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. Susana Martinez outlined some of her goals for the 2011 legislative session Tuesday in her first State of the State address at the state Legislature. Martinez also said that she would veto any tax increases that pass the legislature.
For the past year on the campaign trail Governor-elect Susana Martinez has hammered away at the corruption and serial scandals that have plagued New Mexico since 2005. Her response always to voters was that she’d treat corruption as what it was – a crime. And then she’d talk of creating a special State Police unit charged with investigating public corruption. Now, with two months before her first legislative session, Martinez must convince state lawmakers of the worthiness of her idea.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has asked Interior Department investigators to reopen their probe into former Farmington BLM area manager Steve Henke‘s acceptance of undeclared gifts from the oil and gas firms regulated by his…
Two former aides to Secretary of State Mary Herrera who were fired this week will sue their former boss for retaliation under the state’s whistleblower act, their attorney said Wednesday. Herrera’s deputy, Francisco Trujillo II, denied that the two were fired for going to the FBI with allegations of wrongdoing by Herrera, but also declined to give another reason for the terminations, saying only: “It’s a personnel matter and I won’t go into it.”
Under Martinez’s plan, public officials convicted of corruption would lose their pensions and a new State Police unit would crack down on crooked New Mexico politician. Martinez also said she’d push to ban for life state contractors and lobbyists convicted of violating the public trust, make it a crime for an elected official who knows of but does not report corruption and require the archiving of legislative meetings that are webcast.
Susana Martinez has made corruption a major theme of her campaign for governor, linking high-profile scandals to the “Richardson-Denish administration.” Is linking Denish to the scandals that have rocked New Mexico Democrats, and Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration, a fair reflection of the facts? Two political science professors say no. But planting seeds of doubt about an opponent is a longstanding tradition of political gamesmanship during elections, when campaigns fight over who controls the election-year narrative.
The state Senate, by a vote of 29-12, just passed a bill (pdf) that would give a court judge the discretion to impose a fine on a public official convicted of corruption.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Minority Whip…
Back in mid-December (which feels like an eternity ago), we blogged about a report showing that, according to local reporters, New Mexico was the third-most corrupt state in the nation.
The numbers were good when we looked at how…
Investigators want to know if Richardson administration doled out investment consulting fees (“play”) in return for political contributions (“pay”). What New Mexico taxpayers need to know is, did insiders game the process to benefit themselves with the public’s money?
Just in case you missed it, the New York Times reported last week on Gov. Bill Richardson’s potential problem getting confirmed as commerce secretary, given the federal investigation of CDR Financial Products Inc.’s ability to gain lucrative contracts…
The corruption merry-go-round just doesn’t seem to want to stop these days. In the last week alone, the governor of Illinois was arrested for not only trying to sell President-elect Obama’s Senate seat, but also for trying to get…
With his admission in federal court today, Manny Aragon cemented the transformation from a man once considered to be one of the most powerful politicians in New Mexico to being a felon.
