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.
The fall from grace of another Richardson insider hijacked center stage of the New Mexico governor’s race Thursday.
The campaigns of Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Republican Susana Martinez found themselves trading accusations over the abrupt resignation of Bruce Malott as chairman of the Educational Retirement Board (ERB). Malott admitted to borrowing $350,000 from the father of a man who had shared in $22 million in so-called third-party marketing fees, the Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday.
The fees are part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation and came from dozens of investment deals involving the State Investment Council and the ERB, which Malott helped to oversee as chairman.
“It is clear that the culture of corruption is deeply rooted in the Richardson/Denish Administration and we are finding more conflicts and wrongdoing every day,” Martinez’s campaign manager, Ryan Cangliosi, said.
Cangliosi went on to accuse Martinez’s Democratic opponent of standing by Gov. Bill Richardson and of having “strong ties with almost all the individuals making headlines for their crooked deals, which have held New Mexico back.”
A spokesman for Denish responded in kind, accusing Martinez of hypocrisy.
“Susana Martinez is the last person in New Mexico who should be giving lectures on ethical conduct in government,” Denish spokesman Chris Cervini said late Thursday. “In just the past few weeks, New Mexicans learned that Martinez spent their tax dollars on big Wall Street style bonuses for her employees and gave away a $60,000 no-bid deal to her friend.”
In addition to saying she was “angry and disappointed,” Denish’s campaign said she donated $4,100 in campaign contributions from Malott to Teach scholarships, which help early-childhood educators increase their skills and training.
Since June, Martinez has repeatedly attempted to link Denish to Richardson and his administration’s numerous scandals, from pay-to-play allegations, federal criminal inquiries and charges of cronyism.
The question is, with two months to go before the November election, does another headline-grabbing scandal strengthen the Martinez campaign’s strategy?
“All of these stories that we have been seeing related to investment and state’s management of investments, they have a cumulative affect over time, but no one story does the trick,” pollster Brian Sanderoff of Research and Polling Inc. told The Independent on Thursday. “There’s this guilt by association that can be effective if people buy its veracity.”
Creating such a connection is common practice in politics, Sanderoff added, particularly “if you have a governor with low approval ratings,” such as Richardson.
The cumulative effect of the scandals can harm the Democratic gubernatorial candidate if the Republicans are successful in making sure to exploit the situation, Sanderoff said.
The role of a lieutenant governor in state government
The efforts to link Denish to Richardson exposes a central question: how close are Denish and Richardson and did Denish know the inner workings of Richardson’s administration.
The answer is unclear. The two have feuded publicly on occasion, but more often than not have worked as allies through much of the last eight years.
But just because a person is lieutenant governor doesn’t mean they’re in the room when the important decisions are made, one former governor said.
“In terms of decision making, the day-to-day activities, I’m reminded of the old adage, that the main job of the vice president is to get up everyday to see if the president is still alive. And if he is, then go back to bed,” said former Gov. Toney Anaya, a Democrat and Richardson appointee.
The statement summarizes a lieutenant governor’s responsibilities, Anaya said.
“In my own experience, and from what I’ve seen of other governors, a lieutenant governor participates only in what activities they are invited to,” Anaya said. Anaya added that he thought laying the blame of a governor’s record on his lieutenant governor didn’t reflect the day-to-day reality of the officials’ relationship.
But former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson said Thursday that his lieutenant governor, Walter Bradley, “was intimately involved” in his administration.
Johnson said he relied on his lieutenant governor, adding “my door” was always open to Bradley.
“When you run for lieutenant governor I think your expectations are that you are involved in everything that is happening,” Johnson said. “From my standpoint I wanted to involve him in everything.”
It remains to be seen how effective Martinez’s strategy to tie Denish to the scandals will be in the weeks leading up to the November election. One thing is certain however: her campaign has much to work with.
