ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: BELTWAY TAKES NOTICE OF N.M. SCANDALS

A version of this appeared in The Santa Fe New Mexican
May 4, 2006

Attorney General Patricia Madrid’s political headaches stemming from the Robert Vigil trial and the Eric Serna scandal are getting attention from the inside-the-Beltway press.

Madrid is running for Congress against incumbent U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson in the First Congressional District.

Under the headline “Scandals May Cloud Madrid’s Bid Against Rep. Wilson,” Roll Call (“The Newspaper of Capitol Hill since 1955”) on Wednesday observed, “Two developing political scandals in New Mexico threaten to singe one of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s top recruits of the election cycle.

“The scandals — one unfolding in an Albuquerque courtroom, the other in the state bureaucracy in Santa Fe — involve current and former Democratic officeholders,” the story says. “Depending on how they’re resolved, they could diminish what had been expected to be a promising election year for Democrats in the Land of Enchantment.”

The article was written by Josh Kurtz, a former writer for The Santa Fe Reporter, now Roll Call’s political editor.

Kurtz’s story talks about the ongoing trial of former state Treasurer Vigil.

“When the Vigil scandal first broke last fall, Madrid and Gov. Bill Richardson (D) — who could also face some collateral damage — were criticized when they signed off on a deal that enabled Vigil to temporarily step down with full pay and benefits,” Kurtz writes.

He also mentions Taxation and Revenue Secretary Jan Goodwin’s testimony last week that as director of the Board of Finance in 2002 she’d written Madrid calling for an investigation of possible hanky-panky with treasurer’s investments. (Madrid’s office said it never received the letter.)

Richardson “could also face some collateral damage,” Kurtz writes.

The Roll Call story talks about Madrid’s ties with state Insurance Commissioner Serna, who currently is on paid leave while being investigated for his dealings with Century Bank, which received a state contract after contributions to Con Alma — a health-care nonprofit that Serna and Madrid co-founded. Serna stepped down as president of Con Alma after the story about Century Bank broke.

The story quotes “one plugged-in Democratic lobbyist in Santa Fe” saying that Serna and Madrid are “two peas in a pod ... They created Con Alma together.”

It’s clear, Kurtz writes, “that the political implications for Madrid’s high-stakes battle with Wilson — a perennial target in an Albuquerque-based district that leans modestly Democratic — are staggering.”

That chicken won’t fight: Also getting national attention is Richardson’s bold and innovative refusal to take a stand on the perennial issue of cockfighting.

The question was brought up this week at a White House press briefing. But as you can see in this transcript from the White House Web site, outgoing spokesman Scott McClellan, in answering questions from an unnamed reporter, is just as slippery as our governor on this issue.

Question: The AP reports from Blackfoot, Idaho, the arrest of 17 people from Idaho, Utah and Nevada for being involved in a cockfight. But in New Mexico, which, with Louisiana, is one of only two states where cockfighting is legal, for any old presidential contender, a Democrat, Gov. Bill Richardson, said of this brutal and deadly, activity, “I have not made my mind up on that,” reported the Las Cruces Sun News. And my question: Does the President have any such indecision on this brutality, as Gov. Richardson does?

McClellan: Well, we really haven’t (had) a conversation about cockfighting lately. (Laughter.) But there are —

Question: The AP reported this, and it’s going on —

McClellan: I hate to inform Terry Hunt that I don’t read every AP article that is out there, but there are laws on the books, and the laws are there for a reason. And I think the President believes that laws —

Question: What does he think of Gov. Richardson —

McClellan: I think the President believes laws ought to be enforced.

Question: What does he think of Gov. Richardson —

McClellan: Well, he knows Gov. Richardson, and I think that they’ve had a fairly good relationship. They certainly have disagreement(s) on a number of issues. But I think they’ve had —

Question: They disagree on this then?

From there, McClellan went on to an easier question.

One about the situation in Darfur.

Sometimes you can get straighter talk from comics than politicians.

