In a letter dated July 9, Albuquerque City Clerk Ethan Watson notified Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales’ that the city was denying his campaign $661,00 in public financing for his mayoral campaign. The City Clerk cited questions about potential misconduct in the qualifying process and told Gonzales he could not confirm that Gonzales had complied with the city’s Open and Ethical Election Code and associated regulations. The Clerk also noted 2 ethics complaints Mayor Tim Keller’s reelection campaign filed against Gonzales last month.

City Clerk Watson wrote in the letter to Gonzales:

“The Office of the City Clerk has not reached this decision based on the mere fact that complaints were filed. … The decision instead is based on the conclusion that the evidence submitted to date prevents the Office from certifying that you are entitled to receive $661,309.25 from the Open and Ethical Elections Fund. The Office of the City Clerk cannot provide that certification on the record as it stands today because of the obligation all officials have to safeguard public funds.”

The Gonzales’ for Mayor campaign was quick to respond by alleging that City Clerk Watson was “coerced” by Mayor Tim Keller to deny the public financing. The Gonzales campaign had this to say in a statement,:

“For Tim Keller’s handpicked city clerk to deny our campaign public financing after citizens submitted more than enough qualifying contributions demonstrates a stunning level of arrogance and contempt for the voters of Albuquerque.”

GONZALES APPEALS

According to the city clerk’s letter to Gonzales, he has three business days to appeal the City’s Clerk Decision or until Wednesday Jul 14. Such and appeal will mandate a hearing before a City hearing officer.

On Monday, July 12, Manny Gonzales filed an appeal of the Albuquerque city clerk’s decision to deny him public financing for his mayoral campaign. The matter will be assigned to a city hearing officer. The Gonzales campaign will have the burden of providing evidence to demonstrate the Clerk’s decision was improper.

The city hearing officer must conduct a hearing within five days. The hearing officer will have 3 days after the proceeding to issue a ruling. The parties then have the right to appeal the hearing officer ruling in state District Court.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2409070/gonzales-appeals-denial-of-financial-backing-ex-action-by-city-clerk-has-no-effect-on-the-mayoral-ballot.html

GONZALES AND KELLER BOTH SUBMITTED MORE THAN 3,779 QUALIFYING $5.00 DONATIONS

From April 17 to June 19, 2021, publicly financed candidates for Mayor were required to gather both 3,000 nominating petition signatures from registered voters within the City. Candidates for Mayor were also required to collect 3,779 qualifying donations of $5.00 from Albuquerque registered voters in order to qualify for $661,309.25 in public financing. It is the responsibility of the City Clerk to review and verify all petitions signatures and qualifying $5 donations and confirm those included in the total numbers required are in fact registered voters.

On June 18, the Albuquerque City Clerk posted on the City Clerk’s web site the following tabulations for Tim Keller and Manny Gonzales as to verified nominating petition signatures and $5.00 public finance 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%
Based on the June 18 posted numbers, both Keller and Gonzales qualified to be on the ballot as well as qualified for public financing.

City Clerk Watson has certified Keller for public financing.

RATIONALE FOR DENYING GONZALES PUBLIC FINANCING

The July 9 letter from the City Clerk to Manny Gonzales makes reference to the 2 ethics complaints filed against Manny Gonzales by the Keller campaign.

The Keller campaign has filed two ethics complaints. They allege widespread fraud and forgery. Gonzales’ campaign is accused of illegally signing the names of more than 140 people, claiming they signed the documents to help with his financing.

The first ethics complaint includes a written statement from a voter who said Gonzales told him he did not have to submit a $5 contribution and that the Gonzales campaign would pay it for him.

The second ethics complaint alleges Gonzales’ campaign forged voter signatures on qualifying public finance receipts. The complaint cites disparities between signatures on $5 contribution receipts and the same voters’ signatures from other places, including on the petition to get Gonzales’ name on the ballot.

The Keller campaign has submitted to the City Clerk 149 examples of alleged forgeries on documents submitted to the City Clerk. The Keller campaign also filed signed statements from upwards of 40 people contacted by a private investigator hired by Keller campaign. Most of those contacted said the signatures on Gonzales’ nominating petition was theirs and half confirmed they had contributed $5 to Gonzales’ public financing effort. Nearly all said signatures on the $5 public finance receipts were not their legitimate signature.

The Gonzales campaign denied all wrongdoing but is accusing the city clerk of trying to “silence the political opposition” and said in a statement:

“What this is really about is that Tim Keller knows that he will lose if voters are able to hear from both campaigns”

The Gonzales campaign said that Gonzales submitted hundreds more $5 contributions than necessary to qualify for public financing, and the ethics complaints involve what it deemed a “small handful of alleged invalid” contributions.

The links to quoted news source material are here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2407951/gonzales-bid-for-public-financing-denied.html

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/city-clerk-blocks-manny-gonzales-bid-for-public-financing-following-fraud-forgery-claims/6166686/?cat=500

https://www.koat.com/article/sheriff-manny-gonzales-denied-campaign-financing-for-mayor/36986156

CITY RULES AND REGULATIONS GIVING CITY CLERK AUTHORITY NOT TO CERTIFY

It was in 2018 that the New Mexico legislature enacted the State Local Election Act that realigned all municipal elections and local election to be held on the November general election ballot. In the past, Albuquerque’s municipal elections were held on the first Tuesday of October and now must be held in November. In 2018, the City Council also passed election reforms empowering the city clerk’s office to promulgate rules and regulations.

On September 21, 2020 and October 2, 2020, City Clerk Ethan Watson and the Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair, respectively, sign off on regulations for the City Clerk to administer the “Open and Ethical Elections Code” (OEEC) for the 2021 municipal elections.

The link to those regulations is here:

https://www.cabq.gov/vote/documents/2021-regulations-for-the-open-and-ethical-election-code.pdf

It is PART C of the regulations entitled QUALIFYING PERIOD AND QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS that outlines the certification process relating to the $5 qualifying donations for all the candidates.

Paragraph 15 entitled “Certification of Participating Candidates for Public Financing” provides in part as follows:

“The City Clerk shall certify as a Participating Candidate, all Applicant Candidates who meet the requirements of the OEEC and submit an Application for Certification.

Applicant Candidates must submit the Application for Certification by the last day of the Qualifying Period. The City Clerk shall notify all Applicant Candidates whether they have been certified as a Participating Candidate by posting a list of certified Participating Candidates in the Office of the City Clerk and on the City Clerk’s website, and by directly notifying each Applicant Candidate.

Certification as a Participating Candidate does not eliminate or modify candidate qualification requirements of the City Charter or under New Mexico law.

a. In addition to the criteria for certification listed … upon receipt of a final Qualifying Contribution report from an Applicant Candidate, the Clerk shall determine whether the Applicant Candidate has:

i. …

ii. been found to have made a materially false statement in a report or other document submitted to the City Clerk;

iii. …

iv. been found to have submitted any fraudulent Qualifying Contributions or any falsified acknowledgement forms for Qualifying Contributions or Seed Money Contributions, where the Applicant Candidate knew or should have known of the fraudulence or falsification.

b. If the Clerk makes any of the findings above, the Clerk shall not certify the Applicant Candidate as a Participating Candidate.

c. An Applicant Candidate whose certification has been denied may appeal the Clerk’s determination [withing 3 business days.]

KELLER ACCUSES GONZALES OF CRIME

Mayor Keller for his part said in a statement the evidence shows Gonzales’ campaign “engaged in intentional and widespread fraud” through forging voter signatures and he added:

“As the former State Auditor, where we investigated and uncovered cases of fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars, I know a scam when I see it”

Keller campaign manager Neri Holguin said the Gonzales’ campaign did not make the kind of simple mistakes often made in the process and said:

“This is deliberate, this is systemic, this is widespread.”

