Free Republic

New Mexicans should brace for tax increases in 2010, Gov. Bill Richardson warned Monday. "It's inevitable," Richardson told a news conference in the state Capitol. "It's very painful." Richardson ruled out tax hikes during a recent special legislative session called to deal with a projected $650 million state deficit for this year. His remarks Monday represented his strongest words to date on the likelihood of increasing taxes during the regular session that begins in January. Reaction to Richardson's remarks were mixed. Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, agreed with Richardson and said tax loopholes should be closely scrutinized. "We should remember that...

Today is Halloween, but Gov. Bill Richardson has been running around as Dr. Doom all week. Richardson is upset the Legislature approved a 7.6 percent cut in funding for most of his agencies as a means to help address a $650 million budget deficit. Day after day this week, in a well-orchestrated public-relations campaign, Richardson and other administration officials warned of dire consequences ... Senior citizens will go hungry, poor children will go without medical care, state parks will be shut, two prisons will be closed and hundreds of criminals will be set loose to prey on you, the administration...

SANTA FE, N.M. - Gov. Bill Richardson spent almost $139,000 for dinners and receptions at the governor's mansion last year, entertaining thousands of guests including movie stars George Clooney and Robert Duvall. A discretionary expense account covers the costs of the events. Spending from the fund was up 63 percent from 2007, when the governor campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination and traveled extensively outside of New Mexico. Expenditures totaled $138,925 in 2008, according to a report obtained by The Associated Press in response to a public records request. That is up from $85,197 in 2007 from $109,486 in 2006....

ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE, N.M. (KRQE) - One mariner knew a collision with his own boat could not be avoided as a large houseboat with Gov. Bill Richardson aboard and an aide at the helm tried to dock Saturday at an Elephant Butte Lake marina. No one was hurt in the 5:15 p.m. incident that damaged three boats and the marina. However Brian Condit, Richardson's chief of staff, was cited for negligent operation of the houseboat Bloody Mary. Richardson told KRQE News 13 Wednesday that he was napping at the time. "I think it's important that we get the facts out,"...

The wailing and gnashing of teeth on both sides of the political aisle over last week's nonindictment of Gov. Bill Richardson and two former aides is to be expected in a state lacking the rich tradition of political corruption prosecutions they have in places like Illinois or New Jersey. Here in the Land of Enchantment, we're not used to the sharp elbows and eye gouging that accompany such matters. From comments coming from both sides, we don't even know the rules of these contests. And trust me, there are rules. Republicans are complaining that the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.,...

(English-language translation) HAVANA (AP) — The United States should implement the announced permission for Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba, and the island should respond by eliminating exit restrictions on its citizens, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson recommended. This was one among a list of suggestions the American devised during his visit to the island, which ended on Friday. "There is a very good environment, the best I have seen in many years," Richardson stated in relation to a possible approach between the two countries. According to the governor, "humanitarian" steps should be taken to stimulate links between people [involved] in...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former high-ranking members of his administration won't be criminally charged in a yearlong federal investigation into pay-to-play allegations involving one of the Democratic governor's large political donors, someone familiar with the case said.

HAVANA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is trying to make positive changes in the United States, but is being fought at every turn by right-wingers who hate him because he is black, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday. In an unusually conciliatory column in the state-run media, Castro said Obama had inherited many problems from his predecessor, George W. Bush, and was trying to resolve them. But the "powerful extreme right won't be happy with anything that diminishes their prerogatives in the slightest way." Obama does not want to change the U.S. political and economic system, but "in...

While Gov. Bill Richardson's office said the possibility remains that there won't be a special session, key legislative leaders say it's hard to imagine balancing this year's budget without one. Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, said the state is likely to face a shortfall for the current fiscal year of between $300 million and $400 million. "Personal and corporate taxes are down," he said. "Gross receipts are tanking, and natural gas prices are still very anemic. At this stage, I don't think we can avoid it (a special session)." According to CNNMoney.com, a June study by the...

