Resurection in the place you were crucified

I have had a lot of time to think since my last blog post in October 2010. This blog was always about giving me an outlet to write and a place to express my thoughts. Even though it caused me to be popularized as "the blogging sheriff" I never intended this blog to be about making me popular or famous. I have always wanted to write and yet was not very disciplined in keeping a good writing schedule. The blog helped with that in that it forced me to write in order to keep the blog alive.

In November of 2010 my crimes were made public and as any lawyer would say you have the right to remain silent so use it. I stopped blogging and even though I stopped blogging and removed my blog from the public view it was used by my supporters and my detractors and the blog never really went away. I missed blogging and actually missed having that outlet for expression and writing. So here I am, it's a new year and I am trying to start a new life and decided to try blogging again. Because of who I am I have to know that I will not be able to do this with the relative anonymity that many bloggers have and that my thoughts and my words will be public and scrutinized. I take this step at least having convinced myself that I know the risks and understand them.

The other night I was channel surfing and could not find my usual shows I like to watch (at least not episodes I had already seen) when I came across the show celebrity wife swap. I never watch this show but I do watch Celebrity Apprentice and last year Gary Busey was on the Apprentice. Gary Busey on the Apprentice was fun to watch. I compare it to knowing a train wreck is coming, knowing you can't stop it, so you just sit there and watch it.

Well, Gary Busey was on Celebrity Wife Swap so I decided to watch. Swapping wives with Gary Busey was Ted Haggard. He is a pastor from Colorado Springs who ran a large church before he was caught soliciting a male prostitute and allegedly purchasing meth from the prostitute in 2006. I never heard of Ted Haggard but while watching the show I could not help but compare what he called his "scandal" to what my family and I are going through. He has three children and a wife who all stuck by him through the ordeal.  In the show you saw a glimpse of what his wife and children went through and what they are still going through as they stick by there father and husband. You also see that as he throws himself into restoring his life that he has begun to neglect his children. He seems to be a very passionate person who throws himself into what ever he does. It is part of my personality and sometimes can be a fault of mine. As I said I never heard of Pastor Haggard and after seeing the show I read about him and do not agree with some of his past teachings.

This show did make me look at my family and friends and reaffirm how lucky I am that they have stood by me in my struggles even as my sins have been cast on my loved ones and friends. As we were in the midst of the court case many people asked me why we did not just move away and start over. I would have done so but it was my wife who did not want to. She had had her life upended enough and to leave her friends and family to go else where was not an option. Now I am glad she felt that way. We have stayed and tried to make a go of a new life here. It is all made much easier by the fact that where ever I go I am stopped in the streets or the aisles of stores and people I do not even know wish me luck, prayers and tell me to hang in there because people still believe in me. It is the greatest gift god has given me. On New Years eve I posted on my face book that I feel like the person in the footsteps in the sand story who at the worst times in his life was carried by Jesus. The difference is that now in the worst time of my life I am carried by my family, my friends, and people I do not even know, as well as god.

One other thing that Pastor Ted Haggard said really hit home for me. He said  that after Jesus was crucified if he was resurrected in Rome, or Spain, or some other country that it would not have worked. He needed to be resurrected in the place he was crucified.  Before my critics say I am comparing myself to Jesus let me just say that in my wildest dreams I could not compare. But Pastor Haggard and his family had left Colorado Springs in shame after his ordeal and they later returned. He and his family understood that they needed to return to the place he was crucified in order to redeem himself.

I am glad my wife insisted we stay in Santa Fe, I need to redeem myself here in the town I was crucified. I need to show those who stood by me in my darkest days that they did not do so in vain and that there acts of compassion were appreciated and made a real difference in my life. To all of you who have prayed for me, forgiven me, and who have stood by me and even carried me, God Bless You. I still have a ways to go and while I can not promise I will ever truly redeem myself I do promise I will still try. To my family and extended family whom I sometimes get sidetracked from, I can never repay the debt I have placed on your shoulders but I will keep trying.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Sheriff Raises Money for Breast Cancer

I have joined Team Yvonne to help raise money for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Please make a donation $10 or $500 it all helps and counts. I never wear pink cause "real men don't wear pink". If we raise $1000 I will wear a pink shirt and post a picture on facebook. Its my challenge to those who tease me because I... don't wear pink! Thank you for your support. Click Below to make your donation!

American Cancer Society - Making Strides Donation Page

How Sheriff Solano became involved with Billy the Kid.

When I first ran for Sheriff in 1998 I never thought that an issue I would deal with would involve Billy the Kid. It wasn't in 1998 when I lost my first run for Sheriff but actually in 2002 when I ran that I was first brought into the legend of Billy the Kid.

During my campaign for sheriff I met a woman who befriended my wife and I and began helping me in my run for office. I credit her with a lot of the success of the 2002 campaign. A lot of people think that there must always be ulterior motives or someone helps in a political campaign just because they want a job. But that is not always the case. This woman is very active in political campaigns just because she chooses candidates she believes in and works to get them elected. She chose me and I have been honored ever since. At the end of my campaign for sheriff and when it was all said and done I ended up with a campaign debt of thousands of dollars. When you end up with a campaign debt it means you paid the money out of your own pocket, not usually that there are creditors waiting to get paid.

A young lawyer had moved to Santa Fe from out of state and was making the social and political rounds and was making a name for himself. He was donating to political campaigns during the 2002 elections. He had a multi state law firm that must do well as he seemed to do well financially for himself. The woman who helped my campaign had met him and convinced him to throw a party at his office to help raise money to clear my campaign debt. It was a small wine and cheese get together at his downtown office and my campaign debt was cleared. Once again I was greatly appreciative of all her help and I found a new friend in that attorney, Bill Robins.

I ran during the year that Governor Bill Richardson was swept into office on a groundswell of support. While he may have his problems now in 2010 in 2002 it was a different story. As I ran breathless and exhausted from political event to political event, he floated from event to event on the shoulders of thousands of supporters. Unions, State workers, Democrats, Republicans, Women, Men, Anglos, Hispanics all groups supported him and enthusiastically swept him into office. One of his campaign contributors was also Attorney Bill Robins who became my friend. But the truth is Richardson was a master at raising money and almost everyone who ever gave to political campaigns gave to Richardson.

I truly believe it was not a favor for the donation and fundraiser, but about a year later Bill Robins and I were having dinner and he asked me what I thought about a pardon for Billy the Kid. Now I read a lot but mostly modern day biography's, fiction, and anything news related. The only thing I really knew about Billy the Kid came from watching the movie Young Guns. Sometime around 1987 the movie was being filmed in Santa Fe and my wife Antoinette got Lou Diamond Phillups autograph at a now defunct nightclub in Santa Fe called Mr. R's. All she had at the time was a bar tab receipt borrowed from a waitress and a pencil to get the autograph. In 1988 we were invited to the Santa Fe Premiere of the movie at the old Lensic theater. It was the source of just about all I ever knew of Billy the Kid.

