A review of the applications

Brian Schmidly was one of eight finalists out of 33 applicants for the UNM sustainability position, and his selection caused a stir given that his father is head honcho at the school. The Albuquerque Journal reviewed the 33 applications and found that Schmidly won the position over “…engineers, award-winning environmentalists and state and UNM employees who have been working in sustainability fields for years” while Schmidly’s own credentials related to sustainability were obtained the same month in which he applied for the position. Both Schmidlys as well as the person who made the decision, UNM physical plant director Mary Vosevich, said there was no nepotism or impropriety involved, but after the outcry he withdrew saying that “…my wife has convinced me that my integrity and reputation are too valuable to continue in an environment where they will be questioned indefinitely.”

Early voting starts

Early voting began at 15 sites around Bernalillo County on Saturday, and they were quite busy. County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver told the Albuquerque Journal that about 8,700 people voted, with the shortest wait being 20 minutes.

Candidate profiles

Profiles of New Mexico’s congressional candidates in district 1 and 3 were published over the weekend. The Santa Fe New Mexican had profiles of Carol Miller, Ben Ray Lujan and Dan East. The Albuquerque Journal had profiles of Martin Heinrich and Darren White. Down south, Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin spoke at a rally in Roswell, backed up by Hank Williams Jr. The rally was reported by Heath Haussamen, with great photos.