Morning Word: Chummy Relations

Fair Vote

Are Public Regulation commissioners too "chummy" with Public Service Company of New Mexico business executives? New Energy Economy, which opposes PNM's rate increase request and plan to replace coal energy with more coal and nuclear power, thinks so and they want

from voting on the issues later this year.

Rodella's Fines Unpaid

US prosecutors won't be allowed to seize $70,000 from former Rio Arriba Sheriff Tommy Rodella. A judge has said

until after Rodella's appeal hearing in Denver later this month. Prosecutors want the money to pay a portion of Rodella's court fines.

Impeachment Drums Begin to Beat

New Mexico House Speaker Don Tripp has initiated plans to select a bipartisan committee to consider whether there's

Secretary of State Dianna Duran. He's also asking the attorney general for a copy of the criminal case file. Meanwhile, Duran is staying in touch with members of her staff via phone. They say they haven't discussed the 64-count indictment filed against her last week and that discussions have been centered on the day-to-day operations of her office.

Common Cause

Viki Harrison, the executive director at Common Cause, says the case against Duran is evidence the Legislature needs to

and to seriously consider the way campaign finance reports are audited. Right now, only about 10 percent of candidates' financial reports get a closer look.

Sleepwalking

The corruption charges against Duran have Alan Webber, a former Democratic Party gubernatorial primary candidate, speaking out. He says state leaders needs to "stop pretending everything is okay" and

. To start, Webber proposes a "grassroots strategy" to create jobs.

Small-Town Boost

Gov. Susana Martinez has unveiled Frontier Communities Initiative. It's aimed at helping seven small New Mexico towns (Eagle Nest, Mountainair, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Springer, Tularosa and Villanueva) with

in their historic districts.

Education Shortcomings

An independent review released by the state auditor's office on Wednesday shows New Mexico isn't spending enough money on special education programs. In fact, over a three-year period, we fell

. Chris Quintana at the Santa Fe New Mexican writes, "The audit report says the Public Education Department’s failure to comply with federal spending rules could cost the state tens of millions of dollars in federal special-education funds in the future to help pay for counseling, classroom aides, diagnostics, and speech and language services for the 46,500 special-education students in New Mexico."

Hypocrisy?

Former Gov. Gary Johnson isn't mincing words after reading SFR's

article revealing the names of some medical cannabis license applicants and learning that his former secretary of public safety, Darren White, is on the list.

since he resigned from Johnson's administration after his own conservative ideas about the War on Drugs began to evolve after being re-elected to a second term in 1998.

Busted

More than 110 people were arrested for not paying child support during an annual campaign to collect payments. KRQE reports, "The total amount of child support collected from the roundup so far

—

combined with collections from the amnesty period

—

.

Death Stats

Despite some tragic shooting deaths this year, the number of police officers killed in the line of duty is

.

Forfeiture Laws Debated

Despite a new state law, it doesn't look like some cities plan to stop seizing cars after DWI arrests. Nearly six months after new legislation was signed into law defining when state and local government officials in New Mexico can take vehicles and other private property through forfeiture actions,

, according to Daniel J. Chacón, who covered a vehicle forfeiture conference in Santa Fe on Wednesday.

Santa Fe Reporter