Lou Diamond Phillups Autograph and our invitation to the Young Guns Premier.

Well at that dinner Bill Robins told me a story about how Billy the Kid was not all the legend made him out to be. It was a long story and the basics of it can be found here. Now I have found out that there are a lot of versions of his life and how many people he killed and whether he was fighting for justice as a deputy in the Lincoln county wars or whether he was a cold blooded killer. If you have about 20 minutes to read the above link it is a very interesting story of his life and exploits. Keep in mind as you read it that other versions of his story are out there as well. The basics is that Billy the kid claimed he witnessed the murder of an attorney Huston Chapman however some claimed he took part in the murder. By this time Billy the Kid was already wanted for murder related to the Lincoln County Wars and the Governor Lew Wallace wanted the murderers brought to justice. Billy the kid contacted the governor by mail and offered to testify in return for a pardon on his outstanding warrants for murder. The following was taken from the above link with one of the stories of Billy's life.

On March 13, 1879 the Kid wrote to the governor and offered to testify against Chapman’s murderers in exchange to have his indictments annulled. The governor wrote back inviting the Kid to meet with him. In his letter to the Kid, he wrote, “I have authority to exempt you from prosecution if you will testify to what you say you know,” and he closed with: “If you could trust Jesse Evans, you can trust me.”

On March 17th, the Kid met the governor in Lincoln. During the meeting, Governor Lew Wallace made the promise the Kid had hoped for. The governor stated clearly, that if the Kid testified in court, that “in return for you’re doing this, I will let you go scot-free with a pardon in your pocket for all your misdeeds.” The agreement was made. The Kid would submit to a fake arrest, testify against Chapman’s killers, James Dolan and Colonel Dudley, for a full pardon. A couple days later, the Kid and Tom O’Folliard surrendered to Sheriff Kimbrell as planned and were confined at Patron’s store. The governor interviewed the Kid by asking him about the Rustlers’ hideouts and about the rustling activities in the territory. The Kid held nothing back and told everything that Governor Wallace wanted to know.

The following month the Kid began his court appearances, but due to the fact that Judge Bristol and prosecutor William Rynerson were Dolan men, the defendants were either pardoned under the governor’s proclamation or acquitted. Surprisingly O'Folliard was even given amnesty, but the Kid wasn't so lucky. The Kid's enemies were dead set on not letting him get away. The biggest threat to the Kid was prosecutor attorney William Rynerson, who not only wouldn't go along with the governor's bargain with the Kid, but got a change of venue to Dona Ana County for the Kid's trial. So instead of being tried in Lincoln where the Kid would be acquitted, he would be put on trial in a very bias courtroom where he didn't stand a chance. But that wasn’t the Kid’s only problem, the governor wasn’t making good his promise of a pardon, probably due to the lack of cooperation from Rynerson, so left the Kid to his fate, while he went back to Santa Fe to finish his book Ben Hur. After all, to Wallace, the Kid was just an outlaw -so who cares?

So Billy the kid was tried and sentenced to death by hanging. He never received his promised pardon. According to one of the stories he felt betrayed and rather than face death he escaped and killed a deputy during the escape. Thus began his cat and mouse game with newly elected Sheriff Pat Garrett who eventually killed him. Attorney Bill Robins also told me about a legend that Billy the Kid may not have been killed after all but instead lived a long life under the alias of Brushy Bill Roberts. Some wanted to exhume body's and do DNA testing to see if Billy the Kid really did finish out his life as Brushy Bill Roberts. Bill Robins was very interested in the life of Billy the Kid and was talking to Governor Richardson about pardoning Billy the Kid and giving him the promise Governor Lew Wallace broke when he was found guilty and sentenced to hang.

Bill Robins wanted to know how I felt about the whole thing. I told him that being a law enforcement officer all my adult life I could not publicly support the pardon. He told me he had hoped to have a trial which would allow a mock jury to make the decision and give a new look at the old cases. I told him that once again while I could not support the pardon I would not publicly oppose it either. He was happy with that since he was most worried about huge opposition from law enforcement.

It made national news when Bill Robins got as far as getting appointed by Governor Richardson to represent Billy the Kids interests as his attorney in looking at a pardon and even though a new trial was promised it has not happened. The whole Billy the kid thing kind of went away during the rest of Richardson's term and Bill Robins married and seemed to go on to other endeavors including children. I also forgot about Billy the Kid as well.

On October 1, 2009 I was invited to unveil a plaque marking the site of the jail that held Billy the Kid in Santa Fe for three months in 1880-1881. I was joined by the mayor and the Grandson of Sheriff Pat Garrett, J.P. Garrett. It was a fun event and meeting the Grandson of Sheriff Pat Garrett was an honor. I gave him a small Sheriff's Badge Pin from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office. Last week he contacted me as the push for Governor Richardson to pardon Billy the Kid has again made the news and the Governor appears as though he is ready to consider it again as he leaves office. J.P. Garrett asked me to sign a petition which the Garrett family was going to send to the Governor along with a letter from the Garrett family asking the Governor to not pardon Billy the Kid.

Once again I remembered my promise to my friend to not get involved in this issue so I explained to J.P. Garrett that I had agreed to not get involved and I would abide by that decision. I have no doubt that Billy the Kid murdered a Sheriff and several others. Whether he felt he had no choice or not he did still commit murder. However, if he was promised a pardon for his testimony in the Chapman murder there is a lot to be said for the pardon of his crimes up to that point. Then there are those who say that if he had received the pardon he would not have had to escape jail and kill others during the escape and manhunts that followed. Billy the Kid claimed he wanted to come clean and live a clean life after he was pardoned. Whether he really could have done that or whether he would have just continued in a life of crime after being pardoned is something we will never know.

I have read a lot lately about the Lincoln County wars and the truth is New Mexico truly was the wild wild west where corruption and murder were the name of the game. Sheriff's were corrupt and the "rings" as they were called controlled the law, the government, and controlled New Mexico. It has made me appreciate even more the responsibility of being Sheriff. I often think back to my discussions with movie star Burt Reynolds whose father was a Sheriff. He once asked me " do you know how you can tell an honest sheriff?" No I answered, how? "He is a broke sheriff." he said with a smile. While I am not broke, I lead a modest but good life.

