New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman's Blog

Hope for 2018-- from the Bottom Up in New Mexico

Need to revive hope in the New Year?   Here are a few of the New Mexico solutions featured in my new book,  Another Way Forward: Grassroots Solutions from New Mexico. I will be talking about others Jan. 13 1-3 at the Los Poblanos Farm Store, 4803 Rio Grande Blvd. in Albuquerque. 

Solution #1: A service corps for young people to provide training in outdoor occupations, a sense of stewardship for New Mexico’s public lands and a leg up to further education.

Solution #2: A farmers market located outside a primary health clinic to offer low-income mothers fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms at affordable prices.

Solution #3: A community land trust to provide affordable housing, preserve a traditional neighborhood, and clean up an old industrial wasteland.

Solution #4: Tele-conferencing to bring the expertise of medical specialists to rural areas and address chronic diseases and opiod addictions.

Solution #5: A new type of experiential museum for all ages that is breaking the traditional mold and creating jobs for young artists.

Solution #6: A small factory that provides quality, on-site childcare for its employees at 25 cents per hour.

Solution #7: A civics program that gives kids a real-world opportunity to write a bill and lobby it through the legislature.

Solution #8: A medical residency program that encourages—rather than discourages—budding health care providers to locate in remote rural areas.

Solution #9: A fire department whose EMTs help 911 callers find services and solve problems rather than just taking them to the emergency room.

Solution #10: A program that matches the savings of low-income families if they take a financial literacy course and use the money for school, a small business or a home.

These are only ten reasons to have hope in the New Year —look around your community for the problem solvers, or just read my book, available through me www.dedefeldman.com/another, at Amazon (including Kindle) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999586408, Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/another-way-forward-dede-feldman/1127525590;jsessionid=E807877B1B77494C2FA174B10F926C74.prodny_store02-atgap05?ean=9780999586402 or BookWorks, where I’ll be having an event Feb. 1. at 6 pm. 

Ground Control to Major Tom: We May Have a Systems Failure

Blogger's Note: This is from the latest edition of my e-newsletter, From Just Outside the Roundhouse

I couldn’t help but think of our departed David Bowie this winter as I watched the legislature from just outside the roundhouse. It’s been four years since I’ve been out of that fray, and it looks, like Major Tom, untethered, disconnected and headed for parts unknown—in spite of the false display of accomplishment and good feelings on the final day. I feel the same way about the national political scene, where each party seems to be in denial that its grassroots are demanding an overhaul.

Is it just me or do you find these items disconcerting?

Item #1 The lack of meaningful action on the elephant in the room, i.e. an economy that continues to tank, making us first in unemployment, last in job creation. It’s fueling an exodus to neighboring states and leaving boarded-up buildings and For Rent signs in once thriving commercial centers like Nob Hill. The tired tools—smokestack chasing, tax breaks-- are not working. It’s obvious, but we’re stuck in political gridlock. Both the Governor and the divided legislature are to blame. Alan Weber had it right. The solutions are at hand: cellular phone service and high speed internet for the whole state; more flights at the Alb. Airport; diversification away from oil and gas to renewable energy; legalization and taxation of marijuana; investments in infrastructure and education; the use of unspent state funds identified by Auditor Tim Keller in his recent report.

Instead, the legis killed a measure that would have extended a tax credit for rooftop solar, dismissing an industry that is one of the few bright spots in the economy. And it made sure the voters would not have the opportunity to weigh in on legalizing (and taxing) marijuana, a proposition that brought $70 million into Colorado’s tax coffers last year.

Item # 2 In the wake of a major scandal involving the state’s chief ethics officer, the Secretary of State, the legislature, once again stuck its head in the sand and said the details weren’t quite right yet on the Ethics Commission, or on making lobbyist expenditures or independent PAC donors public. Really? Don’t we have a right to know? Shouldn’t lobbyists and elected officials be held accountable? Members of the Senate Rules Committee have had ten years to deliberate on this one, as bill after bill has come before them (I know, I was there), and their excuses are wearing thin. Many of the veterans are all for transparency—except when it applies to them. Then, as Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino said, a certain “paranoia” takes over that the elected officials will be victimized by the media or political opponents—and that-- with very few exceptions-- trumps the public’s right to know.

