On Tuesday, June 16, Mayor Tim Keller held a press conference to discuss “holistic” traffic safety and to announce his intent to renew the use of automated traffic camera’s and “speed vans” to issue speeding citations. During the June 16 press conference, Mayor Tim Keller announced he wants to resurrect the use of “speeding vans” to issue speeding citations to free up APD officers and set up them up in targeted areas of the city plagued by speeders.

Keller had this to say:

“[Speeding] is such a big problem. You cannot solve it by just deploying officers in a couple of weeks in different areas. We don’t have the officers to do that. The goal is to get people to stop speeding. So, if you just do that because there is a sign out, that’s fine. … I believe we don’t have a lot of choices left, in terms of tactical operations. … Having APD stand out here with speed guns for a week is not going to make a difference. … We are thinking about phasing [camera speeding citations] in so people know about them. You might get a warning first. “

Joseph Viers, the Albuquerque police commander for traffic and motor units, had this to say:

“One-third of all fatal crashes in Albuquerque involve excessive speed. … Automated [camera] enforcement can work to cut down on dangerous speeding, and officers do not have to be involved in that process directly. … In 2019, there were 97 fatalities, and that’s the highest it’s been over the past decade. … Pedestrian deaths have increased four times since 2010. … [Traffic stops] have the highest incidence for sometimes tragic confrontations between offices and civilians.”

According to Commander Viers, automated camera citation will free up police and allow APD to focus on other police work, particularly violent crime.

Jazmin Irazoqui-Ruiz, managing city attorney for policy, said it is important the city is “making sure that we aren’t criminalizing our community, making sure that this is solely a civil citation process … and offering alternative ways of paying for these citations so that it doesn’t result in a bench warrant.”

Under the proposed program, citations would be reviewed before being mailed, and motorists who receive citations would have access to an appeal process. People who cannot afford fines would be offered alternatives, such as community service. In the previous system, tickets went to the registered vehicle owner who may not have been the driver of the vehicle.

Unlike the widely disliked red light camera program abolished in 2012, Keller’s proposed new system would be mobile and target only speeding vehicles, although not low-level speeders going a few miles over the limit. Violators would receive citations that are civil, rather than criminal, and they would be handled administratively, “basically like parking tickets” Keller said.

The last time the city used speeding vans was in 2006 where vans were used in school zones and the use grew to interstates and neighborhoods. Soon the speeding van program evolved into the “red light” camera program where red-light cameras were erected at the most heavily traffic intersections in the city.

In 2010, the New Mexico state legislature banned the use of speed vans on state and federal roadways. The “red light camera” program became so controversial that it was forced on the city ballot. In October, 2012, 53% of voters voted to end the program, which included red light cameras and speed vans. The Albuquerque City Council repealed the red light camera ordinance. In 2011, Albuquerque discontinued its association with Redflex and its camera system.

https://www.koat.com/article/speed-enforcement-vans-could-return-to-abq/36732337

Mayor Keller said during the press conference the automated camera program will occur only if the Albuquerque City Council adopts an ordinance to create the system and provide for traffic penalties under the city’s civil code.

THE PROBLEM IS NOT JUST SPEEDING

It’s common driving the streets of Albuquerque to see others speeding, be cut off by another driver, see someone run a red light, watch drivers barrel through school zones, use corner businesses to drive into and out as a shortcut to avoid a red light, vehicles with cracked windshields or broken taillights, people using their cell phones while driving ignoring traffic in front or on the side of them. You can often see people driving without their seat belts on, drivers swerving in and out of lanes at high speeds and engaging in careless driving, driver’s looking in their rearview mirror checking out their teeth, hair or makeup.

Then there are drivers yelling at each other in road rage or drivers being totally oblivious to pedestrians and people on bikes or motorcycles, drivers that are obviously in a haze or driving under the influence based on their weaving in and out of traffic. You can also see drivers that have been in a car accident patiently waiting lengthy periods of time for a police officer to show up to take an accident report.

What you do NOT see are Albuquerque Police Officers (APD) making traffic stops, issuing traffic citations or warnings. It’s the sure presence of police on the road that changes people’s driving habits. The only time you hear or see an APD mark unit on the streets of Albuquerque is when they are traveling far in excess of the speed limit with their red lights on and sirens blazing no doubt to get to the next homicide or violent crime scene.

The Governors Highway Safety Association report has ranked New Mexico as having the highest pedestrian fatalities per capita for five years in a row.

METRO TRAFFIC COURT ARRAIGNMENT PROGRAM

Traffic citations are criminal misdemeanor citations and can only be given when a police officers actually witnesses the offense, such as speeding or running a red light. Traffic cases are “officer prosecuted”, meaning sworn police officers on their own have to present the case to the court.

In 2006, the Metropolitan Traffic Court Arraignment Program was created by an agreement between the City Attorney, the Bernalillo County District Attorney and the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. Despite the historical and designated role of the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s office as the chief law enforcement office for the prosecution of criminal cases, misdemeanor or felony cases, the City Attorney’s office was tasked with the program. Then Deputy City Attorney Pete Dinelli was given the assignment to create the program with the hiring of Assistant City Attorneys and paralegals and to manage and oversee the attorneys and para legals.

Two Assistant City attorneys and 4 paralegals were hired because of the volume of traffic cases. Assistant City Attorneys are cross deputized or appointed “special prosecutors” by the Bernalillo County District Attorney with the sole authority to negotiate plea agreements in traffic cases at the time of arraignments, thereby negating the need for sworn APD personnel to appear at arraignments.

The rationale for the city attorney’s office to be involved with traffic arraignments is twofold:

1. To provide a major accommodation to the Metropolitan Court
2. To eliminate the need of sworn APD officers to go to court for arraignments on traffic offenses.

The traffic court arraignment program reduces police overtime where APD sworn personnel are entitled to a minimum of 2 hours of overtime charged at time and a half under the union contract.

HOW IT WORKS

When a person is stopped and issued traffic citation, the citing sworn officer determines if the driver will contest the citations. If the driver wants to contest the citations issued, an arraignment date and time is immediately scheduled by the citing officer. The Metropolitan Traffic arraignment program streamlines the process, saves time and money and negates the appearance of police officers at arraignments.

There are upwards of 170 different traffic violation citations that can be issued by sworn law enforcement. The most common traffic citations include speeding, reckless driving, careless driving, failing to stop, improper lane change, no registration, no insurance, suspended driver’s license, failing to yield, and open container. On any given day, between 250 and as many as 500 cases can be negotiated, resolved and approved by the Metro Court. The average Metropolitan Traffic Court arraignment case results in court fees and fines anywhere from $65 to upwards of $250.

APD BUDGET INCREASE

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) budget is the largest budget department in the city with the city council approving a $212 million budget commencing July 1. The approved budget is an increase of 3% from last budget year with nearly $32 million coming from the city’s federal coronavirus relief money.

The approved APD budget funds 1,706 full time positions that includes civilian staff and funding for 1,100 sworn police. Currently, APD has 980 sworn police.

The APD approved budget includes:

$2.5 million to support the hiring of 100 new officers, which factors in existing vacancies and savings from retirements and other separations.
$627,000 to acquire electronic control weapons that have an audit trail to monitor usage and compliance with use of force policies.
$594,000 to purchase on-body cameras.

APD’s approved 2022 fiscal year budget that begins on July 1 can be found at page 147 of the City’s Budget with the link here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-22-proposed-budget.pdf

KELLER’S APD STATISTCLY UNERPEFORMS IN TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT BY THE THOUSANDS

Review of the hard numbers in Keller’s budget reveal that APD during the last 4 years reflects that enforcing traffic laws has never been a major priority for APD under Keller’s appointed APD Chief’s Michael Geier and now Chief Harold Medina.

APD’S DRAMTIC DECLINE ISSUING TRAFFIC CITATIONS UNDER MAYOR KELLER

Review of the hard numbers in Keller’s budgets while he has been Mayor reveals just how bad things have deteriorated with APD performing a basic law enforcement function of patrolling the streets and issuing traffic citations.

In 2009, there were 86,175 traffic arraignment cases in Metro Court. In 2015 traffic cases dropped to 31,163, or over 55,000 fewer traffic citations. Between 90% and 95% of the traffic cases are APD cases with the remainder being BCSO and State Police cases, which is one reason city personnel were used.

https://www.petedinelli.com/2016/12/26/dwi-and-traffic-enforcement-dangerously-down/

In 2009 the City Attorney’s traffic court arraignment program consisted 2 full time Assistant City Attorneys and 4 full time para legals. As of June 18, 2021, the City Attorney’s traffic court arraignment program consists of just 1 Assistant City Attorney, 1 full time paralegal and 2 half time paralegals. The dramatic decline in city attorney personnel is directly attributed to the decline by the thousands of traffic citations.

The real problem is that APD sworn police are seriously underperforming by choice and traffic enforcement is not a priority for APD. City Attorney statistics reveal a dramatic decrease by the thousand in the number traffic citations being issued by APD. When you review the City’s budget for each of the past 8 years, the statics reveal that thousand more traffic citations were issued with a smaller number of APD sworn police on the force during Mayor Berry’s second term compared to Mayor Keller’s years in office. A dramatic drop in the thousands of traffic citation began to occur in Keller’s first year in office, even when there were more sworn APD officers in field services patrolling the streets.