From Baghdad to Santa Fe, A Short Story

In 2005 I wrote a short story for the Santa Fe Reporter's yearly writing contest. I won second place for the story. I posted it online on an old AOL account I had and a few years ago AOL shut down its FTP site and I lost it. I had it on an old computer and lost my copy there also. My assistant did me a favor and contacted the Santa Fe Reporter and retrieved a copy. So besides saving it in multiple places so I don't lose it again I thought I would archive it by posting it as a blog post. Its kind of dark so I won't necessarily say I hope you enjoy it.





From Baghdad to Santa Fe By Greg Solano

Sweat poured down my forehead as I awoke in the middle of the night for the fourth night in a row. What the hell is going on? I glance over at the clock and the red neon numbers tell me that its 3:30 am. I am wide-awake and the adrenaline is still pumping through my veins. My heart pounds and I can feel my chest still heaving for air. Might as well get up, no way I’m going back to sleep. As I step out onto the portal the Autumnal Moon lights up my entire neighborhood, big bright and so large I felt like I could reach out and touch it. The brisk morning air felt good against my still sweating body. I couldn’t help but think how different this was than early morning in Baghdad. Actually, I can’t help but think of Baghdad every day, or every night.

It’s now 8:00 am, time for my morning walk to the convenience store to get the paper. Another day spent looking for a job.So much for “being all that I can be”, I often thought that going into the military out of high school would be the beginning of my adult life. A good start to some kind of career. Boy was I wrong. When I left Santa Fe I was making $7.00 an hour at the auto parts store. This was my after school job while I finished my senior year. Now with the living wage law, that job as many others pays at least $8.50 an hour. But still, what do I do, go ahead and take one of these minimum wage jobs?I sure am not having much luck with anything else. The only job I have been offered so far is from a friend who needs help cleaning Whole Foods parking lot at night. I don’t really think my country owes me a job or anything but is this what I spent two years of my life in the military for? Maybe this is all I can be.

What’s that smell? My mind flashes back again, I can hear the ammo flying through the assault rifle. I smell the gunpowder and hot metal in the air. I hear the sound of lead ricocheting on the pavement around me. Pieces of asphalt hitting my leg, or are they bullets? I look over at the rest of my regimen and realize that Adam’s been hit, several medics are working on him. He looks dead, Damn Iraqis! My fear turns to anger as I empty my weapon in a hail of gunfire. I sweep my weapon from left to right hoping someone ahead of me goes down. An eye for an eye, they kill one of ours we kill ten of theirs. What’s that horn? Oh, all right, all right I’m getting out of the way. Asshole flipped me off. And then you wonder why people have road rage and shoot others. Ok, so I was in the middle of the road. There’s that smell again, oh, ok it’s my neighbor and his welder. Amazing how much the hot metal being welded smells like the hot metal smell of an assault rifle. Or how the smell of meat on the barbecue smells like burning flesh. It’s been six months now. I wonder how long before I stop having these flashbacks. When will I be normal again?

I pick up the local paper and on the cover there is some kids stuffing the head of Zozobra. What a ceremony, thousands show up to see a hundred foot puppet burnt to the ground in a pagan ceremony that is the closest thing to witchcraft I have ever seen. It’s fiestas in Santa Fe this weekend. It used to be a big thing for me. All my friends and I would go downtown and hang out. Used to be everyone had drinks on the plaza and the burning of Zozobra was on Friday night. After the burning we would all walk down to the plaza and eat, drink and drink some more. Even though we were not 21, it wasn’t as big a deal as it is now. We all walked around with beer in our coke cups. The cops were ok with it as long as we didn’t totally get out of hand. Now there is no drinking what so ever on the plaza. Zozobra’s burning has been moved to Thursday, which cuts down on the party’s and drinking afterward since people with jobs have to be at work in the morning.

I go into the convenience store and get a cup of coffee and a lottery ticket. What the hell, if I can’t get a job, maybe I can win a hundred million and not have to worry about it. As I drink my coffee I look through the classifieds. Nothing new today, same ads that I applied for on Monday and Tuesday.

It’s 1:00 in the afternoon, my old high school buddy agreed to give me a ride to Albuquerque for my appointment. Two months ago I decided to call the V.A. Hospital and talk to someone about the flashbacks. A couple of visits and months later I am finally actually seeing a councilor. Man, me going to a shrink. Who would have ever thought this would ever happen to me. I never needed anything from anyone else before. I was a tough young man who prided himself on being a “real man”. I used to joke with my friends when one of them showed up in sandals and I would say things like “real men don’t wear sandals”. I never even went to the doctor. Once when I cracked a rib, I sucked it up. Took some Tylenol and went on telling others, and myself “there’s nothing they can do with cracked ribs anyway”.

The counselor is kind of a hippy looking dude. Turns out he was in Vietnam and came back with the same kind of problems I have. They have a fancy name for it now he tells me. It’s called P.T.S.D., stands for post traumatic stress disorder. According to the doc it’s pretty common for those returning from Iraq. The doc says it’s probably why I can’t get a job. I’m not at my sharpest and the depression I am feeling is probably showing up in my interviews. As we talk about my experiences in Iraq I start telling him about the first time I saw a dead body. I always thought it would be exciting with the moody sounding music playing in the background just like in the movies. But, it wasn’t.

The first body I saw as I exited the back end of a truck just inside Baghdad was lying in the middle of the road. It was an older man who only had a small amount of blood dripping down from the edge of his mouth. It looked unreal, I remember thinking how this was no different than watching a body on TV. At least it didn’t feel different. I had no feelings for this man; I looked at him with curiosity but no feelings. A hundred bodies later, some kids, some adults, some women, and some men, and I still thought I didn’t feel much. But now six months back in the U.S. I wake up in the middle of the night after I see their faces again. Now they matter to me, why now? Well the end of my first counseling session and I have more questions than answers. My buddy asks me if I want to go see old man gloom tomorrow night with him and his kids. Maybe, I tell him. I’ll call him tomorrow and let him know.

It’s 5:00 in the afternoon now, as we cross St Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road I see the protesters out again. This is odd; they are usually out on Fridays. Veterans for peace they call themselves. I wonder how many are actually veterans. Maybe that’s how they deal with their flashbacks. I wonder would that make me feel better? Standing on a street corner holding signs declaring to the world my quest for world peace? They are persistent. Almost three years they have been out here doing this. One day I sat in the old Bonanza parking lot and watched them for a while. Some cars drove by and gave the thumbs up and some gave the one finger salute. Sometimes the protesters didn’t know which was coming as they turned to wave at the latest car driving by honking. Sometimes they were waving to the finger and some derogatory comment, and sometimes they were waving to a peace sign or thumbs up. Would it be hypocritical to have the anger that I do towards those that killed my friends and still promote peace? Is that how I atone for all the people I killed or helped kill? The bible says only say the word and you shall be forgiven. Jesus forgave Judas, maybe that’s what I need, to be forgiven. Maybe that’s why they stand there every Friday holding their signs.