It might be the start of a New Mexico political campaign season dominated by talk of ethics. With a blast of the icy air from inside the state Supreme Court's front door, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish stepped out into the summer heat Thursday and made it clear that it would take a while to outline her lengthy proposal to revamp ethics laws. "You might want to get into the shade," she told reporters gathered on the front steps. And a while it took. Denish, a second-term lieutenant governor, will seek the state's top executive post in 2010, in the wake...

New Mexico, Colorado and Texas are applying for federal funds to study the viability of a high-speed rail system from El Paso through New Mexico to Denver. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Tom Udall, DN.M., said Thursday the three states will submit a joint pre-application Friday for up to $5 million to pay for the study. Congress has authorized up to 11 high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

The global-warming debate is shifting from science to economics. For years, the fight over the Earth's rising temperature has been mostly over what's causing it: fossil-fuel emissions or natural factors beyond man's control. Now, some of the country's biggest industrial companies are acknowledging that fossil fuels are a major culprit whose emissions should be cut significantly over time. A growing number of these companies are pushing for a mandatory emissions limit, or "cap." Some see a lucrative new market in clean-energy technologies. Many figure a regulation is politically inevitable and they want to be in the room when it's negotiated,...

A New Mexico whistleblower has filed a second pay-to-play lawsuit that makes a connection between the pay-to-play investigation in New York and the actions of firms working for New Mexico’s two largest pension funds. Frank Foy’s allegations are far-reaching, naming some two-dozen financial firms and claiming investments made by the new Mexico Educational Retirement Board and the State Investment Council (SIC) were meant to benefit New Mexico state governor Bill Richardson. Foy, the former CIO of the ERB, also made a connection between pay-to-play practices in his state and the high-profile investigation going on in New York.

The governor was trying to be nonchalant. He didn't quite pull it off. "This morning I was with the president of the United States," he told reporters at a Thursday news conference. "This afternoon I'm with Robert Redford." It was almost like the old Bill Richardson. Back in the early years of his administration, it seemed he was always appearing beside Washington bigwigs and hobnobbing with Hollywood celebrities. Had a few North Korean diplomats dropped by the Roundhouse on Thursday afternoon, the picture would have been complete. President Barrack Obama was in Rio Rancho to talk about credit card legislation...

t looks like Gov. Bill Richardson’s (D-N.M.) troubles might be getting a bit worse. Richardson is currently entangled in a federal pay-to-play investigation in his home state. Today, The New Mexico Independent’s Heath Haussamen reports that Steven Rattner, who is currently overseeing the Obama administration’s auto industry bailout program, has also been a major contributor to Richardson’s gubernatorial campaigns in recent years — donating a total of $20,000 over two elections. The problem? Richardson heads the State Investment Council (SIC), which manages the state’s investments. In October 2005, the SIC voted to invest $20 million with Quadrangle Group LLC, according...

The governor's popularity numbers continue their slide.. . 54 percent of New Mexicans don't like the job Gov. Bill Richardson is doing. In January, the governor's approval rating fell below the 50 percent mark and has been dropping ever since.

ABQ Journal video: Ride the Rail Runner with Dan Mayfield(Works only in my IE Browser, not Firefox version 2)

The House approved non-binding measures Thursday requesting the Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of extending commuter rail from Santa Fe to Taos and from Santa Fe to Las Vegas and Raton. Also endorsed was a non-binding measure for a feasibility study of establishing commuter rail service between El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, the second largest city in the state.

Governor Richardson is working hard behind the scenes, trying to convince state lawmakers to vote for one of his favorite pieces of legislation; the deeply controversial domestic partners bill. The governor is using his formidable persuasive powers to pull uncertain lawmakers his way, but there are powerful forces at work on the other side too, mainly religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church. The bill would give unmarried couples, gay and straight, the opportunity to have the same legal rights as married couples. The Senate is where the bill will sink or swim.