Following are the statistics for APD total sworn police officers with the number cases disposed of through the city’s traffic arraignment program:

MAYOR RICHARD BERRY YEARS

2014 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2014- June 30, 2015 )

Actual # officers participating in annual bid: 429 (Total staffing with civilians and sworn 1,525) (APD Budget, pages 211 and 215)
Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 39,169 (Legal Budget, p 185)
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by pleas: 92% (Legal Budget, p 185)

The link to the 2014 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-14-approved-budget.pdf

2015 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2014- June 30, 2015 )

Actual # officers participating in annual bid: 411 (Total staffing with civilian and Sworn: 1,455 (APD Budget, pages 211 and 213)
Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 49,200
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by pleas: 70%

The link to the 2015 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-15-approved-budget.pdf

2016 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2015- June 30, 2016 )

Actual # Sworn Police for the year: 879 (Patrol Field Services, 420) page 183
Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 39,541 (Legal budget )page 181
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by pleas: 87%

The link to the 2016 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-16-approved-budget.pdf

2017 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2016- June 30, 2017 )

Actual # Sworn Police for the year: 833 (APD budget, Page 207 )
Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 34,077 (Legal Department Budget, page 183 )
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by pleas: 59% (Legal Department Budget, page 183)

The link to the 2017 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-17-approved-budget.pdf

2018 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1,2017 – June 30, 2018)

Actual # of sworn officers for the year: 861 (APD budget, Page 204, )
Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 36,161 (Legal Department Budget, Page 178,)
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by pleas: 64% (Legal Department Budget, Page 178,)

The link to the 2018 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-18-approved-budget.pdf

MAYOR TIM KELLER YEARS

2019 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019)

Actual # of sworn officers for the year: 867 (APD budget, Page 211)
Actual # of traffic cases going to Arraignment: 26,106 (Legal Department Budget, Page 187)
Actual % of cases resolved by plea: 75% (Legal Department Budget, Page 187)

The link to the 2019 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-19-approved-budget.pdf

2020 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020)
Actual # of sworn officers: 964 (APD budget, Page 213)

August 1, 2019 APD “Staffing Snapshot”: 972 sworn officers with 600 officers in the field patrolling 6 area commands

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/apd-staffing-numbers-how-many-officers-are-in-your-neighborhood-/5449523/?cat=500

Actual # of Traffic Cases going to Arraignment: 26,544 (Legal Department Budget, Page 186)
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by plea: 70% (Legal Department Budget, Page 186)

The link to the 2020 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-20-approved-budget.pdf

2021 APPROVED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET ( July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021)

Actual # of sworn officers reported for full year: 924 ( APD budget page 226)

During the February 8, 2021, City Council Public Safety Committee, then Interim Chief Harold Medina reported that APD has 957 sworn police and 371 sworn police were in Field Services responding to calls for service or 39% of the entire sworn force.

Actual # of traffic cases going to arraignment: 19,650 (Legal Department Budget, page 200)
Actual % of traffic cases resolved by plea: 70% (Legal Department Budget, page 200)

The link to the 2021 approved fiscal budget is here:

https://www.cabq.gov/dfa/documents/fy21-adjusted-approved-numbered-w-hyperlinks-final.pdf

2022 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET (July 1, 2021 June 30, 2022)

Actual # of sworn officers reported for full year: 1,004 ( APD budget page 149)
Actual # of traffic cases going to arraignment: 4,044 mid year with 47% pleas, 8,088 projected for the year. (Legal Department Budget, page 128)
Actual % of cases resolved by plea: 47% pleas mid year, 50% pleas projected for year. (Legal Department Budget, page 128)

The link to the 2022 fiscal year budget is here:

https://documents.cabq.gov/budget/fy-22-proposed-budget.pdf

NUTSHELL COMPARISON

Traffic citation cases in Metro Court dropped from 36,161 in Berry’s last fiscal year he was in office to 26,106 in Keller’s first fiscal year in office with the numbers dropping each year thereafter during the Keller years to a paltry 4,044 mid year in 2022 fiscal year.

From the foregoing, a nutshell comparison of the second term of Mayor Berry Compared to the Mayor Keller’s term is as follows:

MAYOR BERRY YEARS OF TRAFFIC ARRAIGNMENT CASES AND APD PERSONNEL:

Traffic Arraignment Cases Under Berry:

2014: 39,169, 2015: 49,200, 2016: 39,541, 2017: 34,077, 2018: 36,161

APD Sworn Field Services And Total Sworn Under Berry:

2014: 429 field, 2015: 411 field, 2016: 420 field, 2017: 833 (total sworn) 2018: 861 (Total Sworn)

MAYOR KELLER YEARS OF TRAFFIC ARRAIGNMENT CASES AND APD PERSONNEL

Traffic Arraignment Cases under Keller:

2019: 26,106 , 2000: 26,544; 2021: 19,650, 2022: 4,044 mid year with 47% pleas, 8,088 projected for year with 50% pleas

APD Personnel Under Keller:

2019: 867 total sworn , 2020: 972 total sworn, 2021: 957 sworn police, 2022: 1,100 total sworn budgeted.

ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY

When Mayor Keller insists that “You cannot solve [speeding] by just deploying officers in a couple of weeks in different areas. We don’t have the officers to do that”, he is misleading the public and wrong on two levels. It’s not the need for more police officers, but making traffic enforcement a priority by APD.

One of the very basic functions of any municipal police department is traffic law enforcement. APD is the largest funded department with a $212 million budget with 1,678 full time positions that includes 578 civilian staff and funding for 1,100 sworn police. Yet Keller whines about not having enough officers as opposed to ordering the Department to make traffic law enforcement a priority.

What is pathetic is that Keller actually thinks that a “holistic” approach will reduce speeding. Reducing speeding has everything to do with visibility and APD patrolling the streets of the city and just enforcing traffic laws that result in consequences. When a person is issued a traffic citation by a cop for failure to wear a seat belt and the person is required to plead guilty or go before a judge to see if they can get out of the fine, it changes conduct.

The City and APD were under a Court Approved Settlement Agreement the last 3 years of Mayor Berry’s second term and the full term of Mayor Tim Keller. Complaints by Mayor Keller that APD does not have enough sworn police to do traffic enforcement rings very hollow. APD now has more police officers under Mayor Keller than Mayor Berry, yet APD issued thousands of more traffic citations during Berry’s second term than Keller’s term.

According to the city budgets from the last 8 years, traffic court cases handled by the City Attorney dropped from 36,161 in Berry’s last fiscal year he was in office to 26,106 in Keller’s first fiscal year in office with the numbers dropping each year thereafter to a paltry 4,044 mid year in 2022 fiscal year.

MISUNDERSTANDING OF BASIC LAW ENFORCEMENT

Mayor Tim Keller, and the Albuquerque City Council for that matter, have a serious misunderstanding to the point of being totally ignorant to think that issuing automated camera speeding citations resulting in civil fines is going to solve the city’s speeding problem. A civil administrative proceeding presided over by city administrative hearing officers will occur to review the speeding citations and give the person an opportunity to defend. The problem is, civil citations will likely be ignored. Without criminal contempt powers that a court of law has to issue orders to arrest for failure to appear, a city administrative hearing officer can do absolutely nothing, but smile and grin in the hopes a person will pay the fine.

As was the case with the “red flex” cameras and its administrative hearings, it will not solve the speeding problem and only result in another severe public relations backlash and resentment of “big brother” is watching you as you drive the streets of Albuquerque.

POWER OF THE COURTS REASON THAT CRIMINAL TRAFFIC CITATIONS REDUCE SPEEDING

When a police officer issues a misdemeanor criminal citation for speeding or other traffic offenses, the crime must occur in the presence of the officer where the officer has witnessed the crime. Automated red light camera citations are civil because the crime is a recorded image.

There is a major reason that traffic citations are criminal misdemeanor charges with fines and not civil. It’s because traffic citations issued by police officers and backed up with the authority of the courts, it has a major impact on the general public to deter conduct and reduce speeding and other traffic violations.

In addition to the criminal aspect, there is also a civil aspect to the misdemeanor charges. Automatic driver’s license revocation can occur with traffic citations. The more citations are issued, the more impact it has to threaten the suspension of a person’s driver’s license because of points assessed. Auto insurance companies also monitor their client’s traffic record and will increase insurance rates or even cancel coverage.

Police presence and visibility on the streets is the most effective way to change people’s driving habits, especially with speeding. Mayor Keller would be wise, especially during an election year, to abandoned the automatic camera citations idea and stick to the use of street patrols with reliance on the Metro Court arraignment program.

Mayor Keller needs to order APD to make traffic enforcement a priority and stop it with the press conferences where he announces “holistic” programs where he whines about not having enough sworn police officers. Keller needs to stop the whining at least until November 2.

From April 17 to June 19, 2021, publicly financed candidates for Mayor must gather both 3,000 signatures from registered voters within the City and 3,779 qualifying donations of $5.00. According to the city’s public finance laws, public finance candidates are given $1.75 cents per voter for regular elections and 60 cents per voter if there is a runoff between the two top vote getters. In the 2021 municipal election, candidates for Mayor who qualify for public finance will be given $661,309.25.

Both incumbent Mayor Tim Keller and Sheriff Manny Gonzales have secured the required 3,000 qualifying signatures to be placed on the ballot and secured the 3,779 qualifying $5.00 donations. Candidate for Mayor Patrick Ben Sais has failed to secure the required number of signatures and donations, but he still has the option to continue with gathering nominating petition signatures as privately financed candidate.

