Democracy for New Mexico

EPC Commissioner to Announce Candidacy for ABQ Mayor

As of Sunday, we'll have a third officially declared candidate for Mayor of Albuquerque. EPC Commissioner David Steele will join City Councilor Eric Griego and former Secretary of the NM Transportation and Environment Departments Judy Espinosa in the race. Mayor Martin Chavez is also expected to run and is building up a large campaign fund even though he hasn't yet officially declared himself in the race.

There are also rumors that Bernalillo County Commissioner Alan Armijo and former NM Senator and congressional candidate Richard Romero are contemplating a run.

From the David Steele for Mayor Campaign:

DAVID L. STEELE will declare his candidacy for Mayor of Albuquerque at the Sheraton Uptown (Roxy Room) at 2600 Louisiana on Sunday, April 24, at 4PM.   

Mr. Steele enters the race because he wants to scrap the city’s existing Planned Growth Strategy in favor of a more realistic plan that deals with sprawl, traffic congestion, and  neighborhood crime reduction.

Mr. Steele currently represents City Council District 7 on the Environmental Planning Commission.

Mr. Steele was Assistant Director of City Planning and Chief Building Official for the City of Albuquerque prior to his retirement after 25 years of government service in 2003.  He was recognized for outstanding service by every single mayoral administration since he started in 1985 under Mayor Ken Schultz. 

Mr. Steele also was: 

*  Business Manager, New Mexico Building Construction Trades Council, 1976 to 1982..

*  Director, New Mexico Construction Industries Division, 1983 to 1987.

*  Appointed by Governor King to the Corrections Industries Commission in 1982.

*  Appointed by Governor King to the Labor and Industrial Commission in 1991.

Mr. Steele, 65, a former ironworker, began his career in Colorado where he oversaw the construction of critical facilities for the federal government, including silos for Titan II Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles and the Rocky Mountain Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility.

Mr. Steele and his wife Janet have been married since 1957.  They have two children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandson.

E-mail:                        dsfmayor@qwest.net
Website Address:       www.steeleformayor.com

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.

Download DPNM Meeting Documents

Here are links to documents from the Democratic Party of New Mexico for the upcoming State Resolutions Committee meeting and State Central Committee meeting and events:

Download State Resolutions Committee 4/16 Meeting Call

Download State Central Committee Meeting Call

Download State Central Committee Fundraiser Reception Invitation and Registration Form

Download State Central Committee Registration Form

Download DPNM State Central Committee Voting Proxy Form

The State Resolutions Committee Meeting is set for Saturday, April 16, at 8:30 AM at the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Hall. Any Democrat can attend and participate in debate about the resolutions passed at County meetings around the state that will be voted upon by the Committee.

State Central Commitee Meeting activities begin Friday, April 22, with a 7 PM opening Party fundraiser reception with special guests Governor Bill Richardson And Congressman Tom Udall at the Macey Center on the NM Tech campus in Socorro. Tickets are $25 for SCC members and $30 for nonmembers.

The SCC Meeting itself begins at the Macey Center with registration at 9 AM and the meeting from 10 AM to 1 PM. The agenda includes voting on resolutions and election of State Party officers.

From 1 to 1:45 PM, there will be a cookout lunch at the duck pond behind Macey Center for $7.50. Afternoon breakout sessions will include caucus meetings for Progressives, Native Americans, Veterans, Democratic Women and Young Democrats, as well as training sessions on messaging and grassroots organizing.

Although only folks elected to the State Central Committee can vote at the official meeting, any Democrat is welcome to attend any of the meetings and events.

Interested progressives are urged to attend the breakout caucus on Saturday afternoon. Like-minded folks from around the state will be discussing the possibility of creating a statewide Progressive Caucus, how this would be structured and how it would relate to the State Party.

