“I am not going to run,” Perez said in a brief interview. Asked to elaborate, he said he’s done “a lot of thinking, and just decided it’s not best for me.”

Perez, who said earlier in the month that he was considering running for PRC, wraps up his second term as assessor this year, so he’s term-limited from seeking re-election. He has not announced his future plans.

One Democrat has entered the PRC race — former Doña Ana County Commissioner and congressional candidate Bill McCamley. One other Democrat – former Doña Ana County Commissioner Gilbert Apodaca – has said he is considering running.

Two Republicans – Las Cruces native and businessman Jamie Estrada and former Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans – have declared their candidacies.

As I’ve disclosed in the past, I’m friends with McCamley. Click here to read more about that.

A news release from Estrada, a Republican, stated that the PRC “is in need of independent, qualified and strong leadership. Having successfully worked in both the private and government sectors, Jamie Estrada will bring strong administrative and industry expertise to the PRC.”

“The recent conduct by some PRC members has affected the commission’s productivity and has caused the public to lose confidence in the current administration,” the release states. “Estrada will work to restore the public trust and get the PRC back on track for the people of New Mexico.”

“In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to hearing from voters across central and southwestern New Mexico about their concerns and how the PRC can better protect consumers and make New Mexico more competitive,” Estrada said.

Estrada is a business and international trade policy consultant. From 2005 to 2009, he served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing. More recently, he served as the acting campaign manager for Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez’s run for governor.

Before joining the Bush Administration in 2005, Estrada worked for Intel in Rio Rancho and then in Washington, D.C.

Estrada was born and raised in Las Cruces. He has bachelor’s degrees in finance and economics from New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in business from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

While in college, he interned in the office for then-U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

At this point, one other Republican is running for the PRC seat – former Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans. One Democrat has entered the race — former Doña Ana County Commissioner and congressional candidate Bill McCamley. Two other Democrats, Doña Ana County Assessor Gary Perez and former Doña Ana County Commissioner Gilbert Apodaca, have said they are considering running.

As I’ve disclosed in the past, I’m friends with McCamley. Click here to read more about that.

“I am exploring the possibility at this time and I will make a decision soon,” he said. “… My decision will be this week.”

Perez, a Democrat, would join former Doña Ana County Commissioner and congressional candidate Bill McCamley in the primary race. Another former county commissioner who’s also a Democrat, Gilbert Apodaca, has said he’s “likely” to run.

On the Republican side, yet another former county commissioner, Kent Evans, has declared his candidacy for the PRC seat, which is being vacated by Democrat Sandy Jones.

As I’ve disclosed in the past, I’m friends with McCamley. Click here to read more about that.

The Hobbs oilman and Republican, who left office last month after opting against running for re-election to his House seat and losing the U.S. Senate race to Democrat Tom Udall, told the Las Cruces Sun-News for an article published Saturday that he’s been traveling the state and talking to county-level GOP officials about his political future. He’s keeping his former congressional office in Hobbs open for personal use and keeping his Washington, D.C. and Hobbs homes.

And he’s focusing on building a network and doing polling in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts with his eyes on the governor’s race. But that doesn’t mean it’s the seat he’s gunning for.

“We fully intend to run for something,” the newspaper quoted Pearce as saying. “To say I want one over the other — it’s still a bit early to lean one direction over the other.”

A run at his congressional seat would pit Pearce against Democratic Rep. Harry Teague, who like Pearce is a Hobbs oilman. If he gets into the gubernatorial race, Pearce could face former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson in the primary. He narrowly defeated Wilson last year in a divisive U.S. Senate primary.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is the only Democrat who has already entered the 2010 gubernatorial race, but actor Val Kilmer, who lives on a ranch outside Pecos, is among others who are seriously considering getting into the race.

The Sun-News checked in with a few others who left office at the end of 2008. According to the article, former state Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, refers to last year’s narrow defeat at the hands of Democrat Steve Fischmann as a chance for a “break” from politics.

“We expect to be active in the political affairs of our community, state and country, so we’re not out of the picture, if that’s what you’re asking,” the newspaper quoted Rawson as saying. “If you’re asking what that picture looks like, I’m going to hold on to that one.”

Meanwhile, former Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans told the Sun-News that he may run for office again. And former County Commissioner and congressional candidate Bill McCamley, when asked if he plans to run for office again, said, “Not at the moment. After running for Congress, it takes a little while to recharge your batteries.”