It’s 11:00 at night and I’m feeling a little woozy. The television blares a baseball game above the bar at foxes. One more Bud Light and I’ll head home. The lottery numbers flash across the television screen. My streak of luck continues as I see that I didn’t even get one number. Two beers later and I head to Taco Bell. Thank god for late night drive up windows. As I cruise down Cerrillos Road I try to keep the car centered between the white lines. I’m cool I tell myself, I can drive ok, I’m not that drunk. As I approach Taco Bell a mortar shell crosses in front of my windshield. I swerve right as I reach for my radio to warn the troops behind me. I feel my armored humvee start to roll. It rolls several times and I feel glass and metal all around me. The pain is sharp and sudden but then just as suddenly disappears. Medic, Medic! I can’t believe I’m going to die in an accident, no blaze of glory, no big firefight. I rolled my humvee! I can see myself lying in the street now, thrown clear of the small car that once surrounded me. Wait, small car? Who are those kids running away? Was that really just a bottle rocket?

The cops are around me now. The ambulance arrives and one of the men tells the cop, we can’t resuscitate, he didn’t make it. “Another D.W.I.” the cop says as he unrolls the yellow crime scene tape around my car and body. After all that fighting in Baghdad who would have ever thought the Iraqis would kill me, right here in Santa Fe New Mexico.

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Susana Martinez Not Tough on DWI.

Sheriff Rene Rivera of Valencia County Joined Sheriff Joe Mascarenas and Myself on the steps of the Courthouse steps in Albuquerque to let the public know some startling information from the Administrative Office of the Courts in new Mexico. Susana Martinez candidate for Governor on the GOP ticket has been touting her tough on crime stump speech for some time now. Information released by the Administrative Office of the Courts shows that even though she pledged not to plea bargain DWI Cases in both 2000 and 2004, her office has arranged plea bargains on over 1000 cases since 2004. A great article on the matter can be found here along with the statistics which can be found here.

Here is a You Tube Video of the press conference.


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My visit to Gold and Silver Pawn, Home of Pawn Stars.

I love garage sales, antique shops, and flea markets. As such I enjoy watching shows like Antique Road Show, American Pickers, and my newest favorite Pawn Stars. Pawn Stars is a reality show (is there anything but reality shows on TV these days?) set in a pawn shop in Las Vegas Nevada. Pawn Stars is on the history channel and tells the story of a real family business which is owned and run by the patriarch Richard Harrison (“The Old Man”), his son Rick Harrison (“The Appraiser”) and Rick’s son Corey (“Big Hoss”). The dynamics of the show are great and every show includes either a history lesson or a lesson in antiques.

















You never know what people are going to bring into the pawn shop to try and sell or pawn. On the one hand the shop never pays much over fifty percent of what an item is worth and the people who need the money often take the offer. On the other hand many of the people have no idea what they have or what it is really worth. Often experts are brought in to appraise the items and the owners of the items usually learn the items are worth much more than they thought however as I said earlier they walk out with about half of what the item is worth. The amazing thing is how much money this pawn shop has. It is not uncommon for the shop to buy items for tens of thousands of dollars in a blink of an eye and its always "cash money" which in itself entices those who need it to take less.

The characters in the show are interesting and fun to watch which is really what makes this show a hip antiques road show. My favorites are Rick and his dad Richard who is just known as "the old man". When I had to be in Las Vegas last week Antoinette and I made a point of visiting the pawn shop and got to meet "the old man" and one of the employees who is often on the TV show who is known as "Chumlee".

Richard "the Old Man" and I

Chumlee and I

Chumlee is the comedic side kick of the stars and plays the Jerry Lewis to the Dean Martin cast. The shop is quite unimpressive in real life and camera shots and angles definitely make it look nicer on TV. On the other hand it is a pawn shop! The shop has the usual pawn items for sale, tools, dvd's, musical instruments, and jewelry. But it also has Wrestling belts, a Denver Bronco Superbowl Ring sitting next to a Patriots Superbowl ring which is for sale for a mere $100,000 dollars. Antique rifles worth thousands and paintings and sculptures also priced in the thousands.

















Included with all that pawn stuff is the obligatory t shirts, coffee mugs, shot glasses, and even a paw n star pet food bowl for the dog who likes to watch pawn stars on TV.

















There are often lines outside the store as in order to manage the crowds since the TV show became popular there is an armed man at the door keeping the crowd inside at a manageable level and only allowing people in as those inside leave. If you watch the show I can tell you that "the old man" is as grumpy in person as he is on the show. Chumlee seems uncomfortable with his new found stardom but is polite and gracious with fans who want a picture or just to meet him. Rick and Big Hoss were not out of the back room while I was there and I was unable to meet them. The retail portion of the shop has just been expanded and if the shows popularity continues I can see the shop growing even more. It was a fun trip and if you have not yet seen the show I highly recommend it.

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On the Set of True Grit with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon

Today My wife and I visited the set of the remake of the 1969 film True Grit a film which in the original stared John Wayne. A good friend of mine Rusty Dillon (great name huh), arranged for my wife Antoinette and I to visit the set after the wrap on shooting for the day. In the 2010 version of True Grit, Jeff Bridges is playing Marshall Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn in the film, which was originally played by John Wayne. Glen Campbell played Texas Ranger La Boeuf and his character is being brought back to life by none other than Matt Damon. Below is some pictures from the visit and also a pic of the Rounders DVD Card which Matt signed for me. Thanks to my good friend Rusty for arranging the visit. It was a blast!

Antoinette Solano, Matt Damon, and Sheriff Greg Solano

Antoinette Solano, Jeff Bridges, Sheriff Greg Solano, Matt Damon

Antoinette and Matt Damon

My Matt Damon signed DVD Card of Rounders

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Santa Fe County Democratic Convention

Antoinette (my wife) and I had a great time yesterday at the Santa Fe County Democratic Convention. The Convention was held to name delegates to the State Pre Primary Convention coming up in March at the Buffalo Thunder Resort. I am a State Central Committee Delegate so automatically I am a delegate to the pre primary however Antoinette was also elected a delegate from our ward as well.

State Chair Javier Gonzales addresses the crowd

In the morning there was registration and delegate elections and it was organized chaos. Actually registration was really smooth and then Antoinette and I joined 10 or 12 others working the crowd to enlist support and thank those who are already supporters of Robert Garcia my Undersheriff who is running for my job, the Sheriff of Santa Fe County. I was in campaign mode shaking hands, kissing baby's, and working hard for Robert.

Our next Sheriff Robert Garcia and I.