HEARING ON 2 ETHICS COMPLAINTS SCHEDULED

Both ethics complaints against Gonzales will be heard by the City’s Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices. The first complaint is scheduled for a hearing on July 16. The forgery complaint is scheduled for a hearing on July 22. The Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices that has the authority to levy fines, issue written findings of censure and even disqualify a candidate from running or holding office.

KELLER AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER NO STRANGER TO ETHICS VIOLATIONS

Four years ago when then New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller ran his successful campaign for Mayor, he was the only candidate out of 8 candidates to qualify for public fiancé. Keller had two separate ethics charges filed against him.

One complaint filed against Tim Keller’s campaign involved the allegation that “cash donations” for political consulting were reported as “in-kind” donations. The Election Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices ruled that the cash contributions were in fact an ethical violation. Ultimately, Keller was found guilty by a unanimous vote of the City Board of Ethics. Rules and Regulations and he was not penalized before or after the complaint was formally heard.

A link to a related news article is here:

“Ethics board: Keller violated rule with ‘in-kind’ donations, NM Political Report, November 13, 2017”

https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2017/11/13/ethics-board-keller-violated-rule-with-in-kind-donations

A second more serious complaint file in 2017 against the Keller campaign was that the Keller Campaign for Mayor committee was coordinating their campaign and expenditures with ABQ Forward Together. Neri Holguin, Keller’s 2021 campaign manager was the chairperson “ABQ Forward Together”, the progressive measured finance committee that was formed specifically to raise money to promote progressive Tim Keller for Mayor in 2017. “ABQ Forward Together” raised over $663,000 for Keller’s 2017 bid for Mayor as Keller qualified for public financing and given $340,000 for his 2017 campaign for Mayor.

In 2021, Neri Olguin is the campaign manager for Tim Keller’s re-elction bid and another measured finance committee has been set up by Keller supporters. On April 26, one measured finance committees was formed to support Mayor Tim Keller’s bid for a second 4 year term identified as “ BUILD BACK ‘BURQUE”. Chairperson for “Build Back ‘Burque” is Michelle Mayorga, a highly experience progressive fund raiser and treasurer is the former Democrat Party Treasurer Robert Lara.

KELLER SIGNS OFF ON CITY SELLING HISTORICAL BUILDING TO HIS SUPPORTERS

On June 7, it was reported the City Council voted to approve the sale of the historic Rosenwald Building for $360,000 in a “private bid” to build condos. In 2009, the city had purchased the historic 42,000-square-foot building for $1.7 million. The city sold the Rosenwald Building to someone who made a $50,000 donation to Mayor Keller’s charitable foundation and $15,000 in donations to the measured finance committee promoting Keller for a second term. The sale also includes a 14-year lease by the city of 1,100 square feet for an APD police substation.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Given Mayor Tim Keller’s own history of ethical indiscretions, it is simply amazing Keller is so self-righteous and does not know when to simply shut up and says:

“As the former State Auditor, where we investigated and uncovered cases of fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars, I know a scam when I see it.”

The only finding of fraud, misuse of taxpayer dollars or of a “scam” is that made by candidate Mayor Tim Keller and his campaign manager, both who have been embroiled in questionable and unethical campaign practices in the past.

The City’s Board of Ethics and Campaign Practices needs to have the two hearings on the ethics complaints and ferret out the truth and to examine the actual evidence. Keller and his campaign have the burden of proof and Gonzales must be afforded and opportunity to respond. It’s called due process of law, something State Auditor Keller never understood as he always went after the the headlines instead.

CITY CLERK’S AUTHORITY TO DENY PUBLIC FINANCING AFTER VERIFYING DONATIONS

At first blush, it appears that the City Clerk does indeed have authority to deny Gonzales the $661,000 in public finance. The rules and regulations for the election say the city clerk shall determine whether the candidate has “been found to have made a materially false statement in a report … submitted to the City Clerk” and “been found to have submitted any fraudulent Qualifying Contributions or any falsified acknowledgement forms for Qualifying Contributions or Seed Money Contributions.”

The rules are also clear “if the Clerk makes any of the findings … the Clerk shall not certify the Applicant Candidate as a Participating Candidate.” In other words, City Clerk Ethan Watson was doing his job.

It will be very difficult at best for candidate Manny Gonzales to say that he and his campaign made innocent or administrative mistakes when it comes to collection of the $5 donations in that it is mandatory that the candidate and the campaign manager must meet with the city clerk prior to then election process wherein the City Clerk goes over in detail all the rules and regulations. After the meeting, the candidate must also sign a statement they have read the rules and regulations and understand them.

What complicates all of this is that on June 18, City Clerk posted on the city web site it had reviewed and verified that Gonzales submitted more than the required 3,000 signatures and more than the 3,771 qualifying donations. At issue is whether the City Clerk has the authority to deny public financing after the City Clerk found and posted that enough $5 donations were submitted ostensibly without fraud nor forgeries and before there is a decision made by the City Board of Elections and Campaign Practices as to any fraud.

WHO WILL REPRESENT DE FACTO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR MANNY GONZALES?

It is more likely than not that this whole fiasco will wind up in State District Court. Political observers have already labeled Manny Gonzales as the de facto Republican candidate for Mayor in part because Republican Political operative Jay Mc Clusky is managing the Gonzales campaign. The Keller campaign has already noted that major donors to the Gonzales measured finance committees and the $5 qualifying donations are predominately Republicans.

The go to attorneys representing many Republican causes in the past have been former Supreme Court Justice Paul Kennedy, former Republican National Committee Member Pat Rogers, former State Senator Mickey Barnett and even Blair Dunn. If any one of these experienced and well-known Republican trial attorneys in fact represent Gonzalez in court, it will be a confirmation of just how much the Republican party has gotten involved with the 2021 Mayor’s race.

If the matter in fact winds up in State District Court, then and only then will the general public actually learn what happened. Until then, Mayor Keller would be wise to simply keep his mouth shut, not comment on the proceeding and let the City Clerk and Board of Ethics do their jobs without his outside interference in the media.

This is a guest opinion column written by Rudolfo Carrillo submitted for publication on this blog.

Rudolfo Carrillo is a native New Mexican and was the news and music editor at Weekly Alibi from August 2015 until March 2020, where he used the pen name “August March” to write about Albuquerque culture, history and politics. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico’s fine arts program. His award-winning writing and analysis have been featured at international academic conferences, in notable literary journals as well as in local media outlets like the Albuquerque Journal. His latest work can be read at Infinity Report with the link here:

http://infinityreport.blogspot.com/

EDITOR’S DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this article are those of Rudolfo Carrillo and do not necessarily reflect those of the political blog www.petedinelli.com. Rudolfo Carrillo was not compensated for his guest column.

“MEDIA REPORTS KELLER’S PROPAGANDA AS NEWS IN MAYOR’S RACE”

“The fact that traditional media outlets are not effectively covering local political happenings—keeping up to date on the local meat being ground into policy as well as the taste of the resulting civic sausage—becomes clear with just a quick glance at Burque’s vast media machine.

Over at the local daily, coverage of the Keller administration, the upcoming mayoral election and the weekly antics of the City Council—hey, we know they’re on vacay for July, but what about all the legislation they oversaw before their summery exit—have drifted too close to the realms of nonexistence and propaganda.

A news story from this week featured a very stern-looking Keller. His new, campaign-ready image in grey flannel and a crisp white business school-collar was a far cry from anything remotely resembling the “metal mayor” of yore (and lore, too). His gaze was a distant one, coming from a place where smiles don’t come easy.