DPBC Hosts Town Hall Meeting 4/19

From the Democratic Party of NM:

We cordially invite you to attend a Bernalillo County Democratic Party

Town Hall Meeting

featuring local Senate and House Committee Chairpersons

and special guest Lt. Governor Diane Denish

April 19, 2005 at 7:00 PM

UNM Law School, Room 2401

You are invited to attend an Albuquerque area Town Hall meeting featuring our local legislative Committee Chairpersons on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at 7:00 PM at the UNM Law School Room 2401.  Lt. Governor, Diane Denish will kick-off the town hall with remarks on the success of the Democratic agenda during the 2005 legislative session.  All Albuquerque area elected official have been invited. 

For local Democrats, the 37th legislative session was productive and successful.  In just sixty days, legislators considered over 2,500 bills, resolutions and memorials.  They approved a $4.7 billion budget that invests in our children’s futures, funding our public schools, state health care, and public safety and also promotes business through tax credits.

Our featured guests will include:

• Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish
• Representative Gail C. Beam, Chair, Government and Urban Affairs Committee
• Representative Miguel P. Garcia, Chair, Labor & Human Resources Committee
• Senator Linda M. Lopez, Chair, Rules Committee
• Senator Cisco McSorley, Chair, Judiciary Committee
• Representative Rick Miera, Chair, Education Committee
• Senator Bernadette Sanchez, Chair, Land Grant Committee
• Representative Edward C. Sandoval, Chair, Voters & Elections Committee
• Representative Mimi Stewart, Chair, Oversight, Courts, & Justice Committee

Members of the public and the press are encouraged to attend.  Members of the public interested in hearing Bernalillo Democrats’ committee and individual accomplishments, as well as their vision for next year’s session should contact 505/830-3650 or visit www.nmdemocrats.org

ABQ Councilor Gomez to Introduce Memorial Against Social Security Privatization

From NM PACE, Re-Visioning New Mexico:

Hola Everyone!

On Monday, April 18th Albuquerque Councilman Miguel Gomez is going to introduce a memorial to reject plans to privatize Social Security benefits.  See below for a copy of the memorial.  If you are opposed to privatizing Social Security then please call your City Councilor and ask that they support the memorial and Councilman Gomez's efforts.  Also, please call Brad Winters, President of the City Council and ask him to put the Memorial first on the Agenda for the Monday night meeting.  The City Council phone number is 768-3100. (Click to find your .)

You are also invited to come to the Re-Visioning office on Friday April 15th to make signs, learn more about the memorial, and have an informal discussion about Social Security.

Should you have any questions, please call Re-Visioning New Mexico Reyna at 505-255-4266.  Feel free to tell your City Councilors to also call Re-Visioning New Mexico if they have questions about the memorial.

Reyna Luz
reyna@nmpace.org
255-4266
1-888-625-8888
Re-Visioning New Mexico
New Mexico Progressive Alliance for Community Empowerment

Click to the continuation page for a copy of the bill:

SIXTEENTH COUNCIL

COUNCIL BILL NO.                                 ENACTMENT NO.   ________________________

SPONSORED BY:

MEMORIAL
URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO REJECT PLANS TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY BY CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY'S GUARANTEED BENEFITS AND DIVERTING MONEY OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY INTO PRIVATE INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS.

WHEREAS, Social Security's income protections-guaranteed lifelong benefits, cost-of-living adjustments to guard against inflation, increased benefits for families, greater income replacement for low-income workers, and disability and survivor benefits-are the backbone of retirement security and family protection in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Social Security provides crucial, often indispensable income protection for the 47 million individuals-one of every six Americans-receiving benefits; and

WHEREAS, approximately 87,000 Bernalillo County residents receive Social Security benefits that total in excess of $70 million monthly; and

WHEREAS, Social Security is the nation's most successful and most important family income protection program, but it has long-term funding needs we should address; and

WHEREAS, some policy makers propose to address these needs by cutting guaranteed benefits and privatizing Social Security, that is, diverting two-thirds or more of workers' payroll tax contributions out of the Social Security Trust Fund and into private investment accounts; and
    WHEREAS, privatization will worsen Social Security's funding by draining resources from the Trust Fund into private accounts, increasing the federal deficit by $4.9 trillion and putting us in deeper debt to foreign creditors; and