Over the span of just three months, Bill Richardson has gone from being on the shortlist for secretary of state to late-night punch line, a breathtaking descent that has tarnished his once-sparkling career. Since withdrawing as the nominee for secretary of commerce in early January amid questions surrounding a federal grand jury investigation, New Mexico’s Democratic governor has seen his political fortunes crater. — numbers that have dropped below 50 percent... “He’s had a pretty rough go of it since he withdrew,” said Timothy Jennings, a Democrat and New Mexico’s Senate president pro tempore. “His popularity has really declined in...

Federal investigators have been looking into the question for months: How did a Beverly Hills company that gave Gov. Bill Richardson's political committees more than $100,000 land a lucrative state financial adviser contract? Joe Gosline has the same question — and he was one of the state officials who judged the contract proposals. Gosline is a former controller and chief financial officer of the New Mexico Finance Authority, which awarded the contract to CDR Financial Products in 2004. -SNIP- He said six firms submitted proposals and recalled that CDR ranked middle to bottom. When he asked what had transpired, Gosline...

As political alliances go, the four-year marriage between Gov. Bill Richardson and the Democratic Governors Association was golden. Richardson got prestige, coast-to-coast travel and national exposure that would help fuel his presidential bid, while the DGA basked in his growing notoriety and fundraising prowess. "It's been very beneficial," Richardson acknowledged in late 2006, when his stint with the political group — as federal liaison, vice-chair and unprecedented two years as chairman — wrapped up a month before he launched his unsuccessful quest for the White House. Now, that political shine could be tarnishing. Recent news reports say authorities have asked...

When the new Obama administration said it would act with lightning speed in its first hundred days, no one knew they were talking speed with which they would up ethics violations. First, Illinois governor Rod Blogojevich was busted for attempting to sell Obama’s senate seat the highest bidder. Then, ... (read the caption under the photo - LOL)

No major New Mexico news organization has had a sustained effort to focus light on, and critique, Richardson’s pay-to-play, his profligate spending, or his ruthlessness.

Gov. Bill Richardson unveiled his slightly-more-than-5-o'clock shadow at a news conference in Santa Fe Monday, prompting reporters to ask if the beard was back.

Funny video clip about Richardson and why he REALLY decided to stay in New Mexico.

A Massachusetts-based company has sued to stop the state Department of Transportation and the Mid-Region Council of Governments from using the “Rail Runner” name, which it uses for the state-owned commuter train, and for damages related to "trademark infringement."

Gov. Bill Richardson's administration is facing another allegation of pay to play. A lawsuit unsealed in state District Court this morning alleges state taxpayers were defrauded of $90 million by a host of financial companies and two state officials. Among the defendants are State Investment Office and Educational Retirement Board officials, including Gary Bland, who was appointed by Richardson, and Bruce Malott, chairman of the ERB board. The lawsuit, filed by Frank Foy, the former chief investment officer at the ERB, alleges Bland and Malott were instructed by an unnamed "John Doe # 2" to invest in exchange for political...

Moving away from New Mexico in early 2007 was neither easy nor fun. The state calls itself “Land of Enchantment,” an apt description in many ways. The lovely city of Santa Fe had been my family’s home for about 130 years. I am among the third of four Dendahl generations born in Santa Fe and had spent most of my 68 years there. However, perhaps hearkening to the echo of Ayn Rand’s fictional hero John Galt in Atlas Shrugged, my wife and I decided to leave. New Mexico has long carried a rap for political malodor on account of corruption...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson did the right thing last week when he withdrew as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Commerce Secretary because of an ongoing federal investigation. Prominent members of the Democratic majority in Congress who operate under similar clouds should pay heed. Rep. Rangel is a perfect storm of embarrassment for his party. He has been charged with occupying several rent-controlled New York apartments when he was only entitled to one, taking tax breaks for residences in both Washington, D.C., and New York when he was only entitled to one, failing to report rental income from a vacation...