Almost all of the ethics initiatives were victims of a short session—and political moves designed to kill them. The Governor didn’t give messages or gave them too late, and House members got to vote for measures they knew would never make it through the Senate. Such is life in a divided body. The legislature, may be able to save itself at the 11th hour from Real ID, but can’t enact systemic reform to address deep-seated problems like declining public trust or economic stagnation.

Item #3 The unexpected rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. The way we have constructed the primary system has magnified the extreme wings of each party…. but, whoa, is there some realignment going on here? Some of the polls say that there’s crossover between Sanders and Trump supporters. They’re so disaffected that they’re for anyone who’s against the “establishment.” Think of what would happen if they somehow united. There are lots of institutional barriers of course, but… just saying. Our two-party system has created stability, but change is very difficult, especially without the reforms that would open it up. It’s gratifying to hear Bernie rail vs. Citizens United and dark money, just as it is to hear Trump tell a few truths about the power of moneyed donors on the Republican side. Without reform in this area, there’s going to be even more frustration from the shrinking middle class and… who knows, maybe even a push for deeper changes like independent redistricting (killed by the leg), ability for independents to vote in primaries (also killed) and even…. perish the thought, term limits or statewide voter initiatives.

Treasurer's Race Ho Hum? Not Really

Take it from former New Mexico Treasurer Doug Brown, who wrote about his first day on the job in his memoir, My Life in Stories.  Here, with permission, is an excerpt.... and it's my reason for supporting Tim Eichenberg for Treasurer. I know Tim from our time in the Senate together and am confident he has the experience and professionalism to never let this happen again......

from Corruption, a chapter in former NM Treasurer Douglas Brown’s My Life in Stories…

 “I’d done several corporate turnarounds, but nothing to prepare me for this experience…The NM State Treasurer’s Office had just erupted in scandal. Four former employees would eventually be indicted for various crimes ranging from extortion to conspiracy.… Would I please be willing to fix it?....

…Fact finding was made easy thanks to a thorough investigation by Deloitte & Touche begun months before.  The facts they found were anything but easy.  The state’s checkbook was out of balance by $160 million, and unreconciled items stretched back over five years.  The officer in charge of the banking department had no banking experience.  His previous job was as a baggage handler for America West.  Only one of my staff of 42 had any previous investment industry experience, and we were running a $5 billion portfolio.  There were few controls, little disclosure, and no effective oversight.  Investment guidelines, purchasing policies, and personnel policies were routinely ignored.  All efforts had been directed to overpaying on commissions and purchases to generate the wherewithal for “campaign contributions.”  The agency’s outside auditor was a small firm from the southern part of the state and had for years given the Treasurer’s Office clean opinions with no material weaknesses.  That relationship was so cozy that other CPA firms had stopped bothering to bid.  I came to appreciate Warren Buffett’s observation that there is seldom just one cockroach in the kitchen.

 Now for the scary part.  Document shredders had been working overtime.  The alarm contacts on doors and windows had been super-glued together to enable after-hours entry.  Video cameras had been redirected and videotapes erased.  Staff members who were reluctant to go along with these schemes had their personnel evaluations downgraded retroactively.  One had her car vandalized.  Alerted to this pattern of criminality, I had a detective agency check the premises for telephone bugs.  They found five, including one on my phone…

…it became clear that all roads led to a cohort of nine staff members.  Several of them were related to the former State Treasurer.  Fortunately all but two of them were patronage appointments who could be summarily replaced.