WHEREAS, some officials and members of Congress have suggested the federal government will not pay back the money it has borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund over the past 20 years, thereby denying working families the money they paid into Social Security and leading to further benefit cuts; and

WHEREAS, privatizing Social Security will cut guaranteed benefits by 46 percent for young workers, even for those who do not participate in private accounts, costing them $152,000 over their retirements, denying them benefits they have earned and imperiling their economic security; and

WHEREAS, cutting guaranteed benefits will hurt the elderly because Social Security provides at least half the income for nearly two-thirds of older Americans and lifts more than 11 million seniors out of poverty; and

WHEREAS, cutting guaranteed benefits will particularly hurt women and people of color, as they are especially likely to rely on Social Security for most of their retirement income and are less likely than average to receive job-based pensions in retirement; and

WHEREAS, diverting resources from Social security to fund private accounts will threaten guaranteed survivor and disability benefits, thus harming working families, particularly African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, as roughly one in five workers dies before retiring and nearly three in ten become too disabled to work before reaching retirement age; and

WHEREAS, Congress should not rush through drastic and damaging changes in Social Security that undermine its family income protections but instead should take the time necessary to develop careful and thoughtful reforms that address Social Security's funding needs without slashing benefits or exploding the deficit.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE that:

Section 1.  Congress should first commit to repaying all the money borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund, so that Americans can be paid the Social Security benefits they have paid for.

Section 2.  Congress should carefully consider prudent changes that will strengthen Social Security's finances, to ensure the program continues to meet its purpose of providing income protection and economic security for America's families; and

Section 3.  Any changes adopted by Congress must strengthen Social Security's family income protections without significantly reducing guaranteed benefits or increasing the budget deficit.

Section 4.  Congress should reject any proposal that diverts money out of Social Security to fund private accounts.

Vino and Valle Vidal

Drink Wine and Help Save the Valle Vidal

For the entire month of April 2005, Wild Oats Market in Santa Fe and Albuquerque (Carlisle location only), Napa Wine Company in California and The Coalition for the Valle Vidal in Taos are coming together to help prevent coal bed methane drilling in the Valle Vidal of the Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico.

In support of the Valle Vidal, the Napa Wine Company has introduced two new organic wines: Habitat Red and Habitat White.

When you shop at Wild Oats for Habitat Red and Habitat White during the month of April you will not only save $3.00 a bottle at the sale price of $7.99 but in addition $1.00 per bottle sold will be donated to The Coalition for the Valle Vidal to help preserve the 100,000 acre "Valley of Life" in the Carson National Forest.

Join us each Friday in April at Wild Oats in Santa Fe from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. and hear first hand about the proposed drilling in this pristine wilderness while you sample both organic Habitat wines from Napa Valley.

Time is running out to get your letters into the Forest Service. Please visit our GET INVOLVED page for more information.

For more information, please call:
Jim O'Donnell, Outreach Coordinator
Coalition for the Valle Vidal
505-758-3874 

NM Democratic Progressive Caucus Plans & More

From Charlotte Roybal:

Dear Fellow Dems:
By now members of the State Central Committee should have received a packet from DPNM about the April 23, 2004 meeting in Socorro. Many of you expressed an interest in a Progressive Caucus. We will have a break out session on the afternoon of April 23, 2005. This session is an opportunity to meet other progressives from around the state to discuss whether we want to become a Progressive Caucus and perhaps a structure for a Progressive Caucus. Hopefully we can identify some leadership and a steering committee to work on this. Nothing has been decided. All State Central Committee members are invited as well all Democrats who are interested across the state. We want to be as inclusive as possible.

Please, if you know of anyone  in your community who is interested in a progressive voice in the party ask them to come. If they cannot come please sign them up on our sign up sheet at the State Central Committee session on April 23, 2005.

