Roundhouse
New Mexico’s next governor: ‘I’m ready for this job’
It became official today: Diane Denish will be the first woman to be governor of New Mexico.
Bill Richardson to New Mexico: ‘I will never forget you’
This morning’s news conference formalized what has been known for weeks: Richardson is leaving his job as governor of New Mexico with two years left in his term, meaning Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will become governor. In a news release that followed the news conference, Richardson provided additional details on the transition to the Denish administration.
The guv ain’t leaving yet
OK, so now he’s officially President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for the post of U.S. commerce secretary.
But that doesn’t mean Gov. Bill Richardson’s outta here. At least for the time being.
Richardson is saying he won’t resign his post until the U.S. Senate confirms him, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The Obama administration [...]
New Mexico politicos to Obama: What took so long?
The nation heard President-elect Barack Obama nominate New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as U.S. Commerce Secretary this morning.
But it’ll come as no surprise for anyone paying attention in New Mexico, especially the political class.
Many elected officials will e-mail out congratulatory notes once the nomination is made public today — soon-to-be U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan [...]
Cities and counties rush to get state money with 600 invoices last month alone
New Mexico’s looming financial crisis has accomplished something that all manner of goading by state officials hasn’t over the years: A flood of invoices from cities and counties, some as old as two years, for brick-and-mortar projects in their communities.
The reason is simple. With New Mexico’s worsening financial situation –- some estimates predict a $500 [...]
New Mexico Food Gap Task Force invades the ‘food desert’
The New Mexico Food Gap Task Force is expected to submit its first report to Gov. Bill Richardson today. The panel’s members want the state to pay for fresh fruits and veggies in schools, and to help rural communities gain access to fresh foods. But with state revenues plummeting, will they be able to wrangle the cash?
N.M. puts federal road and bridge money on its holiday wish list
New Mexico transportation officials are quietly hoping Congress quickly passes a federal economic stimulus plan that includes billions for road and bridge construction.
If that happens, the state could see north of $100 million in much-needed funds for roads and bridges, depending on the size of the bill, state Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said Tuesday.
Tim Jennings says he’ll seek GOP support to keep Senate post
The Democrats scored an impressive victory in last month’s general election. They won all four congressional seats up for grabs and padded their majorities in both chambers of the State Legislature. So is it possible that the GOP could play the role of kingmaker in an ongoing state Senate leadership battle? Sen. President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, believes so.
N.M. Senate Dems want Carlos Cisneros (not Tim Jennings) to lead
“If they bust me up, so be it. I’ve been on the back row before,” state Sen. Tim Jennings told me last month.
State Senate Democrats made public their intention to do just that on Sunday by nominating Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, to replace Jennings as the Senate’s president pro tem in January.
Jennings, a Roswell Democrat, [...]
N.M.’s judge evaluation program leaves voters in the dark
New Mexico is one of a handful of states with a commission that evaluates judges’ performance and then recommends to voters on which to retain. But while other states provide pages of data on each judge, New Mexico voters get only a single paragraph, and sometimes “no opinion.”