 At the staff meeting I assembled to announce the departures, I had expected some regrets… Instead, the news was greeted with a standing ovation….An agency veteran said that this was the first staff meeting that the agency had held during her ten-year career there.  The other surprise was that there was no extra burden of work despite a reduction of over 20% of the workforce.  That rogue group had been doing nothing but making mischief. “

 

Is New Mexico a Basket Case?

Blogger's Note:  I don't like to be pessimistic, but this article, written by Chris Cervini, with whom I worked in the legislature, rings very true.  He-- and others -- are leaving the state for better opportunities elsewhere. For those he leaves behind, he raises some serious questions.  What do you think? 

Oh, sad New Mexico, we love, we love you so

The Collapse of the promise of New Mexico and a possible path forward

This is a story about a place that seems to be hollowing out. A great promise dashed on the rocks of low expectations.

This is a story of New Mexico over the past 6 years.

There was a period of about 20 years when it seemed like something big was going to pop here. There was growth, hope and an influx of new people and new ideas. Innovators, job makers, thinkers, creators – they all came to this quirky place from the mid 80s on.

The high-water mark was somewhere around 2004 when Richard Florida’s Rise of the Creative Class listed Albuquerque — of all places – as a top destination and incubator of the creative class.

It bears noting that this period of advancement and growth occurred under both Democratic and Republican leadership and that the fault for its demise does not lay with one political party or another.

In fact, apart from the staggering global economic meltdown, some of the causes for our decline lay in fundamental long-held beliefs by both parties. But I’ll get to that later.

Right now I want to tell a story.

The Exodus

My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I came back to New Mexico in 2002-2003. We had both grown up here, but our parents were getting older and we felt it fitting to come back and spend some quality time with them while we still had it. Besides, I’m a Democratic political operative and communications pro and 2002 was a pretty good time for those types of people to come back to New Mexico.

Upon our return we were in the midst of a New Mexico on the move. Our friends included law students, accomplished grant writers, artists, Web-design people, medical residents, physical therapists, actors and innovators. These were people who wanted to start businesses and generally build out this promising place. It was electric.

But it wouldn’t last.

One by one, people started to move away. The promise did not match the reality. People began bumping up into the age-old New Mexican syndrome of endless handwringing and naysaying about how things can’t be done, rather than what might be possible.

“But we’re New Mexico, we cannot possibly attract company X or industry Y.”

I saw friends beating their heads against walls trying to make something happen but being grinded down by obstacles such as a lack of a real private economy. New Mexico was a place of hope and promise, but there was no real substance to it.

Over time, nearly all our friends left seeking greener pastures and better opportunities.

This is not the “New Mexico losing its bright kids” narrative (though that’s a major problem). It’s New Mexico losing talented people who were attracted by the promise of the place only to find the promise empty.

Here’s a quick rundown of friends who left:

PR executive and entrepreneur; talented photographer and professor; pediatrician; Web-design guru and her engineer husband; nationally recognized business-process and organizational consultant; successful grant writer for national organizations; journalist; attorney; IT person; neurological rehabilitation therapist; retired attorney and arts supporter.

A fairly accomplished group – all gone from New Mexico because they couldn’t make a go of it. To a person, they are all happier in their new places.

Diagnosing the Problem

We can’t lay all the blame at the feet of the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis. That crisis hit everyone, yet New Mexico remains bleeding on the floor while our neighbors are moving forward to what is setting up to be a promising economic 2014.

And therein is the problem. While our neighbors may shoot forward and grow like weeds in 2014, we may see only modest growth. And that will give our politicians and business leaders the excuse they need to proclaim from the highest mountains how we stared down the apocalypse and are now on the rebound.

Nevermind that the basic underpinnings of our state’s economy remain unchanged, leaving us weaker and more vulnerable to the whims of oil and gas prices or government shutdowns.

We can prattle on about combined reporting and tax rates when the basic fact is this: We could likely take away the state’s income tax IN TOTAL and not pry one single company from our neighbors.

