Its Election Day!

Happy Primary Election Day! It has been a busy weekend as we prepared for election day. We learned over the weekend the Rio Grande Sun joined The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Santa Fe Reporter, and the Albuquerque Journal North in endorsing Undersheriff Robert Garcia for Sheriff of Santa Fe County! Don't Forget to Vote today, Tuesday June 1, 2010 if you have not already, and Vote Robert A. Garcia for Sheriff!

After the polls close we will all head over to the Fraternal Order of Eagles for an Election Day Celebration. Come and Join us! Free Food and Fun!

Date:	Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Time:	7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	Fraternal Order of Eagles
Street:	833 Early Street
City/Town:	Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe Reporter Endorses Robert Garcia for Sheriff

Congratulations to Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia, All three Major Newspapers in Santa Fe have joined me and endorsed him in his campaign for Sheriff. Today the Santa Fe Reporter joins The New Mexican and the Albuquerque Journal North in endorsing Robert! Congratulations Robert on a Home Run!

Robert Garcia receives the endorsement of Former Dallas and O.U. Coach Barry Switzer.

Here is a copy of the endorsement from today's Santa Fe Reporter.

Santa Fe Reporter Endorsements for June 1, 2010 Primary...
Robert Garcia
robertgarciaforsheriff.com

Four Democrats hope to replace outgoing Sheriff Greg Solano. There are no Republican challengers, so the winner of this primary race will take over the sheriff’s department come 2011. We interviewed Undersheriff Robert Garcia, retired Santa Fe Police Department officer Charles “Charlie” Dalton, retired SFSO Rex E Doerfer and Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff Rubel A Tafoya as a group in consideration of which candidate to endorse.

All four bring law enforcement experience to the table, and there aren’t, actually, significant differences in terms of policy that we could discern. Rather, the election of Dalton, Doerfer or Tafoya seems to represent the chance for a regime change and—some of the candidates say—the opportunity to improve morale in the department.

Garcia, on the other hand, promises consistency and staying the course put in place during Solano’s eight years running the department.

Although we’d have preferred to hear some new ideas and goals from Garcia, ultimately we believe the sheriff’s department has made important improvements over the last two terms, and Garcia has been part of those changes. Under Solano, the sheriff’s office has been very accessible, using technology at every turn to help keep citizens (and the media) informed. Questions get answered, information gets shared and, when mistakes are made, they are acknowledged. While the city has suffered from a burglary boom, such crimes are down relatively in the county. At the same time, the sheriff’s office has prioritized, and Garcia says he will continue to prioritize, fighting DWI. Garcia is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who brought to his position as undersheriff years of service with the city police department; voters should choose him to continue the tradition of effective and open leadership in the Santa Fe County sheriff’s department.

Quotable: “We’ve come a long way in a very responsive way and everything will continue as it’s been.”

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Santa Fe New Mexican Endorses Undersheriff Robert Garcia

On Sunday May 24, 2010 the Santa Fe New Mexican joined the Albuquerque Journal North in endorsing Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia for Sheriff. Both papers had kind words to say about my administration so I want to take a sentence in this blog post to thank them both. The last eight years of hard work did not go unnoticed by Santa Fe's two daily papers. One major endorsement remains and that is the Santa Fe Reporter which is expected to issue their endorsement on Wed.

I am saying a little prayer tonight for a home run with all three endorsements. Robert has worked hard for 30 years serving Santa Fe in Law Enforcement and he deserves to be our next Sheriff. Below is the endorsement issued by the Santa Fe New Mexican.

For sheriff, Robert García; Mayfield, Bacon to board

The New Mexican
Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 5/23/10

Term limits, those mixed blessings bringing blessed relief from endless incumbency but sometimes depriving people of good public servants, mean changes are in store for three crucial Santa Fe County offices:

• Sheriff, where Greg Solano has been especially effective and, at least as important, open as can be with the people his deputies have served and protected from Edgewood to Chimayó.
• County commissioners for Districts 1 and 3, serving the northern and southern parts of the county, have been well represented by Harry Montoya and Michael Anaya.

All three races drew plenty of competition — Robert García, Rex Doerfer, Rubel Tafoya and Charlie Dalton for sheriff; Jon Paul Romero, Paul White, Danny Mayfield and Lenny Roybal for the District 1 seat and Robert Anaya, David Bacon and Angélica Ruiz in District 3. The candidates are all Democrats — so June 8's winners stand to take office in January.

The field of candidates running for sheriff is one of the strongest in recent memories. We endorse Robert García, current undersheriff, because of his decades of experience and commitment to openness in running the sheriff's office.

Under current Sheriff Greg Solano, the sheriff's office has moved into the modern era, putting out crime bulletins electronically and providing computers to deputies in the field so reports can be filed instantly. That's not all. Burglary rates in Santa Fe County have stayed relatively low compared with skyrocketing rates inside city limits, and DWI prevention has been and will remain a priority for deputies. Solid police work, in other words, is a characteristic of this office.

Importantly, Garcia understands that a good sheriff remains open with the public and the press. He doesn't stonewall or avoid hard questions.