From June 8 to August 10, 2021, privately financed candidates for Mayor must gather more than 3, 000 nominating petition signatures from registered voters within the City

PROCESSED PETITION SIGNATURES:

Candidates for Mayor who gather the 3,779 qualifying $5 donations to the city are give $661,000.

As of Friday June 18, following are the updated City Clerk numbers for Processed Petition Signatures and $5.00 qualifying donations:

MAYOR TIM KELLER

Required Petition Signatures: 3,000
Verified Petition Signatures: 4,189
Rejected Petition Signatures: 607
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: – 0 –
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3,779
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4,057
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 328
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

SHERIFF MANNY GONZALES

Required Petition Signatures: 3,000
Verified Petition Signatures: 3,757
Rejected Petition Signatures: 745
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: – 0 –
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3,779
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4,106
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 573
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -9-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

PATRICK BEN SAIS

Required Petition Signatures: 3,000
Verified Petition Signatures: 950
Rejected Petition Signatures: 689
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 2,050
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 32%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3,779
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 3,776
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 0%

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2021-candidates/petition-qualifying-contribution-tally-1

CITY COUNCIL

From May 31 to July 5, 2021, all City Council candidates must gather 500 qualifying signatures from registered voters within the district and must gather the $5.00 qualifying donations. The number of qualifying donations required and the amount of public financing given vary in each city council district based on the population of registered voters. Thus far no candidate has collected the required number of nominating petition signatures nor the $5.00 qualifying donations.

Following are the City Clerk numbers for Processed Petition Signatures and $5.00 qualifying donations in each of the city council districts.

DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 1 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $41,027.

LAN SENA (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 191
Rejected Petition Signatures: 26
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 309
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 38%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 411
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 126
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 12
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 285
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 31%

LOUIE SANCHEZ

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: -0-
Rejected Petition Signatures: -0-
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 500
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: -0-

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 411
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 411
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 3 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $40,000

KLARISSA PENA (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 314
Rejected Petition Signatures: 76
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 186
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 63%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 164
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 22
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 151
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions:52%

BENJAMIN TELLES

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 38
Rejected Petition Signatures: 38
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 462
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 8%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 14%
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 2
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 301
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4%

ANTHONY ZAMORA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 36
Rejected Petition Signatures: 24
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 464
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 7%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 23
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 292
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 7%

DISTRICT 5 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 5 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given: $50,489.

CYNTHIA BORREGO (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 138
Rejected Petition Signatures: 20
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 362
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 28%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 142
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 20
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 363
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 28%

DAN LEWIS

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 443
Rejected Petition Signatures: 21
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 57
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 89%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 402
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 18
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 103
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 80%

PHILLIP RAMIREZ

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 124
Rejected Petition Signatures: 21
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 57
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 89%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 501
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1%

DISTRICT 7 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 7 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $44,194.

EMILIE DE ANGELIS

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 75
Rejected Petition Signatures: 17
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 425
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 15%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 18
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 448
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4%

TAMMY FIEBELKORN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 271
Rejected Petition Signatures: 19
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 229
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 54%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 18
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 229
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 54%

TRAVIS KELLERMAN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 170
Rejected Petition Signatures: 30
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 330
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 34%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 22
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 7
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 320
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions:28%

MAURO WALDEN-MONTOYA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 70
Rejected Petition Signatures: 4
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 430
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 14%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 98
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 5
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 344
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 22%

ANDRES VALDEZ SR

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 157
Rejected Petition Signatures: 31
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 343
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 31%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 126
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 19
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 316
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 29%

DISTRICT 9 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 9 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $41,791.

ROB GRILLEY JR

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 47
Rejected Petition Signatures: 1
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 453
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 9%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 127
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 2
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 291
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 30%

RENEE GROUT

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 352
Rejected Petition Signatures: 83
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 148
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 70%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 269
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 40
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 149
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 64%

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2021-candidates/petition-qualifying-contribution-tally-1

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POSTCRIPT

Before signing any petitions or donating to candidates, voters should know where candidates stand on the issues they care about and what they will do if elected. A few questions and issues candidates for City Council need to think about and disclose their positions on include any of the following:

CITY PERSONNEL AND SERVICES

1.As an elected city councilor, you will be tasked to vote on and on and approve the Mayor’s major appointments. Should the current Chief Administrative Officer, City Attorney, Chief of Police, Fire Department Chief, Chief of Staff, Chief Operations Officer and all other current department directors be replaced?
2. Are you in favor of a state “right to work statute” that would impact or eliminate city employee unions?
3. Should city unions be prohibited from endorsing candidates for municipal office?
4. Are you in favor of privatizing city services or work such as public safety, the 311 call center operations, the bus system or the maintenance and repair work done at city facilities such as the Bio Park?

APD AND CRIME:

1.What is your position on the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) consent decree and mandated reforms?
2. The city and APD have been working under a federal court approved settlement agreement for 6 years after the Department of Justice found a “culture of aggression” and the use of deadly force. The city has spent millions a year on the reforms and the city is no closer to the dismissal of the case. Is it time to have APD placed in receivership of the federal court or should the case just be dismissed?
3. What would you do to enhance civilian oversight of APD and the implementation of the Department of Justice mandated reforms?
4. Should the APD Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chiefs and APD command staff be replaced with a national search and replaced by “outsiders”?
5. Should a national search be conducted for a new law enforcement management team to assume control of APD and make changes and implement the DOJ consent decree mandated reforms?
6. Should the function of Internal Affairs be removed from APD and civilianized under the city Office of Inspector General, the Internal Audit Department and the City Human Resources Department?
7. What are your plans for increasing APD staffing levels and what should those staffing levels be?
8. Since 2010, there have been 41 police officer involved shootings and the city has paid out $50 million to settle deadly force and excessive use of force cases. Should the City return to a “no settlement” policy involving alleged police misconduct cases and require a trial on the merits or a damages jury trial?
9 What are your plans or solutions to bringing down high property and violent crime rates in Albuquerque?
10. Should APD personnel or APD resources be used in any manner to enforce federal immigration laws and assist federal immigration authorities?
11. Should APD and the Bernalillo County Sherriff’s Office be abolished and consolidated to form one regional law enforcement agency, combining resources with the appointment of a governing civilian authority and the appointment of a Superintendent of Public Safety?

THE ECONOMY

1.What strategy would you implement to bring new industries, corporations and jobs to Albuquerque?
2. Albuquerque’s major growth industries include health care, transportation, manufacturing, retail and tourism with an emerging film industry. What programs would you propose to help or enhance these industries?
3. Do you intend to keep the current Director of the City’s Economic Development Department and support staff?
4.The current budget for the Economic Development is $7.5 million out of a $1.2 Billion Budget, would you be in favor of more than tripling the budget to allow for investment grants?
5. To what extent should tax increment districts, industrial revenue bonds and income bonds be used to spur Albuquerque’s economy?
6. What financial incentives do you feel the city can or should offer and provide to the private sector to attract new industry and jobs to Albuquerque, and should that include start-up grants or loans with “claw back” provisions?
7. What sort of private/public partnership agreements or programs should be implemented to spur economic development?
8. What sort of programs or major projects or facilities, if any, should the city partner with the State or County to spur economic development?
9. What programs can the city implement to better coordinate its economic development with the University of New Mexico and the Community College of New Mexico (CNM) to insure an adequately trained workforce for new employers locating to Albuquerque?
10. Are you in favor of the enactment of a gross receipt tax or property tax dedicated strictly to economic development, programs or construction projects to revitalize Albuquerque that would be enacted by the City Council or be voter approved?
11. What programs can Albuquerque implement to insure better cooperation with Sandia Labs and the transfer of technology information for economic development.
12. On September 6, 2019, a $29 million infrastructure bond tax package was approved by the Albuquerque City Council at the Mayor’s request to be financed by the City’s Lodger’s Tax. The lodger tax bond package was labeled as a “Sports – Tourism Lodger Tax ” because it was to be used for a number of projects around the city labeled as “sports tourism opportunities.” The lodger tax is paid by those staying at hotels and vacation rentals in the city and by ordinance is to be used to promote tourism, not athletics facilities for general population use. Do you feel that this was appropriate?

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

1.What is your position on the rewriting of the comprehensive zoning code which was an attempt to bring “clarity and predictability” to the development regulations and to attract more “private sector investment”? Critics say it has essentially “gutted” sector development plans by the development community and it has repealed all sector development plans designed to protect neighborhoods and their character.
2. Should the City of Albuquerque seek the repeal by the New Mexico legislature of laws that prohibit city annexation of property without county approval?

EDUCATION

1.Should the City of Albuquerque have representation or be included on the Albuquerque School board, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents and the Community College of New Mexico Board?
2. What should the city do to help reduce high school dropout rates?
3. Should the City of Albuquerque advocate to the New Mexico legislature increasing funding for early child care development programs and intervention programs with increased funding from the permanent fund?
4. What education resources should or can the city make available to the Albuquerque school system?

POVERTY AND THE HOMELESS

1.What should be done to reduce the homeless population in Albuquerque?
2. What services should the City provide to the homeless and poor if any?
3. Should the City continue to support the “coming home” program?
4. Should the city be more involved with the county in providing mental health care facilities and programs?
5. The city has purchased the 530,000 square foot Gibson Medical Center for $15 Million. Should the facility be converter to one, single 24/7 homeless shelter facility for 300 or more homeless as a centralized facility or should the city use a “multi-site approach” to the city’s homelessness crisis and have a number of smaller shelters that would only house up to 50 to 75 people?

