Jim Scarantino Departs New Mexico Watchdog
I have been honored to work these past two years with the Rio Grande Foundation. But I’m off to other adventures. My farewell from New Mexico Watchdog is here.
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Jim Scarantino, New Mexico Watchdog
New Mexico Schools Flunk Transparency Tests: Sunshine Review
Most of the state budget goes to schools, and that’s where a lot of mystery remain for anyone wanting to see what happens to those hundreds of millions of dollars. The nationally respected Sunshine Review checked out the websites of New Mexico school districts and gave a general ‘F.’ But three districts did quite well [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: New Mexico Watchdog, school districts, Sunshine Review, transparency
Susana Martinez v. Diane Denish: What We Pay For Their Personal Security
Guess which ones wants taxpayer-funded full-time bodyguards and which one carries a .45? New Mexico Watchdog’s latest look at the candidates for Governor.
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Denish, Diane Denish, New Mexico Watchdog, Susana Martinez
Martin Heinrich’s Lobbyist Godfather: K Street’s Robert Raben
Who is this lobbyist who took up Nancy Pelosi’s request and adopted U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich? Meet him over at New Mexico Watchdog.
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Heinrich, Martin Heinrich, Nancy Pelosi, New Mexico Watchdog, Robert Raben, The Raben Group
Bill Richardson’s Mansion Not for the Little People
On that Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart ceremony in the Governor’s Mansion:
Looks like state subsidies of the film industry include a free event center for movie stars to get married. Also looks like the subsidies are breeding a new class structure in New Mexico. The elite glitterati get preferential and free use of state facilities like [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Bill Richardson, Clarista Flockhart, Harrison Ford, New Mexico Watchdog
Changing New Mexico’s Culture of Corruption
I have been in Chicago over the past several days for meetings and training provided by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Part of the training included lectures on detecting and fighting public corruption. The speakers were a former IRS criminal investigator (think a CPA with a Glock) and a former high-level FBI [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: corruption, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, New Mexico Watchdog
Denish’s Own Ad Makes Her A Witness in Major Criminal Case
It’s never a good idea to politicize a pending criminal case just to score points in an election campaign. There are consequences. NM Watchdog reports.
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Denish, Diane Denish, New Mexico Watchdog
Rio Rancho Solar Plant on Hold
Reality intrudes. Where’s the money? Cut through the hype, the warm fuzzies of “green jobs,” and you still need money, lots of it. There’s lots of gullibility in the mix–from Bill Richardson to Jeff Bingaman to the city fathers of Rio Rancho–what’s missing is real money. New Mexico Watchdog still on the trail of Green2v [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: GP3, Green2v, New Mexico Watchdog, Rio Rancho
Mystery Surrounds Backers of $500 Million Bonds for Rio Rancho Solar Start-Up
What kind of an outfit presenting a $500 million letter of credit has its “corporate offices” in a UPS store on the west side of Sin City? The kind of outfit that is part of the team behind the effort to get Rio Rancho to issue half a billion in industrial revenue bonds to launch [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: GP3, Green2v, New Mexico Watchdog, OVS Capital Group, Rio Rancho, solar power
Diane Denish Used State Planes 143 Times, Charged Taxpayers $208,000 Plus
The Lt. Governor has no real power. She sits on boards, presides over the Senate, votes in cases of a tie, etc. But she has a small staff, and no executive powers to direct any part of state government. Yet, she flew around the state for brief meetings, photo ops and parades. Sometimes her only [...]
In: Uncategorized
Tagged with: Denish, Diane Denish, New Mexico Watchdog, State planes, Texas Watchdog