Finally I want to congratulate Undersheriff Robert Garcia on garnering the endorsements, You also have my enthusiastic and heartfelt endorsement.

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Albuquerque Journal North Endorses Undersheriff Robert Garcia

Undersheriff Robert Garcia was endorsed in Sundays Albuquerque Journal North. The editor was kind to our administration and I was honored to be cast in the same light of former Sheriff's Benjie Montano and Ray Sisneros. Both were excellent sheriff''s who left a legacy for me to follow. Below is the endorsement Be sure and get out and vote as early voting has begun. At the end of this article are the early voting times and locations.

Albuquerque Journal North Edition
Sunday, May 16, 2010

Garcia Best Choice for Sheriff


Santa Fe County has been fortunate to have had a whole string — two decades worth, in fact — of competent sheriffs. And maybe even more — we're just casting back as far as former Sheriff Benjie Montaño's first term in office. Montaño served two terms and then worked to get his Undersheriff Ray Sisneros elected. That happened, but when Sisneros decided not to run for a second term, he cleared the way for a wide-open race in 2002, which was won by Greg Solano.

This election cycle, it's Solano who's out under the term limit rule, and true to form (or custom, or whatever it is), he's supporting his Undersheriff Robert Garcia as his successor.

Garcia has three challengers, but his campaign theme, predictably, has been to stress that he's the only one of the four who is poised to take over the department with no on-the-job training required.

And, predictably, he stresses that what he and Solano have been doing to combat Santa Fe's two high-profile crimes — burglary and DWI — is working. The other three candidates talk about what they would do if elected, says Garcia, but he can talk about "what we are doing" to address these problems.

Garcia's critics grouse about morale in the department and say promotions don't proceed fairly, but they're short on specifics.

Garcia's got the more persuasive argument, backed by facts. He notes that burglary rates in the county are down compared with the city, where police have brought down the numbers only to see them shoot right back up to record levels.

The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department fields more DWI officers than any other law enforcement agency in northern New Mexico, according to Garcia, and by emphasizing roadblocks and saturation patrols has made driving safer.

Another plus, the sheriff's office under Solano has been consistently forthcoming with information about criminal investigations and everything else, and Garcia has been the point man in the department's communication with the media and the public.

Garcia says he won't change what works. A 30-year law enforcement veteran, he's certainly qualified for the job. But it's his record as Solano's chief deputy that should be most reassuring to voters — despite the national mood, change isn't always the best option.

As with so many local races here in el norte, there is no Republican on the ballot in November, so the winner of the June 1 Democratic primary is a shoo-in.

The Journal recommends Garcia as the best choice for Santa Fe County sheriff.

Early Voting is held on Tuesday – Friday from 12 Noon until 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

The locations of Early Voting sites are:

Santa Fe County Fairgrounds – 3229 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe
El Dorado Senior Center – 14 Avenida Torreon, El Dorado
Edgewood Fire Station – 25 E. Frontage Road, Edgewood
Pojoaque County Satellite Office – 5W. Gutierrez, Pojoaque
Santa Cruz – 153 Camino De Quintana, Espanola
Santa Fe County Clerk’s office, 102 Grant Avenue, Santa Fe

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Coach Barry Switzer Coming to Santa Fe

We cordially invite you to a Birthday Celebration

for Antoinette Solano and fundraiser for

Robert A. Garcia for Sheriff

Special Guest: Former Dallas Cowboy and

Oklahoma Sooners Championship Coach Barry Switzer At the beautiful home of Pawan and Amrik Dhindsa

Wednesday May 19, 2010 6pm to 9pm

39 West Chili Line Road, Santa Fe New Mexico

Antoinette is asking that in lieu of gifts a donation be made to Robert’s campaign

Suggested donation is $20, any amount is greatly appreciated.

All supporters and Candidates are welcome to attend.

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Video from County Commission District 3 Forum

Last night Undersheriff and candidate for Sheriff, Robert Garcia and I attended the forum for Santa Fe County Commission candidates in District 3. It was well attended and very interesting to watch. The three candidates have very distinct speaking styles, issues that are near and dear and very different approaches to the campaign.

Robert Anaya has a down home country boy feel to him and his speaking style is low key but to the point, he approaches the commissioner position as that of a consensus builder. Robert is a former county employee and brother to current County Commissioner Mike Anaya who cannot run again due to term limits. He lives in Stanley New Mexico in Santa Fe County. David Bacon is an issue based speaker whose heart is in renewable energy and environmental concerns, his speaking style is that of someone who likes to use facts and figures and is much less touchy feely. David lives off highway 14 in Santa Fe County. Angelica's speaking style is similar to that of a motivational speaker and has her stump speeches down pat, she approaches the commission candidacy from the perspective of a single mother of five children. She often brings up her five children and even pulled all five onto the stage to make a point. In her last few speeches she has brought up that she recently lost her job at United Way due to cut backs. Angelica lives in the city limits on Santa Fe's South Side. Voters certainly have a choice in these three very different candidates. I video taped the forum and posted each candidates opening statements below.

