Last week, Councilor Cadigan announced is return (after no time at all... really no time at all) to city politics by re-entering the race that he had left when he left the mayor's race due to an inability to qualify for public financing. The two-way race between Jeremy Toulouse and Dan Lewis became a three-way race.
Not surprisingly, a Democrat has surfaced to challenge the two Republicans interested in the District 9 seat. Our Eyes tell us that Democrat David Barber - who registered as a Democrat in the district in 2007 - plans on challenging the two Republicans.
It'll be interesting to see what effect the addition of a Democratic challenger has on the race. If it's anything like four years ago, Barber's participation will only have the effect of extending the election and perhaps handing it to the candidate who's not the incumbent. Runoff elections tend to favor the anti-incumbent crowd. If Barber makes a respectable showing in the October election, chances are Brasher would win the run off - that is assuming he doesn't win the election outright.
Meanwhile, two more candidates have eschewed (Yes, eschewed. Look it up.) public financing. The Eyes have it that Commissioner Brasher has decided to forgo using involuntary contributions from taxpayers in favor of using voluntary contributions from supporters who have decided that he's the best candidate for the job.
The other candidate who has according to the grapevine, decided to eschew public financing is none other than the former "clean" mayoral candidate Councilor Michael Cadigan. If true, Cadigan's change of heart may have something to do with the fact that he figured out that the new "ethical" elections ordinance does nothing but keep potential candidates out of a race.
There's little doubt that Brasher and Cadigan have the ability to raise the $30,000 or so necessary to compete against their taxpayer funded counterparts. What will be interesting to see is if the two (and Commissioner Armijo) decide to push beyond the dollar per voter limit set by Albuquerque's Unethical Elections Scheme thereby funding their opponents. If so, they'll be hurting their campaigns but potentially setting the stage for a 1st Amendment challenge to Albuquerque's public financing system.
We don't know whether either candidate will take on the city during an election year, but it's clear that the Albuquerque Open and "Ethical" Elections Ordinance is has some real Constitutional problems that need to be addressed by the courts.
Make it a three-way in two of five districts. The game is on and it's only early May! It'll be a fun election season to say the least.
----- Correction -----
We were rightly chastised for identifying the Republican candidate in District 5 as Dan East - who was the CD3 Republican candidate last year. Of course the candidate for city council is Dan Lewis. We got our Dans mixed up. It has been corrected above.
8 comments:
And here I thought that animals couldn't talk! Silly me!
I wonder why this blog does not warn its readers that the Governor will replace Armijo and Brasher if they win. The Gov would control 3 out of five seats on the Commission. He is already appointing one vacancy. We do not need the Commission to turn into another UNM.
We do not need anymore crazy rail or space legacy projects pushed by the Governor before he leaves office. The residents of Bernalillo County should not be put in this position. We cannot afford for the Governor to dictate in our county.
Is this blog turning into a Cadigan supporter because he does not vote for red light cameras and he is privately financing??? This blog must be a two trick pony. The investment community in Albuquerque would love nothing more than to see Cadigan gone.
The people that create jobs in this city have a motto, ABC, Anybody But Cadigan. I hope the residents of District 5 remember their ABCs when the are in the ballot box.
District 5 race is "Dan Lewis" not "Dan East", Cadigan & Toulouse
Cadigan really should keep that seat! He stands up to the likes of Bob White and Ed Adams and Mayor For Life Marty. Whether or not you like Cadigan's political stance on some issues, at least he's not one of Marty's Eunichs, like Don Harris and (to some extent)Ken Sanchez. Don Harris especially.
Are you talking about the same Don Harris that killed the rail car tax?
The following is from
New Mexico Republicans
http://www.gopnm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135%3AMarty+loss&Itemid=97
The Chavez track record in this election has not been pretty. Not only did he recruit candidates against councilors who did not do his bidding, but he allowed city administrators Greg Payne and Barry Bitzer to virtually manage campaigns against these councilors, including Brad Winter and Don Harris. Phone and email records showed their deep involvement in radio attack ads against Winter and Harris, all at the expense of Albuquerque taxpayers.
You misspelled Barbour, and don't get your hopes up that this guy who is new to town and a member of the Gray Panthers, http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/hwb/documents/12-8-2007_Gray_Panthers_Comments.pdf, is going to be viable in the District with such a high number of Sandia employees and military retirees.
It will be interesting, but crow will be on the Eye menu regarding Harris, again, on the day after the election.
May 7, 2009 12:36:00 AM MDT
Harris is trying to get back in the good graces of Mayor for Life. Maybe?
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