Sadly, our state’s economy is almost completely propped up by extractive industries and government jobs. Make no mistake – they have both served us well, but they are not enough.

The “sadly” is this: The permanence and historical success of those two sectors allow our policymakers and business leaders to be lazy.

There’s no need to build a 21st century workforce as long as our state is propped up by 19th century industries (oil and bureaucracy).

So we ride out the bad times, claim victory when things get a little better and ultimately change nothing in New Mexico.

My friends came to New Mexico in a period of historic high energy prices and government expansion – it made the state look rosier than it is. Once there is uncertainty or a hiccup in either of those sectors, the rosy picture evaporates and the ugly truth is revealed. New Mexico is a beautiful place to visit and, if you’re rich, buy a summer home. Otherwise, you’re in for a hard slog to try and get a bite out of a pie that never grows.

The Blame Game

We are all to blame.

While New Mexico is the worst place to raise kids; while people in the Colonias can’t even get running water or electricity; while brutal, senseless violence invades even our safest communities – we all just go along to get along.

Politicians nibble at the edges. Republicans cut some taxes and say they’ve saved the economy; Democrats throw a bone to the film industry and say they’ve helped diversify the economy. Neither side gets it.

The media is obsessed with stabbings, shootings, gore and, of course, pooh-poohing any unconventional idea that might shake things up.

The business community – so weak – panders to whoever is in charge. I was in the prior administration – they pandered to Richardson and now they pander to Martinez. This is partly because we don’t have a strong private sector that can stand on its own, and partly a failing of leadership in the business community.

Average New Mexicans? Well, we sit around and wait for something to happen. We’re resigned to a mindset of “what can’t be done” – because it’s all we’ve ever known.

A way forward – some recommendations

Children go to bed hungry and attend dilapidated schools in a state that has tens of billions of dollars in permanent funds and huge reserves.
To make change, we all have to get sick and tired of being at the bottom and work to do something about it.

Some leaders call the permanent funds a rainy day fund and warn that we should never, ever touch them.

Those people are borderline criminals in a state that is at the bottom of every good list and near the top of every bad list.

If New Mexico is ever to be that place of hope and promise, it needs to shake things up fundamentally. That means doing the following:

1. Create a long-term human-development fund to pay for adult basic education and workforce training. Leverage federal dollars.

Why? Because our current workforce is lacking. Companies cannot find qualified individuals, which makes attracting companies tough for economic developers. Plus, kids will do better if their parents have skills to get better jobs, live in better houses and provide more stability.

2. Diversify the economy.

Renewable energy is where the world is headed and New Mexico has a wealth of homegrown renewable resources that can help develop and diversify the economy. This is a 20-year play, but it’s a critical strategy to give us at least one competitive advantage against the states that have been eating our lunch since 1912.

Also, let’s shut up about pitting renewables against oil and gas. Both can co-exist. This is a falsehood created by the right. Don’t buy into it; it’s not a zero-sum-game.

3. Invest in early childhood – across the spectrum.

From health-care diagnosis to education, we need to do a better job of investing in our kids from birth through high-school.

Some will say: “You can’t just throw money at the problem.”

I say: our most important resource is the future generation of kids who will build us out of our current morass. Every dollar NOT put into programs to ensure we are raising the best and brightest is a dollar wasted.

4. Broadband.

It’s more important in a 21st century economy than roads or ports – so prioritize making New Mexico a statewide high-speed hotspot and haven for data centers and cloud computing.

5. Make Native Americans and traditional Hispanic communities part of the solution.

One thing our competition can never take away from us: New Mexico is blessed with a unique and rich cultural tradition unlike any other in the WORLD. Artisans, craftsman and people keeping community traditions alive make our state special. New Mexico should be a global destination for seekers who want to experience our culture, our cuisine and our rugged beauty.

Not working with traditional communities on how we can respectfully highlight these contributions to global culture is missing a huge opportunity.