Robert Anaya Opening Statement

David Bacon Opening Statement

Angelica Ruiz Opening Statement

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Santa Fe County Sheriff's Race Forum

The Democratic Party of Santa Fe County held a forum on March 17, 2010 for all candidates running to replace me as Sheriff in the June Primary. I still get asked a lot why I am not running again, New Mexico has term limits on the Sheriff as well as all county officials. A sheriff can only serve two terms and then must sit out a term before he or she can run again. While I have made it clear on this blog I am supporting Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia in the race I still want to congratulate all the candidates on a good job. It takes a lot to run for office and you and your families are in for some trying times and some fun times. I commend all of you for putting yourself out there and opening you lives to intense scrutiny in order to do something you believe in.

The Forum was cordial and differences between most of the candidates answers were hard to find. The main difference was that candidates Tafoya, Doerfer, and Dalton were talking about what they would do while Garcia talked about what he had done. Tafoya often referred to his job in Bernallilo County where he works as a deputy. Tafoya a former Santa Fean, has moved back to Santa Fe a few months ago from Rio Rancho in order to run in this race. Doerfer often referred to his military and former sheriff's experience in answering questions while Dalton told short stories about his life during his answers. Undersheriff Garcia often had to remind the candidates that most of what they were proposing was already being done in the Sheriff's Office.

Below are videos of each candidates opening statements.

Undersheriff Robert A. Garcia

Candidate Rex Doerfer

Candidate Rubel Tafoya

Candidate Charlie Dalton

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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Op-Ed on Political Scare Tactics

Following the below posted Press Release by Mayoral Candidate and Republican Asenath Kepler is an Op-Ed piece I wrote and was published in both the Albuquerque Journal North (subscription may be required) and the Santa Fe New Mexican (interesting comments). While my support and endorsement of Mayor Coss has been announced, I still feel that the true premise of my Op-Ed is about the poor use of scare tactics and not just the fact I am supporting Mayor Coss. These scare tactics are also being used by Kepler and her supporters on other issues as well, including Annexation.


KEPLER PRESS RELEASE
_______________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mary Ann Crenshaw & Associates

505-982-8008

MAYORAL CANDIDATE ASENATH KEPLER TARGETS CRIME AS TOP PRIORITY and outlines her plan for reducing staggering statistics

Two well-known jewelry stores robbed in mid-afternoon in the heart of Santa Fe’s Plaza. A child’s purse snatched in her own Don Gaspar driveway, her grandfather beaten as he tried to intervene. An elderly man walking his dog in the Guadalupe Historic District pistol-whipped because he had no cash. A prominent downtown business owner murdered at 8 pm on the first night of Fiestas. A man robbed and shot on a popular recreation trail. A late afternoon armed push-in on one of Santa Fe’s busiest thoroughfares. These are just a few of the many recent incidents that make crime Asenath Kepler’s top priority.

“This isn’t the Santa Fe I’ve known for over than fifty years,” says Mayoral Candidate Asenath Kepler,”and this frightening rise in crime is completely unacceptable! We’re not only going to lose the downtown merchants but visitors and residents as well”

Kepler points to a staggering rise in statistics: robberies, auto burglaries and thefts and residential burglaries all up from the 2008 figures. “People -- particularly the elderly and those who live alone -- are afraid to leave their houses after dark, even in the most central neighborhoods,” she says. “I hear the concerns every day as I campaign.”

The problem, she maintains, is the lack of police presence, a direct result of fiscal irresponsibility at the city level. “We’re down by 40 police offers,” she says, “and if we don’t act now,” she says, “I fear a major downtown incident that may set us back by years. Our city’s residential and commercial burglary rate is fourth per capita in the nation. We don’t want to wait until we’re number-one before the mayor takes action!”

Her solution: Re-allocate resources to provide increased police protection for residents and visitors alike. Kepler plans to do that with:

• Increased and highly visible police presence in our neighborhoods and downtown Santa Fe. Kepler would work with downtown merchants to create substations in the Plaza and other downtown neighborhoods, to be manned by both police officers and public safety assistants.

• An immediate and complete audit of all city functions, seeking adjustments of programs and services as well as staff reassignments that would provide enough savings for this increased police protection.

• Public safety vacancy allocations. Under the current system, city employees who retire with accrued sick and vacation days are left on the books until their sick and vacation leave is paid out, a process that can take up to two years. Consequently, the vacancy is not filled until that time. Under Kepler’s plan, fiscal reorganization will provide a budgetary fund that would apportion departmental projects that would allow the police department to fill vacancies immediately.

• Community roundtables and neighborhood forums that would allow residents to vent their frustrations, express their concerns and participate in the solutions. Kepler would work with schools to develop neighborhood centers and increase neighborhood watch groups, with PSAs assigned to assist each group.

“Crime affects the entire community,” Kepler maintains. “Without a stop to this out-of-control crime spree we cannot hope to attract more business, more tourists or more residents. We need to make Santa Fe once again the safe, secure and neighborly city that has been its image for the past 400 years.”