The story itself is sure to make the local chamber of commerce happy and business owners across town may come to Keller’s side, as his spokespeople and AG Hector Balderas acknowledged that the growing tide of violence in the city has finally reached into retail, connecting itself to property crime, and, ultimately, organized crime, too.

TIP OF ICEBERG

That may seem like a good start toward changing things, crime-wise, in Albuquerque. But although the article goes to great lengths to show how shoplifting is just the tip of the iceberg, even leading into the story by stating that the AG and APD have asserted that “organized retail crime” is a driver of violence across the city” such ideas fly in the face of progressive thinking about crime, violence and their origins/consequences.

[“AG, APD to target ‘organized retail crime’”, Albuquerque Journal, July 6:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2406945/ag-apd-to-target-organized-retail-crime.html]

In fact, in an interview a year into his first term Keller had no problem agreeing with the interviewer that homelessness, addiction and mental illness—their effects exacerbated by the years-long dismantling of state and city health services—were in fact the underlying reasons for crime in the city.

[“YEAR ONE: Keller on long road to Burque”, Weekly Alibi, December 13-19, 2018,

https://alibi.com/news/57567/Year-One.htmlLong]

APPOINTING A CHIEF WITH A NEFARIOUS PAST

Further, when asked directly during his candidate interview in April 2017—by the same reporter—“How are you going to address the crime issue,” Keller’s response seems leagues away from where he stands today when Keller said:

“Number one, we’ve gotta start by saying, ‘There has to be change at the top.’ That’s not personal … we need new leadership right away at APD. That, to me, is just a starting point.”

[“Tim Keller And The Details”, Weekly Alibi, April 6-17, 2017:

https://alibi.com/news/53238/Tim-Keller-and-the-Details.html]

The current chief, Harold Medina, is an APD veteran with more than 20 years of service and a history that involves at least two officer-involved shootings.

[“Checkered history casts shadow on APD’s acting Chief”, Albuquerque Journal, September 15, 2020:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1500613/checkered-history-casts-shadow-on-medina-as-interim-chief.html]

And, as they say, that might just be the tip of the iceberg.

Other important controversies courted by the current administration have failed to gain traction with the local media, as Keller presses a performative style that includes super-serious press conferences about things his public relations people think will matter to an electorate that is increasingly economically divided between the poor and the affluent. While the latter is bound to be reassured by Keller’s affect, the former, the working class, are yet to be convinced.

“BIASNESS'” AND FLUFF OVER SUBSTANCE

Over at a local newsweekly [The Paper] —run by a city councilor whose own connection to police-related gun violence is, at the very least, an eyebrow raiser—coverage of Keller’s work and criticism of his administration’s policy challenges is lacking. A dearth of experienced reporters, an over-reliance on the AP wire and a taste for gotcha journalism has resulted in a surprisingly unfocused site.

[“New Mexico official called on to resign over police shooting”, Associated Press News, June 25, 2020:

https://apnews.com/article/1047f17cc155000c460152e23f32c2d7]

The fact that one of their political reporters spent time this week musing with city councilors about their favorite vacation spots—Wait a minute! Aren’t there at least two crises in this city that might be substantively written about?—seems not only out of touch, but also callous, given the economic status of many Burqueños post-pandemic.

[“City Councilors Check Out For July Vacation”, The Paper, July 6, 2021:

https://abq.news/2021/07/city-councilors-check-out-for-july/]

So, the list of issues that the Keller administration must successfully wrangle in order to be an acceptable candidate for reelection are numerous. They include the city’s disastrous economic condition and range from personnel issues, wherein a former city employee complained vociferously about rampant ageism in the administration—even as Keller apparently signaled his questionable preference for millennials in a recent press release—to the appointment of an APD insider as chief of police.

[“Past city official files whistleblower suit”, Albuquerque Journal, January 27, 2021:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2353571/past-city-official-files-whistleblower-suit.html]

[“Mayor Tim Keller Appoints Nyika Allen as Director of Aviation:

https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/mayor-tim-keller-appoints-nyika-allen-as-director-of-aviation]

And this Saturday morning, just as it was almost safe to find and state a conclusion about all this mierda, Keller and crew find themselves embroiled in their biggest battle yet. It’s a controversy that could further bolster his campaign, but could also prove to be his undoing.

POLITICAL PROPAGANDA REPORTED AS NEWS

Mayoral candidate and Keller nemesis Manny Gonzales was denied public campaign financing by the city clerk, a Keller appointee. What’s unclear, though, is whether clerk Ethan Watson has the authority to make such a call prior to the case being heard by a city election ethics panel.

That uncertainty didn’t prevent the mayor from confidently expressing his belief that criminal activities at the Gonzales campaign were to blame for the funding refusal. Keller told the local daily paper of record:

“As the former State Auditor, where we investigated and uncovered cases of fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars, I know a scam when I see it.”

Keller’s campaign manager, longtime Democratic political operative Neri Holguin also chimed in, telling reporter Jessica Dyer, “This is deliberate, this is systemic, this is widespread…”.

[“No Public Financing for sheriff’s mayoral bid”, Albuquerque Journal, July 9, 2021:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2407951/gonzales-bid-for-public-financing-denied.html]

And those words, folks, are just accusations. They may be well-founded, they may come from “experts”, but haven’t been proven as fact; the panel hearing the charges won’t meet until later this month.

POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK

As for legal precedent in the case, well, there is none. When candidate Keller faced ethics complaints related to in-kind donations in 2017—ultimately being found guilty by a unanimous vote of the City of Albuquerque Board of Ethics Rules and Regulations—he was not penalized before or after the complaint was formally heard.

[“Ethics board: Keller violated rule with ‘in-kind’ donations, NM Political Report, November 13, 2017:

https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2017/11/13/ethics-board-keller-violated-rule-with-in-kind-donations/]

Given that this is, in no way, an endorsement of Manuel Gonzales III—his loving embrace of Donald Trump and William Barr is an unforgettable reminder of the candidate’s inappropriateness for the city’s top job—it’s unclear how citizens should proceed come election day.

[“Sheriff’s visit to Trump White House draws ire”, Albuquerque Journal, July 21, 2020:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1478217/sheriffs-visit-to-trump-white-house-draws-ire.html]

FAILURE TO ADDRESS CONTROVERSIES

Certainly, Keller—and his handlers, good intentioned as they are—need to come clean with regards to the controversies still swirling around city hall. That includes addressing issues like crime, homelessness and violence—as well as continuing personnel issues—in a substantive, progressive manner that avoids performative acts. That’s what the candidate promised voters in 2017, after all.

If the man cannot adapt to what has become Albuquerque’s future under his watch, then someone else with values and vision needs to rise up from the ranks and challenge Keller—before his fumble on the Gonzales matter costs him the election.

Finally, it must be the job of the local press to render such matters transparent. As it is, local political bloggers are carrying the weight—providing a vision that needs to be shared by widely read and disseminated outlets in order to be truly effective. To do otherwise, as is apparently de rigueur in 2021, is a disservice to the citizens of this town.”

POSTSCRIPT

Links to 3 related blog article comparing the records of Keller and Gonzales are here:

Abq Journal Guest Column: “Abq Needs Choices for Mayor, Not lesser of 2 Evils”

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

Mayor Tim Keller’s Record Of Broken Promises, Failures And High Murder Rates As He Seeks A Second Term

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. … .They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Former President Donald Trump
2015 Announcement for President

Since the day he announced he was running for president, Trump has made vilification of immigration the signature part of his platform and agenda. He promised to build a wall that Mexico would pay for and he failed miserably on that promise one he became presidents. He had the federal government focus on replacing existing structures, already paid for by U.S. taxpayers, and diverted funds from other federal construction projects. As Republicans continue to tie themselves to Trump politically, they are now echoing the former president in calling for restrictive immigration policies and enhanced border security.