6. Finally, don’t pooh-pooh the new.

We live our lives running down what’s new and what we don’t understand. And we’ve suffered because of it.

As a New Mexican, the next time you find yourself saying anything close to: “But that’s not how we did it before” – slap yourself. How we did it before doesn’t work.

Let’s welcome some new ideas and create some of our own.

Happy Trails

We are leaving, for now. My wife has been successful and received a recent promotion, which means we will soon be moving to Austin. We are one of those families Joe Monahan talks about – the ones getting paid to leave New Mexico.

We have both been wildly successful in New Mexico and thank it and the people for our opportunities. Not the least of which is Diane Denish, who took a chance on me and is truly one of the good eggs.

In closing, New Mexico is not without its share of doers and thinkers and creators — all who want to take the state to the next level and turn New Mexico around.

Let’s hope these people don’t get buried in the sea of negativity and failure that has pervaded this place for far too long.

New Mexico will always be our home and we may someday return.
But now, like all our friends who left, we are going to check out those greener pastures for a while and wish all New Mexicans peace and prosperity.

 

Reaction to My Decision Not to Run Again, Good Articles

I’ve been touched by the outpouring of e-mails, letters and calls I’ve gotten in the past two weeks, and it has eased this bittersweet transition somewhat.  It’s hard to leave with an unfinished agenda in so many areas—health care reform, the switch to alternative energy jobs-- and the prospect of an avalanche of negative political campaigns coming right at us in the wake of Citizens’ United, and other court decisions aimed at undoing the campaign finance laws we have on the books.  But agendas are always unfinished and the process will continue with the players rearranged in different positions.  I was amazed at how many other legislators are also not running again.  Here’s a story from KRQE TV. KNME’s In Focus is airing its interview of me and Sen. Mark Boitano, who is also stepping down, Friday March 9. The interview will be posted on the KNME web site.  A trend? Maybe….  There’s growing frustration with gridlock, and the burnout factor for many of us is undeniable-- what with no pay, constant criticism and strain on families.   And there is little chance that will change anytime soon.

 

Retiring NM lawmakers a growing trend?: krqe.com

 Some Good Articles about the RecentSession

            Sometimes it takes a little time and reflection to process what really happened in the short Santa Fe legislative session.  Here’s a great post mortum on the failure of my fireworks bill by Steve Terrell of the New Mexican at http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Fireworks-measure-fizzles--Industry-pressure-kills-bill-designed-to-prevent-wildfires, and a really funny one on something that didn’t get a lot of attention: the continued drive to slow the revolving door between legislators and lobbyists.  Peter Moulson documented the unbelievable testimony from the Senate Rules Committee on why that would never be necessary. Check it out at http://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/2012/02/a-matter-of-public-trust-republicans-explain-that-lobbyists-have-absolutely-no-influence-in-our-legislature.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving: Update