Doña Ana County Commissioners Kent Evans, right, and Bill McCamley, second from right, are shown here in April 2007 celebrating the passage of a tax increase to help fund Spaceport America with Gov. Bill Richardson, left, and others. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)

LAS CRUCES — Outgoing Doña Ana County Commissioners Kent Evans and Bill McCamley touted improvements in the government during their tenures during their last official meeting today.

Evans, a Republican, and McCarmley, a Democrat claimed they had transcended partisanship in dealing with corruption and winning approval of the Spaceport.

McCamley is leaving the commission on Dec. 31, after four years, because he chose to run for Congress instead of seeking re-election this year. He narrowly lost in the Democratic primary to Harry Teague, who went on to win the seat. Term limits prevented District 4’s Evans, who has served eight years, from running again, so the Republican ran against Democratic state Rep. Jeff Steinborn this year, but was unsuccessful.

A more ethical government

Evans recalled that when he took office, Doña Ana County was plagued by constant scandal and turmoil.

“In my first three years in office, the board went through four county managers, and the instability caused by the churn at the top effectively paralyzed the organization and fed the press with stories of ineptitude and cronyism,” Evans said. “Through it all, I worked hard to be a peacemaker and a deal broker who could stop the fighting and steer the ship toward effective local government. It was a long struggle, and I didn’t always win the battles, but I never gave up on the challenge.”

Eight years later, he and McCamley both said, county government is running more ethically and efficiently.

“I’m proud of the way this commission has evolved, and of the way that the partisanship has been cast aside in favor of actual progress on meaningful issues,” Evans said.

Among the accomplishments McCamley cited were the deal that resolved decades of legal battles with Sunland Park and cleared the way for development of the Santa Teresa area; a rewrite of the county ethics policy; dramatic improvements in the county’s health-care system and elections process; and the funding of Spaceport America.

Evans said he’s also proud of the county’s new government center, which resulted in a consolidation of all county offices into one building and a more efficient operation.

McCamley and Evans have both been champions of the spaceport project, and Gov. Bill Richardson recognized them for their work on behalf of it and a tax increase to help fund it. At the meeting, McCamley acknowledged that the project has been controversial, “but it looks like it’s actually going to work and bring a lot of jobs and educational opportunities to Doña Ana County.”

McCamley called for the commission to continue to focus on growth and the completion of the region’s Vision 2040 plan, economic development including the spaceport, fiscal responsibility and communication and cooperation with other governments.

And he had a message for all county residents:

“In a democracy, the policy, the conversation, shouldn’t be about (the elected officials). It should be about you, the people in this room today, or watching on TV, or reading about these meetings in a newspaper or on the Internet. You are the ones who decide what you like and what you don’t like about your community, and you are the ones with the power to change it. I ask you, if you are involved, stay that way. If you aren’t, get active, because that is the way a community stays alive,” he said. “… It’s all about taking responsibility for your city, your county, your state and your nation. We need everybody to make this country work.”

As I’ve disclosed in the past, I’m friends with McCamley. Click here to read more about that.

Much of the focus appears to be in Doña Ana County, where New Mexico Turn Around has contributed $16,000 to the county GOP on top of the $27,840 it has given directly to Kent Evans and the $13,200 it has given to Mike Tellez. Evans is challenging Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, while Tellez is challenging Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch.

Since the PAC gave the money to the county GOP on Aug. 5, the party has given another $7,500 to Tellez and $3,642.25 to Evans.

Almost all the PAC’s funding comes from companies tied to the Yates family of southeastern New Mexico, which is the largest holder of oil and gas leases on federal land in the nation.

The PAC has also given $27,840 to Paula Papponi, who is running against Democrat Jack Thomas for an open seat in the Rio Rancho area; $24,630 to Cathrynn Brown, who is running against John Heaton, D-Carlsbad; and $15,000 apiece to Tim Lardner and Matt Rush. Lardner is running against Andrew Barreras, D-Tome, and Rush is running against Jose Campos, D-Santa Rosa.

In addition, Brown received another $5,000 from Yates Petroleum and another $4,000 from John Yates, president of Yates Petroleum.

The PAC’s contributions represent a significant percentage of the total fund raising for each of the six GOP candidates. Evans had raised a total of $59,225.58 as of the campaign finance report submitted to the secretary of state’s office on Oct. 13. All numbers in this posting come from reports due on that day.

Tellez had raised $22,630. Papponi had raised $45,932.94. Brown had raised $49,577. Lardner had raised $34,315. Rush had raised $38,640.