New Weh Ad Assails Martinez on Spending (NM R-Gov primary)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | May 20, 2010 | Sean Olson

[CedarDave]

Allen Weh struck back Wednesday ... with a television ad accusing one of his competitors seeking the Republican nomination for governor, District Attorney Susana Martinez, of misspending taxpayer dollars.

Martinez, of the 3rd Judicial District in Las Cruces, aired an ad Monday criticizing Weh for his stance on immigration, turning what had been a calm race into a shouting match.

She said the attack was just Weh's campaign grasping at straws.

"I think its a desperate attempt to discredit the hard work of my prosecution of cases and those in my office and a way to ... avoid the real issues," Martinez said.

Weh's ad calls Martinez a "career politician" and makes allegations that include:

• • Failing to pay employment taxes on 24 temporary workers hired to scan old cases into a database and destroy paper copies.
• • Eating at a Hooters restaurant twice. "Career politician Susana Martinez: a false campaign, unpaid taxes, bad judgment," a narrator on the ad says.

A June 2008 report from the state Auditor's Office pointed out that the contractors working for Martinez to scan old case documents should have been hired by the office as employees and taxes should have been paid.

Martinez said it was the second year her office had used the employees, and the state auditor didn't point out the problem until the second year. She said her office corrected the mistake for future hiring.

Martinez said every expenditure cited by Weh was approved by the state Department of Finance and Administration.

~~snip~~

The Hooters bills were also for out-of-town meals during business trips for office members. One bill was for $40, but Martinez's office only paid for $17.86. The other bill was for $14.91.

[CedarDave]

Eating at a Hooters! Oh the horror!!

Martinez is a conservative Hispanic Republican who has won re-election as District Attorney several times in an overwhelming Democratic country. Weh is a businessman with no government experience and, IMO, tends to turn people off with his somewhat brusque manner. In this Blue state with Latinos and Native-Americans in the majority, Martinez has the best chance of defeating the Democrat candidate, also a woman.

[Army Air Corps]

Concise and clear analysis.

[CedarDave]

Sarah Palin was in ABQ last Sunday and gave her support to Susana. IMO Susana has the best chance to win the election in a state where Hispanics and Native Americans are a majority and Anglos a minority. Her positions are conservative and her candidacy is attractive to those who look beyond the primary where the winner will face Richardson’s Lt.Gov who is also a woman.

Susana Martinez On the Issues:

* Smaller government that is open and transparent
* Root out corruption in Santa Fe
* Securing the border a top priority
* Prosecute those who violate our laws (As DA, Prosecutes over 600 cases related to border security every year in her county)
* Repeal the law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
* Opposes providing illegal immigrants with free tuition
* Tougher laws to protect children, the disabled and seniors
* Strengthen DWI laws
* Reinstate the death penalty
* Opposes raising taxes
* Supports cutting spending
* Eliminate programs that don’t work
* Supports balanced budget
* Create new jobs in NM by lowering corporate taxes
* Cut red tape (excessive regulations)
* “A” rated by NRA
* Pro-Life - recommended by New Mexico Right to Life
* Big gov’t not the solution to health care problems
* Individuals need to take responsibility for their own health care.
* Will work to pass tort reform legislation
* Stop throwing money at broken school system – reform it
* Empower parents, raise academic standards, increase school choice and reward best teachers
* Ensure tax dollars go into the classroom, not to a massive education bureaucracy

http://susanamartinez2010.com/on-the-issues/

[CedarDave]

NM list PING!

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)

[ABQHispConservative]

Weh was also the GOP chairman. I am sick and tired of hearing his stupid ads.

[woofie]

One bill was for $40, but Martinez’s office only paid for $17.86. The other bill was for $14.91.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

sounds bad

[Jackson57]

The GOP is pretty much a nonentity in New Mexico ... so what does that say about Weh?

[SpaceBar]

Eating at a Hooters restaurant twice...

Crime of the century.

[elkfersupper]

Sorry, voting for Weh in the primary.

I like brusque and I don't like lawyers

[ABQHispConservative]

Exactly. He talks a big game, but he did nothing.

[CedarDave]

KOB-TV video: Martinez releases 10 years of tax returns

[unkus]

Thanks CedarDave. Is she a RINO or for real?

[CedarDave]

For us down in the oil patch its all about being able to drill and produce and Richardson's enviro-nazis have done their best to shut down the industry with unnecessary and unneeded regulations on drilling, production and waste disposal. We don't see much difference with Denish so its important we get the candidate best able to defeat her:

Readers vote Susana Martinez has best chance to take Denish down

(Can't post anything but the link -- USA Today newspaper, but she won with nearly 50% and Weh had 26 %)

[Falcon28]

Go aWeh!

Go Martinez!

[Tammy8]

I don’t know enough about either one of these candidates, if someone does- please enlighten me.

I do agree with others, I think Weh would be a hard sell in this state- no matter what. As it is for some reason his ads annoy me.

If Weh has thrown the worst he can find at Martinez there doesn’t seem to be much. I do think she is far more appealing to many New Mexico voters.

[CedarDave]

Thanks CedarDave. Is she a RINO or for real?

Reading her record seems real enough to me. And a Republican to replace corrupt Richardson is something to look forward to.

Some of my oil patch friends hosted a reception for her down here last week -- they know what another round of enviro regulations (Richardson pushing for caps on CO2 for example) will do to us. New Mexico will never get out of the jobs doldrums if we don't get someone who will see that more government is not the answer. But to get there, the Republicans have to win and her candidacy is the best chance that I see to make it happen

[CedarDave]

Unfortunately, in a five person race others who don’t like Weh can split the vote among the other four. She came out way ahead in the pre-primary convention of party regulars which says something about Weh since he was the party chairman. If he can’t get the wholehearted support of the establishment he controlled, their opinion says something about him or his record.

[OneWingedShark]

>Eating at a Hooters! Oh the horror!!

If that’s the worst ‘dirt’ he can come up with then she’s an EXCELLENT candidate... Especially since, in New Mexico, it’s EASY to find corruption among politicians.

[unkus]

Good analysis. Thanks.

When are these idiots going to get it about job creation?

[IYAS9YAS]

I like brusque and I don't like lawyers

So, is it true that Weh was running ads in support of amnesty like Martinez' campaign is claiming? All I can seem to find is propaganda.