In typical inflammatory rhetoric, Trump said at his first rally since leaving the White House:

“Illegal aliens are overrunning their borders. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. Our poor borders, they were so perfect. They were so good.”

DER FÜHRER TRUMP’S TRIP TO THE BORDER

On June 30, former president Donald Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to assail President Joe Biden’s reversal of many of his policies on immigration, including the border wall he started and claimed that Mexico would pay for it, which never happened. Immigration is perceived by Republicans as once again emerging as a weakness for Democrats in the midterm elections.

During his June 30 border visit, Der Führer Trump launched into grievance-filled rants as he re-litigated the results of the 2020 election with false claims of voter fraud. Trump introduced the more than two dozen House Republicans who traveled to see him at the border. Conspicuously absent was that both Texas United States Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn did not attend the event.

Trump is starting up his political rallies again ahead of the 2022 midterms. His trip to the border reflected the extent to which he is focused on settling scores against political opponents and positioning himself for a potential run for president in 2024.

As is always the case, Trump focused on himself and he took credit for solving the border problem and argued his administration’s policies were so successful that the issue of immigration did not factor into November’s election. Trump criticized the Biden administration for not finishing the wall while lamenting the reality that the barrier was not painted black. The color black is one of Trump’s long-standing preferences for the wall because he believes it would make the structure too hot for people to climb. Der Führer Trump lamented and said:

“Everything could have been completed. … It would have been painted [black], not sitting there, rotting and rusting. It would have been perfect. … We did a hell of a job. … Now we have an open, really dangerous border.”

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott attended the border visit with Trump. Abbott is said to be running for President if Trump does not. Abbot is seeking to inherit the tough-on-immigration mantle from Trump and is one of the leading proponents for of a border wall. Abbot for his part praised Trump and had this to say:

“One of the things that he did better than anything else and definitely better than any other president is he stepped up and he secured our border, and kept Texans and Americans safe. … We have a sick country. It’s sick in elections, and it’s sick on the border.”

Texas Governor Gregg Abbot proclaimed his state will finish the boarder wall at an estimated cost of at least $26.5 million per mile and ignore the breakdown of the Texas “power grid” this past winter resulting in millions going without power and freezing.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/16/texas-border-wall-greg-abbott/

REPUBLICANS SICK PUBLICITY STUNT

House Republicans visited the border the night before Trump’s visit to witness crossings in La Joya, Texas. The Republicans were seen taking photos of unaccompanied children. No offer of help to them, but taking photos’ of desperate people they could use to exploit for political gain, which is about as sick as it gets. They later slammed the Biden administration for what they said was a “humanitarian crisis”.

Congressional Republicans got out of their vehicles and briefly accompanied migrants traveling along a gravel road after crossing the Rio Grande. Some were children joined by their mothers, while others traveled alone. Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Mary Miller (R-Ill.) exited their vehicles to walk with the migrants, asking them questions that were translated by a Spanish-speaking member of the media who was covering the trip. This group said they were from Guatemala and planned to surrender themselves to border patrol agents.

The Republicans are expected to cite their emotional moment as they hammer the Biden administration for policies, they say have escalated a dangerous environment at the border, including empowering drug cartels and putting unaccompanied migrant children at risk. But Democrats aren’t shrinking from that fight, pushing back hard against a Trump immigration legacy widely derided for its separation of migrant families at the border.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/30/house-republicans-migrants-trump-border-497190

Republican Indiana Congressman Jim Banks, the chair of the Republican Study Committee who led the House Republicans’ June 30 trip to the border, had this to say about immigration:

“It’s one of a number of issues that show a stark difference between the Trump policies and the failures on President Biden’s watch that are creating a recipe for a red wave, historic 2010-like election where Republicans are going to win back the majority in the midterm by a landslide because of the border crisis. ”

Republican U.S. representative for North Carolina Madison Cawthorn, said the visit reaffirmed his belief that the border needed to be closed. He said nothing about how the unaccompanied children should be handled but only that the border should be closed.

PRESIDENT BIDEN’S APPROACH TO BORDER CRISIS

The Biden administration has struggled to find its footing on the immigration and asylum seekers at the border. The Biden Administration has had difficulty dealing with the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border, as shelters became overwhelmed and officials strained to process the influx of children. The situation at the border has improved somewhat but the administration has not rescinded the Trump-era public health rule that allows the United States to expel migrants, including people seeking asylum, during the coronavirus pandemic.

What President Joe Biden has done is to task Vice President Kamala Harris with working to address the root causes of migration. Biden has sought to reverse the Trump administration’s approach to immigration on many fronts including canceling construction contracts for further walls at the border. The Biden Administration has worked to rebuild the asylum system and has focused on addressing poverty and violence in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala as a way to stem migration.

A link to quoted news sources are here:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/30/house-republicans-migrants-trump-border-497190

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-pans-bidens-immigration-policies-during-trip-to-southern-border/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-border-visit/2021/06/30/8c5165ac-d91c-11eb-8fb8-aea56b785b00_story.html

DEBUNKING LIES ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

Ever since Der Führer Trump descended down from his escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for President, many lies have been spread by him and his cult like supporters. Following are the big 7 of lies:

LIE 1: IMMIGRANTS ARE BRINGING A CRIME WAVE TO THE UNITED STATES

THE TRUTH:

Decades of research has shown that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes than native-born citizens.

Research also shows that high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crime and property crime. This holds true for both documented and undocumented immigrants.
From 1990 – 2013, immigration in the United States increased significantly, including the number of undocumented immigrants, which more than tripled. During that time, the violent crime rate in this country declined 48%.

The reasons for lower crime rates among immigrants are not fully understood. One theory is that people who choose the intense emotional and social sacrifice that comes with migrating are less likely to engage in risky or criminal behavior that would put their new lives in danger. Another theory is that immigrants revitalize neighborhoods and generate economic growth, which helps decrease the crime rate.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

American Immigration Council:
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/criminalization-immigration-united-states

Cato Institute:
https://www.cato.org/publications/immigration-reform-bulletin/criminal-immigrants-their-numbers-demographics-countries#

https://www.cato.org/blog/illegal-immigrants-crime-assessing-evidence

LIE 2: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ARE RECEIVING EXTENSIVE PUBLIC BENEFITS

THE TRUTH:

Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid or most other public benefits.

Most government assistance programs require proof of legal immigration status and even legal immigrants cannot receive many benefits until they have been in the United States for more than five years.

Undocumented immigrants can receive schooling and emergency medical care. A recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce states that “economists view expenditures on healthcare and education for children as investments that pay off later, when those children become workers and taxpayers.”

Numerous studies have found that immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in government services and benefits.

Legal immigrants use federal public benefit programs at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/documents/files/022851_mythsfacts_2016_report_final.pdf

American Immigration Council:
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/addressing-common-questions-immigration

National Immigration Forum:
https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-immigrants-and-public-benefits/#:~:text=Undocumented%20immigrants%2C%20including%20DACA%20holders,SSI)%2C%20and%20Temporary%20Assistance%20for

Cato Institute:
https://www.cato.org/immigration-research-policy-brief/immigration-welfare-state-immigrant-native-use-rates-benefit

LIE 3: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS DON’T PAY TAXES

THE TRUTH:

Households led by immigrants contributed a total of $308.6 billion in federal taxes and $150 billion in combined state and local taxes in 2018.

