Democracy for New Mexico

Council to Hold Special Hearing on Living Wage Ordinance

Editor's Note: This is THE event in support of fair wages in Albuquerque. We need a very large turnout to counteract the misconceptions about this initiative to put the matter to the voters in October and show that the people are in support of Council Martin Heinrich's efforts. If at all possible, please attend, urge your friends to attend and sign up to testify on behalf of the bill.

From Albuquerque Living Wage:
Next Wednesday, May 25, the City Council will hold a meeting just to debate the proposal to let voters approve an increase in the Albuquerque minimum wage to $7.15.  Please join us! 

We need citizens, business owners, and people who believe that we should reward work with a Living Wage to join our crowd of supporters in person and testify to counteract the alarmist business organizations that are fighting the resolution. The meeting will start at 5:00 PM in the City Council chambers in the basement of 1 Civic Plaza.  In order to testify, one must sign up before 5:30 PM

See you there!

Common Cause NM Asks for Our Help in Leveling the Playing Field

From Common Cause NM:
We have been working for publicly financed elections in New Mexico for many years.  Now, we are bringing this fight to the City of Albuquerque to make sure campaign spending does not spin out of control in citywide elections.  To do this, we need help from Common Cause members in the Duke City.  On Monday evening, City Councilor Eric Griego introduced the Open and Ethical Elections Ordinance.  The bill calls for an initiative to be placed on the October 4 citywide ballot that, if passed by voters, would provide for publicly financed mayoral and city council elections.

It is important that we get this initiative on the October 4 ballot so that the residents of Albuquerque can decide how their elections will be financed in the future.  Please contact your city councilor today.  Find your councilor by entering your address and then ask for them by calling the city council office at 768-3100.  Tell them you support letting Albuquerque residents weigh in on public financing for citywide elections.

October's election will be the first without spending limits in over two decades and Albuquerque's mayoral and city council races are on pace to be the most expensive in history.  We believe the Open and Ethical Elections Ordinance is the solution to this problem.  Here's how it works: like public financing mechanisms we've advocated for at the state level, the Albuquerque system would require candidates aspiring to serve on the council or as mayor to demonstrate public support by gathering low-dollar qualifying contributions.  Candidates would agree to voluntary spending limits and agree to spend only publicly allocated funds during their campaigns.

The Open and Ethical Elections Ordinance would level the playing field, allowing ordinary citizens from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to run for office in Albuquerque.  Raising money is a time consuming task that prevents candidates from having more contact with voters.  With public financing of elections in Albuquerque, candidates would be less beholden to big money special interests and have more time to spend talking to voters about the issues.

The Open and Ethical Elections Ordinance is about returning power to where it belongs, with the voters of Albuquerque.  Find your city councilor, call them at 768-3100, and urge them to support this ordinance.

In the coming weeks, you can track the progress of the Open and Ethical Ordinance by visiting our website.

Thank you for all that you do for democracy in New Mexico!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix, Executive Director
Common Cause New Mexico

'We the People' to Focus on Religious Liberty Tonight

WE THE PEOPLE
May 19, 2005 -  Channel 27 - 7 PM

HOST:     Mickey Bock
TOPIC:    Religious Liberty

WE THE PEOPLE is an innovative call-in television show looking for TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY in local, state and federal governments. We hope to remind viewers of their legacy and heritage coming from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It is our country's government--based on law and not tyranny--that grants us FREEDOM.

Watch us every Thursday 7-8 PM
Community Cable Channel 27
Albuquerque, NM

Call-in (the number will be flashed on the TV Screen).
Or
E-mail us and we will try to answer your questions and concerns.

Please, forward to Albuquerque area friends and tape the program if you can't be present.

www.1776wethepeople.com
mickbo@earthlink.com\

THANKS FOR WATCHING
Mickey Bock/Judith Binder

Governor's Office Responds

From Amanda Cooper, Political Director, Governor Bill Richardson:

Governor Richardson is committed to the Democratic Party of New Mexico and to grassroots organizing.

After reading Barbara Wold's blog entry from May 10th, she and I had a good conversation that I would like to share with everyone. I called her immediately after I read the entry because I was so disheartened to learn that people don’t know how much this Governor has done on exactly the issues Barbara discusses, and I want to make sure you all know as well so that maybe this won’t happen again. Barbara and I have agreed to have better communication so everyone can and will be informed about Bill Richardson’s commitment to this party.