Jay Leno recently brought up the issue in his Tonight Show monologue: “In New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson — this is unbelievable — Gov. Bill Richardson said he is still undecided about cockfighting, which is not banned in New Mexico. It’s still legal. This is what he said, he said there are arguments on both sides.

Really? What is the good argument for cockfighting? Does this keep the roosters off the street?”

Support Guy’s Kids: Democratic attorney-general candidate Gary King is the latest recipient of investor Guy Riordan campaign contributions to donate Riordan money to charity.

King, who ran for Congress in 2004, received $500 from Riordan. King said Tuesday he’s giving that to the New Mexico Children’s Foundation.

Riordan started a charity stampede a couple of weeks ago after former State Treasurer Michael Montoya testified at the Vigil trial that Riordan had given him kickbacks, sometimes in restroom stalls.

“My guess is that time will tell whether what Michael Montoya said about Guy Riordan is true,” King said.

King said he hadn’t returned my phone calls last week because he’d been in Switzerland speaking at a conference on aviation and the environment.

LIVING WITH WAR

In case you haven't found this already, you can listen to Neil Young's Living With War HERE

THE COYOTE HOWLS

Thanks to Mario and his well-honed blog radar for pointing out a new Enchanted Land political blog "New Mexico Politics and Politicos."

It's published by a Santa Fe guy who calls himself "Coyote." All we know about him is that he also publishes a real-estate blog.

So far the blog seems to be concentrating, naturally enough, on the Robert Vigil trial. "This site is neither for Democrat or Republican. As long as there is corruption in New Mexico I plan on treating all politicians the same," the blog's masthead says.

He also compares Gov. Bill Richardson and Attorney General Patricia Madrid to well-known sitcom characters.

Welcome to Blogville, Coyote.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, April 30, 2006
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Where's Your Boyfriend At by The Yayhoos
Pimps of Polka by The Polkaholics
Nobody Cares by The 88
Centre for Holy Wars by New Pornographers
My Pretty Quadroon by Jerry Lee Lewis
Go to Hell on Judgment Day by The Immortal Lee County Killers
Bob's Party Time Lounge by Primus
Mimi by Maurice Chevalier

Let Freedom Ring by Terry Allen with Surachai Jantimatorn & Caravan
Gauntanamera by Los Lobos
An American is a Very Lucky Man by Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians
Pissed Off by The Rodeo Carburettor
Praise God by Johnny Dowd
Bow Wow by The Fiery Furnaces
Plastic Fantastic Lover by Jefferson Airplane
The Farm by Howe Gelb

Roll With Me Henry by Etta James
Chained and Bound by Otis Redding
United States Got Us in Bad Shape by Big Jack Johnson
Will it Go Round in Circles by Billy Preston
Mean Old World by Sam Cooke
Two Little Fishes, Five Loaves of Bread by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Night Train by King Curtis

Clouds Through Flame by Mbconn
Three Stars by KULT
Strange Uncles From Abroad by Gogol Bordello
The Sound of Failure by The Flaming Lips
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

JOSE, CAN YOU SEE?

Looks like the President of the United States, exercising his role as music-critic-in-chief, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding "Nuestro Himno," the new Spanish-language version of the national anthem.

But here's the question nobody is asking:

When Jimi Hendrix wrote the dang song, did he mean for it to be sung in Spanish?

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, April 28, 2006
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Back from the Shadows Again by The Firesign Theatre
America First by Merle Haggard
Keep on Truckin' by Hot Tuna
The Song is Still Slipping Away by Shooter Jennings
Rolling Stone From Texas by Old 97s
Harder Than Your Husband by Frank Zappa with Jimmy Carl Black
Red Staggerwing by Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
The Ballad of Jessie Jane by Alice Cooper
Trailer Park Liberal by Joe West

Tesla's Hotel Room by The Handsome Family
Looking For Love by Alejandro Escovedo
Old Dan Tucker by Bruce Springsteen
Rider in The Rain by Reckless Kelly & Joe Ely
Green and Cold by Raising Cane
Unoriginal by Hundred Year Flood
(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle Blow by Townes Van Zandt