Undocumented immigrants are taxpayers – they pay sales and property taxes and many pay income taxes. Undocumented immigrants in the United States paid an estimated $20.1 billion in federal taxes and $11.8 billion in combined state and local taxes in 2018.

The Social Security Administration estimates that undocumented immigrants contribute about $12 billion each year to the cash flow of the program without receiving benefits in return because of their status.

In New York, undocumented immigrants contribute over $1.4 billion in state and local taxes annually.

In 2015, 4.4 million people paid $23.6 billion in total taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). An ITIN is a tax-processing number issued by the IRS to ensure that people can pay taxes even if they do not have a Social Security number.

DACA recipients and those who meet DACA eligibility requirements paid an estimated $1.7 billion in combined state and local taxes in 2018.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
https://itep.org/immigration/

Social Security Administration
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/NOTES/pdf_notes/note151.pdf

American Immigration Council,
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-in-the-united-states?emci=02adcc5c-9502-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&emdi=35821c27-9802-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&ceid=7428810

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
https://itep.org/state-local-tax-contributions-of-young-undocumented-immigrants/

American Immigration Council
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_new_york.pdf

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/facts-about-individual-taxpayer-identification-number-itin

LIE 4: IMMIGRANTS TAKE JOBS FROM NATIVE-BORN RESIDENTS

THE TRUTH:

Immigrants do not generally compete with U.S. born workers. Instead, immigrants usually compete with the migrants who came before them.

Many immigrants with legal authorization to work here are highly skilled and sought after by U.S. companies because of shortages in the native-born skill base. Economists find that highly skilled immigrants have a significant positive impact on creating new jobs in the United States.

Undocumented immigrants often fill the lowest rung of employment in construction, agriculture and domestic services. Studies show that low-skilled immigrant workers and low-skilled native-born workers take on very different jobs, with native-born workers taking jobs that require work authorization and English language skills.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine:
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23550/the-economic-and-fiscal-consequences-of-immigration

Urban Institute:
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/immigrant-and-native-workers-compete-different-low-skilled-jobs

Cato Institute
https://www.cato.org/blog/three-reasons-why-immigrants-arent-going-take-job

LIE 5: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS SHOULD HAVE “WAITED IN LINE” OUTSIDE THE U.S. IN ORDER TO IMMIGRATE HERE OR SHOULD HAVE “FIXED” THEIR STATUS AFTER ENTERING.

THE TRUTH:

(The below was written by the source ”NEIGHBORS LINK” before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, there are more significantly more restrictions on U.S. Visas and Entry.)

THE LAW CREATES NARROW CATEGORIES OF ELIGIBILITY

Most people immigrate to the United States through one of three routes: family relationships, job offers, or humanitarian grounds. Both family and employment-based immigration are limited to specific situations and relationships. Humanitarian protection is only available to certain categories of people. All three routes are expensive, complicated and narrow. Most immigrants do not have the necessary family or employment relationships and often cannot get humanitarian protection. Therefore, even if immigrants have family and jobs in the U.S. or are fleeing persecution back home, these three routes may not be available to them.

EVEN ELIGIBLE IMMIGRANTS FACE SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLES

Immigrants eligible for one of the three routes often face significant obstacles. Under the law, no country can receive more than seven percent of the visas available each year. Therefore, people from countries such as Mexico, China, India and the Philippines, who often have U.S. citizen family members and are most interested in immigrating to the United States, usually have a very long wait. Often this can exceed twenty years depending on their family tie and country of origin.

IMMIGRANTS ALREADY IN THE U.S. OFTEN HAVE NO LEGAL WAY TO CORRECT THEIR STATUS

Once somebody has entered the United States without authorization or has overstayed their visa, the law typically prohibits them from getting legal status within the United States. To get status, an immigrant will usually have to leave the U.S. first and return to their country of origin. When this happens, they may be banned from returning to the United States for up to ten years. This is true even if they are married to a U.S. citizen and have U.S. citizen children. The limited exceptions to this rule only apply for select groups of people.

THE RULES HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY

Immigration law has changed dramatically over the past 100 years. It has become extremely complex and confusing. Most of the people who immigrated to the United States more than 75 years ago would likely not be eligible under our current laws.

Sources:

American Immigration Council
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/why-don%E2%80%99t-they-just-get-line
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility-categories

LIE 6: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ARE STRESSING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

THE TRUTH:

Children of undocumented immigrants made up 7.3% of the U.S. school population in 2014. Most of these children (5.9%) were born in the U.S. and are citizens. The rest (1.3%) are undocumented immigrants themselves. In New York, children of undocumented immigrants make up 6% of the total K-12 school population.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that children, regardless of immigration status, must have access to public elementary and secondary education. The Court found that the harm imposed on our entire society by denying undocumented children from public schools was far greater than any resources saved from excluding them.

Our entire country benefits from well-educated children. As our population ages, it is expected that today’s immigrant children in elementary school will be an important part of the workforce in the coming decades.

There is significant opportunity in increased diversity in our schools. Research shows that increased racial, socioeconomic and ethnic diversity in classrooms provides students with a range of cognitive and social benefits.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

American Immigration Council
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/plyler-v-doe-public-education-immigrant-students

Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/17/children-of-unauthorized-immigrants-represent-rising-share-of-k-12-students/

The Century Foundation
https://tcf.org/content/report/how-racially-diverse-schools-and-classrooms-can-benefit-all-students/

Harvard Education Letter
https://www.hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_2/helarticle/dual-language-programs-on-the-rise

LIE 7: IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT LEARNING ENGLISH

THE TRUTH:

Immigrants in the United States today are actually learning English slightly faster than their predecessors. Sixty-six percent of immigrants who speak a foreign language at home can also speak English “very well” or “well,” according to a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

In many parts of the country, the demand for English as a Second Language classes is far greater than the services available.

The most significant determinant of whether or not immigrants learn a new language is their age at the time of entry. Immigrants who arrive as young children learn a second language quickly while adults find it much more challenging.

Pew Research Center found that unauthorized immigrants in the United States are better at speaking English and more educated than they were a decade ago.

89% of native born Hispanics in the U.S. speak English well.

Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/23/u-s-undocumented-immigrants-are-more-proficient-in-english-more-educated-than-a-decade-ago/

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21746/the-integration-of-immigrants-into-american-society

Migration Policy Institute
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrants-united-states-how-well-are-they-integrating-society

Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2015/05/12/english-proficiency-on-the-rise-among-latinos/

“NEIGHBORS LINK”

The above quoted source material and links to research was done by Neighbors Link. “Neighbors Link” opened in 2001 in the State of New York. It provides education, employment and legal services for immigrant families. The Neighbors Link mission is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. Their mission is achieved by filling a service gap for new immigrant families, offering education and empowerment programs, involving longer-term residents in volunteer opportunities and creating substantive partnerships with other local organizations.

https://www.neighborslink.org/about-us

The link to the source material is here
https://www.neighborslink.org/issues/immigration-myths-and-realities

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

Der Führer Trump’s biggest legacy as President of the United State will be his disgraceful “seeds of racism” he spread for all the world to see for the full 4 years he was in office. Trump is still going strong after losing the election. Trump empowered white supremist by never fully condemning their racism, such as the time when he said “there are good people on both sides” after a woman was run down by a white supremist in Charlottesville, Va. Der Führer Trump never misses and opportunity to show off his own racism to his most fervent defenders who have no problem with it, such as the two political shills who sent this blog their hate emails.

The truth, something that Trump has always been hostile to, is that the border is not open as Trump and the Republicans claim. The Biden administration is quickly expelling a majority of migrants under a public health order that’s been in place now since the beginning of the pandemic.