The response was overwhelming and I can't even count the number of my fellow Santa Fe County Dems who still wanted to vote for me in the Lieutenant Governor race. (I dropped out of the race a few months ago). Almost anyone running for anything statewide or local was there working the crowd as well.

In the afternoon we had to elect new State Central Committee Delegates to replace Eli Senna who's untimely death left a huge void in Santa Fe Politics as well as another seat which was vacated. Running for the two open seats were Michael Segura, Daniel Roybal, Estevan Gonzales, and John Thorpe. They all gave great speeches and then an election was held, Daniel Roybal and Estevan Gonzales won the seats in some close races.

Next we heard from all our state wide officials and candidates as well as candidates from all the local races. All my former Lieutenant Governor Candidates were present and I spent a moment and took pictures with all of them.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Jose Campos and I

Lt. Gov. Candidate Jerry Ortiz y Pino and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Lawrence Rael and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Brian Colon and I.

Lt. Gov. Candidate Linda Lopez and I.

The crowd was enthusiastic and I think this will be a great year for democrats in New Mexico! I took about 150 pictures with my cell phone camera and although the lighting in the gym made the pictures not come out so well they are still fun to look at. You can see them all here on my facebook page. It was a long day and Thank god for Bernie Loque y Perea who's great food booth and coffee kept my energy up. To all the 186 newly elected delegates congratulations and we will see you at the state pre primary convention at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino on March 13!

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Happy Birthday Dad, er, Elvis!

Elvis Grave site at Graceland.


Kind of a running joke I have is telling friends Elvis Presley was my father. My son Aaron is actually named after Elvis although my wife would not let me name him Elvis so we compromised on using Elvis middle name Aaron. January 8th is Elvis 75th birthday. Wow am I old! Elvis was not really my era, I was born in 1963 and by the time I was in junior high Disco was the thing.


But my mother had Elvis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and many other 50's and 60's albums and 45's and that's what I listened to growing up. It became my music. When Happy Days the TV show was in its heyday in the late 70's I had a leather jacket just like Fonzie and never missed an episode. Yeah, go ahead and laugh, I am laughing too.






















Me at Sun Records on the Same Mic Elvis once Used.


Anyhoo, I have always been an Elvis fan and in my teens through 20's I was a big collector of Elvis memorabilia. After my wife and I got married we needed money and I sold most of my collection to a lady who had an Elvis museum on the road to Taos somewhere near Pilar. It was attached to a pottery and northern New Mexico knick knack shop which I think was called El Iguana or something like that. I had a tour jacket from one of his last tours, a ton of 45's in original sleeves and the crown jewel was a Dinner menu from his 1968 Comeback concert. Oh how I wish I still had that! Well at the time we needed the money so I don't regret it. I have rebuilt my collection of memorabilia and friends and family buy me Elvis stuff all the time.
I later heard the lady died and all the Elvis stuff was sold to another Elvis Museum. I wish I knew where so I could at least go visit my stuff.























Me on the steps at Dads house, Graceland.


Sounds corny but Elvis songs were the ones in my life I listened to when I needed a pick me up or when I was on cloud nine. I remember Don't Cry Daddy playing over and over in my head when my mother died and at my wedding we walked down the isle to I can't help falling in love, played and sung by Judge George Anaya at Saint Johns Catholic Church. We have all heard our parents and grandparents talk about the good old days and I think each generation has their own "good old days". I think I missed my opportunity by about 20 years. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be sitting in front of the old black and white TV on September 9, 1956 when Elvis appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show. Or to be standing in the audience when he strutted on stage on October 2, 1954 with his three piece band at the Grand Ole Opry.

There are a lot of influences which make up a persons life and makes them what they are. I never had a father and my mother was tough and made sure we still had many of the influences a father would have provided, we fished, watched sports, she taught us how to be a man and stand up for what's right and work hard. What male influence's I did have in my life really came from the people I idolized and those were people like Elvis Presley, Evel Knievel, John F. Kennedy, and yes even the Fonz! So Happy Birthday Elvis you were a big influence in my life and were really part of what made me what I am today.

Here are some pics from my trips to Graceland and Sun Records

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Media Reports on Exit From Lt. Gov Race

The response from the public has been overwhelming during the last two days as I announced my withdrawal from the Lieutenant Governors Race. I have had friends, acquaintances, and people I have never met send me emails, call my office, comment on Facebook and Twitter, send me text messages and pm me. The show of support and well wishes has been overwhelming. The media and bloggers have been kind as well. Even though I mentioned in my goodbye blog that I felt some media and bloggers paid too much attention to the money being raised and not the candidates stands on the issues, most media if they even mentioned that I said it at all did so in a matter of fact way. Political Blogger Joe Monahan seemed offended and thought it was a parting shot at the media. Joe, it really wasn't intended to be a parting shot because I am not going anywhere. I intend on remaining involved and a good working relationship is important. On the other hand I always intend to be honest in my blogging and I did honestly think that too much attention and column space was given to money by some in the media and bloggers and not enough paragraphs were written on issues. Heck, some candidates have yet to discuss the issues at all.

All that aside its been an uplifting experience. I have all but one of the candidates for Lieutenant Governor contact me to discuss endorsements and I plan to meet with each one and discuss an endorsement. I take this process very seriously even though I realize that just because I endorse someone it does not commit my supporters to that person, it only suggests that my supporters consider that person based on my assessment of the race. If I do endorse a candidate It will not just be a quick endorsement and then I go on with my life. If I do endorse I will work for that candidate in the primary and regardless I will work for all our democratic nominees in the general election.


Fellow democrats, we can not take the general election for granted. Despite the obvious disarray the Republican party is in they could still pull out a win, just look to Albuquerque for the example. In current economic conditions having the executive and legislative branch in the hands of our party is more important than ever. Only the Democratic party has a proven track record of supporting the people over special interests and corporations. Of course there are individual politicians who claim to be Democrats but don't always walk the walk and I would be naive to think otherwise. Just what are the differences between Democrats and Republicans? I have taken definitions of Democrats and Republicans from http://www.demsunite.com/ and modified them somewhat to meet what I think the definitions are.

Democrats - a short summary
Democrats generally support government policies that benefit working class families, seek more corporate regulation, and less government influence over the individual. Democrats favor a government that supports lower and middle-income families and workers through a tax structure which has all paying their fair share based on the income they have. They strongly support government programs such as social security and health care in order to provide for the common good. In social matters, Democrats emphasize personal choice, privacy, and liberty. They believe that it is the responsibility of the family to promote morals and values in society and not the government's responsibility (this is usually labeled as socially liberal).