Governor Bill Richardson says it's all a matter of timing -- that if only the feds had wrapped up a corruption investigation into his New Mexico Administration by now, he'd be cleared and would be winging his way to Washington confident of Senate confirmation as the next Commerce Secretary. Instead, he withdrew his nomination earlier this week. And maybe he's right about timing. But we'd dial the clock back not to August, as the national media have in clucking that Barack Obama has a sloppy vetting process. Rather, go back to December 7, 2006. That's the day the Bush Justice...

One of Gov. Bill Richardson's longtime friends and political advisers worked as a consultant for the California firm at the center a federal pay-to-play investigation that derailed the Democratic governor's appointment as commerce secretary. Federal investigators are looking at whether political contributions influenced the selection of the firm, CDR Financial Products, for lucrative bond deals in New Mexico and whether Richardson's former chief of staff, David Contarino, played a role in CDR being hired. A Denver-based firm operated by Mike Stratton, Richardson's longtime friend, was a consultant for CDR, including in 2004 when the company worked on bond deals with...

Los Angeles financier David Rubin - the man who cost Bill Richardson a position in the Obama Cabinet - is apparently linked to Pennsylvania Governor “Fast Eddie” Rendell. Rubin is not exactly just “a guy from the neighborhood,” either. He gave lots of money to Rendell’s campaign, and was later appointed to the governor’s transition team. Isn’t that interesting? HARRISBURG, Pa. - January 6, 2009 — A campaign donor who is the target of an federal investigation that forced New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to withdraw from consideration for U.S. Commerce secretary also gave generously to Gov. Ed Rendell’s campaigns....

A businessman who is entangled in the grand jury inquiry into possible "pay-to-play" schemes in the New Mexico government has also contributed heavily to Democrats, including Barack Obama. Rubin and his company donated $100,000 in 2003-2004 to the political committees of Richardson. The contributions came both before and after Rubin's company won a state contract in New Mexico to help finance $1.4 billion for highway and transportation projects, a contract that brought $1.5 million in business for the company, CDR Financial Products.

Richardson on Sunday took his name out of consideration, saying an ongoing federal investigation could cause an "untenable delay in the confirmation process." A federal grand jury in Albuquerque reportedly is looking into a possible "pay-to-play" connection between a Beverly Hills financial company's large contributions to Richardson political action committees and nearly $1.5 million the company received for work on a state construction program... The governor at a news conference Monday explained his decision a little more, saying "the ongoing investigation would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process... ~~snip~~The governor denied any wrongdoing ..." "As you might...

May I posit that the withdrawal of Governor Bill Richardson’s name as the nominee to serve as commerce secretary in the incoming Obama administration qualifies as an “epic fail”? Anytime a presidential transition is disrupted by the need to withdraw the name of a nominee for a high-profiled cabinet post, the transition process suffers. Given the nature of the withdrawal and the reasons behind it, the Obama transition has suffered an especially tough blow. Of course, Richardson is not the only symbol of an epic fail around here; the bulk of Barack Obama’s economic program is swiftly moving into epic...

WASHINGTON - So, this is Change We Can Believe In? It's more like the same old change we've heard jingling in the pockets of politicians since the beginning of time. And it's the same dirty change that has landed the bums in jail since the beginning of democracy. Barack Obama hasn't even made history yet by getting into the White House, but he's already making history for the number of serious scandals between his election and his inauguration. First, it was Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Obama's old pal and political ally. Now New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson - Obama's pick...

It was a recipe for a typical New Mexico political stew: Start with two lucrative contracts worth $1.4 million, stir in at least $100,000 in political contributions, add a dash of questionable bid procedures and top it off with a heaping tablespoon of suspicious timing. This is the concoction that boiled over into the federal investigation that has derailed, at least for now, Gov. Bill Richardson's ambitions for a seat in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet. ~~snip~~The big picture is fairly simple. CDR Financial Products LLC of Beverly Hills was paid $1.4 million from work it did on behalf of the...