Let Them Eat…. Pizza and Fries—Really?      Just when you thought Congress had hit rock bottom, came news last week that US School Lunch guidelines willcontinue to feature French fries and pizza (with the tomato paste counting as a vegetable). Congress caved to the frozen pizza and French fries lobbyists—a weighty force in DC. Click here for details.  The news came as I attended a national legislative conference held last week in the Duke City about the epidemic of obesity among school children and the coming diabetes epidemic that the Institute for Medicine now says will hit 2 out of 10 Americans by 2030.       Here in New Mexico we’re already on the front lines, with 33% of our children obese or overweight.  Among Albuquerque public school students, the rate is 34%, or 22,000 children in grades K through 8. Here are two maps of Senate District 13 showing that 19-25% of local 8th graders are extremely obese, and that 35% or more 5th graders are overweight and obese.           Obesity is currently costing New Mexico $329 million in medical costs each year, but the good news is that the National Conference of State Legislators brought their conference here, because we are beginning something about it.  Schools like Griegos Elementary are holding fun runs, and trying to integrate more physical activity into each day, despite the lack of funding for PE. Students and teachers are planting community gardens at Alvarado and Kirtland elementary schools and students in the Valley cluster enjoy fresh fruit and vegetable snacks from New Mexico several times a week, thanks to a pilot program I started a few years ago.  But there’s much more to be done.   Republican Party Seeks to Overturn State’s Campaign Contribution Limits—Groups Fight Back      New Mexico’s hard-fought measure to limit campaign contributions and the influence of big money on politics, which I co-sponsored in 2009, is the target of a lawsuit brought by the Republican Party, the oil and gas industry and Sen. Rod Adair.  The lawsuit is part of a nationwide effort spearheaded by Indiana lawyer James Bobb in advance of next fall’s elections.  The suit is aimed at the contribution limit of $5,000 to parties and political action committees—both the source of big money in campaigns.  Bobb was the lawyer in Citizens United, which determined that individuals and corporations could make unlimited contributions to support or oppose candidates as long as they don’t contribute directly to them.        Sen. Adair was the lone vote against the 2009 bill in the Senate, which brought reform to one of the last states to allow unlimited contributions.  I read the brief and was amazed at its audacity.   It repeatedly states that the reason for the suit is because the Republican Party, Adair, Harvey Yates (head of the oil and gas association) “are ready, willing and able” and want to make and accept contributions greater than $5,000 RIGHT NOW.        So much for one person, one vote.      Meanwhile, there’s action on a national level to halt the systematic effort to dismantle campaign finance reform and prevent big donors from crowding out the rights of ordinary folks who cannot make huge contributions.      Citizens are beginning to fight back against the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens’ United which removes controls on special interest spending and gives corporations the same rights as individuals. A recent public opinion survey by Hart Research found that 57% were dissatisfied with our political system, and 79% favor a constitutional amendment that would overturn the ruling and make clear that corporations are not people, and Congress has the authority to limit corporate spending on elections.      Amending the US Constitution is a long process but it has been done many times.  Sens. Tom Udall, Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley, Chuck Schumer and Sheldon Whitehouse are starting the process by collecting petition signatures.    Sign here to allow Congress to regulate the big money.  Another organization in town recently is pushing for a broader amendment to ensure corporations are not considered people. For more information go towww.freespeechforpeople.org.   The Health and Human Services Interim Committee, which I chair, has heard a season’s worth of testimony about the alarming increase in drug overdoses, (New Mexico is now number one) prescription drug and teenage heroin addiction, Native American suicides, and more.  We’ve heard about health insurance rates, “medical homes,” and other ways to bend the rising curve of health care costs. We have followed the new administration’s approach to health care reform (an Office of Health Care Reform has now been set up and New Mexico is applying for a $34 million grant to set up a health care exchange).  We continue to wait for even a barebones plan to “modernize” the Medicaid program, as promised by the Human Services Department in June.      The final meeting of the committee will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Still hanging in the balance is how to structure a Health Care Exchange, a marketplace for health insurance policies that is a major component of health care reform.  The Governor vetoed my exchange bill in March. Stay tuned for action on this item during the upcoming session.   Neighborhood News: Local Heroes       I continue to be so proud of Griegos Elementary.  They are the only school in New Mexico to receive the US Dept. of Education’s Blue Ribbon Award for the 2011 school year.  It’s a tribute to several years of hard work by the students, teachers, family and staff.  Principal Tom Graham deserves extra credit, too.      I am likewise proud of the Alvarado Neighborhood’s Joining Hands project, now on display in the new education building at the Rio Grande Nature Center where Candelaria dead ends into the river.  Kathy Chilton and Lauri Dickenson know how to make beautiful lemonade out of lemons.  The lemons here were the contentious feelings about the state construction project—and the lemonade consists of the beautiful montage of hands attached to neighbors of all sizes and stripes.  No two are alike!  The exhibit will be on view until Dec. 18, Saturdays and Sundays 2-4 p.m. Free!  Visit this web page for more info.