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My Op-Ed Response.

Inflated Crime Stats Serve Candidate's Scare Tactics.

Crime is often used as a political weapon during elections. I found mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler's "crime plan" press release disturbing in that it picks out certain incidents over the last year and attempts to scare residents into voting for her.

Many of her ideas were tried and failed during the times when Debbie Jaramillo was mayor and Chief Donald Grady was running the police department.

Substations sound good to residents because they think that an officer will be sitting in a substation waiting for a phone to ring and then they will rush out to a crime just blocks away. Manned substations take officers who could be out on the streets doing preventative patrolling, catching speeders, looking for burglars and being a presence in the community and put them behind a desk.

It was tried in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and was a complete failure. You can see remnants of the old substations at Frenchy's Park, the downtown Public Library and on Alameda Street. The city police and the county sheriff's office along with state police and other agencies have a successful joint burglary task force which is working to bring down burglaries and property crimes with success.

Property crimes are on the rise throughout the nation, and New Mexico and Santa Fe is not immune. However, by creating a false reputation of Santa Fe as a high-crime city, this candidate's political scare tactics are hurting all of us. This could further damage our already lower tourist and travel industry, which is reeling from the economic downturn as a whole.

I have been impressed by Mayor Coss' ability to increase police officers in the city police force from 124 to 154 officers over the last four years. This increase in the number of police officers on the streets is greater than under any other mayor in Santa Fe's history. When you pull out the mostly economy-driven property crimes in Santa Fe, you will find that violent crime, sex crimes, and overall crime are at their lowest levels in eight years.

There is always more that we in law enforcement can do, but we must be very suspicious of candidates who try and scare up votes rather than earn them.

Greg Solano is the sheriff of Santa Fe County.


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Sheriff Solano Endorses Mayor Coss Re-election

I just announced my endorsement for Mayor David Coss. You can read the press release below. At the end of the day, I just think he's the right leader for Santa Fe and has the ability to bring people together to solve pressing issues and reduce crime.

Last summer there was a peak in residential burglaries. Working with the Mayor and the City Police we were able to bring down the burglary rate 57% in the last six months.

David has an impressive record and his administration has a long record of working with the Sheriff's Office to ensure that the citizens are protected inside or outside the city or County. Keep in mind criminals don't care whether they are in the city or county and the same burglars victimize families in both jurisdictions.

The joint City and County Burglary and Narcotics Task Forces have made huge strides in keeping crime down even during our tough economic times where many cities are experiencing even higher property crime rates than we have experienced. Most notable is the dozens of arrests and thousands of dollars of property recovery's the task forces have made in the past year. I hope you will join me in supporting the Re-election of Mayor Coss in the City of Santa Fe.

Below is the official press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Friday, February 5, 2010

SHERIFF GREG SOLANO ENDORSES MAYOR DAVID COSS

Santa Fe, NM -- Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano announced his endorsement of Mayor David Coss today, citing his ability to bring people together to solve pressing issues in Santa Fe and reduce crime.

“I continue to be impressed by Mayor Coss. The fact that he increased police officers on the city police force from 124 to 154 officers over the last 4 years is credit to his strong stance on public safety,” said Sheriff Solano. These increases in police on the streets are more than any Mayor in Santa Fe’s history. I have complete faith in his ability to lead Santa Fe during these trying times.”

Mayor Coss said, “I’m very honored to have the support of Sheriff Solano. I have great respect for his work in the County and look forward to our continued collaborative efforts to keep Santa Feans safe.”

Mayor Coss has worked with local law enforcement, community advocates, and neighborhood watches in Santa Fe to reduce crime. As a result, the number of police officers on the streets has increased by 24%, there are over 120 neighborhood watch groups, violent crime is at the lowest level in eight years, and burglaries have decreased by 57% over the last six months.

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For more information on the campaign to re-elect Mayor David Coss, contact Sandra Wechsler @ (505) 231-5866 or campaign@reelectmayorcoss.com www.reelectmayorcoss.com

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Santa Fe District 1 County Commission Forum

Tonight Undersheriff Robert Garcia and I hit the Democratic Party forum for the District 1 County Commission seat currently held by Commissioner Harry Montoya. Our Santa Fe County Democratic Chair Richard Ellenberg played moderator and read questions to the candidates who each had a chance to introduce themselves and give opening comments before answering questions. The current candidates for District 1 are Jon Paul Romero, Lenny Roybal, Paul White, and Daniel "Danny" Mayfield.

Water was on the audiences mind as the first question solicited the candidates opinions on the Aamodt settlement while the second question was on water rights and the writer of the question framed it in a way to convey the feelings that too many projects are being funded on the pueblo lands in Northern New Mexico. The Aamodt settlement which has not really yet been fully settled has been a huge bone of contention to non pueblo residents in Northern Santa Fe County. After news of the settlement came out following court ordered secret negotiations a county poll showed resident dissatisfaction which prompted County Commissioner Harry Montoya to write op-ed pieces defending the settlement. Residents are still unhappy and this settlement was an issue in the 2006 district 1 elections and looks to be an issue in 2010 as well. I was still shaking hands and drinking coffee so I did not take good notes on the water issues but I did sit down and take notes on the economic and crime questions.