Republicans - a short summary
Republicans generally support government policies that benefit large corporations, seek less corporate regulation, and more government influence over the individual. Republicans favor a government that supports corporate America and the wealthy by reducing taxes and regulations on corporations. Republicans believe that reducing corporate taxes and regulations will translate into lower unemployment rates. They would prefer to out-source government entitlement programs such as social security and health care to the private sector. In social matters, Republicans believe that the government should make certain moral decisions for us and sometimes see privacy and liberty as a risk to security. They believe that the government should be actively involved with promoting morals and values in society (this is usually labeled as socially conservative).

The Economy
Democrats believe that in order to have a strong economy, the government must promote policies that empower individual workers. These policies can include supporting unions, discouraging companies from exporting jobs overseas, and increasing the minimum wage. Democrats believe that companies must be regulated (to an extent) to ensure fair compensation and treatment of American workers, to prevent large corporations from abusing employees, and to reduce corporate fraud. In a broader sense, Democrats believe that it is better to stimulate the economy from the bottom-up (stimulating the worker) instead of from the top-down (stimulating corporations).

Republicans believe that the best path to a strong economy is by promoting policies that benefit large corporations. Lower corporate taxes, not increasing minimum wage, and reducing corporate regulation are all policies that benefit corporate America. Republicans believe that by reducing corporate taxes and regulation, American corporations will in turn hire more workers and increase wages. While these policies are some of the foundations of capitalism, they can sometimes be detrimental to the American worker (exporting jobs overseas, no minimum wage, etc.). In a broader sense, Republicans prefer to stimulate the economy from the top-down (stimulating corporations) instead of from the bottom-up (stimulating the worker).

Everyone would have their own beliefs and definitions but these pretty much sum up mine. I opened this blog post with a description of the blogs and media reports of my dropping out of the Lieutenant Governors race and below is a compilation of those reports if anyone cares to read them. I apologize if I left someone out. Let me know if I did and I will update.

The Santa Fe New Mexican (first mainstream media outlet to find my blog post and report)

Roundhouse Roundup ( praised my candor and accessibility, Thanks Steve.)

Albuquerque Journal (subscription required, short and to the point)

New Mexico Politics.net ( called blog post insightful, Thanks Heath.)

The New Mexico Independent.com ( Straight forward, good ending)

Diogenes Six (Ched clearly understood what my campaign was about.)

Democracy For New Mexico ( Took the time to give a good summary of my blog post)

A Female New Mexican's Point of View Blog (Mary had some great quotes about the over importance of money in our political process)

New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan (Joe gave the story little column space and seemed offended of one sentence in the blog where I bemoaned the media paying little attention to the issues.)

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A New Year, A new Adventure

On August 21, 2007 I announced my intention to run for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 June Primary. There were a lot of circumstances which comprised my decision to run and my decision to announce so early. Bill Richardson was running for President and rumors were rampant that win or lose he would be leaving the Governors office early. After meeting with family, friends and longtime political advisers I decided to run for Lieutenant Governor and to announce the campaign early. The main reasons for the decision were the following.

1. My friends, advisers and myself felt Lt. Governor Diane Denish would be a shoe in if not unopposed for the Democratic nominee for Governor. I really felt that I could make a difference on many issues which I felt were important to the middle class. Not coming from a high income family, not being a lawyer or a high brow politico was something I felt was lacking in the roundhouse. I truly felt we were lacking a majority of progressive democrats who understood the hardships which typical middle and low income families endure.

2. With Lt. Gov. Diane Denish having a solid foundation in Southern New Mexico we felt she needed a Hispanic from Northern New Mexico to balance the ticket and bring in much needed Hispanic votes.

3. We all felt Lt. Gov. Denish would be Governor by Jan-Feb 2009 with Richardson leaving office early.

4. In order to get noticed by Lt. Gov. Denish I would have to begin the campaign early. I am well established politically in Santa Fe County however I did not have strong connections to state wide politics. The goal was to get on Lt. Gov. Denish's radar screen for a possible appointment.

5. It was felt by us all that my lack of connections to state wide politics could be a positive. Even though we did not foresee the scandals and accusations that would later hit the Richardson Administration we did foresee some citizens had become weary of the Richardson Administration and my lack of connections to the administration could be a positive for a Diane Denish run for Governor.

So, I announced my campaign for Lieutenant Governor in August of 2007. In January of 2008 Governor Richardson dropped out of the presidential race and rumors were still rampant that Richardson should leave office at the end of the year. Barack Obama then won the Democratic Primary for President in June and was well on his way to a win in November. At the time it was believed that Bill Richardson would leave soon after the inauguration in January of 2009.

I had reached out to Lieutenant Governor Denish in the weeks prior to my announcing my run for Lieutenant Governor and we were not able to meet. In early 2008 I made more attempts to meet with her and we had sill not been able to meet. This was the first of many roadblocks I began to encounter. In 2008 I had concentrated on meeting Democrats across the state and getting my name out there. In 2009 I began trying to raise money for the impending race. While many were talking about running for Lieutenant Governor and many were rumored to be considering running, I was still the only candidate actually announced. While running in three different elections for Sheriff. I did rather well raising money within Santa Fe County. I was however, encountering a lot of difficulty in raising money for the Lieutenant Governor race. Donors who had given to me in election after election were not donating for this campaign.

Some wanted to wait and see how things would shake out after the Governor left and the Lieutenant Governor ascended to the Governors seat. Others had heard that there was a favorite who would be appointed and they did not want to do anything that could offend an appointee who may not be me. One even claimed they were advised by those in the roundhouse to hold off donating to anyone until "things had a chance to shake out in the Lt. Gov's Race". I did some checking and this was found by me to be true. Some of these donors had given thousands to me in the past and had held fundraisers for me but they were not willing to get involved in the race at this time. This was disappointing to me and would be the beginning of a death blow to my campaign.

The interesting thing to me was how many business owners were not outright saying it but they seemed to be in fear that if they donated to the wrong person it could affect their business with the state. Now I am not saying it was any type of pay to play or corruption but rather cautious large business owners who needed to keep a good relationship with the upper levels of state government and feared making a mistake in their donations. I think that in my county races the donors felt they could make donations based on people they liked or in some cases I know the same donor gave to both me and my opponents but they did not feel that in local races it could come back to bite them later.

It was a big awakening for me and showed me the stark differences between a local and a state wide race. By spring of 2009 I had five other announced opponents who were out campaigning and starting to raise money. Governor Richardson was no longer leaving and it was clear that the next Lieutenant Governor would have to become Lieutenant Governor the old fashioned way, by being elected. While I tried to talk issues and issued platforms statements, some opponents concentrated on raising huge sums of money and were being very successful at it. Other candidates put tens of thousands of money from their own pockets and borrowed tens of thousand from banks in order to compete with the couple of candidates who were from one hundred and fifty thousand to a quarter of a million dollars. Even today several of my opponents have no issues or platform statements on their website and speak little about the issues and much about their success at raising money. On October 13, 2009 we all had to report the money raised so far. One candidate had raised over $250,000 and two had raised around $150,000 although one did so through loans of $100,000 to his campaign. The other three candidates including myself had less than $20,000 raised.

