposed TIF changes, almost all of them supportive of the limitations.

TIF was originally proposed as a way to help encourage infill development, but is increasingly being sought to fund massive new developments on the city's fringes like those proposed by Sun Cal on the West Side -- exactly what the original legislation was designed to discourage. Cadigan's measure will limit the use of TIF for developed areas or areas where the financing tool has already been approved.

Many community activists, including members of 1000 Friends of New Mexico, New Mexico Voices for Children, the SouthWest Organizing Project and AFSCME, mounted a strong campaign in support of Cadigan's amendments to the current TIF requirements. And posts on many local blogs, including this one, encouraged readers to contact their Councilors to urge passage of the Cadigan amendements. See our previous post. Although we were successful, the fight is hardly over.

What Happens Next
Messages were quickly dispatched from the deserters' camp that they may well call up one or both measures for appeal at some future date, if and when they decide to return to their posts. Mayor Marty might veto both bills anyway, depending on how the political winds are blowing at the time. Stay tuned.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Tax Increment Financing for Sprawl

The Albuquerque City Council Meeting where the bill that limits TIFF financing will be discussed is set for today at 5:00 PM in City Council Chambers in the basement of the City/County Building at One Civic Plaza. Please contact your City Councilor about this matter and attend the meeting if you can.

From :
We are asking all 1000 Friends Albuquerque members and community allies to Take Action by contacting your City Councilor to urge him/her to stop allowing Tax Increment Financing on Albuquerque's edges.

This coming Monday, December 3, our Albuquerque City Council will consider a bill that limits Tax Increment Financing for use only to support urban redevelopment efforts in the city's core. 1000 Friends of New Mexico and a number of other community-based groups support this measure.

Why? Tax Increment Financing currently allows huge developments in outlying fringe areas to be subsidized to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. This subsidy robs economic activity, jobs, homeowners and vitality out of core neighborhoods. Learn more about Tax Increment Financing in ABQ.

Help 1000 Friends and other groups put a stop to another tax give-away to developers. Take Action now! Tell your City Councilor:

• Keep Albuquerque neighborhoods', not billion-dollar developers', best interest in mind. Vote YES to prohibit Tax Increment Financing for vacant land at the edge.
• Remember Albuquerque's $1.7 billion backlog in infrastructure needs in the already-built community. Fix-it-First!
• Remember that home values, small businesses and economic activity in their districts are negatively impacted by subsidized growth at the edge.

For more - keep an eye out in the Albuquerque Journal for this Op-Ed, submitted recently by 1000 Friends and the SouthWest Organizing Project.

Please contact 1000 Friends of New Mexico at 848-8232 if you have any questions.  We appreciate your time and your dedication to making Albuquerque a better place.

Sincerely,
Gabriel Nims, Executive Director

Also see our earlier guest blog by Gabriel Nims.

League of Women Voters to Conduct Workshop on Citizen Lobbying

The League of Women Voters of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County will conduct a workshop on how citizens can effectively lobby their elected representatives:

Saturday December 8, 2007, 9:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Sandia Prep, Building 100, 532 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM

The workshop is designed to help the public and nonprofit groups communicate with their legislators. Topic include lobbying in general and will not address specific issues. State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, a Democrat, and State Rep. Larry Larranga, a Republican, will discuss lobbying from the legislator's perspective. Other speakers include a representative from the Secretary of State's office and a professional lobbyist. There will also be a presentation on "Lobbying at Home and on the Internet."

The workshop costs $10 for people who are not members of the League and reservations are required as space is limited. For reservations, contact the League of Women Voters at 884-8441.