I believe it is important for the Democratic community to understand just how committed Governor Bill Richardson is to the Democratic Party in New Mexico and across the country.

Governor Richardson has taken the lead here in New Mexico and across the country when it comes to the importance of investing and strengthening the Democratic Party. New Mexico is the first state in the country to put grassroots organizers on the ground.  The grassroots organizer program was conceived, developed and funded by Governor Richardson and his organization.  Governor Richardson not only placed the organizers at the Democratic Party, he continues to raise and donate the money for them to work in communities around the state in an effort to help move the party forward.  This is not a DNC program.  The DNC is planning on implementing a similar idea in states, but has not done so in New Mexico as of yet. Many of you have met some of Governor Richardson’s organizers that he has placed at the Democratic Party.  They live in communities all across the state and are spear heading an effort to organize the Party earlier than ever.  Meredith Dixon, Jason Loera, Carlos Trujillo, Irene Parra, Michelle Frost, and our state field director Joaquin Guerra are each committed to building the Party from the ground up.  Governor Richardson is committed to support the party and making it strong in every county.

Moving America Forward was started by Governor Richardson almost three years ago. This organization worked in 5 states as well as many other states where we also ran campaign trainings or held Native American empowerment trainings. Moving America Forward registered 150,000 new voters and turned out almost 1 million people to the polls in 2004.

Governor Richardson was focused last cycle and will be again on encouraging people at the local level to become candidates to run for office at all levels…from School Board, to the Legislature, to County Commissioner, to Mayor, to DA, to Congress, to Land Commissioner.  His political organization invested heavily into the campaigns of Democratic candidates such as Bill O’Neill and John Hooker in Albuquerque, Bob Frost in the Eastern part of the State, newly elected state Representative Hector Balderas in the North, County Chair Jeff Steinborn in Las Cruces, and Dr. Janice Kando in Corrales.  This is just to name a few of the candidates he supported. The Governor helped these candidates as well as many incumbents including Rep. Tom Swisstack in Rio Rancho, Rep. Al Park in Albuquerque, and Rep. Kandy Cordova in Valencia County to name just a few. His political team designed and paid for mail, radio, and cable television ads, helped with campaign plans, targeting, messaging, research, polling, GOTV plans, provided canvassers to go door-to-door, identified supporters, and ran absentee and early vote programs.  The Governor also held fundraisers for numerous candidates and legislators.  This Governor invested over a half a million dollars in helping candidates run for office here in New Mexico just last cycle, over a million dollars registering people to vote, holding campaign trainings, and turning out people to the polls. In addition to New Mexico this same program was run in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Florida.

This Governor raised and spent millions to help others and strengthen the Democratic grassroots in 2004 – when he was not on the ballot.

Election Reform is another example of the Governor’s commitment to making things better here in New Mexico and setting a standard the country can follow. We worked closely with the progressive community, the Legislature, the Secretary of State and many other community activists who care about this issue. Voter verifiable paper trails, a uniform set of criteria to qualify and process provisional ballots; uniform training for all presiding judges and election workers statewide; and a new receipt for the voter when you register to vote.

New Mexico will make voting more user-friendly by placing maps at all polling places so voters can find their correct precincts; allowing voters to drop off their absentee ballots at their polling locations on election day; and providing funds to redesign ballots and election materials to make them easier to understand and complete.

He invests resources and money into strengthening our party from the grassroots up and developing New Mexico talent for future candidates and campaigns. New Mexico should never have become a red state and for all of our energies in 2004, we as a party must regroup, refocus, and rebuild. The Governor has recognized the importance of rebuilding the Democratic party, not just nationally, but beginning on our front-lines with our precinct and ward chairs and county parties.  He has invested in a program with long-term goals and a vision for a strong Democratic Party led by effective leaders with a message that is carried to our voters by committed volunteers at the precinct and county level.

I serve as Governor Richardson’s political director, and can give you the full scoop on this man’s convictions and dedication to this party, this state, and this country. Let me tell you a little bit about my background. I come from a long line of public servants, Congressman Tom Udall is my father, Stewart Udall is my grandfather, and Mo Udall was my Great Uncle. I have worked on and run over 45 campaigns in New Mexico. Let me say that I look forward to working with all of you as we move this state and this party forward.

We must support each other and work together. Although we may not agree on everything, it is important to keep a strong line of communication open.