After all the campaign finance reports came out I decided to go into hiatus on raising money. I needed to make a decision as to whether I would be staying in the race. Until I decided for sure I did not want to take any additional money while I was unsure of my position on staying in the race. We did begin to gather petition signatures which were needed to garner a place on the ballot. In addition to gathering petitions we reached out to State Convention Delegates to see where we were in garnering the 20% needed to get on the ballot in June as well. A lot of voters don't realize that they are the last to decide who wins a race or not. There are numerous hurdles candidates need to get over before voters ever get to see their name on a ballot. One of these is getting past the delegates at the State Democratic Convention. One of my opponents has a decided advantage in that arena having been Chairman of the State Democratic party for over two years. I expect him to take well over the 20% of delegates in the convention leaving the rest of the candidates to fight over what remains.

By Thanksgiving it was becoming increasingly clear I was in for a huge uphill battle. I decided to take the holidays off the campaign trail and make a decision and announcement after the new year. I have met thousands of people who have really supported me, if not with money but with their heart and words. Many of my supporters are everyday people who in today's economic times could not afford to give money to political campaigns while they are facing job loses, furloughs, and fear of just keeping their houses. While the middle and low income people of New Mexico are the ones needing representation and change the most they are the ones least able to pay for the influence they need at the roundhouse. I do feel we have some great candidates running for Lieutenant Governor and I also feel Diane Denish is in touch with the plight of middle income residents of New Mexico and will represent them well. I truly hope the next Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico will remember that as the state faces tough economic times that we must not forget to bail out the people as quickly as the state and nation bails out industries.

I also feel that the state has been remiss in meeting with state employee unions and negotiating cuts and ideas to save money rather than handing down orders, furloughs, and cuts without input from the union members. That is why we have unions to give employees a voice in what happens to them.

At least two candidates have approached me for endorsements should I get out of the Lieutenant Governors race. I am considering whether I endorse and if I do who it would be. So, if you have not figured it out by now I am leaving the race for Lieutenant Governor. It is really too bad that the one thing the media, bloggers, and political operatives care about most is how much money a candidate can raise. The issues, the person are secondary in a state wide race to money.

I lost my first run at political office in 1998 when I first ran for Sheriff. I learned more from that loss than my subsequent two wins for the office of Sheriff. I can honestly say I learned a whole lot from my attempt to become the states next Lieutenant Governor. I have no regrets and the lessons learned will only help me in anything I do in the future. I have never been one to make New Years resolutions. I have always thought you should make decisions on your life and any changes on a day to day basis and not just once a year. So I start this new decade and New Year with a new adventure. The great thing about life is you never know where the road will take you.

When I was a young son of a single mother I would have never guessed in a million years I would even have an opportunity to run for Lieutenant Governor. I would have never guessed I would be Sheriff of Santa Fe County, meet three presidents and numerous movie stars and have the great life and family I now have. I am truly blessed. To all those who have supported my candidacy I hope I have not let you down. I have always been very pragmatic and logical in my decisions, (my wife says I am too logical and not emotional enough), She is probably right and I am constantly working on that. Logically I was not in a position to win. However, I have run races before where I have lost and come back to win another time, so don't count me out.

Thank you all for your support, whether in an elected office or not I will always be an outspoken advocate for you and for what is right. To my wife and children thanks for putting up with a life in politics, few realize what you go through and the price you pay for having me as a husband and father. I do realize the sacrifices you have made and I appreciate it more than I could ever show you.

Public needs to know or Breaking News?

I try and respond to requests for records with open arms. I am even criticized by my peers for being too open to the press. Not mildly criticized mind you but heavily criticized and accused of damaging the ability for law enforcement to function in the state and creating roadblocks for the ability to successfully investigate and prosecute cases by releasing too much to the media. While my reasons for doing it in my mind are clear, open and honest government, I have been accused of being too accommodating to the media only for political reasons, or because I am "a media hog".

I bring all this up because I truly believe in open government, however the recent fight over the Governor releasing names of 59 employees who are being laid off in a few weeks has me questioning motives and what is right and decent. The media and bloggers have been trying to force the governor to release the names of the employees. Two of the names have already been released. Those two were released either by the employee themselves or through leaks.

Many of these 59 employees are widely regarded at least by the media, but probably by the public as well to be undeserving political flaks who only got their jobs by serving Governor Richardson in some point in his political career. Some may be, and who knows maybe all of them are. You know what? They are also people. People with families, kids, mortgage payments, college tuition etc. Yes these may all be high paying jobs, but the more you make the more you spend. And who says high paid workers hurt any more or less when they lose their jobs? Now lets combine the suffering of being told you will lose your job weeks before Christmas with the media dying to have the "BREAKING NEWS" banner listing your name as one of the poor slobs who lost their jobs.

Reporters often say the public "has a right to know" or "needs to know", "this is taxpayer money" but does the public even want to know who has been laid off? Is outing peoples identity who have lost their jobs necessary? There are no taxpayer dollars being spent in the move to cut these jobs, in the contrary taxpayer dollars are being saved. If the names are released what will the media do with them?

Lets take a look at the two names which have been released. Bruce Kohl, head of the Securities Division at the Regulation and Licensing Department and former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron with the state Department of Workforce Solutions. The media portrayed Bruce Kohl as a victim who really was not the type of employee who should lose their job and was in a needed position while Rebecca who is facing federal charges for misspending money in her former elected position of Secretary of State is portrayed as someone who either should have lost their job months ago or someone who should have never gotten the job to begin with.

Now that's exactly what will happen if all the names are released. First there will be a big headline listing all the names. Then the rush will be on to see who gets the in depth story. Each news agency will try to interview the employees who are losing their jobs and exploit their situation for all its worth. Some of the employees will be portrayed as deserving in losing their jobs while others will be portrayed as human beings who will suffer due to the job loses.

All T.V. Stations, Newspapers, and even radio have had cutbacks in the last year. When the Santa Fe New Mexican laid off employees in two separate cuts in the last year, no one interviewed the employees and decided who was deserving of losing their jobs and who was not. No one went to their homes and workplaces like stalkers and shoved microphones and cameras in their faces trying to get that emotional story that makes up the tabloid style journalism that has permeated the media today. But wait! There is a difference, the reporters and news staff are private employees, the laid off state workers are government employees. Since they are government employees they are not worthy of dignity. By becoming public servants they give up all rights to a private life and deserve to have the entire state aware that they are now unemployed.

