The Citizen Media Group

Anti-Corruption Bill Drafted

Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, is drafting what he calls an anti-fraud, anti-corruption bill intended to give citizens not only protection, but incentive to blow the whistle on wrongdoing in state agencies.

Streetcar Plans Derailed by Taxpayer Revolt

The taxpayer revolt against Mayor Martin Chavez’s proposed streetcar project has forced both the mayor and city council to agree to put the project to a study and a public vote.

Not good enough, says opponent group SWAT.

Governor Follows Republican’s Lead

Gov. Bill Richardson’s recent announcement that he will introduce a bill to do away with the state’s Regional Housing Authorities came five months after Republican Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones began drafting legislation to do just that.

Minority Biz Groups Get National Recognition

WESST Corp., which focuses on business development programs for women and minorities, was awarded a two-year year $80,000 innovation grant from the Ms. Foundation For Women for optimizating of small business technology use in internet marketing.

Microlender ACCION New Mexico has been named the highest-rated community development nonprofit in the country this month by the nation’s largest independent charity evaluator.

State Investment Officer Says No One Tracks Film Loans

State Investment Officer Gary Bland, confronted at the Hotel Albuquerque on election night, acknowledged he doesn’t care what film companies do with the interest-free loans the state gives them.
“I really don’t give a s---,” he said.

“You mean you don’t care if the money is invested outside the state, used for other film projects, or put in a Swiss bank account?” we asked.

“No, I don’t give a s---,” he said. “The Legislature decided this was an appropriate economic program. My office is just the financial conduit for it.”

Streetcar Drives Protest Rally

Irate taxpayers are planning a protest rally against a proposed $270 million streetcar on Central Avenue. The rally is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at La Cueva High School, 7801 Wilshire NE.

The grassroots coalition opposing the streetcar project is calling itself SWAT, for “Stop Wasting Albuquerque Taxes.” The group is considering all of its options, including a legal challenge to the council’s vote, and may begin a petition drive to put the issue to a public vote.

Local Cubana Recognized in Barcelona

Cuban transplant Teresa Dovalpage, a doctoral student at the University of New Mexico, spent the first
29 years of her life on the communist island of Cuba dreaming of freedom. Now 40 and a naturalized U.S. citizen, she uses her freedom to write.

Dovalpage was just recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Spanish Herralde Award

Government Spending = Economic Slavery?

Like underground freedom fighters in a totalitarian country, small groups of New Mexicans met in homes
and restaurants last week to hear warnings of economic slavery in the face of increasing government spending.
Larry Reed, president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan-based free market think tank, presented strategies to combat encroaching government power.

Film Budgets Kept Secret

The State Investment Office is keeping key documents related to its interest-free film loans secret.

In three state loans inspected by The Citizen, budgets, portions of the loan agreements, collateral used in loans and even the definition of “net profits” the state is supposed to get as a return on the loans were redacted from the public record.

“There is nothing in state statute that should allow them to redact entire documents,” says Bob Johnson, executive director of the Foundation for Open Government. “There are statutes against tampering with public records.”

Republican Gets Richardson Support

Metro Court Judge Clyde DeMersseman, a Republican, got Gov. Bill Richardson’s endorsement, at an undisclosed price.
Richardson, who appointed the judge, voiced an endorsement message used in DeMersseman’s telephone outreach. The message was paid for by DeMersseman’s campaign, the judge acknowledged.