This is a totally inclusive process for all. I do not have email addressees for everyone but included as many as I had. Feel free to pass on to anyone you think might be interested.

Thank you and any questions you may have please call me at 930-0563, Charlotte Roybal

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

These are some items taken from the party rules that will happen at the State Central Committee

District Vice-Chairs:
Two Vice-Chairs of opposite sex from each congressional district shall be elected by the respective members of the State Central Committee.  Each District Vice-Chair shall be elected separately by majority vote (state rule 5-1).  District Vice-Chairs serve on the Judicial Council.  The Judicial Council may be called upon to review challenges concerning the election of State Central Committee members or interpret state rules.

State Rules Committee:
Eleven members are appointed to the State Rules Committee by the State Chair.  These eleven members are announced at the first meeting after the election of state officers (state rule 15-2).

State Platform and Resolution Committee:
Seven members shall be elected by the State Central Committee after the election of officers (state rule 16-2.B).  Each Congressional District shall elect two members.  Equal division of man and women is not required (state rule 16.2).  Voting must follow appendix A of the state rules.  One additional at-large member shall be elected.  Seven additional members are appointed by the State Chair.

I do know that Steve Fettig who is County Chair in Los Alamos is running for a seat on Resolutions Committee.  He can be reached at osprey@cybermesa.com

I also know that in CD3 Conny Maki is running to retain her seat as District Vice Chair.  She will be having a Hospitality Room at the Holiday Inn Express in Socorro on Friday night at 9 PM if you are interested in meeting with her.

Jason Bousliman is running for District Vice Chair in CD 1 (Albuquerque).

Connie Salazar from Santa Fe County and Barbara Wold from Bernalillo County have been appointed to the State Resolutions Committee. I do not know at this time who is running for other positions. I encourage all of you to consider running or asking to be appointed to fill a seat.

Editor's Note: Also see information on the State Resolutions Committee meeting this Saturday, April 16, in an earlier post on the DFNM website.

If any of our Albuquerque DFNM members are interested in attending the State Central Committee meeting and/or the planning meeting for the progressive caucus in Socorro on April 23rd or in running for any of the elective offices noted above, please contact me at dfnm_albq@comcast.net. You do not need to be a ward or precinct chair or a member of the State Central Committee to run for these positions. Any Democrat can attend the State Central Committee meeting as a nonvoting participant or be a part of the progressive caucus meeting.

Amy Goodman AND Voting Reform in Taos

From VoterAction.org:
Amy Goodman will be speaking at 9:00 AM this Sunday, April 17 at the Convention Center, Bataan Hall, in Taos. Immediately afterwards we will be presenting a forum on the state of voting in New Mexico and Taos County and what we can do about it.

8:00 AM
Tickets go on sale for Amy Goodman for $5. Petition signing as people wait in line and after they enter:

1. Petition for Paper Ballots for Taos County…NOW!

2. Petition the Taos County Clerk to release the voting machine tapes from the 2004 Election to Voter Action! New Mexico … NOW!

3. Petition the Taos County Clerk for automatic election recounts when the margin of victory is less than _____ of the total vote.

4. To be announced.

5. "After Amy … Action!" cards on every chair

6. Announcement from the podium about "Take Back Democracy … NOW!"

9:00 AM
Action Coalition of Taos Presents: AMY GOODMAN's Un-Embed the Media! Tour

10:30 AM (Immediately After Amy)
Voter Action! New Mexico: https://www.voteraction.org & Democracy Network Taos Present:

Take Back Democracy … NOW! Join New Mexico Voting Reform Activists taking actions to Take Back Our Elections.

