I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Gov. Bill Richardson was in fine form Wednesday at the first of his three public appearances — a groundbreaking in Rio Rancho for a new Hewlett Packard plant that will bring more than 1,300 jobs to New Mexico.
It was a friendly audience, one composed of state and local officials, with a few regular people mixed in, the kind of audience that Richardson clearly enjoys. And it showed. The governor cracked jokes, he told funny stories, he even ribbed Rio Rancho Mayor Thomas Swisstack about stealing away James Jimenez, a very smart, competent guy who was hired to be city manager after having replaced Dave Contarino as the governor’s chief of staff.
“You paid him better, I hear you treat him better and that’s unacceptable,” he said to Swisstack. The crowd, packed like sardines into a tent to guard against raging winds, laughed. But the governor wasn’t done. When everyone started looking around for Jimenez, Richardson cracked, “James is a little guy, so you can’t see him.” Another huge laugh.
But that line wasn’t the most popular with the crowd.
No, the line that killed was topical, timely, and made Richardson appear as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
It came as Richardson was touting the more than 1,300 jobs Hewlett Packard will bring to New Mexico. Which, of course, is good news for the state’s chief executive, who hasn’t had much to celebrate since Sunday, when he withdrew from President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet because of a federal investigation that now appears to include his ex-chief of staff, Contarino.
“And I am told, but I’m not going to say it here,” Richardson said, “that maybe if we behave, they’ll bring more jobs.”
People began to laugh.
“I guess they are kind of looking at me there,” Richardson quipped to an explosion of laughter. The governor tried to fight back a big smile and continued. “This is great news,” he said. Then almost as if an aside, he added, “It’s not so funny.”