Sincerely,
Amanda Cooper
Political Director
Governor Bill Richardson
Amanda@tashmoo.com

Terrell on Palast: Investigating NM Voting

PALAST IN SANTA FE by Steve Terrell
As published in the Santa Fe New Mexican, May 17, 2005
Read the entire article on Terrell's blog.

Excerpts:
In a telephone interview last week, Greg Palast said he’s coming to New Mexico to investigate what he and several progressive activists in the state say are problems with the presidential election here last November. President Bush beat Democrat John Kerry by less than one percent here according to official results.

“I’m coming here more to investigate than talk,” Palast said.
********
Then last year, Palast created a noisy Internet buzz in a widely circulated article published only days after the election. There Palast wrote, “... it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry.”

The culprit, Palast argued was “spoilage” — ballots from old punch card machines that were unreadable and provisional ballots that were cast but never counted.

“Hispanic voters in the Enchanted State, who voted more than two to one for Kerry, are five times as likely to have their vote spoil as a white voter,” Palast wrote Counting these uncounted votes would easily overtake the Bush ‘plurality.’”
********
Palast said last week he wants to look at why there was such a high “undervote” — ballots that were cast but showed no choice for president — in this state and why so many of those tended to be in high Hispanic or American Indian areas.

The statewide undervote rate was 2.45 percent. According to a study for a national organization advocating a recount, Indian precincts in New Mexico had an undervote rate of 6.7 percent , while Hispanic precincts had a 3.5 percent undervote rate.

According to a report by Scripps-Howard News Service New Mexico was one of only four states with an undervote of more than 2 percent in 2004.
********
Editor's Note: Greg Palast is scheduled to speak at 5 PM Friday at the IBEW Hall in Albuquerque and at 5 PM Saturday at Cloudcliff Cafe and Art Space, 1805 Second Street in Santa Fe. Tickets are $15. For more details click on the event links under Coming Events on the right-hand sidebar on this page.

Ecumenical Voices for Democracy First Forum on Religion and Politics Set for Sunday in ABQ

Citizens take action to prevent misuse of religion in politics: Ecumenical Voices for Democracy, a group of New Mexico citizens organized to combat the misuse of religion in politics, is presenting its first forum on Religion and Politics, "The Use and Abuse of Religion in Politics." The event will take place on Sunday, May 22, at 2 PM at the TVI Main Campus, Smith-Brasher Hall Auditorium, corner of University and Coal in Albuquerque.

Have the Democrats ignored and alienated people of faith? Has the Republican Party misused religion and people of faith to gain power? The forum will utilize a panel composed of religious, academic, and civic leaders to discuss if there is a place for religion in politics, what it should be and how politicians should approach people of faith.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Reese Fullerton, a recognized expert in conflict resolution whose experience includes defusing conflicts in Beirut, Macedonia, and Northern Ireland.

Panel members for the forum include:

• Rev. Brian Taylor of St. Michaels of All Angels*
• Prof Rich Wood, Director of Religious Studies, UNM* 
• Rev. Curtis Brinkley, Assoc. Pastor Hoffmantown Church*
• Prof Andy Schultz, UNM School of Law, and ACLU Board Member*

(* Titles for identification purposes only.)

Ecumenical Voices for Democracy believes that its mission can best be achieved through a balanced dialogue and by exploring a broad range of topics. Future forums will focus on:

• Religion, Civil Rights and Individual Liberty
• Religion and the Sanctity of Life
• Poverty, Heath and Education Policy
• Religion's Role in Economic Justice, Labor Policy and International Trade 

The series will present quarterly, moderated forums. The format will include Opening Statements of fact and opinion expressed by panel members. Questions will then be posed by a moderator, and by members of the Audience. The forum will end with closing remarks by the panel members.

A reception will follow in which audience members are encouraged to engage in civil discourse with one another and panel members.

Call for Volunteers: A Different Way to Support the Troops

From Terry Riley
www.whatifyouknew-nm.com
Military Families Speak Out
Stop The War Machine
Albuquerque Veterans For Peace
New Mexico Democratic Friends

If you haven't noticed there have been revelations of bad behavior of military recruiters, mostly Army recruiters. The recruiters are under a tremendous amount of pressure to convince people to join and the job is getting much harder. For the last three months the Army and the Marines have been unable to meet their goals. A couple of recruiters have been in the news because they were caught threatening people and making outlandish lies as well as helping people lie on their applications. In response to this the Army has set this Friday, May 20th as a day for all recruiters to Stand-Down. They have to attend special training so they will better understand what is acceptable and what is not.