TAXATION AND PROJECT FINANCING

1.Are you in favor of increasing the city’s current gross receipts tax or property taxes to pay for essential services and make up for lost gross receipt tax revenues caused in part by the repeal of the “hold harmless” provision and that has mandated budget and personnel cuts during the last 7 years?
2. Do you feel that all increases in gross receipts taxes should be voter approved?
3. The City has borrowed over $63 million dollars over the past two years to build “pickle ball” courts, baseball fields and the ART bus project down central by bypassing voters and using revenue bonds as the financing mechanism to pay for big capital projects. Do you feel revenue bonds is an appropriate funding mechanism for large capital projects?
OTHER ISSUES

1. What is your position on the mandatory sick leave initiative known as the “Healthy Workforce” ordinance mandating private businesses to pay sick leave to employees?
2. Should the City and the City Attorney’s office enforce the increase in the minimum wage and mandatory sick leave initiatives?
4. If you qualify to be a public finance candidate, will you truly be a public finance candidate or do you intend to rely upon measured finance committee’s set up to promote your candidacy?
5. Should major capital improvement projects such as the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) project, be placed on the ballot for voter approval?
6. What is your position on the ART Bus project and should the line be dismantled and should historic Route 66 be restored to its original number of lanes and the ART Bus platforms dedicated to new uses ?
7. Should Albuquerque become a “sanctuary city” by City Council resolution or by a public vote or not at all?

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The city cannot afford city councilors who makes promises and who offer only eternal hope for better times that result in broken campaign promises. What is needed are city councilors who actually know what they are doing, who will make the hard decisions without an eye on their next election or higher office, not make decisions only to placate their base and please only those who voted for them. What’s needed is a healthy debate on solutions and new ideas to solve our mutual problems, a debate that can happen only with a contested election.

Voters are entitled to and should expect more from candidates than fake smiles, slick commercials, and no solutions and no ideas. Our City needs more than promises of better economic times and lower crime rates for Albuquerque and voters need to demand answers and hold elected officials accountable.

The Rosenwald Building is a historic building located In Downtown Albuquerque on Central and built in 1910. It was the first reinforced concrete building in the city. It is a massive 42,000-square-foot three-story building with a two-story recessed entrance and simple geometric ornamentation. The building was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Rosenwald Building was renovated in 1981 and the upper floors were converted to office space. The city of Albuquerque bought the building in 2007 for $1.7 million under Mayor Chavez who left office in 2009. The building remained vacant with the city never developing it for its own use and city services.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenwald_Building

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/city-moves-to-sell-historic-downtown-albuquerque-building/

CITY SELLS ROSENWALD BUILDING

On June 7, it was reported that the Albuquerque City Council voted to approve the sale of the historic, 3 story Rosenwald Building in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. There are two well known sayings that apply to the sale of the Rosenwald building, one when it comes to real estate and the other when it comes to politics:

In real estate: “Location, location, location is everything!”.

In politics: “Follow the Money!”

TOWNSITE QO21

Online records reveal a company called Townsite Qo21 LLC put in a private bid for $350,000, the so called appraised value of the building. The company intends to build condominiums. Qo21 is a New Mexico Domestic Limited-Liability Company created on January 16, 2019. The company’s filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 5814235. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Edward Garcia, who is also one of the principals with the Garcia Automotive. The Garcia family, the principal owners of the Garcia Automotive group, are also major stakeholders in the Albuquerque downtown real estate.

https://www.bizapedia.com/nm/townsite-qo21-llc.html

https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_nm/5814235

The approved legislation includes a proposed lease agreement for the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) to move the downtown substation now located at the Alvarado Transportation into the first floor of Rosenwald Building in a 1,100 square foot space. Renderings include a reception area, workspace, offices, and a kitchenette. The initial lease would be just under 14 years with the option to extend it.

Links to news sources are here:

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/apd-proposes-leasing-part-of-rosenwald-building-for-downtown-substation/

https://www.krqe.com/video/apd-new-tenants-or-massive-downtown-building/6699715/

FOLLOWING THE MONEY LEADS TO TIM KELLER

The measured finance committee formed to support Mayor Tim Keller’s bid for a second 4 year term is called “BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE”. Review of the third Financial Statement filed by Build Back ‘Burque reveals the following information:

STATED PURPOSE: “Support Mayor Tim Keller’s re-election to a second term for the city of Albuquerque”

The Chairperson for “Build Back ‘Burque” is Michelle Mayorga. According to the American Association of Political Consultants “Michelle Mayorga has spent nearly 2 decades working on campaigns, progressive issues, and in local and national administrations. She previously served as Western Field Director at the AFL-CIO, Western Political Director at the DCCC, and Coordinated Director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico in 2012.” The Treasurer for “Build Back ‘Burque” is Robert Lara. Mr. Lara is a licensed New Mexico attorney and is the former State Treasurer of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: -0-
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: $22,500
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: $500.64
CLOSIING BALANCE: $21,999.36

MAJOR DONORS

ED GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $5,000
TOBY GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $5,000
ED GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $2,500
TOBY GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group:$2,500
NEW MEXICO BUILDING TRADES: $5,000

Note that Ed Garcia and Toby Garcia are listed as with Garcia Automotive Group. Both donated $7,500 each for a total of $15,000 of the $21,999.36 closing balance for “Build Back ‘Burque”.

The link to the 2021 Campaign Finance Reports for BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7112

NOT THE FIRST TIME MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO HELP KELLER

On January 7, 2019, Mayor Tim Keller announced the creation of the One Albuquerque Foundation. It’s a foundation formed by the city to collect donations from the general public to support city initiatives and projects. According to the city’s website page:

“… the endowment Fund raises funds in support of and to supplement measurable city priorities, including the housing voucher program for people experiencing homelessness, recruiting and retaining public safety officers, expanding opportunities for young people in Albuquerque, and equipping our workforce with the skills they need to succeed. Additional funding for these priorities will accelerate progress and help scale significant investments the City is already making go much farther, much faster.”

On February 7, 2020 the Albuquerque Journal reported that Mayor Tim Keller’s “Albuquerque One Foundation” raised nearly $250,000 with Mayor Keller involved with the solicitation of the donations. Records provided by the city pursuant to a request for public records show most of the money came from a cross section of well-known businesses and individuals. The donations that make up the $250,000 are not small donations from people but are in the thousands made by a few. All told, 35 entities and individuals donated $248,250 to the fund.

A breakdown of the larger donations to Keller’s “Albuquerque One Foundation” revealed that the Garcia Automotive Group was the single largest donor and donating $50,000. Garcia Subaru is part of the Garcia Automotive which also owns several car dealerships, including Honda, Volkswagen, Infiniti, Cadillac, Mercedes, Jaguar, Land Rover and Alfa Romeo. The Garcia family also own significant parcels of commercial real estate in the Old Town Area and has a stake in the New Mexico United professional soccer team, with the city currently looking for a new site for a soccer stadium.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1421506/familiar-businesses-back-abq-foundation.html

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC SAFETY DISTRICT CREATED

It was on September 12, 2018 that Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) announced the creation of a “Downtown Public Safety District.” Keller made the announcement at the Alvarado Transportation Center where the substation was to be located. The announcement was made by Keller with great fanfare surrounded by all his top administrators, including APD Brass. The creation of the district was in response to a petition drive by Downtown businesses and residents demanding such a substation.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1219908/keller-unveils-new-downtown-public-safety-district.html

https://www.koat.com/article/mayor-we-re-trying-to-move-beyond-the-notion-of-a-band-aid-solution-for-downtown/23109157

The Downtown Police District was to be headed by an APD Deputy Chief with a Lieutenant and Sergeant assigned. The goal was to have a permanent police presence in Downtown Albuquerque. The congregation of the homeless in the area have been a chronic problem especially around the Alvarado Transportation Center. Consequently, a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) was to be assigned to the district to address homelessness and behavioral health needs.

Several other city departments a well as community organizations were to provide services to the homeless and mentally ill. Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) was to increase its presence near Central Avenue during high-volume call times and by driving a loop around the district after each call for service. The Transit and Municipal Development departments were to contribute security personnel to the district in coordination with APD’s patrol plans. The Municipal Development and Solid Waste departments were to expand the use of street cleaning machines throughout Downtown, including alleyways, and add collection routes for Downtown businesses to address overflow of trash from Saturday nights. 5. Solid Waste was to use its Block-by-Block program to wash sidewalks and its Clean City Graffiti crew to eradicate graffiti as soon as possible.

https://www.cabq.gov/police/news/mayor-tim-keller-unveils-new-downtown-public-safety-district

SIXTY DAY TACTICAL PLAN ANNOUNCED

During the May 17, City Council meeting, City councilors asked questions regarding the safety of downtown Albuquerque on Central after two consecutive weekends of violence and mayhem. On Friday, May 7, mayhem in Downtown Albuquerque when APD Officers were called around 9 p.m. to a parking lot at Second and Central for reports of a man with a gun. The man fled, ramming a vehicle that had two women inside to escape the parking lot. Over the May 14 weekend, a shooting, sexual assault and reports of general mayhem in Downtown Albuquerque. On Sunday, May 16, APD Police said a man was shot Downtown late Sunday night after a group of motorcyclists, allegedly members of the Bandidos gang, opened fire on a car.

Valley Area Commander Josh Brown announced during the council meeting that APD will initiate a 60-day operation on May 29 in Downtown. The tactical plan will utilize DWI-units, traffic police and other investigative units. Commander Brown said the operation will run Thursdays through Sundays and there will be “zero tolerance” on modified exhaust, racing and traffic violations.

