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.
Despite Gov. Bill Richardson’s claims of vindication, over the weekend several state newspapers ran editorials about the two-term Democratic governor and the end of a federal probe into whether there was pay-to-play involved in deals at the New Mexico Finance Authority.
“No indictments, but heavy stench in state deals,” was the headline of an editorial written by Walt Rubel of the Las Cruces Sun-Times; It ran in several state papers. Meanwhile, the Albuquerque Journal took the opportunity to focus on the need for ethics reform at the state level.
The Journal had some specific suggestions for ethics reform:
There is no total vindication when the U.S. Attorney finds “pressure from the Governor’s Office resulted in corruption of the procurement process so that (a generous political contributor) would be awarded (financial investment) work…
The 2009 Legislature needs to demand and fund a functional electronic database for real-time campaign disclosures. To extend campaign disclosure laws to school board and municipal elections. To require lobbyists to disclose how much individual clients pay them to kill or support legislation. To eliminate the ability of special interest groups to hide behind the label of nonprofit while grooming political candidates, orchestrating negative campaigns and avoiding public disclosure and contribution limits. To strengthen the Inspection of Public Records Act. To adequately fund the offices of Attorney General and Auditor so officials can thoroughly and expeditiously investigate and prosecute public corruption. To revoke pensions for and levy fines on any public official convicted of public corruption.
Meanwhile, Rubel lamented how a mountain of evidence may still not be enough to prosecute — and convict — officials accused of corruption:
There are two standards at play — criminal and ethical. Federal prosecutors have determined that they do not have the evidence to proceed with a criminal prosecution, but that does not mean the governor has acted ethically… While the investigation against Richardson did not produce a criminal indictment, it did uncover a shadowy world where the governor’s political contributors reaped millions for acting as middlemen in state investments.