On the Economy Jon Paul Romero wants to open regional small business incubators through out Santa Fe County. Lenny Roybal wants to teach people to grow their own food, open more co-ops and encourage landlords to lower rents in order to foster small business growth and he wants to encourage more students to become teachers. Paul White claimed the county has tripled its spending in the last three years. (I am sure this is not true, at least the Santa Fe Sheriff's budget is no where near tripled and has actually been cut by 8 percent in the 2009-2010 fiscal year and further cuts are expected. ) Mr. White also wants to promote a green economy, affordable housing and diversification of the economy. Danny Mayfield says we need to look closely at how we are spending county money but employment and jobs provided by the county is important to economic development however we need to ensure county employees are doing a good job and earning their pay.

Crime and youth crime was the next question and Paul White says in Chupadero where he lives there is a large drug related crime problem. He stated he has worked with the Sheriff's Office on developing a neighborhood watch program. He also advocated for programs for kids in jail to turn their lives around. Danny Mayfield stated we need to lead by example and be role models for children. He advocated supporting law enforcement and promote deputies spending more time in local neighborhoods. Jon Paul Romero says the solutions start at home and school. He advocated more activities and places for teens and stated we needed to be role models for our children. Lenny Roybal says we need to properly fund law enforcement and hire more deputies. He also advocated properly funding fire and 911 dispatch operators. He also stated we need to educate our youth and felt we needed programs in the jails for youth. Lenny also referred to the movie "Blind Side" and said "its easy to hurt a child but its hard to help them". He also said he cringes when schools look at dropping sports programs as they teach kids about life.

Each candidate had their supporters in the audience who were joined by several other candidates and elected officials including the man the candidates on the hot seat were seeking to replace, Commissioner Harry Montoya. Also in the audience was County Commission Candidate Robert Anaya who was probably getting warmed up for forums in his district 3 race to replace his brother Mike Anaya. The man seeking to take my job Undersheriff Robert Garcia was also in the audience shaking hands and passing out bumper stickers and business cards.

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Bad Cops, Bad Union Leaders.

A horrible video has popped up in the Santa Fe and New Mexico news media. Every profession has its share of bad people. There are doctors who rape people while they are under anesthesia. There are lawyers who steal peoples life earnings, teachers who take advantage sexually of the students whose lives are entrusted to them, and even priests who abuse children sexually. There are bad people in my chosen profession also. Yes there are bad cops, cops who make all the rest of us look bad.




Every day there are thousands of cops who do the right thing and they will never make the headlines with as big of a splash or stay in the headlines as long as the ones who do bad. Unfortunately there are two ways a cop makes the headlines for more than a day. When they are a bad cop and when they die in the line of duty.

The current case is now becoming a part of the political scene. A local race for mayor is being thrust into the police abuse that occurred in 2007. Usually the incumbent mayor is saddled with the burden of anything an officer does under his watch, even though the mayor really does not have any direct oversight of the individual officers. In this race the shoe is on the other foot. The leading opponent of Mayor David Coss has aligned herself with the police and fire unions. Asenath Kepler initially garnered the police union endorsement after deep divides in the police union allowed Allen Lopez to become president and Adam Gallegos to become Vice President. I know both officers well, I was Allen's training officer in 1989 or 1990 when he was a young rookie and Adam worked for the Sheriff's Office before his discontent and anti management views drove him to leave and go work for the City Police. I thought that Adam would start over at the city and leave his discontent behind but from all indications he has transferred that discontent to a new police administration. It is unfortunately also my understanding that Allen Lopez has joined the ranks of the malcontent as well.

At the Santa Fe City Police the union has a history of electing those who are most vocal against the administration or those who have an axe to grind. This is unfortunate since the growth and success of the police department is dependent upon good management/union relations. What union members there have not yet figured out is that smart effective union leaders are better for the union as a whole than angry ineffective leaders. It is worse when those leaders are facing disciplinary actions themselves or have had a troubled past. The Santa Fe Police Officers Association (the union) is a chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police. I have great respect and admiration for the Fraternal Order of Police as I was the former local Vice-President of the F.O.P. and former union president of the P.O.A. . However locally the F.O.P. and P.O.A. have become wayward children of the National Organization. The Santa Fe F.O.P. is near bankruptcy and the P.O.A. is in shambles.

On top of all that we come back to the incident I started this blog post with. The reprehensible beating of the 17 year old suspect who was in handcuffs at the time is embarrassing to watch and there is no way to justify what happened on that day. Yet Sergeant Allen Lopez the police president continues to give statements to the media that these officers, two of whom were fired, should have kept their jobs. There is statements from the mayor that the police union pressured him to intervene in the firings and indications that the reasons the police union did not endorse Mayor Coss was because the mayor refused to intervene. In another city police disciplinary described in a story in the Santa Fe Reporter an officers testimony about an incident was proven to be false in audio recordings and he was fired. The mayor was also asked to intervene and again the police union president was claiming termination was too harsh. An officers word means everything in court and when you are caught in a lie your career is over. As a former City Police Union President I can say it was unethical and outside of the provisions of the Union Contract to ask the mayor to intervene in these disciplinary actions. I give big kudos to Mayor Coss for not allowing politics and union pressure to enter in to what was the right thing to do.