Many of the adult migrants who are being expelled are quickly turning around and crossing the border again which is what is making the numbers look bigger than they really are. The number of families and migrant children arriving at the border has actually been declining somewhat in recent months. The numbers are high , but not historically high necessarily.

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/27/1010760883/trump-heads-to-u-s-mexico-border-days-after-kamala-harris-trip

The seeds of Trump’s racism sewn as President are bearing fruit today as we see an increase in violence against Asian Americans. It is Trump who continues to call the Corona Virus the China Virus. Scores of Asian Americans nationwide have reported being targeted in verbal and physical attacks linked to coronavirus fears. Harvey Dong, a lecturer in Asian American and Asian diaspora studies has said “It’s racist and it creates xenophobia. … It’s a very dangerous situation.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/03/20/coronavirus-trump-chinese-virus/

KELLER VERSUS GONZALES

From April 17 to June 19, 2021, publicly financed candidates for Mayor were required to gather both 3,000 signatures from registered voters within the City and 3,779 qualifying donations of $5.00. 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 more than the required 3,000 qualifying signatures to be placed on the ballot and secured more than 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 as a write in, privately financed candidate.

No one has announced as a privately finance candidate for Mayor. From June 8 to August 10, 2021, Privately Finance Candidates for Mayor must gather more than 3,000 signatures from registered voters within the City to be placed on the ballot.

CITY COUNCIL

From May 31 to July 5, 2021, all City Council candidates seeking public fiancé were required to collect $5.00 qualifying donations and gather 500 qualifying signatures from registered voters within the district they are seeking to represent. 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.

EDITOR’S NOTE: While the City Clerk’s Office verifies petition signatures for the city, the City Clerk’s Office does not determine which candidates will be on the November 2 ballot. Because of the change in state law, city elections were held on the first Tuesday in October and now appear on the November general election ballot. It is the County Clerk that determines who is placed on the ballot. by the County Clerk’s Office. When a candidate meets the City Clerks threshold of petition signatures, the signatures are then forwarded to County Clerk who will let notify the city clerk who has qualified for the ballot after the County Clerk’s process. The City Clerk will delivering the petitions to the County Clerk on July 8 and the County Clerk will have three business days to tell the city clerk their determination as to who will appear on the ballot.

On July 7, the City Clerk posted the processed petition signatures and $5.00 qualifying donations in each of the city council districts.

DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCIL

Both incumbent LAN SENA and LOUIE SANCHEZ have qualified for both the ballot and public finance.

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: 668
Rejected Petition Signatures:61
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 411
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 477
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 72
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

LOUIE SANCHEZ

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 622
Rejected Petition Signatures: 144
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 411
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 477
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 72
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL

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

Incumbent city councilor KLARISSA PENA has qualified for both the ballot and public finance. Challengers BENJAMIN TELLES and ANTHONY ZAMORA have both failed to gather the qualifying number of nominating signatures and qualifying $5.00 donations resulting in City Councilor Pena being the only one on the ballot. Both BENJAMIN TELLES and ANTHONY ZAMORA can run as write in candidates and others can run as private finance candidates.

KLARISSA PENA (Incumbent)

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 613
Rejected Petition Signatures: 148
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 342
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 52
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 0
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

BENJAMIN TELLES

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 75
Rejected Petition Signatures: 58
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 425
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 15%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 16
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 4
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 299
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 5%

ANTHONY ZAMORA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 286
Rejected Petition Signatures: 141
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: 214
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 57%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 315
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 41
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 2
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 274
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 13%

DISTRICT 5 CITY COUNCIL

Incumbent CYNTHIA BORREGO and former City Councilor DAN LEWIS have both qualified for the ballot and public finance. Candidate PHILLIP RAMIREZ did collect the qualifying number of petition signatures and qualified for the ballot. Philip Ramirez did not qualify for public financing, but switched his financing status from public financing to private financing during the qualifying period.

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: 573
Rejected Petition Signatures: 244
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 522
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 78
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

DAN LEWIS

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 550
Rejected Petition Signatures: 31
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 552
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 22
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

PHILLIP RAMIREZ

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 556
Rejected Petition Signatures: 112
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 505
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 7
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: -0-
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 498
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 1%

DISTRICT 7 CITY COUNCIL

Candidates TAMMY FIEBELKORN and TRAVIS KELLERMAN have both qualified for the ballot and public finance. Candidates EMILIE DE ANGELIS, MAURO WALDEN-MONTOYA and ANDRES VALDEZ, SR have qualified for the ballot collecting 500 signatures but failed to gather the number of qualifying $5.00 donations. Candidates Walden-Montoya and Valdez switched to private financing during the qualifying period and therefore will appear on the ballot. Candidate De Angelis can still run as a privately financed candidate.

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: 530
Rejected Petition Signatures: 94
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 120
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 12
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 322
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 27%

TAMMY FIEBELKORN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 661
Rejected Petition Signatures: 64
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 493
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 15
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

TRAVIS KELLERMAN

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 629
Rejected Petition Signatures: 76
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 493
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 15
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

MAURO WALDEN-MONTOYA

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 640
Rejected Petition Signatures: 127
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 126
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 5
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 316
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 29%

ANDRES VALDEZ SR

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 524
Rejected Petition Signatures: 100
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 442
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 221
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 31
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: 221
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 50%

DISTRICT 9 CITY COUNCIL

Both ROB GRILLEY,JR and RENEE GROUT have qualified for the ballot and public finance.

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: 608
Rejected Petition Signatures: 28
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 444
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 7
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

RENEE GROUT

Required Petition Signatures: 500
Verified Petition Signatures: 617
Rejected Petition Signatures: 97
Remaining Petition Signatures Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified Petition Signatures Met: 100%

Required $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 418
Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 452
Rejected $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 55
Remaining $5.00 Qualifying Contributions Needed: -0-
Percentage of Verified $5.00 Qualifying Contributions: 100%

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

PRIVATELY FINANCED CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

From June 8 to August 10, 2021, Privately Finance Candidates for Mayor must gather more than 3,000 signatures from registered voters within the City.

From July 6 to August 10, 2021, Privately Financed Candidates for City Council must gather more than 500 signatures from registered voters within the district the candidate wishes to represent.

Following is the listing of the 6 privately financed candidates running for city council seeking the 500 qualifying petition signatures:

District 1: Dan Serano
District 5: Phillip Ramirez
District 7: Lori Robertson and Andres Patrick Valdez, Sr.
District 9: Anddrew Lipman and Byron Powdrell

COMMENTARY

Congratulations to all those city councilor candidates who have made the ballot! Good luck, best wishes and thank you for running for public office.

On June 3, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made it official that she is running for a second 4-year term. Protesters showed up and yelled into bullhorns. Some criticized her response to the COVID-19 pandemic while still others held anti-vaccination signs while at least one protester held a sign that compared Lujan Grisham to Adolf Hitler.

The Governor’s announcement speech was very short and she said:

“I’m sorry that we picked the same location that the QAnon lizard people meeting was at. … We’re gonna protect New Mexico and no amount of noise will deter, intimidate or create a vacuum in leadership. That makes a difference for every single New Mexican this day, and every day.”

Every governor since then has won a second term.

Links to related news coverage are here:

https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2021/06/03/1211436/

https://www.koat.com/article/gov-michelle-lujan-grisham-will-run-for-re-election/36623018

FIRST POLL SINCE ANNOUNCEMENT

On June 30, KOB 4 published the results of the first poll taken on the Governor’s approval rating. The report was prepared by KOB 4 reporter Chris Ramirez. Below is the Channel 4 news report followed by links to the news story and poll data:

KOB 4 partnered with the non-partisan polling company Survey USA to gauge New Mexicans’ opinions on a variety of important issues, including the governor’s job performance.

