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.
As NMI has reported, the state Republican Party funded a poll in December 2008 that included questions about the nonpartisan Albuquerque mayor’s race. Incumbent mayor Martin Chavez, a Democrat, also did his own poll, as we reported in July. But former State Senate President Pro Tem Richard Romero told NMI he had not done any polling prior to January. “That would be circumventing the intent of the public financing system,” Romero said.
Romero also said he had not seen the results from any polls done by others.
Chavez released some results from his poll in January to local blogger Joe Monahan, who wrote, “The camp of ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez is celebrating a year-end poll that they say puts the mayor in a commanding position to win his third term in a row and his fourth overall.”
Appearing on the public affairs television show New Mexico in Focus, Chavez said his poll covered a wide range of topics.
The questions about the mayor’s race were “only a small portion of the poll,” he said, “…[there were] many other questions, statewide in scope, issues statewide, local. So we covered everything.”
So, it sounds like it was similar to the Republican poll. Both polls included a wide range off issues-based questions plus a few about the mayor’s race.
It’s unclear to what degree candidates who elect to use the public financing system are allowed to raise and spend funds prior to January on preparing for the race.
City Clerk Randy Autio has explained that the law doesn’t address funds expended before January. On the other hand, it does say that publicly financed campaigns have to report donated goods or services from professional sources as in-kind donations.