I believe that this is a PR event to placate the public. I in no way believe that the Army cares how the recruiter fills the ranks. I feel badly for the recruiter. I have also read that recruiters are experiencing a higher level of suicides, PTSD, and depression. Typically a recruiter has to work from 60 to 80 hours per week in order to attend every youth oriented group gathering in a week. You can see how they can be tempted to lie if they are not in fact taught to lie.

I want to demonstrate in front of the four recruiting stations here in Albuquerque in support of the recruiter. My message is that Recruiters are Soldiers too! I have a sign that says, " Don't blame the Recruiter... Don't blame the Soldier... Blame the Administration!" I also want to say something like, " Support the Troops - and that goes for the recruiter too! No more blaming the soldier for the mistakes of the administration". I have to work on that one - too long.

I need volunteers to stand with me. There are four recruiting stations in Albuquerque and I already have four members of Veterans For Peace who will stand with us from 10 AM to Noon on Saturday, May 21st. I need anybody who can come to contact me by e-mail so I can schedule which site you will go to. I hope to have a couple of people close to the recruiting office unless asked to leave. Additional people should stand on the sidewalk, they can't ask us to leave, for greater visibility.

Please contact me ASAP so I can get this scheduled. I will also put out a press release and if we can get a lot of supporters we can get press coverage.

Thank you,
Terry Riley
son of a Veteran
Veteran
father of two Veterans
terryactivist@aol.com

Last Minute Change on Hearing Fair Wage Bill Disappoints Citizens

From Terry Riley:
Monday evening May 16th the Albuquerque City Council was scheduled to vote on the living wage bill. This motion would not act in favor or oppose an increase in the minimum wage, it would set the item on the October ballot so the voters can decide. This a lame way of getting the living wage to the working folks in poverty.

Upon arriving at the City Council chambers early enough to sign up to speak I was informed that the list of issues was too long and that if the living wage could be heard that it wouldn't be until very late, unnecessarily imposing on those of us who were here to support it. Councilmember Heinrich got the item set for a special session on Wednesday May 25th.

Many of us signed up anyway and got our two minutes to speak at the beginning of the session. Many gave their prepared comments on the living wage, a couple of us, Judge Kass in particular, challenged the city council on the inappropriateness of rescheduling an item that had so many people involved, so many people who had to now change their schedules AGAIN in order to be heard in their democracy. (Great point Anne!)

We now have a second opportunity to get a crowd to the City Council chambers to make our point. It does not look like we have enough councilmembers lined for the vote to carry at this point. Letter writing and e-mails to your councilmembers at this point will help. NOTHING will have as much effect as a personal appearance. We need as many people as possible. If we can, we need to have so many people that they will have to take signatures and turn people away because there isn't enough room.

It is said that democracy is not a spectator sport. I am learning that myself. So much good happens when you are there to supervise the elected officials.

Editor's Note: Click to contact your . I've heard rumors that the bill is being watered down. We'll see.

Tonight's the Night

UPDATE: I JUST LEARNED THAT CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF THE FAIR WAGE BILL HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL A SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING ON MAY 25TH.

Come on down!

The Albuquerque City Council will discuss Councilor Martin Heinrich's Fair Wage Initiative at tonight's City Council Meeting. Please attend the meeting and sign up to testify on behalf of the bill if you possibly can.

It is extremely important that we have a large turnout so that the Council can see how much support the bill has from ordinary citizens and small business owners.

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 (click for map).

All meetings begin at 5:00 PM and you must sign up by that time in order to be allowed to comment on a bill during the meeting.

Click for information on Councilor Heinrich's Fair Wage Initiative.

Send a Free Fax for Otero Mesa

From the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance:
Earlier this year, the Interior Department approved a plan to open 95 percent of New Mexico's Otero Mesa  to oil and gas exploration. In response, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson filed suit on April 22nd against Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton for failing to adequately protect this fragile and irreplaceable wildland.

New Mexico's Otero Mesa is home to pronghorn, burrowing owls, the endangered Aplomado falcon, mountain lions and countless other species. Beneath its grasslands lies a freshwater aquifer that is large enough to supply drinking water for New Mexicans for more than a hundred years.

Even though Governor Richardson proposed a plan for protecting the most fragile parts of Otero Mesa, the Interior Department chose instead to give oil and gas companies virtually unlimited access to this special place. The agency's decision also ignored comments submitted by tens of thousands of people from all over the country in support of protecting Otero Mesa. What's worse, the Interior Department went ahead with its plan even though federal land managers believe there is little chance of finding economically recoverable amounts of oil and gas in the area.