New Mexicans were asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of the job Michelle Lujan Grisham is doing as governor of New Mexico?

• Approve- 50%
• Disapprove- 32%
• Not sure- 18%

The governor scores the highest with people living in urban environments. She did particularly well in Doña Ana County and with adults ages 50-64.
People who identify as Democrats gave the governor an 80% approval rating.

She scored low with conservatives, people making more than $80,000 and Hispanics.

UNM political science professor Lonna Atkeson dived into the numbers.

“They (Hispanics) are a very important constituency to the Democratic Party, and it is critical for them to support the governor,” she said.

KOB 4 also asked New Mexicans how they feel the governor handled key issues.

• The coronavirus- 59% approval
• The economy- 49% approval
• Crime- 40% approval
• Policing issues- 40% approval

Atkeson believes the low public safety scores are a vulnerable spot for the governor’s re-election bid…

“On coronavirus, she is just really high in approval, but on crime, she doesn’t have approval above 50 percent,” Atkeson said. “It’s telling me that there are all these specific issues and people are saying I’m really on coronavirus, but I’m not so high on these other things and that is what is pushing her down and creating so much uncertainty. “

The link to the Channel 4 news story is here:

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/poll-gov-lujan-grisham-has-50-approval-rating/6158319/

The link to the full poll is here:

https://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=3247819a-cbc2-4164-8a9c-8cf1f865c23e

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

In 2018 when elected to her first 4 year term, Michelle Lujan Grisham won with 57.2% of the vote (398,368) to 42.8% of the vote (298,091) cast for Steve Pearce. A more than 100,000 margin in votes is a blowout win.

A 50% overall approval rating and a 32% disapproval rating should not be surprising at this point in time for a Governor that has shown real leadership making difficult decisions and who has been very effective in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The 59% approval rating dealing with the pandemic and the 49% approval rating dealing with the economy in all likely will increase as the state begins to reopen and things get back to normal.

Low approval ratings of 40% in both crime and policing issues is what Governors’ and Mayors’ across the country are dealing with as violent crime is a national trend. However, Governor Lujan Grisham has not totally ignored the issue and in fact has gotten behind legislation to deal with the issue, something that will be fleshed out as her bid for a second term gains full speed in the months ahead.

The one constituency that the Governor appears to need to work on is her 47% approval rating among Hispanics. 30% of Hispanics disapprove and 23% saying they were not sure of her job performance.

With an 80% approval rating from people who identify as Democrats, it is more likely than not Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will have no opposition in the Democratic primary, and if so, it will be weak at best.

NASTY REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION

The race for New Mexico governor is a year and a half away. Two Republican candidates have announced their bid and have already gone negative.

SANDOVAL COUNTY COMMISSIONER JAY BLOCK

On April 18, 2021 Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block announced he running for the Republican nomination for governor. Block, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent 21 years the Air Force and moved to Rio Rancho in 2015. Block has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump. In his announcement he said he is in favor of defunding abortion services and restoring qualified immunity for police officers.

In his announcement video Block said:

“This is a movement of shared values. … It’s time Michelle Lujan Grisham is out of office so we can start a new era of prosperity for New Mexicans.”

Block has already gotten nasty with his remarks about the Governor when he said:

“Michelle is proud of where New Mexico stands today. Michelle is proud New Mexico ranks last in education. Michelle is proud New Mexico ranks first in child poverty.”

GREG ZANETTI

On June 14, Republican Greg Zanetti announced his campaign. Zanetti is a former Bernalillo County Republican Chairman and a former New Mexico National Guard Brigadier General who now works in the business of wealth management. He has said in the past that he does not intend to get vaccinated for covid. With respect to the Governor, Zanetti had this to say:

“We had this autocratic governor come down and impose all these rules where we shut down businesses, locked down the kids, we shut the state down, and as the facts changed and we learned more about COVID, she didn’t adjust.”

Surprisingly, Republican conservative Zanetti is distancing himself from Der Führer of his party and former president Donald Trump and said:

“This isn’t about Donald Trump. It’s not about one person, it’s about a bigger message.”

Ostensibly, Zanetti did not get the memo from New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pierce that the Republican Party in the state and nationally are very much in lock step with Trump.

Former Republican Governor “She Who Shall Not Be Named” learned the hard way when she crossed Trump by not endorsing him. On May 26, 2015, appearing at a campaign rally in Albuquerque, Der Führer Trump unleashed a blistering assault on the former Republican Governor who skipped the event, by saying she was “not doing the job.” Trump faulted her by falsely asserting she was allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the state, and blamed her for Albuquerque’s unemployment numbers as well as the increase in the number of New Mexico residents on food stamps.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/us/politics/donald-trump-gov-susana-martinez-new-mexico.html

Each year the “Point in Time” (PIT) survey is conducted to determine how many people experience homelessness on a given night in Albuquerque, and to learn more about their specific needs. The PIT count is done in communities across the country.

The PIT count is the official number of homeless reported by communities to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help understand the extent of homelessness at the city, state, regional and national levels.

The PIT count requires the use of the HUD definition of “homelessness”. PIT follows the HUD definition of homelessness and counts only people who are sleeping in a shelter, in a transitional housing program, or outside in places not meant for human habitation. Those people who are not counted are those who do not want to participate in the survey, who are sleeping in motels that they pay for themselves, or who are doubled up with family or friends

HUD requires that any community receiving federal funding from homeless assistance grant programs conduct an annual count. In even numbered years, only sheltered homeless are surveyed. In odd numbered years, both sheltered and unsheltered homeless are surveyed. Only those homeless people who can be located and who agree to participate in the survey are counted.

HUD defines sheltered homeless as “residing in an emergency shelter, motel paid through a provider or in a transitional housing program.” It does not include people who are doubled up with family or friends.

HUD defines “unsheltered homeless” as those sleeping in places not meant for human habitation including streets, parks, alleys, underpasses, abandoned buildings, campgrounds and similar environments.

https://www.cabq.gov/family/documents/2019-albuquerque-pit-count-final.pdf

The PIT count is viewed as a single night snapshot of homeless people and it is understood to be an undercount. The City of Albuquerque contracts with The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness to conduct the annual “Point in Time” (PIT). In even-numbered years, only homeless people who stay in shelters are counted. The PIT count represents the number of homeless people who are counted on one particular night. This year’s count occurred from January 26 to February 1.

2021 POINT-IN-TIME (PIT) REPORT

On June 22, Albuquerque’s 2021 Point-In-Time (PIT) report was released that surveyed both sheltered and unsheltered homeless. This year, the survey asked where people stayed the night of January 25.

Major highlights of the 2021 PIT report are as follows:

There were 1,567 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people living in Albuquerque, a slight increase over the 2019 count of 1,524 homeless.

Albuquerque’s unsheltered homeless decreased from 567 people in 2019 to 413 in the 2021 count.

42% of Albuquerque’s unsheltered were defined as chronically homeless, meaning they had been continuously homeless for at least a year and had a disabling condition
21% said they were homeless due to COVID
37% were experiencing homelessness for the first time
12% were homeless due to domestic violence.
30.19% of the homeless in Albuquerque self-reported as having a serious mental illness,
25.5% self reported as substance abusers.

In the rest of the state, 37.92% of the homeless self-reported a serious mental illness, while 63.3% self reported as substance abusers.
The combined PIT numbers for the areas outside of Albuquerque is defined in the report as “Balance of State” (BOS). The 2021 BOS PIT count reports that 1,180 sheltered and unsheltered homeless, a 31% decrease from the 1,717 counted in 2019.