Commander Brown told city councilors that crowds have always congregated around Downtown but the problem is “outliers” who “are there strictly to commit crime.” Brown stressed that APD is not targeting the Downtown cruising scene and told councilors:

“We don’t have a problem with them, they have high-end cars that they’ve invested money into. They’re there with their families and they’re not causing problems. We’re targeting the other groups that are coming in that have nothing better to do – drinking in public, shooting guns, things like that. … Public perception is just that, it’s a perception of safety. If people don’t feel safe it’s my job to make sure that they do. ”

The link to quoted source material is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2392645/city-councilors-decry-downtown-chaos-apd-planning-crackdown.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The City of Albuquerque owns tracts of land and buildings that are sometimes no longer needed to satisfy a public purpose. These types of properties are known as “surplus properties.” Once the Real Property Division identifies a potential surplus property, it seeks to have it declared not-essential by the City Council. Not-essential properties are then marketed for sale in accordance with City Ordinance and are sold through a bidding process. The question that remains unanswered is why was the Rosenwald Building sold in a private sale and when was it declared surplus property and not-essential?

https://www.cabq.gov/municipaldevelopment/city-real-estate-sales-services/surplus-city-properties-for-sale

Next thing you know, Keller and the City Council will want to sell the historic KIMO to developers in a private bid process so that the public will never know about it.

The sale of a building by the city on the National Register of Historic Places is what you get when you elect a Mayor and a City Council that has absolutely no clue as to the history of the city. Instead of selling the building, the City and the Mayor should have given the developer a 100 year lease, as opposed to title to the building.

In order to prevent this from ever, ever happening again, the City Council needs to enact an ordinance that strictly prevents city hall from ever selling historical buildings once bought by the city. The ordinance would mandate maintenance, repairs and remodeling as the need requires for city use.

It’s the land ownership that matters the most as to location, location, location. Once title transfers, the new property owners can do whatever they want with it, including building the proposed condos, renovate it for office space, or just hold on to it as a vacant building. The building owners can even seek to have the building declared substandard as to making it a danger for occupancy and have it torn down and build a high rise. Many a downtown structures on central have been turndown and are now dirt parking lots.

Mayor Keller and the City Council have no clue of the importance of preserving a community’s history and have forgotten the teardowns of historic structures. First there was the Franciscan Hotel and then the Alvarado. Then you had the 1970’s urban renewal that literally torn down many historical structures and residential areas with urban renewal which essentially destroyed the downtown area making it a “ghost area” as the city grew to the north east heights.

Simply put, the sale of the Rosenwald building should never of happened and was a dereliction of duty by the Mayor and City Council.

It was a sure act of stupidity on the part of Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque City Council to sell a landmark building the city owns in the heart of Albuquerque on Central for the building of condos in the very area that is becoming a war zone. A question that the city council never asked is how successful has the Downtown Public Safety District located in the Alvarado Transportation center been and why does the APD need a 1,100 square foot office area in a condo building just a few blocks down from the Alvarado transportation center?

What is also pathetic is that the City Council agrees to a 14 years lease for a 1,100 square foot APD substation in a 42,000-square-foot three-story building. You would think the city could have at least demanded to give the city option to use the entire first floor as a substation and not a mere 1,100 square feet of it. Another question that should have been asked is if the real purpose of the APD lease is to provide police protection for a residential development?

The sale of city owned historical building is what you get when you elect a Mayor like Tim Keller who secures $65,000 for his personal agenda and election efforts and a City Council that is derelict in it duties and forgets the city’s past mistakes and its history.

Links to two related blog articles on the history of downtown and uptown Albuquerque are here:

A Brief History of Downtown Albuquerque: 1952 to 2019

A Brief History of ABQ Uptown: 1952 to 2019

“I may have promised, but I never gave no firm commitment.”

Former three term Governor Bruce King to NM legislator when King withdrew his support on legislation the legislator was sponsoring

While running for Mayor and since being elected Mayor, Tim Keller has made it known that building a city operated homeless shelter is one of his top priorities. Keller deemed that a 24-hour, 7 day a week temporarily shelter for the homeless critical towards reducing the number of homeless in the city. The city owned shelter was projected to assist an estimated 300 homeless residents and connect them to other services intended to help secure permanent housing. The new facility would have served all populations of men, women, and families. Further, the city wanted to provide a place anyone could go regardless of gender, religious affiliation, sobriety, addictions, psychotic condition or other factors.

The city facility was to have on-site case managers that would guide residents toward counseling, addiction treatment, housing vouchers and other available resources. According city officials, the new homeless shelter would replace the existing West Side Emergency Housing Center, the former jail on the far West Side. The west side facility is unsustainable costing over $1 million in transportation costs a year for the homeless. The goal was for the new homeless shelter to provide first responders an alternative destination for the people they encounter known as the “down-and-out” calls.

Notwithstanding Mayor Keller’s desire for a city run shelter, there were many critics of the proposal. The critics included downtown business organizations such as the Greater Albuquerque Business Association (GABA) and neighborhood associations that mounted strong opposition. Critics argued against mixing populations and argued that a large facility would unduly burden any one neighborhood or business area of the city. Bernalillo County officials, homeless service providers and residents of neighborhoods surrounding potential locations seriously questioned the city’s efforts for a one centralized shelter.

On November 5, 2020 voters approved a general obligation bond package of $128 million which included $14 million for the city operated 24-7 homeless shelter.

ABANDONMENT OF SINGLE GATEWAY HOMELESS SHELTER

On Wednesday, May 7, 2020, Mayor Tim Keller conducted one of his daily briefings on the City’s response to the Corona Virus. In a surprise announcement, Keller said that the city was abandoning the development concept of a single, 300-bed homeless shelter. He announced the city will be proceeding with a “multi-site approach” to the city’s homelessness crisis. Mayor Tim Keller went so far as to state that the 300 bed Gateway Center was “off the table”.

When Keller abandoned plans to build one large homeless shelter, city officials said the new multi-site approach could mean a series of “smaller facilities” throughout the community. Ostensibly, there would be no single resource hub in one large facility as was originally proposed with the 300 bed Gateway Center.

City Family and Community Services Director Carol Pierce offered insight into what the city means when it refers to small shelters and had this to say:

“We’re often talking 100 to 150 beds of emergency shelter that could be defined as a smaller shelter.”

CITY BUYS GIBSON MEDICAL CENTER FOR $15 MILLION

On Tuesday, April 6, Mayor Tim Keller held a press conference in front of the Gibson Medical Center, formerly the Lovelace Hospital, to officially announce the city had bought the massive 572,000 square-foot building that currently has a 201 bed capacity, for $15 million. The facility will be transformed into a Gateway Center for the homeless. In making the announcement, Keller said in part:

“The City of Albuquerque has officially bought the Gibson Medical Center, the cornerstone of our Gateway Center network. In total, this represents the largest capital investment that Albuquerque has ever made for the unhoused. We have roughly 5,000 homeless people. … what we’re looking at here is to move past this question of where … No matter how you feel about it, we’ve answered that question .”

After his April 6 press conference, Keller came under severe criticism for his failure to reach a consensus and take community input before the Gibson Medical Center was purchased. Keller said he planned to confer with residents in the future. Keller made it clear either way, like it or not, the site has now been selected and the Gibson Medical facility will be used to service the homeless population as a Gateway Center.

On Friday, April 9, neighbors who feel they have been ignored and overlooked in the planning process and being asked to shoulder too big of a burden protested near the site. Some held signs with the messages:

“NO INPUT, NO INFO, NO FAITH IN GATEWAY”
“KELLER LIES ABOUT SIZE”
“I VOTED FOR A SUBSTATION AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY MEGA SHELTER”
“KELLER NEVER ASKED US”
“GATEWAY = KELLER’S ART”
“KELLER NEVER ASKED US”
“MAYOR KELLER, NO MORE DISRESPECT”

ABQ JOURNAL GUEST OPINION COLUMN

Since February 2018, Carol Pierce has been the city’s Director of the Family and Community Services Department appointed by Mayr Tim Keller. She earned her RN diploma from the Presbyterian School of Nursing, has an undergraduate degree from the University of Denver and earned her Master’s degree from the University of New Mexico. Ms. Pierce has more than 30 years of experience working in the health field in the public and private sectors in New Mexico. She was the Manager for the School-Based Health Center Program at the University of New Mexico, Department of Pediatrics. Ms. Pierce also spent more than a decade as a health care provider and administrator, including 9 years at Presbyterian Healthcare Services.

https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/mayor-keller-announces-executive-appointments

On Sunday, June 13, the Albuquerque Journal published a guest column from Pierce. In it, she makes a number of clarifications and promises regarding the Gateway Center. For that reason, the article merits publication.

Following is the Pierce ABQ Journal guest column in full with the link:

“GATEWAY WON’T BE A GIANT EMERGENCY SHELTER”

“With needed health resources, and as one of the multiple sites, Gibson shelter part of the City’s high-impact strategy”

“Homelessness has been in the Albuquerque spotlight for years, and the city is committed to building a system of care with community partners and working together toward solutions.
As a step toward that goal, the city purchased Gibson Medical Center (GMC) in April, building on its long history as a health hub for the community. We are expanding health services for the community and adding a Gateway Center to provide trauma-informed shelter and supportive services to those experiencing homelessness.