In the past editors weighed the story against good old fashioned morals and right and wrong as well as whether the story was really newsworthy. Today news media want to be first with the big story. Emotions and tragedy sell or so they think. Yet as the media go's for the jugular and becomes more and more tabloid like, people are buying and watching less and less. Is this just a coincidence?

One of the reasons reporters often ask for police reports is not just to relay the facts of the case. Public information officers, Chiefs, and Sheriff's provide that information. The real reasons they ask for the reports is to hunt down witnesses, suspects, and victims like dog the bounty hunter looking for his criminal. Once they find them they bring their cameras and show up at their front doors. Even when the person exercises their constitutional if not god given right to decline to talk to the media then the story just becomes the reporter knocking on the door and the person refusing to talk. Heck I have seen reporters chase people into bathrooms and then make that the story when the person refuses to talk. I look forward with disdain to some poor state employee who is probably already depressed over losing his or her job at Christmas being chased down a hallway or into a bathroom by the reporter trying to get his or her story online or on TV first.

In the case of these laid off employees I really don't believe the public wants to know. Its the reporters who want to know, the Governor has had the audacity to deny them their story! So like any good reporter or blogger would do, they can still write a story, the headline instead is "Governor Releases No Info on Outgoing State Employees". There is many a reporter in this state who are mumbling "as god is my witness we will fight the governor on this"! I have no doubt that the press will get the names one day. To those employees who will be subject to undignified embarrassment and harassment I am sorry. It is no wonder it is so hard to find good public servants. I often warn new deputies, this is not a regular job, you are subjected to public scrutiny unlike any job you ever had and you must recognize it and be ready to deal with it. The truth is you can not get ready to deal with it. If you get involved in a major case or make a mistake, only then will you receive a baptism by fire, only then will you truly understand what it is like to be a public servant.

Final Notes: After I wrote this I had my wife read it over. We had a lively discussion about how hard I was on the media. Many times she reads my posts before I post them and she convinces me to change things. I have debated in my mind changing certain things like the reference to Dog the Bounty Hunter. My wife says this post gives the impression that I am painting all media with the same brush. She says it is exactly what the media is doing to these state employees and actually to all exempt state employees. She is right. I have been very harsh to the media in this post.

Many times members of the media proudly proclaim that they are the watchdogs of the government and only when they expose governments downfalls will changes occur. But who is the media's watchdog? I say it is the public, when the public stops reading, stops buying or expresses their disappointment with the media only then will they change. When the media goes after perceived wrong doing in the public they often do it with tenacity and extreme criticism. Editors don't often mince words and the editorial pages and news stories often mix. Well first off I apologize to any reporter or editor who would not take advantage of employees losing their jobs. If I have painted you with the same brush, then take this note to heart, you are not the one I am talking about. To the rest I chose to leave the post just as I initially wrote it, full of strong language and passion.

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Reflecting on Lost Friends.

I had refrained from blogging about the loss of Governor Bruce King and now I have lost another political mentor and friend. Eli Senna, after attending his funeral mass on Saturday I started reflecting on both Eli and Governor King.

Governor Bruce King.

I first met Governor King when I was around eight years old. He was in his first term as Governor of New Mexico. My Grandmother Eufemia Solano was a custodian at the roundhouse.


















Eufemia Solano (Grandma)


During the summers we could not afford any type of daycare so I would go to work with either my uncle who was a jockey at the Santa Fe Downs Racetrack or I would go to the State Capitol Building with my Grandmother. I was pretty much allowed free rein though out the capitol from the nursery which used to be above the rotunda and was used to grow plants for the building, to the parking garage underground. I remember Governor King catching me in the hallways or in the lobby to his office and telling me lets go! We would go to the lunchroom or the nearest vending machines where I would have my pick of treats on his dime. Sometimes I was invited into his office to hang out for a few minutes or to get the latest giveaway stuff. These gifts ranged from Smokey the Bear coloring books and crayons to little Highway Department toy cars.

Up until graduation from High School I was a page or just hung around the roundhouse every year usually during summer or winter school breaks. I went through the administrations of Dave Cargo, Bruce King, Jerry Apodoca, and Toney Anaya. While all treated me good, I have especially fond memory's of Governor King who always went out of his way to pay attention to me or find something to give me. As everyone who met him knows he was down home folksy and the kind of man who made you feel like you knew him all your life even if you just met him.

I have told a few people these stories and I am often asked if this is where I got the bug for politics. I don't really think so because I never thought I would get involved in politics until the early ninety's when my stints as Union President and Vice President of the City Police Union forced me to get involved. Yet I do think I learned a lot from those days hanging around the Roundhouse. I actually saw the back slapping, making deals in the hallways, and learned that by the time things got to the floor of the House or Senate the outcome was usually a done deal. One thing I did learn from Governor King was to keep grounded in your cowboy boots and remember that you are one of New Mexico's people not one who is elevated by the people. I also learned that you are always campaigning even when you are not running and you never leave a room until everyone has met you and received a hand shake. For those aspiring to a political office who have never seen Governor King in action you will never realize what lessons you have missed.



























Eli Senna ( My Brotha)


I first met Eli Senna on my second run for office in 2002. I first ran for Sheriff in 1998 and lost to Sheriff Raymond Sisneros. When I ran the first time I had no idea what I was doing and ran a very limited campaign with little money and only close friends and family helping. I came back in 2002 to run again and by this time I had broadened my base and become more involved in the Democratic Party. One of the people I credit with my win, Charlene Rodriquez, made sure I met every politician and every person who was involved in the Democratic Party in Northern New Mexico. One of those people she introduced me too was Eli Senna. Eli was easy going and extremely knowledgeable in Northern New Mexico Politics.

He made sure he got to know you and everything about you. He got your phone number and called to check up on you from time to time. There was two reasons he called you, one to just say hi and see how you were, and two, to get what ever information he could glean from you on the latest political happenings. By the same token if you needed to know something political in New Mexico, Eli had the answer or could get it in a few minutes. He ran for Magistrate Judge in 2006 and I supported him and to this day I think he would have made an excellent Judge. Eli was one of the first people I met who made a living getting people elected. I never hired him because he was already working for another politician in every election I was involved in.

My wife and I enjoyed having dinner with him after a many a Democratic meeting or during some function and I learned more about current politics in five minutes from him than any newscast, newspaper or blog. When he made his periodic check on me phone calls he always started the conversation with " hey Brotha how are you doing?" As soon as I heard this phrase I knew it was Eli. Brotha, Antoinette and I will miss you but I will always remember your insight and your political teachings. In your memory I will try and pass them on to the next generation who unfortunately will not have you around to guide them.