When a union president allows himself to be portrayed in the media as defending bad officers their credibility in the public becomes unreliable and their influence on the public for political endorsements and asking for the public's help when it is time for raises and other needs becomes diminished. As a former union president I can say that the union has a responsibility to assist its members through the disciplinary process and support them to a conclusion. They need to balance that responsibility with their responsibility to provide effective leadership to the rest of the union members as well and allowing the union to look foolish in the media and the public eye does not further their cause. Yes there are bad cops and the rest of us in law enforcement must speak out the loudest when we see them disrespect the profession we all love. Only then will the public believe that we are not all the same.

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City of Santa Fe Candidate Forum

Tonight I attended the Santa Fe Police, Fire and AFSCME forum for the City Council and Mayor candidates. I was interested for several reasons but primarily because the forum would be to address public safety issues. I also have some lingering interest in the city police having started my police career at the city and being a former president of the Santa Fe Police Officers Association which is the city police union and one of the sponsors of the forum.

The questions asked were remarkably similar to the forum I attended in 2006 when the same unions held a forum for city council and mayor candidates at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge#3. The questions focused on the annexation, paying for public safety, the economy, and union/management relations.

The format of the forum led to a long and tenuous forum to sit through. Because there were three mayor candidates and seven council candidates, two running unopposed. For anyone else out there looking at putting on forums I suggest separating the mayor and council candidates into two forums and leaving out the candidates running unopposed. The forum started about 6:45 and ended about 10:15pm. With all the candidates they only had time to answer 7 prepared questions and they each had a short introduction and a short time at the end to give a final speech. I counted one hundred and twenty people at the beginning but by 9:40 the crowd thinned down to seventy.

Many notables were in the crowd including Police Chief Aric Wheeler, Deputy Chief Robin Contreras, City Fire Chief Barbara Salas, New City Attorney appointee Geno Zamora, District Judge Michael Vigil and his wife, County Commission Candidate Angelica Ruiz, Magistrate Judge David Segura, Congressional Candidate Adam Kokesh, and probably a few others I missed.

The crowd had about equal Kepler and Coss mayoral candidate supporters with T-shirts, stickers, and buttons. Kepler supporters also carried signs. Other candidates went without supporters with campaign materials. Clearly these two candidates had the most organized support. Both Coss and Kepler had many supporters who I recognized as active in Santa Fe politics and unions over the years. I did notice that some of Keplers supporters were Coss supporters in 2006 when he ran for mayor. The candidates participating in the forum were as follows:

Incumbent David Coss, Asenath Kepler and Miguel Chavez for mayor

Incumbent Chris Calvert, Doug Nava and Russell Simon for City Council in District 1

Incumbent Rebecca Wurzburger and Stefanie Beninato in District 2

Incumbents Carmichael Dominguez and Ron Trujillo, each running unopposed in District 3 and 4

The first Question asked what the candidates priorities for restructuring were and what if any functions would you privatize. Kepler and Chavez did not address privatization while Coss stated he has always been against privatization and that cuts could be made where needed. Miguel Chavez stated he would concentrate on basic city services such as police, fire, and senior citizen services. Asenath Kepler said she would conduct a thorough analysis of the budget in every department, she blamed the managers and department heads for putting the city in its current situation she says she would bring them all in cut their pay and lay them off before she affected any of the line workers. Wurzburger stated she would look for efficiency's and places which could be cut and work to increase tourism in order to bring in more revenue. Calvert said he would rely on workers to suggest cuts and efficiency's. Simon said he would look to diversify Santa Fe's economy and do more than just go after tourists. Beninato pretty much agreed with Simon.

The heated question of the night was the annexation question, the city recently entered into an agreement to annex 10,000 acres over the next few years with phase one taking place in November of last year. The annexation has been discussed and put off for about 30 years and finally began to come to fruition in 2009. It has been a sore subject for police and fire in the city with fears that current staffing levels are far too inadequate to cover the areas when annexed. There has been a large debate over just what the staffing levels should be and how to pay for the additional staff.

Kepler hit the ground running as she raised her voice in answering this question. She said she wants to stop all further annexation not knowing how it will be funded. She said "it was unconscionable to put lives in danger" referring to officers fears it will be unsafe with inadequate staff, she added again with a raised voice and serious expression on her face "this is no joke!" Mayor Coss was much more relaxed as he stated the city had developed a good relationship with the county and that the counties deputies were not going anywhere, He also added that the city had already increased police by 30 officers, fire by 20 firefighters and added 3 new fire stations since he was elected. The mayor went on to say the annexation should have happened in the 1980's but we flinched at the costs. He went on to say the city was committed to adding 40 more officers in the future to help meet needs. Miguel Chavez said we need to move forward with the annexation, there are benefits as well as challenges, he pointed out that in phase one the costs are estimated at $200,000 while the revenues from the area are $187,000 so he went on to say we are generating revenue as we annex these areas.