The Gibson Health Hub and Gateway Center is a continuation of the city’s commitment to address the health needs in our community, as well as the needs of our unhoused neighbors. This project will complement the existing network of support in our community. Learn more at cabq.gov/unhoused.”

https://www.abqjournal.com/2399353/gateway-wont-be-giant-emergency-shelter.html

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Most, if not all, of the promises Keller made when he was running 4 years ago, he has broken. Keller’s broken promises include not to increase taxes without a public vote, implementation of all the Department of Justice Police APD reforms, and reducing high crime rates just to mention 3.

Advocating and building of a homeless shelter is the only real promise that Mayor Tim Keller can say he has kept to some extent during his tenure as Mayor and he deserves credit for it.

Sherriff Gonzales has been in office for 6 years, the entire time the city’s crime rates have spiked. Gonzales proclaims he can do a better job than Keller and with his tough on crime policies will turn things around. Candidate for Mayor Gonzales is now making the City’s Homeless crisis a priority, something Keller has emphasized with his Gateway Homeless Shelter Project. Gonzales has done absolutely nothing for 6 years to address the homeless crisis other than having his deputies break up homeless encampments. Gonzales is now essentially committing “political plagiarism” attempting to steal the homeless issue as his instead of sticking to what he know best, which is unconstitutional law enforcement practices.

The citizens of Albuquerque, especially the neighborhoods around the Gibson Medical Center soon to be the Gibson Gateway Shelter need to keep vigilant to make sure it is not transformed into a 300 to 500 bed facility despite the promises made by Director Pierce. As is the case with all Mayors and their appointed Directors, eventually they all come and go, but the Gateway Shelter is here to stay and could be easily transformed into a Mega Shelter despite promises made the Keller Administration.

What is needed is to get the promises made in writing from Mayor Tim Keller and his Department Director Carol Pierce. To that end, the Albuquerque City Council needs to enact a resolution outlining all the promises made by Director Pierce to make sure we have a “firm commitment” and not just broken promises in the future.

Links to two related blog article are here:

Der Führer Trump’s Favorite Democrat Sherriff Manny Gonzales Runs For Mayor; A DINO And Law Enforcement Dinosaur

Mayor Tim Keller’s Promises Made, Promises Broken As He Seeks Second Term; Voters Will Decide If Keller “Has Done A Good Job”

On the November 2 election ballot will be the 5 odd numbered city council districts of 9 city council seats. The council seats up for election are City Council seats 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Albuquerque City Councilors are paid $30,600 annually and the Council President earns $32,600 annually. They are also eligible to join the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) and earn a pension after they have served 5 full years. Health Insurance is also made available to them.

From May 31 to July 5, 2021, publicly finance candidates for city council are required to collect both nominating petition signatures and well as $5.00 qualifying donations for public financing. .

On Friday June 11, the Albuquerque City Clerk updated the petition and qualifying contribution tally in the city council races. Following are those tallies:

PROCESSED PETITION SIGNATURES:

All City Council candidates must gather 500 qualifying signatures from registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent. As of Tuesday June 14, following are the City Clerk numbers for Processed Petition Signatures in each of the city council districts

DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCIL

EDITORS NOTE: Petition signature tallies for Victor Segura are no longer listed by the City Clerk as a candidate and he has ostensibly dropped out the race.

LAN SENA (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 61
Rejected Petition Signatures: 9
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 439
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 12%

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL

KLARISSA PENA (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 113
Rejected Petition Signatures: 32
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 387
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 23%

BENJAMIN TELLES

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: -0-
Rejected Petition Signatures: -0-
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 500
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: -0-

ANTHONY ZAMORA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 23
Rejected Petition Signatures: -0-
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 477
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 5%

DISTRICT 5 CITY COUNCIL

CYNTHIA BORREGO (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 59
Rejected Petition Signatures: 6
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 441
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 12%

DAN LEWIS

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 295
Rejected Petition Signatures: 13
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 205
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 59%

PHILLIP RAMIREZ

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 8
Rejected Petition Signatures: -0-
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 492
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 2%

DISTRICT 7 CITY COUNCIL

EMILIE DE ANGELIS

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 70
Rejected Petition Signatures: 17
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 430
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 14%

TAMMY FIEBELKORN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 111
Rejected Petition Signatures: 9
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 389
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 22%

TRAVIS KELLERMAN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 86
Rejected Petition Signatures: 18
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 414
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 17%

MAURO WALDEN-MONTOYA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 70
Rejected Petition Signatures: 4
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 430
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 14%

ANDRES VALDEZ SR

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 108
Rejected Petition Signatures: 22
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 392
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 22%

DISTRICT 9 CITY COUNCIL

ROB GRILLEY JR

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 47
Rejected Petition Signatures: 1
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 453
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 9%

RENEE GROUT

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 125
Rejected Petition Signatures: 24
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 375
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 25%

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2021-candidates/petition-qualifying-contribution-tally-1

PROCESSED QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS

From May 31 to July 5, 2021, the same time frame for gathering nominating signatures, publicly financed candidates for City Council must gather the $5.00 qualifying donations. The number of qualifying donations required and the amount of public financing given vary in each city council district based on the population of registered voters.

DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 1 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $41,027.

EDITORS NOTE: Qualifying donation tallies for Victor Segura are no longer listed by the City Clerk as a candidate and he has ostensibly dropped out the race.

LAN SENA

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 411
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 52
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 359
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 13%

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 3 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $40,000.

KLARISSA PENA

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 89
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 8
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 226
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions:28%

BENJAMIN TELLES

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 315
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-

ANOTHONY ZAMORA

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 17
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 298
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 5%

DISTRICT 5 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 5 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given: $50,489.

CYNTHIA BORREGO (INCUMBENT)

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 70
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 6
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 435
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions:14%

DAN LEWIS

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 311
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 9
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 194
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 62%

PHILLIP RAMIREZ

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 501
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1%

DISTRICT 7 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 7 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $44,194.

EMILIE DE ANGELIS

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 14
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 428
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3%

TAMMY FIEBELKORN

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 18
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 229
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 54%

TRAVIS KELLERMAN

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 60
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 382
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions:14%

MAURO WALDEN-MONTOYA

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 51
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 3
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 391
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 12%

ANDRES VALDEZ SR

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 79
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 12
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 364
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 18%

DISTRICT 9 CITY COUNCIL

City Council District 9 candidates who qualify for public finance will be given $41,791.

ROB GRILLEY JR

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 32
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 386
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 8%

RENEE GROUT

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 119
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 23
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 299
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 28%

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2021-candidates/petition-qualifying-contribution-tally-1

MEASURED FINANCE COMMITTEE FORMED TO PROMOTE AND OPPOSE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Under the City of Albuquerque’s campaign finance laws, a Measure Finance Committee is a political action committee (PAC), person or group that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure within the City of Albuquerque. Measure Finance Committees are required to register with the City Clerk within five (5) days once they have raised or spent more than $250 towards their purpose. Measure finance committees are not bound by the individual contribution limits and business bans like candidates. No Measure Finance Committee is supposed to coordinate their activities with the individual candidates running for office, but this is a very gray area as to what constitutes coordination of activities and it is difficult to enforce.

On June 7, a Measured Finance Committee Registration was filed with the City Clerk identified as Albuquerque Ahead:

STATED PURPOSE: “To support those candidates for city council who will move Albuquerque ahead and oppose those who will not.”

The Chairperson is identified as Jill Michel, the Treasurer is identified as Andrew Thornton and the alternate contact is identified as Maralyn Beck.

On June 9, Albuquerque Ahead the required third financial state for the time period of May 4, 2021 to June 7, 2021

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: -0-
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: $2,100
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: -0-
CLOSIING BALANCE: $2,100

MAJOR DONORS

Taylor Hall, Dallas, Texas, Food Services (SODEXO): $300
Azeez Hindi, Not currently employed: $200
Lois Hindi, Not currently employed: $1,000
Greg Bendis, Reviticell, Office and Adminitrative Occupations: $100
James Grout, Phoenix, Arizona, Financial Investments: $500

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7127

MAJOR EXPENDITURES TOTAL: -0-

The link to the third 2021 Campaign Finance Report for Albuquerque Ahead is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/Reports/FetchReportToPDF.aspx

ISSUES FOR CANDIDATES TO THINK ABOUT AND TO BE ASKED ABOUT

Before signing any petitions or donating to candidates, voters should know where candidates stand on the issues they care about and what they will do if elected. A few questions and issues candidates for City Council need to think about and disclose their positions on include any of the following:

CITY PERSONNEL AND SERVICES

1.As an elected city councilor, you will be tasked to vote on and on and approve the Mayor’s major appointments. Should the current Chief Administrative Officer, City Attorney, Chief of Police, Fire Department Chief, Chief of Staff, Chief Operations Officer and all other current department directors be replaced?
2. Are you in favor of a state “right to work statute” that would impact or eliminate city employee unions?
3. Should city unions be prohibited from endorsing candidates for municipal office?
4. Are you in favor of privatizing city services or work such as public safety, the 311 call center operations, the bus system or the maintenance and repair work done at city facilities such as the Bio Park?

