Susana Martinez chose the Metro Courthouse as a backdrop for the press conference she held this morning to announce her anti-corruption plans.
The six-part plan takes aim at lobbyists, ramps up penalties for crooked public officials and calls for webcasting and archiving all state government meetings, not just the Legislature. It also calls for a public corruption division in the State Police Department and would make not reporting a corruption related crimes a crime as well. In addition, Martinez said she wants to reform the capital outlay process, increase the campaign finance reporting and require ethics training for all public employees.
Corruption is a major issue in the gubernatorial election. The story I did when Diane Denish revealed her plan last July is available here.
Martinez running mate John Sanchez accompanied her, as did state Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell. A handful of protestors held signs that referenced her contributions from Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder, and his wife, Doylene, who gave her a total of $450,000. Perry, a major contributor to New Mexico Republicans in recent years, is a major moneyman behind the infamous "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ads that questioned the military record of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2004. Democrats frequently have pointed that out.
The courthouse location choice, of course, was no coincidence, and Martinez did mention the scandal of former Senate President Pro Tem Manny Aragon in her speech.
Here's the plan:
susanamartinezethicsplan
Update, 9:52 am
I said earlier the event took place at the Bernalillo County Courthouse. Wrong place. It was Metro Court.
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