A Man of God by Trilobite
Run by Eric Hisaw
Baby Do Right By Me by Danny Santos
(I Am Your) Destroyer by Gary Heffern
You Only Kiss Me When We Say Goodbye by Cornell Hurd
It's No Secret by Mose McCormack
Cold Dark Taverns by Jim Terr
Prayin' Hands by Elliott Rogers
Maryanne, Good Time Gal by Kell Robertson

Standin' in the Need of Prayer by Bethleham & Eggs
Maybe You Heard by Todd Snider
Power, Lust and Money by Bob Neuwirth
That Old Time Feeling by Guy Clark
Amsterdam by Jon Dee Graham
Space City by Drive-By Truckers
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

HOW "ONE-DAY" STORIES LIVE ON

I wrote a sidebar for Andy Lenderman's story in today's New Mexican concerning Jan Goodwin's testimony at the Robert Vigil trial Thursday. My piece deals with the likely political fallout of that testimony.


A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
April 28, 2006

Testimony in former state Treasurer Robert Vigil’s corruption trial Thursday that state finance officials wrote a letter four years ago asking Attorney General Patricia Madrid to investigate possible wrongdoing in Vigil’s office is a “one-day story for the average reader,” a prominent New Mexico pollster says.


But such a story is likely to enjoy a longer second life in the form of unceasing campaign ads directed against Democrat Madrid’s bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, pollster Brian Sanderoff added in an interview Thursday.


“We know it’s going to be a negative, nasty campaign on the part of both sides, given the history of recent elections in the First Congressional District,” Sanderoff said. “Political opponents normally try to capitalize on the perceived weaknesses of their opponents.”

Jan Goodwin, who was director of the Board of Finance in 2002, testified Thursday that she wrote a letter to Madrid on behalf of the board, calling for an investigation of an apparent violation of the state’s procurement code.

The alleged violation was related to the hiring of California investment adviser Kent Nelson — a key figure in the alleged kickback scheme that ultimately resulted in 28 federal charges against Vigil and the guilty plea of a previous former treasurer, Michael Montoya.

“A letter makes a great graphic in a negative TV ad,” Sanderoff said.

However, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said Madrid never received the letter and called the document Goodwin testified about a “draft.”

But well before Goodwin’s testimony, state Republicans persistently have been accusing Madrid of turning a blind eye to corruption in state government for years.

On Sept. 22 — less than a week after Vigil and Montoya were charged — the state GOP issued a news release criticizing Madrid for not investigating the Treasurer’s Office. That basic statement has been repeated by the GOP ever since.

Marta Kramer, executive director of the state GOP, said Thursday that Madrid’s failure to investigate the Treasurer’s Office will certainly be the thrust of campaign ads this season.


“The Republicans will continue to expose the conflicts of interest and the record of Patsy Madrid,” Kramer said. “It’s our job to point out her record. She didn’t have the will to investigate her friends and colleagues.”

Publicly, the Madrid campaign claims such allegations will have no affect on the campaign. “The attorney general has worked with the federal prosecutors,” campaign spokeswoman Heather Brewer said. “She indicted one of the key people in the scandal, Angelo Garcia.”

Shortly before Vigil and Montoya were charged, Garcia was indicted in state court in a fraud case alleging he and two partners cheated elderly people out of more than $900,000 in an alleged real-estate scam. Garcia, who has admitted to being a middleman in the alleged Montoya/Vigil kickback scheme, has pleaded guilty to federal charges and agreed to testify against Vigil.

The Madrid campaign has steadfastly blasted Wilson for taking campaign contributions from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who stepped down after being indicted in Texas on charges of conspiracy to violate election laws.

Since her first election in 1998, Wilson received nearly $47,000 from DeLay’s political-action committee. Last year, she returned the $10,000 she’d collected from DeLay’s political-action committee in June — but not the $36,959 she received from the PAC between 1998 and 2003. Wilson campaign officials have said she won’t return that money.