APD AND CRIME:

1.What is your position on the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) consent decree and mandated reforms?
2. The city and APD have been working under a federal court approved settlement agreement for 6 years after the Department of Justice found a “culture of aggression” and the use of deadly force. The city has spent millions a year on the reforms and the city is no closer to the dismissal of the case. Is it time to have APD placed in receivership of the federal court or should the case just be dismissed?
3. What would you do to enhance civilian oversight of APD and the implementation of the Department of Justice mandated reforms?
4. Should the APD Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chiefs and APD command staff be replaced with a national search and replaced by “outsiders”?
5. Should a national search be conducted for a new law enforcement management team to assume control of APD and make changes and implement the DOJ consent decree mandated reforms?
6. Should the function of Internal Affairs be removed from APD and civilianized under the city Office of Inspector General, the Internal Audit Department and the City Human Resources Department?
7. What are your plans for increasing APD staffing levels and what should those staffing levels be?
8. Since 2010, there have been 41 police officer involved shootings and the city has paid out $50 million to settle deadly force and excessive use of force cases. Should the City return to a “no settlement” policy involving alleged police misconduct cases and require a trial on the merits or a damages jury trial?
9 What are your plans or solutions to bringing down high property and violent crime rates in Albuquerque?
10. Should APD personnel or APD resources be used in any manner to enforce federal immigration laws and assist federal immigration authorities?
11. Should APD and the Bernalillo County Sherriff’s Office be abolished and consolidated to form one regional law enforcement agency, combining resources with the appointment of a governing civilian authority and the appointment of a Superintendent of Public Safety?

THE ECONOMY

1.What strategy would you implement to bring new industries, corporations and jobs to Albuquerque?
2. Albuquerque’s major growth industries include health care, transportation, manufacturing, retail and tourism with an emerging film industry. What programs would you propose to help or enhance these industries?
3. Do you intend to keep the current Director of the City’s Economic Development Department and support staff?
4.The current budget for the Economic Development is $7.5 million out of a $1.2 Billion Budget, would you be in favor of more than tripling the budget to allow for investment grants?
5. To what extent should tax increment districts, industrial revenue bonds and income bonds be used to spur Albuquerque’s economy?
6. What financial incentives do you feel the city can or should offer and provide to the private sector to attract new industry and jobs to Albuquerque, and should that include start-up grants or loans with “claw back” provisions?
7. What sort of private/public partnership agreements or programs should be implemented to spur economic development?
8. What sort of programs or major projects or facilities, if any, should the city partner with the State or County to spur economic development?
9. What programs can the city implement to better coordinate its economic development with the University of New Mexico and the Community College of New Mexico (CNM) to insure an adequately trained workforce for new employers locating to Albuquerque?
10. Are you in favor of the enactment of a gross receipt tax or property tax dedicated strictly to economic development, programs or construction projects to revitalize Albuquerque that would be enacted by the City Council or be voter approved?
11. What programs can Albuquerque implement to insure better cooperation with Sandia Labs and the transfer of technology information for economic development.
12. On September 6, 2019, a $29 million infrastructure bond tax package was approved by the Albuquerque City Council at the Mayor’s request to be financed by the City’s Lodger’s Tax. The lodger tax bond package was labeled as a “Sports – Tourism Lodger Tax ” because it was to be used for a number of projects around the city labeled as “sports tourism opportunities.” The lodger tax is paid by those staying at hotels and vacation rentals in the city and by ordinance is to be used to promote tourism, not athletics facilities for general population use. Do you feel that this was appropriate?

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

1.What is your position on the rewriting of the comprehensive zoning code which was an attempt to bring “clarity and predictability” to the development regulations and to attract more “private sector investment”? Critics say it has essentially “gutted” sector development plans by the development community and it has repealed all sector development plans designed to protect neighborhoods and their character.
2. Should the City of Albuquerque seek the repeal by the New Mexico legislature of laws that prohibit city annexation of property without county approval?

EDUCATION

1.Should the City of Albuquerque have representation or be included on the Albuquerque School board, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents and the Community College of New Mexico Board?
2. What should the city do to help reduce high school dropout rates?
3. Should the City of Albuquerque advocate to the New Mexico legislature increasing funding for early child care development programs and intervention programs with increased funding from the permanent fund?
4. What education resources should or can the city make available to the Albuquerque school system?

POVERTY AND THE HOMELESS

1.What should be done to reduce the homeless population in Albuquerque?
2. What services should the City provide to the homeless and poor if any?
3. Should the City continue to support the “coming home” program?
4. Should the city be more involved with the county in providing mental health care facilities and programs?
5. The city has purchased the 530,000 square foot Gibson Medical Center for $15 Million. Should the facility be converter to one, single 24/7 homeless shelter facility for 300 or more homeless as a centralized facility or should the city use a “multi-site approach” to the city’s homelessness crisis and have a number of smaller shelters that would only house up to 50 to 75 people?

TAXATION AND PROJECT FINANCING

1.Are you in favor of increasing the city’s current gross receipts tax or property taxes to pay for essential services and make up for lost gross receipt tax revenues caused in part by the repeal of the “hold harmless” provision and that has mandated budget and personnel cuts during the last 7 years?
2. Do you feel that all increases in gross receipts taxes should be voter approved?
3. The City has borrowed over $63 million dollars over the past two years to build “pickle ball” courts, baseball fields and the ART bus project down central by bypassing voters and using revenue bonds as the financing mechanism to pay for big capital projects. Do you feel revenue bonds is an appropriate funding mechanism for large capital projects?

OTHER ISSUES

1. What is your position on the mandatory sick leave initiative known as the “Healthy Workforce” ordinance mandating private businesses to pay sick leave to employees?
2. Should the City and the City Attorney’s office enforce the increase in the minimum wage and mandatory sick leave initiatives?
4. If you qualify to be a public finance candidate, will you truly be a public finance candidate or do you intend to rely upon measured finance committee’s set up to promote your candidacy?
5. Should major capital improvement projects such as the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) project, be placed on the ballot for voter approval?
6. What is your position on the ART Bus project and should the line be dismantled and should historic Route 66 be restored to its original number of lanes and the ART Bus platforms dedicated to new uses ?
7. Should Albuquerque become a “sanctuary city” by City Council resolution or by a public vote or not at all?

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The city cannot afford city councilors who makes promises and who offer only eternal hope for better times that result in broken campaign promises. What is needed are city councilors who actually know what they are doing, who will make the hard decisions without an eye on their next election or higher office, not make decisions only to placate their base and please only those who voted for them. What’s needed is a healthy debate on solutions and new ideas to solve our mutual problems, a debate that can happen only with a contested election. A highly contested races reveal solutions to our problems.

Voters are entitled to and should expect more from candidates than fake smiles, slick commercials, and no solutions and no ideas. Our City needs more than promises of better economic times and lower crime rates for Albuquerque and voters need to demand answers and hold elected officials accountable.

From April 17 to June 19, 2021, publicly financed candidates for Mayor must gather both 3,000 nominating petition signatures and 3,779 qualifying donations of $5.00 from registered voters within the City to secure $661,309.25 in public financing.

Both incumbent Mayor Tim Keller and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales have collected the 3,000 signatures from registered voters within the City and will be on the November 2, City of Albuquerque ballot for Mayor.

Mayor Tim Keller’s campaign has successfully collected more than the required 3,779 qualifying $5.00 donations having collected 3,945 qualifying $5.00 donations and his campaign has been be given $661,309.25 in public financing.

It is more likely than not that Sheriff Manny Gonzales will also collect the 3,779 qualifying $5.00 donations having collecting 92% of the qualifying donations using a professional canvasing company and he has until June 19 to gather the remaining donations.

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2021-candidates/petition-qualifying-contribution-tally-1

MEASURED FINANCE REPORTS

Under the City of Albuquerque’s campaign finance laws, a Measure Finance Committee is a political action committee (PAC), person or group that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure within the City of Albuquerque. Measure Finance Committees are required to register with the City Clerk within five (5) days once they have raised or spent more than $250 towards their purpose.

Measure finance committees are not bound by the individual contribution limits and business bans like candidates. No Measure Finance Committee is supposed to coordinate their activities with the individual candidates running for office, but this is a very gray area as to what constitutes coordination of activities and it is difficult to enforce.

According to City Clerk records, 4 measured finance committees have been formed for the 2021 municipal election. Two are measured finance committees raising money, promoting and spending money on behalf of Manny Gonzales, one promoting Mayor Tim Keller and one promoting fire fighter union interests.

The measured finance committees and what they have raised according to the Third Campaign Finance Reports filed on June 14 , 2021 for the time period of May 4 to June 7 are as follows:

1. RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR A BETTER ALBUQUERQUE: $10,550 Cash Balance

STATED PURPOSE: “Support Albuquerque mayoral candidate who will improve the quality of life for its citizens as well as oppose candidates that are detrimental to the future growth and safety of Albuquerque.”

The chairperson of the “Retired Law Enforcement for a Better Albuquerque is Jason Katz, a retired Chief Deputy of BCSO and the Treasurer is listed as Sistine Jaramillo. No background information could be located on Sistine Jaramillo.

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: $550
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: $10,000
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: -0-
CLOSIING BALANCE: $10,550

MAJOR DONORS

LORI HENZ, SELF EMPLOYED, Retail Sales: $5,000
DEBRA BRINKLEY, employed by City of Albuquerque: $5,000

MAJOR EXPENDITURES: None reported

The link to the 2021 Campaign Finance Reports for RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR A BETTER ALBUQUERQUE is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7104

2. SAVE OUR CITY: $58,774.17 Cash Balance

STATED PURPOSE: To address the serious crime and leadership problem in Albuquerque.

The Chairperson of “Save Our City” is Sam Vigil and the Treasurer is Republican State Representative Bill Rehm. Sam Vigil is the husband Jacquiline Vigil who was gun down in her car backing out of the family home driveway in the early morning hours as she was leaving for the gym.