Incumbents Ron Trujillo and Carmichael Dominguez joined Coss in saying the annexation needs to happen while all other candidates said they would re-look at the annexation agreement and perhaps spread out the time period for the additional phases of the agreement. Ron Trujillo also mentioned that the red light cameras which he was the leading proponent of would create additional funds for police and fire. He brought up red light camera's again later in the forum as a source of revenue for public safety. The camera's are not yet installed but are slated to go up in the next few months. I thought this was particularly interesting since all along the cameras were pushed as a safety issue and not intended to be for generating revenue. Councilor Trujillo also lamented the governor of the state pushing legislation to have half the revenue from red light camera's diverted to the state.

Much of the remaining questions and answers dealt with the economy and the need to diversify and bring new jobs to Santa Fe. Many candidates advocated taping the cities reserves to avoid further furloughs and any layoffs. Kepler again heated up the room when she said "the tapping of reserves was avoidable, a good city manager and finance director would have known the economy would crash, I will save millions with audits" She also said there were allegations of fraud and waste in the city and audits were needed. Coss replied he knew of no fraud and waste and stated the city had saved for times just like this and had eleven million dollars above the minimum required reserves.

I took pretty extensive notes on the rest of the questions but I have no doubt that if you have read this much you probably won't read much more. One last thing I have to mention is the crowd looked pretty much in shock when during the forum Coss supporter Morty Simon was standing up front taking pictures with the flash on his camera turned on, of the mayor candidates or perhaps just the mayor it was hard to tell. Kepler was about to answer a question when she stopped the forum and told Mr. Simon "You have taken enough pictures, I don't know if you are taking them of me or one of the other mayor candidates but you have taken around 50 and you have enough pictures!". Mr. Simon sat down and as far as I know took no more pictures. The forum was interesting but long, even the reporters had to leave half way though to go and get their stories written and submitted. I am glad I went by and watched I always learn from watching these both from the perspective of the constituent and as a political candidate.

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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.

Reception with Speaker of the House Ben Lujan

Speaker of the House Ben Lujan and the Democratic Legislative Delegation of Santa Fe County are holding a reception to benefit the Democratic Party of Santa Fe County.

Wednesday, June 24

5:30-7:30 pm

Thunderbird Room

Bishops Lodge, Santa Fe

RSVP to (505) 992-1396 or email: PSFeventRSVP@cybermesa.com

A contribution of $75 to the Democratic Party of Santa Fe is suggested

Add this event to your google calendar.

Should Police Chiefs Be Elected?

The last time I titled a blog post with a question it created quite a stir. Oh, well I am going to start this blog with a question also. I started as a police officer in 1988 after being hired as a rookie by the Santa Fe City Police Department. The chief of police at the time was Raymond Sisneros also a former Sheriff. He left about 2 years later and became Undersheriff for Sheriff Benjie Montano who is now the soon to retire Deputy Chief of the Santa Fe Police Department.

Next to take the chiefs position was Chief Bobby Lucero who lasted by my memory a little under 4 years. Debbie Jaramillo was elected Mayor in 1994 and Chief Lucero learned his fate after Newly elected Mayor Jaramillo announced on a morning radio talk show that he was fired. An outsider was then brought in as Chief. Chief Donald Grady was brought in during the summer of 1994. Chief Grady was Santa Fe's first black Chief of Police and quickly became controversial not for his race but for his inability to relate to the officers who served under him. It was during this controversial period that I lost the presidency of the police union to an anti Grady faction who used racial overtones to create divisions in the police force. Now I was not pro Grady but I did not agree with my opponents tactics to get rid of Chief Grady. Chief Grady lasted less than 2 years resigning in February of 1996. I left the city police in 1995 and went into private business. The Grady years and my departure from the city police could fill a couple of other blog posts.














Chief Donald Grady

Mayor Jaramillo was not happy with her Chief being driven from the Police Department. The City Police Officers and the Mayor were always at odds and the line officers truly felt the Mayor hated cops and Chief Grady was sent to punish them. Mayor Jaramillo then appointed her brother in law Carlos Jaramillo to the Chiefs Position. Now the initial appointment only served to enrage officers even more and led the media and others to dub Santa Fe Jaramillo Ville. The mayors brother was city manager and now her brother in law was chief. A local radio station started the name by playing a rendition of the song Margarita Ville in which the lyrics were changed to read, "Wastin away again in Jaramillo Ville". I wish I had a copy of the song which was one of the most hilarious parody's I have ever heard. I made a little money during this time selling buttons which had a picture of the sign outside city hall with the "Santa Fe" removed and "Jaramillo Ville" in its place.