Operators of programs that provide services to Albuquerque’s homeless say the actual number of homeless is far greater than indicated in the PIT count. The Albuquerque Public Schools says the number of homeless children enrolled in district schools, meaning kids from families that have no permanent address, has consistently been more than 3,000.

The link to quoted statistics is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/2402560/homeless-numbers-see-little-change.html

https://www.cabq.gov/family/documents/2019-albuquerque-pit-count-final.pdf

PRIOR POINT-IN-TIME COUNTS

According to the 2019 Point-In-Time count, there were 1,524 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people counted in Albuquerque . This is 206 more homeless than the 2017 PIT count that recorded 1,318 homeless people in the city limits.

The 2017 survey found that there were 1,318 people reported experiencing homelessness on the night of the count, which then was an increase of 31 people over the 2015 PIT Count. The 2015 survey count found 1, 287 people reported experiencing homelessness on the night of the count.

For 2017, 379 people self-reported as chronically homeless, which was an increase of 119 people over the 2015 PIT Count. PIT counted 39 more people who self-reported as chronically homeless who were sheltered and 80 more people that self-report as chronically homeless who were unsheltered in 2017. The 2019 PIT report states that most people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Albuquerque were residents of Albuquerque before becoming homeless.

The link to quoted statistics is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/1355819/annual-count-shows-citys-homeless-numbers-up.html

ACTUAL NUMBER OF HOMELESS MUCH BIGGER

Government agencies and nonprofits report that the city’s homeless numbers are greater than those found in the PIT reports and that the number of homeless in Albuquerque approaches 4,500 to 5,000 in any given year.

The nonprofit Rock At Noon Day offers meals and other services to the homeless. Noon Day Executive Director Danny Whatley reported that there are 4,000 to 4,500 homeless people in the Albuquerque area. What is alarming is that according to Whatley, the fastest-growing segments are senior citizens and millennials (ages 23 to 38 in 2019).

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is New Mexico’s largest school district, serving more than a fourth of the state’s students and nearly 84,000 students. APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta stated the number of homeless children enrolled in district schools, meaning kids from families that have no permanent address, has consistently ranged from 3,200 to 3,500. APS serves many students in need with nearly two-thirds qualifying for the federal school meals program. The APS school district serves 29,000 breakfast per school day and 41,000 lunches per school day.

The centralized citywide system known as the Coordinated Entry System that the city uses to track the homeless and fill supportive housing openings reports that approximately 5,000 households experienced homelessness last year.

CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE SERVICES TO THE HOMELESS

The Family and Community Services Department is a key player in the City’s effort to end homelessness. The Departments services include prevention, outreach, shelter and housing programs and supportive services.

The City of Albuquerque has at least 10 separate homeless service provider locations throughout the city. The entire general fund budget for the Department of Family and Community Services is approximately $41 million. The $41 million is not just exclusive funding for services to the homeless.

The service offered by the Family and Community Services Department are directly provided by the city or by contract with nonprofit providers. The services include social services, mental/behavioral health, homeless services, health care for the homeless, substance abuse treatment and prevention, multi-service centers, public housing, rent assistance, affordable housing development, and fair housing, just to mention a few.

The following homeless services are funded by the City of Albuquerque, HUD’s Continuum of Care grants, Emergency Shelter Grants, and other grants administered by the City of Albuquerque:

1. Emergency Shelters for short-term, immediate assistance for the homeless for men, women, families, emergency winter shelter and after-hours shelter. The city’s West Side Emergency Housing Center has up to 450 beds available. The shelter is now open year-round. The operating cost of the facility is $4.4 million a year.
2. Transitional Housing assistance designed to transition from homelessness to permanent housing.
3. Permanent Supportive Housing for homeless individuals dealing with chronic mental illness or substance abuse issues
4. Childcare services for homeless families
5. Employment Services and job placement for homeless persons
6. Eviction Prevention or rental assistance and case management to prevent eviction and homelessness
7. Health Care services for homeless individuals and families
8. Meal program providing for homeless individuals and families in need
9. Motel Vouchers or temporary vouchers for homeless individuals with immediate medical issues and families with children, where emergency shelters cannot accommodate them. The city spends $8 million a year to provide 775 vouchers for rental assistance and to move homeless people from the street into housing. In the 2019-2020 approved city budget, an additional $2 million was added to the fund which will allow another 125 to 150 people to get into housing.
10. The Albuquerque Heading Home program initiative which moves the most medically fragile and chronically homeless people off the streets and into permanent housing. Since its inception in 2011 to January, 2017, it has placed 650 people into housing that assists with housing and providing jobs.

CITY BUYS GIBSON MEDICAL CENTER FOR GATEWAY CENTER

On Wednesday, May 7, 2020, Mayor Keller announced that the city was abandoning the development concept of a single, 300-bed homeless shelter and that the city would 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”.

The 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.”

On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, 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 using in part $14 million in voter approved bonds. The facility will be transformed into one of the Gateway Center for the homeless facilities.

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 .”

Carol Pierce, the city’s Director of the Family and Community Services Department ad this to say about the Gateway project:

We know this Gateway Center won’t solve the issue of homelessness in Albuquerque, and this is not the end of the road – it’s another step that will expand the system of care for our unhoused neighbors. The city continues to invest in these priorities through $29.6 million in social services contracts with local partners that provide shelter and behavioral health services, along with rental assistance and case management to attain and retain housing. Our annual investment in supportive housing increased by 44% since FY18. More affordable housing will be made available through $11 million in the Workforce Housing Trust Fund and on top of the $5.4 million spent in FY21 to build/renovate affordable housing. Recently, a $21.6 million investment for emergency rental assistance added new support for landlords and tenants to keep people who are in danger of losing their homes.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The greatness of a city is reflected by the commitment it makes to help its homeless who suffer from mental illness. The city does provide extensive services to the homeless that include social services, mental or behavioral health care services, substance abuse treatment and prevention, winter shelter housing, rent assistance and affordable housing development, just to mention a few.

Charitable organizations such as Joy Junction, St. Martins HopeWorks project, Steelbridge, The Rock at Noon Day and Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless provide services to the homeless, and do so by being where the homeless can be found and where the homeless can seek out, reach and have easy access to services.

All too often, we tend to forget our humanity, our political philosophy and our religious faith and beliefs of hope and charity, and condemn the homeless for what we think they represent or who we think they are. We condemn the homeless whenever they interfere with our lives at whatever level – such as pandering for money, begging for food, acting emotionally unstable, sleeping in doorways and defecating in public, and, yes, when we stand downwind from them and smell what living on the streets results in personal hygiene.

The sight of homeless camps, homeless squatters in parks and living under bridges usually generates disgust. People condemn the families of the mentally ill for not making sure their loved one has been institutionalized or is taking their medications.

All too often, the families of the homeless mentally ill are totally incapable of caring for or dealing with their loved one’s conduct. We easily forget the homeless are human beings who usually have lost all hope, all respect for themselves and are imprisoned for life in their own minds, condemned to fight their demons every hour, minute and second of their life until the very day they die.

One thing that must never be forgotten is the homeless have human rights to live as they choose, not as anyone says they should live. The homeless cannot be forced to do anything against their free will or change their life unless they want to do it themselves.

The homeless should not and cannot be arrested and housed like criminals or animals. Many homeless do not want to be reintroduced into society, and many have committed no crimes and they want to simply be left alone.

The homeless who suffer from mental illness cannot be forced or required to do anything for their own benefit without due process of law. Too often, the homeless are the victims of crimes, even being bludgeoned to death for fun as Albuquerque saw a few years ago when three teenagers killed two Native Americans sleeping in a vacant lot on a discarded mattress.

We as a city have a moral obligation to make every effort and make available to the homeless services they desperately need.