Democrat political operative James Hallinan is reported to be the Director of the “Save Our City” spearheading the fundraising efforts. Hallinan was the spokesperson for Manny Gonzales at one time and was also the spokesperson for Attorney General Hector Balderas. Hallinan worked on Governor Lujan Grisham’s election campaign and became embroiled in controversy when he accused candidate Lujan Grisham of throwing water on his crotch and grabbing his crotch. Hallinan sued the governor after she was elected and the campaign has paid him at least $67,000 notwithstanding her denying the allegation. Hallinan has now opened his own political consulting firm and no doubt is being paid for his service to “Save Our City.”

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: $16,495.00.
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: $52,500.01.
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: $10,2020.84.
CLOSIING BALANCE: $58,774.17.

MAJOR DONORS

JIMMY DASKALOS, Real Estate Professional: $10,000
BEN SPENCER, Real Estate Professional: $10,000
DOUG PETERSON, Peterson Properties: $5,000
CLIFF BARBERI, Advanced Tower Services: $5,000
LINDA FRESQUEZ, Fresquez Concessions, Inc.: $5,000
GARY ARCHULETA, National Distributing Company: $5,000
KENNETH WELCH, Boiler Repairs and Service: $2,500.
CAROL BROWN, Retired: $2,500
JOE CRUZ, Occupation/Employer: Star Paving Company: $2,000
CHRISTOPHER PACHECO, Pluma Construction: $2,000
MICHAEL MONTOYA, Big M Plumbing: $1,000
SERGIO BERMUDEZ, El Mesquite Market: $1,000
MARC POWELL, NM Dealer Support Services: $1,000
MARC POWELL, Independent Auto Dealers: $500

MAJOR EXPENDITURES TOTAL: $10, 220.84 Cash Balance

GABRIELLE RAEL for Fundraising and Administrative Support: $3,600
BOBBI SHEARER, Full Compliance Consulting: $2,840.68
GABRIELLE RAEL for Fundraising and Administrative Support: $2,840
GABRIELLE RAEL for Fundraising and Administrative Support: $1,600

The link to the 2021 Campaign Finance Reports for SAVE OUR CITY is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7109

3. BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE: $21,999.36 Cash Balance

As of April 26, one measured finance committees has been formed to support Mayor Tim Keller’s bid for a second 4 year term . The Measured finance committee is identified as “ BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE”.

STATED PURPOSE: “Support Mayor Tim Keller’s re-election to a second term for the city of Albuquerque”

The Chairperson for “Build Back ‘Burque” is Michelle Mayorga. According to the American Association of Political Consultants “Michelle Mayorga has spent nearly 2 decades working on campaigns, progressive issues, and in local and national administrations. She previously served as Western Field Director at the AFL-CIO, Western Political Director at the DCCC, and Coordinated Director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico in 2012.” The Treasurer for “Build Back ‘Burque” is Robert Lara. Mr. Lara is a licensed New Mexico attorney and is the former State Treasurer of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: -0-
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: $22,500
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: $500.64
CLOSIING BALANCE: $21,999.36

MAJOR DONORS

ED GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $5,000
TOBY GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $5,000
NEW MEXICO BUILDING TRADES: $5,000
ED GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group: $2,500
TOBY GARCIA, Garcia Automotive Group:$2,500
JIM MADDOX, Maddox & Co Real Estate: $1,000
DOUG BROWN, Retired, Santa Fe: $500

MAJOR EXPENDITURES:

SQUARE INC., Credit Card Processing $439

The link to the 2021 Campaign Finance Reports for BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7112

4. ABQ FIREPAC (NO FINANCE REPORTS FILED)

The stated purpose is to “ SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY & FIRE FIGHTER ISSUES”. What this measured finance committee is the local firefighter’s union. Every election year, the local firefighters get very involved with municipal elections with endorsements and contributing to campaign efforts. The firefighters union not only provides campaign materials such as sign, but also provide volunteers for phone banking and other activities. Four years ago, ABQFIREPAC reported that it raised and spent $67,000 on the Mayor’s and City Council races.

CASH BALANCE FROM LAST REPORT: -0-
TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIUTIONS FOR PERIOD: -0-
TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR PERIOD: -0-
CLOSIING BALANCE: -0-

MAJOR DONORS: None reported

MAJOR EXPENDITURES: None Report

The link to the 2021 Campaign Finance Reports for ABQ FIREPAC BUILD BACK is here:

https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/OrganizationDetail.aspx?OrganizationID=7121

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

There are four and a half months left before the November 2 election. No privately financed candidates running have announced running for Mayor and therefore Tim Keller and Manny Gonzales are likely the only two who will be running for Mayor with both being given $661,309.25 in public financing. The measured finance committees are beginning to put the “pedal to the metal” to raise as much money as possible for Keller and Gonzales. It’s likely when it is all said in done, at least $1.1 Million will be spent on behalf of each candidate.

There is little doubt that the city’ high violent crime rate will be the deciding issue in the 2021 years Mayor’s race. The spiking homicide statistics and accompanying headlines are the very type of headlines and statistics that should give both Mayor Tim Keller and Sheriff Manny Gonzales nightmares as they run against each other for Mayor. The statistics should mark the end of both of their political careers, but they don’t.

The problem is that neither candidate has a stellar reputation or has accomplished much over the past 4 years for getting things done in bringing down the city’s high crime rates. The crime rates are just as bad in the county as they are in the city which should not give Gonzales any comfort.

MAYOR TIM KELLER

Tim Keller has been Mayor for 4 years of the 5 years where the city has ranked in the top 100 most violent cities. In 2017, Candidate Tim Keller campaigned to get elected Mayor on the platform of implementing the Department of Justice (DOJ) mandated reforms, increasing the size of APD, returning to community-based policing and promising to bring down skyrocketing crime rates. Mayor Tim Keller has tried repeatedly to take credit for crime rates being on the decline in all categories other than violent crime offenses. Now he is proclaiming the city’s spiking homicide rate is what is happening all over the country.

Keller never mentions the fact that since being sworn in as Mayor and prior to the national spike in homicides the city’s homicide rates have broken historical records despite his 4 violent crime prevention programs. The truth is the city’s crimes rates have increased each year during his term. This coming from a mayor who campaigned and got elected on the platform to bring down the city’s crime rates.

SHERIFF MANNY GONZALES

Sherriff Gonzales has been in office for 6 years, the entire time the city’s crime rates have spiked. Gonzales proclaims he can do a better job than Keller and with his tough on crime policies will turn things around. Gonzales also is now making the City’s Homeless crisis a priority, something Keller has emphasized with his Gateway Homeless Shelter Project. Gonzales has done absolutely nothing for 6 years to address the homeless crisis other than having his deputies break up homeless encampments.

Gonzales forgets he has been Sheriff longer than Keller has been Mayor and the County’s crime rates are just as bad. For 5 years, Sheriff Gonzales did next to nothing in helping APD bring down violent crime rates saying crime in the city was not in his jurisdiction as a Bernalillo County Sheriff, that is until he decided to run for Mayor. Gonzales proclaimed that businesses and residents in the South East Heights, which has often been referred to as the War Zone, contacted Gonzales and he decided to do law enforcement sweeps in the are and hold press conferences about his success no doubt to garner favor with voters and make Keller and the APD Chief look bad. It’s called political opportunism at its worst.

Then there is the matter of the Department of Justice Consent decree mandated 271 reforms after APD was found to engaged in a pattern of excessive force and deadly force resulting in a finding of a culture of aggression. It is well known in the law enforcement community that Gonzales has a major disagreement with the mandated reforms, many which Gonzales has resisted in his own Sheriff’s Department such as mandatory use of lapel cameras and civilian oversight of law enforcement. During Gonzales tenure as Sheriff, his department has had deputies sued for excessive use of force, deadly force, racial profiling and civil rights violations resulting in millions paid out by the county in settlements.

A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING

On June 14, the city had its 55 homicide for the year, another record broken. The city is facing a very hot summer during an election year in more ways than one. Now that the country, state and city are beginning to open up and returning to normal after over a year in quarantine from the pandemic, it’s likely our violent crime rates will increase and the homicide rates will break an all-time record of over 100 before the end of the year.

A very real possibility is the city or the county will have a major bloody, violent tragedy before the election day involving either APD or BCSO.

It happened on March 16, 2014 with the tragic killing of mentally ill homeless camper James Boyd by APD. The Boyd family settled the case for $5 million. The responsible SWAT officers were charged with murder, but were never convicted after a jury could not reach a verdict.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has also had at least 2 tragic killings of mentally impaired by Sheriff’s Deputies. On September 14, 2015, Fidencio Duran, 88, who was partially blind and deaf and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, died after he was shot numerous times with “pepper ball” guns by BCSO Deputy Sheriffs. The Duran family was paid $1,495,000 to settle the case. On July 28 2019, Elisha Lucero, who suffered psychosis and schizophrenia, was shot at least 21 times by BCSO Deputy Sheriffs. The Lucero family was paid $4 Million to settle the case. Gonzales went to the defense of his Sheriff Deputies, said they did nothing wrong, said the settlements were excessive and even went so far as to give the deputies commendations in defiance of the settlements.

If another tragedy occurs involving APD or BCSO, it will test the law enforcement leadership of Mayor Keller, and his appointed APD Chief Medina, or Sheriff Manny Gonzales. If either fail in the public’s eye, the outcome of the election will be likely decided by a landslide victory for one candidate.