You always know when a Mayor has taken a very serious public relations hit whenever they make a special trip to the Albuquerque Journal Center and subject themselves to a wide-ranging interview with the Journal Editors and its reporters on a single topic.

It is called “political damage control” usually taken in the wake of a self-inflicted controversy to make things right with the public and to salvage what is left of your image or repair a reputation.

This past week, Mayor Tim Keller did just that when he felt compelled to go and talk to the Journal editors and reporters about his backtracking from defending APD in the evidence gathering of a child abuse case where the blood-stained underwear of a seven-year-old child was collected by the child’s teacher.

The APD officer refused to take the child’s blood-stained garment and tag it into evidence.

Initially, both Mayor Keller and Interim Chief Geier insisted that no one with APD violated any policies or procedures, including when an APD officer tossed out the evidence.

Keller and Geier then doubled down when they said that officers and detectives did everything they could with the information they had at the time.

Only after a week of intense media coverage did Keller order APD to launched an Internal Affairs investigation to provide a more complete accounting of the department’s interactions related to the incident involving the parents and the child.

The events occurred last year, before they took office, was something they could not do anything about other than get to the truth about what actually happened to a 7-year-old child.

WHAT KELLER TOLD THE JOURNAL EDITORS

On June 2, 2018, the Albuquerque Journal published its front-page story on Keller’s interview entitled “Keller walks back defense of APD in child abuse case; Mayor: ‘Bunker mentality’ stalls reform in department”

The full story can be read here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1179756/keller-walks-back-defense-of-apd-in-abuse-case.html

Mayor Keller is quoted in the article as saying:

“It was premature to go out with those kinds of statements [that no one with APD violated any policies or procedures and that officers and detectives did everything they could with the information they had at the time] … We should have waited. … What we learned is that you can’t make a few phone calls and say you have the entire picture, and we’re not going to do it again. I think we learned a lot through this. … There are still lots and lots of issues at APD. The deep-seated bunker mentality culture goes right down to every unit and shows up in a different way. It’s just a realization that reforming APD in reality is going to be a unit-by-unit exercise and that is going to take years.”

COMMENTARY

Mayor Keller’s admissions are stunning both in scope and substance.

The admissions are a reflection of the true character of an elected official.

What is important is that it shows clearly the willingness of an elected official to admit they are wrong and not engage in denial spin tactics in an attempt to change the subject and avoid accountability.

This is what is called leadership.

Mayor Keller is commended for his leadership actions for finally doing the right thing to correct a broken system.

Maybe, just maybe Mayor Keller has learned not to presume and believe everything to be true he is told by law enforcement and the APD command staff.

This is a lesson many prosecutors and juries learn quickly only after all the evidence is gathered and presented to them in a trial and court of law.

Keller’s mistakes in this case can be understood given his “greeness to the job”, lack of understanding of law enforcement procedures and the fact he is not an attorney and is ignorant of the law of evidence.

However, Interim Chief Michael Geier should have known better given his 40+ years as a cop and his knowledge of the law.

Further, based on this experience, Mayor Keller should realize he needs to recruit and appoint a new permanent APD Chief and Deputy Chiefs with no prior servie with APD who will bring real reform to the department and who are fully committed to and trained in constitutional policing practices.

Only time will tell how much was actually learned from a public relations nightmare of Keller’s and his Interim Chief’s own creation.

With just four days left until New Mexico’s Democratic primary election, Michelle Lujan Grisham’s rivals for the nomination intensified their criticism of her accusing her of profiting from ties to a company that has a state contract to help run New Mexico’s high-risk insurance pool and exerting her political influence to keep the pool in operation.

They are going so far as to demand that she drop out of the race.

What is laughable about the criticism is that Lujan Grisham is no longer financially involved in the company that is the subject of the criticism.

You can read the entire article here.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1179188/rivals-pressure-lujan-grisham.html?fb_action_ids=1796587083808968&fb_action_types=og.likes

The Congresswoman defended her work with the company as a critical way to help New Mexicans who have been denied health care coverage.

Further, when she was first elected to congress, and before she divested her interest in the company, the U.S. House Ethics Committee reviewed her ownership interest and the panel found her to be in compliance with House ethics rules.

For many years and long before she ever went to congress, Congresswoman Lujan Grisham Lujan has been a strong advocate of health care coverage for the poor and repeatedly supported Obama Care.

HAIL MARY PASS

This is what you call a political Hail Mary pass made 30 seconds left in the game.

The problem is that the score is not even going to be close and it is more for show when a “blowout” is inevitable.

Just a few days ago the Albuquerque Journal released its one and only poll in the Democratic party primary race.

You can read the full Albuquerque Journal article on the poll here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1177219/journal-poll-big-lead-for-lujan-grisham-us-representative-has-almost-4to1-margin-over-closest-challenger.html

The results of the poll are as follows

Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Gisham: 57%
Las Cruces State Senator Joe Cervantes: 9%
Albuquerque Businessman Jeff Apodaca: 15%

UNDECIDED: 19%

COMMENTARY

Michelle Lujan Grisham Lujan began her quest very early, has done her homework and clearly the most qualified candidate for Governor.

Both Cervantes and Apodaca are basically attacking Lujan Grisham hoping to try get the lion’s share of the 19% undecided, but to win the nomination they need to cut into her commanding lead, which is not at all likely and not with these type of tactics which are so easily refuted.

Michelle Grisham Lujan is extremely well like not only in Bernalillo County but throughout the state.

The attacks come four days before the election where 25% of the vote has already been cast because of early voting.

Another problem is the hail mary pass is being made to the next team up for the championship.

Steave Pearce no doubt is enjoying every minute and taking notes.

Democrats are our own worst enemy when we spend money infighting such as this and can wind up benefiting the opposition in November.

I do not think the New Mexico Democratic Party is ever going to realize it could win every election if it would only start putting the greater need above personal agendas.

As the saying goes, Democrats elect Republicans when they do not vote.

I am beginning to hear that the Pearce strategy, in characteristic style, will now be to go “Trump” ala “Crooked Hillary” on the Congresswoman because Pearce cannot even come close to her credentials, talents and abilities.

What is very troubling is that Republican nominee Steve Pearce has a huge cash advantage that will be used to smear Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Pearce as lone GOP candidate running for governor has spent little for the primary as a result.

Pearce has more than $1.9 million in his campaign war chest and has received huge donations from oil industry executives, and you can expect that there will be more.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1179187/sole-gop-candidate-for-governor-has-big-cash-advantage-ex-rep-steve-pearce-who-has-received-large-donations-from-the-oil-industry-has-19m-in-account.html

Lujan Grisham has spent more than $3.2 million since entering the governor’s race in December 2016.

It is now being reported she has nearly $1.1 million in her campaign account, which is $800,000 short of what Steve Pearce has for the general election.

New Mexico voters will make another big mistake against their own best interests making Steve Pearce Governor and he will be even worse that Governor Susana Martinez.

Pearce will have his own problems with his defense and blind loyalty of President Donald Trump as I have outline in this blog article from earlier this year.

https://www.petedinelli.com/2018/01/13/congressman-steve-pearce-breaks-back-bending-over-to-defend-racist-trump/