Please go to https://ga1.org/campaign/gale_norton right now and urge Interior Secretary Norton not to sacrifice this treasured piece of America's natural heritage.

Thank you for taking action.
Sincerely,
Stephen Capra
Executive Director, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

What's At Stake:

The Greater Otero Mesa Area—Fact Sheet

General Information: The Greater Otero Mesa Area encompasses over 1.2 million acres, and is considered North America’s largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland remaining on public lands.

Approximately 250,000 acres have been targeted by industry in the first round for oil and gas development. More lease sales are planned. Ultimately, the entire 1.2 million acres is subject to oil & gas development. Currently 51,600 acres have already been leased.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan for oil & gas development will tell us that only a small portion stands to be impacted, the reality is that this plan will allow for dramatic fragmentation of the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Fragmentation continues to be the greatest threat to this resource.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has surveyed the Greater Otero Mesa Area and identified over 500,000 acres as suitable for Wilderness designation, the largest remaining potential wilderness area left in New Mexico.

Politics: Governor Richardson has pledged his support for protecting Otero Mesa.
Senator Jeff Bingaman met with several staff from the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and local ranchers from Otero Mesa. The Senator has been helpful in our efforts and shares our concerns about protecting the significant environmental, ecological, cultural and recreational values of Otero Mesa.

Congressman Steve Pearce is supporting drilling in Otero Mesa, and has refused to support the protection of even a single acre. Congressman Pearce is also an advocate for selling off all Public Lands.

The Oil & Gas Company that is planning to develop most of the area is Harvey E. Yates Company (HEYCO), of Roswell. Ayes Petroleum out of Artesia and Burlington Resources out of Midland Texas are also bidding to drill.

Development: Currently five Natural Gas wells have been drilled in the Greater Otero Mesa Area. One well has produced 4.4 million cubic feet per day, while three of the wells came up dry.

HEYCO continues to say that directional drilling is not an option due to cost, geology and the inability to find real targets because of potential no-surface occupancy regulations.

Plans for the area include bringing a natural gas pipeline up from Texas. This would be a key element in the Industrialization of the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Roads, power lines, toxic waste ponds and increased motorized traffic are the by-products that begin with a pipeline and the level of drilling that would inevitably take place.

Pollution: In nearby Carlsbad, recent concern surrounds contaminated wells, noise and air pollution resulting from the dramatic increase in drilling the surrounding areas.

Neighboring Carlsbad and Guadalupe National Parks have Class 1 air status, the cleanest and most pristine. Development in Otero Mesa could directly impact and degrade such air quality.

Threshold Development, of Artesia, drilled a well just south of the New Mexico border in Texas and struck large amounts of fresh water. Instead of safely disposing of the contaminated water and waste, Threshold Development drove back into New Mexico and onto Otero Mesa, and illegally dumped the waste on the side of the road. The BLM to this date has not fined or issued any citations over this clear violation.
Groundwater

Potential groundwater pollution is at the heart of the threats to the Greater Otero Mesa Area. Any current drilling requires the use of a number of chemical agents, many of which are suspected carcinogens, that are used the entire length of a drilling process.

Conservative estimates show that without any recharge there is enough fresh potable water underlying Otero Mesa to serve a community of over 500,000 people for over fifty years.

Wildlife: This area is home to the states healthiest herd of pronghorn, and unlike most herds in the state, they have never needed reintroduction. For sportsmen, this area is open only to bow and muzzle loading seasons.
The Greater Otero Mesa Area is a crucial wintering ground for migratory songbirds, including, Baird's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Burrowing Owls and countless raptor species as well as many other species common to the northern prairie states. In addition many southern species of birds come north to Otero Mesa in search of the solitude and vital seeds that only native grassland can provide.
Stands of black grama grasses can be found in abundance throughout the Greater Otero Mesa Area.

Ranching: Independent cattle ranches still operate in the area. Some have been in the same families for five generations.

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has been working with the ranchers in Otero Mesa to ensure that their quality of life is preserved.

Alternatives: New Mexico is home to Sandia Lab, an alternative energy program at NMSU, 300 plus days of sunshine and has tremendous wind potential in the eastern part of the state. New Mexico should be a leader in alternative energy.

Click to sign up with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.