Another week, another record broken. The Rail Runner gave more than 12,000 people a lift Saturday, breaking the single day ridership records for the second time in two weeks, Mid-Region Council of Governments spokeswoman Augusta Meyers said Sunday. MRCOG operates the Rail Runner. But the record-setting days ought to be over by today, Rail Runner officials have said, now that trains won't offer any more free rides.

In its opening half-hour, Good Morning America told us--twice--that Pres.-elect Obama choked up with emotion as he was packing up his old house. But somehow ABC couldn't find time to mention that a possible pay-to-play scheme was behind Bill Richardson's bye-bye as Commerce Secretary nominee. After the show-opening roll in which the president elect was shown heading to DC, Robin Roberts literally bounced in her co-anchor's chair: "so excited, so excited, so excited . . . It's a new day, new year, new everything going on." Added Diane Sawyer helpfully: "And a president-elect." "Yes," concurred Robin, as if it wasn't...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state. "Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," he said Sunday in a report by NBC News. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President-elect Barack Obama, starting his new life in Washington, faced Sunday the first major embarrassment over his cabinet lineup as his choice for commerce secretary was forced to pull out. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he was withdrawing his name from contention for the economic job owing to an investigation into a financial company doing business with his state. Richardson's withdrawal came as Obama left Chicago to join his family in Washington and begin the final countdown before his inauguration as president on January 20. After winning plaudits for a smooth transition process thus far, Obama...

Just two weeks before he is set to take office, Barack Hussein Obama Jr., the president-elect, has suffered yet another embarrassing blow, as his nomineee for Commerce Secretary has “withdrawn” his name from consideration due to an ongoing federal grand jury probe of his alleged corruption. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, today withdrew as Commerce Secretary designate, according to the BBC.com. Richardson’s decision was linked to a pending investigation into a company which has done business with his state. In a joint statement, Obama said he had accepted Mr Richardson’s decision to withdraw “with deep regret”. Richardson denied...

Barack Obama on Sunday was dealt his first serious setback since the election when his choice for commerce secretary withdrew from nomination, as congressional leaders warned that an emergency $775bn fiscal stimulus package was unlikely to be passed before the presidential inauguration. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and the only new member of Mr Obama’s cabinet with previous cabinet experience, said he was stepping aside because of a pending investigation of a company that had done business with in New Mexico. “Let me say unequivocally that I and my administration have acted properly in all matters and that...

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract.

It looks as if Barack Obama and his transition team know how badly Bill Richardson’s resignation reflects on them. They have started leaking to the press that Richardson’s to blame for the embarrassing spectacle this afternoon of his withdrawal as a Cabinet nominee. Jake Tapper has the details: "Sources tell ABC News that officials on the Obama Transition Team feel that before he was formally offered the job of commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was not forthcoming with them about the federal investigation that is looking into whether the governor steered a state contract towards a major financial...

WASHINGTON (AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract. Richardson's withdrawal was the first disruption of Obama's Cabinet process and the second "pay-to-play" investigation that has touched Obama's transition to the presidency. The president-elect has remained above the fray in both the case of arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the New Mexico case. A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson's...

The folowing statements were provided by Gilbert Gallegos, Gov. Bill Richardson's deputy chief of staff. STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA It is with deep regret that I accept Governor Bill Richardson's decision to withdraw his name for nomination as the next Secretary of Commerce.Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office. It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in...

NBC News is reporting that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson - tapped by Barack Obama to be his Secretary of Commerce - is withdrawing his name for the post because of a pending investigation of a company that has been doing business with his state of New Mexico. Here is a video report on Richardson's withdrawal. . . . (see video)

Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary, FOX News confirmed Sunday. Richardson, who will remain governor of New Mexico, is facing a federal grand jury investigation into whether he exchanged government contracts for contributions to three Richardson political committees. Richardson denies any wrongdoing but the investigation won't be finished before he has to go to a Senate confirmation hearing. "Let me say unequivocally that I and my administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," Richardson said in a statement. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also...