10:30 Start with Action: Pastries + Coffee & Tea

10:30 Speaker: Pat Leahan, Voter Action! New Mexico; Las Vegas, New Mexico

10:45 Action Break: Discuss and sign petitions about further voting reforms for Taos & New Mexico

10:50 Speaker: Joe Pezzillo, Citizens for Verifiable Voting; Boulder, Colorado

11:05 Action Tables

State Democratic Party Resolutions Committee Saturday Will Make Or Break Resolutions

From Meredith Dixon at the Democratic Party of NM:

The State Resolutions Committee meeting will be on Saturday April 16, 2005 at 8:30 AM at the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Hall (510 San Pedro SE). 

Please attend if you are interested in discussing/debating the resolutions that will be presented to the State Central Committee.

***This is the meeting for debating resolutions***

Editor's Note: Since time will be limited at the State Central Committee meeting on Saturday, April 23rd, THIS is the place where all county resolutions will be presented, discussed, debated and voted upon by Committee members regarding whether each resolution will go on to the State Central Committee for adoption or not.

If you are interested in promoting any particular resolutions, please attend this meeting and make your case. This will be the opportunity for anyone interested to be present and encourage or dissuade the committee on the resolutions.

Urgent: 24 Military Blackhawk Helicopters Coming To SF: Event Alert

From Mother Media:
Does the prospect of having 24 Blackhawk Helicopters, military transport jets, Marine Cobra helicopters running 22 "training" operations daily 365 days a year out of Santa Fe Airport make you a little nervous? Unfortunately, that's what's on the agenda for our "Progressive Community."

Citizens for Environmental Safeguards (CES) Director Elaine Cimino will be speaking  about her lawsuit opposing the helicopters and base expansion at the Veterans for Peace meeting in Santa Fe on Wednesday evening, April 13 at 7:30 PM at El Museo Cultural, on Paseo de Peralta near Guadalupe Stree in the Railyard. But don't miss "The Right To Know" regarding environmental toxins starting at 6:45 PM at the Downtown Public Library.  Mother Media will be at both events.

Five years ago, Santa Fe gave a lease to the National Guard to put in a new hangar, additional outbuildings and add five Blackhawks to their stable of four. Now they want to include some Blackhawks from Kirtland AFB, some from Nevada and buy some new ones. The JAG officer on the case has admitted 24 helicopters plus support aircraft are likely on the base.

Using the pretext that the military is exempt from Federal Environmental Laws, the National Guard claimed *it didn't even need to do an environmental assessment.* The nerve. Through the legal efforts of Elaine Cimino, the Guard was forced to prepare one. It is due out at the end of the month and we are getting ready to mobilize against the new base expansion. Here is Elaine's press release:

Citizens for Environmental Safeguards (CES) Director Elaine Cimino will be speaking  at the Veterans for Peace meeting on Wednesday evening,
April 13 at 7:15 pm at Museo Cultural, on Paseo Peralta (Guadalupe St and the Railyard).

The Final Environmental Assessment will be released this month in April on the Blackhawk facility in Santa Fe NM.Ms. Cimino will update the community  as to the future military base and operations in Santa Fe, NM. A five year battle in the the federal courts was dismissed pending an environmental review. It is now a whole new ball game.

According to the US Army National Guard General, JAG officers, and Environmental assessments the Santa Fe Military base is scheduled to include 24 blackhawk helicopters, 2-4  jets, C-12's and another personel and air-support equipment and carriers. Operations are designed for a training and support to the expanded training base in the US Forest Service area of the Caja del Rio, which is under a no-fly zone.

This operation is quite different from the first presentation made to the Santa Fe City Council  who approved a 50 year lease for $1 a year on a facility supporting only 9 helicopters. The final approval for the lease facility hung on one vote from City Council Patty Bushee who voted for the facility.  US Army and NM National Guard promised a $6M yearly boost to the local economy.  This area is also included in the Patriot Missile Defense System that is being implemented throughout NM.  Senator Bingaman has just announced this past week he would ask for another $130 M for this pork barrel project. This is a project was scheduled to cost $11M just 5 years ago. What is really going on?

To find out more about this issue please attend.

Elaine Cimino  Director  1-800 424-9100