Chief John Denko

Chief Jaramillo actually was a laid back get along with the officers kind of guy and he faired much better as chief than anyone initially thought he would. When Mayor Jaramillo lost her re-election bid in 1998 Chief Jaramillo left soon after. The new Mayor Larry Delgado replaced Chief Jaramillo with Chief John Denko in 1999. Former Chief Denko is now the Governors Cabinet Secretary for D.P.S. . He left in 2003 with a little less than four years as Chief.















Chief Beverly Lennen

Beverly Lennen was the next chief to take the helm at the City of Santa Fe Police, becoming the first woman chief in the history of the City of Santa Fe Police Department in 2003. Unmentioned in my previous paragraphs was the fact that Beverly Lennen served as interim chief on several occasions in between many of the chiefs appointments which I described above. Chief Lennen lasted until February of 2006 lasting a few months over 3 years. Finally we get to Chief Eric Johnson, Appointed in 2006 by newly elected Mayor David Coss. Chief Johnson has just announced his retirement which will come on May 29th 2009.





















Chief Eric Johnson

I just went through all that to get you to this point. Do you see a pattern here? No chief has lasted a day beyond 4 years during my institutional memory which goes back twenty one years (man I am old ). Now a mayors term lasts 4 years and many are re-elected meaning a possibility of up to eight years serving as chief. Santa Fe Chiefs however do not last. Why is that?

As I look back on the chiefs over the last 20 years there is one very common factor. They are all retired or near retirement. Most candidates will not accept the job of chief unless they are within a year or two of minimum retirement years. This ensures that if they are fired they can just retire. Even with that as a fallback most chiefs in recent years also enter into a contract which says that they can revert to their previous rank should the mayor wish to remove them for any reason except out right malfeasance in office.

Next we must look at the stresses of a City Police Chief. The police chief is clearly a political appointee hired by the Mayor. This ties their job to that of the Mayor. As long as the Mayor remains and supports the Chief, the Chief should stay. However the Chief still has many more supervisors. There is the City Manager, Eight City Councilors, and the Mayor. The Chief must answer to all of them while still answering directly to the public. Imagine answering to ten bosses all wanting attention for the needs of their district. Some of them maybe don't like you just because you are the mayors pick and maybe they are not happy with the mayor or the city manager. Maybe they ran for mayor and lost, or maybe they want to run for mayor and their success may depend upon your failure. Seems like a tough job?

Now lets compare this to the Sheriff. A Sheriff is elected to a four year term by the citizens and the Sheriff ultimately answers only to them. This places the Sheriff on equal footing with the County Commission in that they need the Sheriff to help with concerns in their district just as much as the Sheriff needs the Commissioners for his or her needs such as budgetary and passing ordinances and other needs. The County Manager also needs the Sheriff just as much as the Sheriff needs him. They are all on pretty much equal footing and the need for each other creates a mutual respect whether real or political. I throw that in because regardless of the actual respect the individuals may or may not have for each other, for political reasons their is a need to display to the public the semblance of getting along and respect for the citizens sake.

I also believe that because the Sheriff is elected he or she is more responsive to the media and public relations concerns than a Chief may be because he needs to be sure what he or she is says to the media will meet the approval of the Mayor, City Manager, and eight councilors.

So, what if the Chief of Police was elected? Would we retain chiefs longer, I believe the answer to that is yes. What does that accomplish? It would accomplish more continuity in the chiefs position and less controversy in appointments. I also believe it could allow a chief to spend more time being responsive to the public concerns and less time dealing with city hall. An elected chief would have to be more responsive to the public and during election time lay out a plan for law enforcement in the city. In between elections citizens would decide how well the chief lived up to the campaign promises and the plans laid out during the campaign. Whether percieved or real the meddling accusations against councilors and mayors should be eliminated or greatly decreased. Now this is just an idea thrown out there by a Sheriff who stays up to late at night thinking about things like this and the likelihood of this ever occurring is next to zero. Yet I think it is an interesting concept that deserves some attention.

There are those who say that the Mayor would never give up control of law enforcement because it is one of the basic functions of government. Yet there are even benefits to mayors and city councilors. Having a separate elected police chief would allow the fellow elected councilors and mayor to just point their finger at another elected official when crime issues arise. A quick google search led me to one campaign site where the chief is elected in San Angelo Texas. I also found an editorial in Los Angeles which discusses electing the Los Angeles Police Chief.

A good example of how the public might feel about this issue occurred several years ago when Bernalillo County and The City of Albuquerque presented a proposal to voters to merge the two governments into one metro government. The issue that was most debated and was credited with the defeat of the proposal was that the elected sheriff would be done away with and a police chief would rule over all the new metro government law enforcement. Of course the sheriff spoke out in opposition and the public voted the proposal down. The idea of re-hashing the proposal with an elected sheriff overseeing all law enforcement never quite gained ground and the proposal was never brought up again. Maybe that is a solution to discuss in another blog post, the combining of city and county government in Santa Fe. Of course with an elected sheriff for law enforcement :-) .

So there is an idea thrown out there for debate, criticism, or laughter, I am not sure I even fully agree with the idea as I have not spent enough time hashing out the true details. And as it has often been said the devil is in the details.

What do you think? Vote below.


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