Janice Arnold-Jones mulls run for governor

The woman who pretty much single handedly started the webcasting revolution this session, Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones is thinking about running for governor.

We had a great time covering the whole webcasting debate in the House and Senate because, well, it's fun when a lawmaker does something out of the ordinary. But Arnold-Jones, along with Sen. Mark Boitano, raised good points about government transparency -- always a timely topic and particularly now.

Democrats need your help. Again.

It does seem like just yesterday that the state's Congressional delegation went all Democrat, doesn't it?

That's the question Sen. Tom Udall uses to start off a fundraising pitch he sent this morning.

Democrats need money to "Keep New Mexico Blue," says his letter, which asks supporters to sign up to give monthly donations to the state's Democratic Party.

"Democrats in Washington have hit the ground running and have already passed major legislation to give equal pay for woman, expand child health care and reform the credit card industry," Udall wrote. "But, the Republicans are already gearing up for the 2010 election to try to stop this progress by defeating our three new members of Congress."

So, while the election of Udall, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, and Reps. Ben Ray Lujan, Martin Heinrich and Harry Teague may feel like yesterday, make no mistake: the next campaign cycle has already begun.

Indictments in Housing Authority case

Props to Heath Haussamen for getting this scoop.

I confirmed the info with the Attorney General's Office, where spokesman Phil Sisneros said in an e-mail that "Vincent 'Smiley' Gallegos, Robert Strumor, Dennis M. Kennedy and Davis N. Hernandez were indicted today in ABQ.'s Second Judicial Court." (Although the e-mail says Davis N. Hernandez was indicted, the indictment shows a David N. Hernandez.)

Sisneros said the office wouldn't be releasing info on charges or anything else.

See my colleague Steve Terrell's blog for the actual indictments.

State Republicans were fast with reaction on the news.

"This indictment reinforces a growing sentiment that we need to reverse the path on which this state is headed. For far too long, self-serving political insiders have exploited, at taxpayers' expense, their positions for personal or political gain," chairman Harvey Yates said in a statement.

Republicans hire new political director

The state GOP has chosen Sergio Garcia as the party’s political director and deputy executive director. Garcia, who lives in Corrales, has lengthy political experience, according to a release from the party.

Among other things, Garcia was a member in 2004 of the Republican National Committee’s Bush-Cheney 72-hour legal task force. In 2000, he was appointed southern California’s Hispanic grassroots director for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Eight years before that, Garcia worked at the RNC's college Republican grassroots coordinator for southern California.

Garcia, a native Spanish speaker, also worked in Nicaragua as the country director for the International Republican Institute, according to the release.

While there, "he supported 147 mayoral candidates in their bids to thwart an authoritarian regime led by Dictator Daniel Ortega."

Garcia also worked at the U.S. Department of State, where he was deputy political counselor at the Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs. He also worked for the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as asenior policy advisor for Latin America and Multilateral Affairs.

"Mr. Garcia’s impressive background is complemented by his deep commitment to working within the Hispanic community," GOP chairman Harvey Yates said in a statement. “This experience will be a significant asset as Republicans look forward to 2010.”

The hire could be seen as putting the Democrats on notice that the GOP is serious about reaching out to Hispanic voters in the coming elections.

Unions sue over 1.5 percent increase to pension fund

Members of four public employee unions this morning plan to file a lawsuit against the state over a provision approved by the Legislature this year that calls for them to pay 1.5 percent more into a pension program over the next two years.

Critics have called the move “a pickpocket” and a “pay raid.” The plan is supposed to save the state about $42 million a year, lawmakers have said, and is seen as a way to keep the pension funds afloat. The change applies to workers covered under the Public Employees Retirement Association and the Educational Retirement Board.

One plantiff in the suit, Peggy Stielow, a Rio Rancho teacher and union member, said in a statement that she "decided to file because lawmakers balanced the budget on the backs of employees’ rights."

"By enacting this law the state has made a legal statement that their contract with public pensioners is an option and so are the constitutional rights of pensioners,” Stielow said.

Employees who earn $40,000 a year would see about $20 less in their paychecks every pay period.

New Mexico Finance Authority chairman: CDR investigation done

That's what state Rep. Brian Egolf is reporting he just heard from Stephen Flance, chairman of the board.

My colleague Steve Terrell is at the meeting and checking it out. More later.

More gubernatorial reading material

I blogged last week about Allen Weh's website. Well Lt. Gov. Diane Denish says hers is updated and ready to go. Turns out there is another one as well: Greg Zanetti has one here.