Yet Another Airport Scandal?

We've got to hand it to KOB... They've been on their game of late. Wednesday, Eyewitness News reported that the new tower at the Double Eagle II Airport was not only years behind schedule but cost over 4 times the amount that of a similar tower in Denton, TX (KOB.com). Hat Tip: Eye Reader

"There were six or seven years between the time those funds were allocated by the federal government and the time the tower was actually operational, which was just this year," said Derek Larson, the airport advisory board chairman.

Another issue is the tower's price tag.

Larson says a similar tower in Denton, Texas was built in only three years, at a price of $800,000. The Double Eagle tower took $3.5 million to build.

-KOB.com

What is it with Marty and airports? It appears that his administration can't seem to do anything without obscene cost overruns. If the Double Eagle II tower should have cost $800,000 and cost $900,000, we wouldn't be too concerned. But when the tardy tower ends up costing $2.7 MILLION more we're a bit concerned that perhaps the money's not going where it's supposed to.

This is far worse than the observation deck fiasco (read it here), that only cost us twice the original $1 MILLION no-bid contract. Is this yet another airport scandal and will The Almighty Alcalde have to pay a political price?

Once, Twice, Three Times the Security

Back in 2003 the City Council passed an ordinance with the explicit purpose of reducing false alarms. As you would expect, the legislation created a system of fines for businesses and homeowners whose alarms habitually went off in error.

(B) An alarm user shall pay a service fee of $150.00 for each false intrusion/burglar alarm, duress/hold-up alarm, or manually activated emergency assistance alarm notification emitted from an alarm system that is in excess of three false alarms in a permit year; $300.00 for each false fire, smoke, carbon monoxide or heat alarm notification emitted from an alarm system in a business in excess of three false alarms within a permit year; and $150.00 for each false fire, smoke, carbon monoxide or heat alarm notification emitted from an alarm system in a residence in excess of three false alarms within a permit year.

- § 9-3-13 City of Albuquerque Code of Ordinances

For those alarm systems that trigger more than 10 times in a year, the fine jumps to $500 per occurence. In addition, every alarm is required to have a permit.

Look, we don't have a problem with the fines. Those of us who use alarms have the responsibility to keep those alarms in good repair. However, we as taxpayers support the Albuquerque Police Department through our tax dollars. Charging $25 a year simply to have the use of an alarm regardless of whether it has ever been tripped is nothing but a money grab by the city. We get to pay extra taxes because we've taken steps to make sure our homes and businesses are more secure.

Yesterday, KOB-TV ran a story on the Armed Response Team. ART was a business quite literally created by Albuquerque's Alarm Systems Ordinance. Their business model is simple. When an ART covered alarm goes off, the Armed Response Team sends out a trained, armed professional to investigate the alarm. If there's evidence of a break-in, the ART responder contacts APD and waits for them to arrive.

ART's responders are made up of retired APD officers. In fact, ART was founded by a retired APD officer - Larry Sonntag.

Here's where things get a little strange... The City of Albuquerque has hired ART to provide alarm monitoring for its buildings.

The city just hired the Armed Response Team (ART) to follow up on alarms at about 40 city-owned buildings, like community centers.

ART's system includes several tiny, infrared cameras set up around the property. When people enter the area, an ART dispatcher finds out and watches what is happening in real time, then dispatches an officer.

- KOB.com

Our Eyes tell us that one of the most frequent violators of the Alarm System Ordinance is the City of Albuquerque itself. So... In order to get a handle on their own violations, they brought in ART.

"For an Albuquerque police officer to respond to a burglar alarm is about $150. Our cost is significantly lower than that," said Sonntag.

- KOB.com

Gee... we wonder where he got that $150 number. Seems as if the city is racking up those $150 fines fast enough to make it economical for them to bring in outside help. But of course, when has spending our money ever been one of The Almighty Alcalde's concerns?

Security Services

We provide uniformed security services at City-owned facilities in an effort to establish a safe and friendly environment for both visitors and employees.

- City of Albuquerque Department of Municipal Services Website

The above is one of 12 services provided by the Department of Municipal Development. You'll note the heading reads "S-e-c-u-r-i-t-y S-e-r-v-i-c-e-s."

In fact, DMD is in charge of providing security for all city-owned buildings and facilities. Our question is... why is the city hiring an outside security firm to provide security at city-owned properties when they have their own security force?

Our Eyes tell us that one reason may be that ART was running ads telling prospective customers that APD's response time to alarms was up to 8 minutes. In an election year when we've just discovered that a SERIAL KILLER had been and still could be operating in Albuquerque, having a local business harping on slow APD response times isn't good for the bosses' election chances.

Besides, even that 8 minute number is misleading. That's the time that it takes for an officer to arrive after the call has been dispatched, not the time it takes for APD to arrive on scene following a call for help. Even more disturbing, Chief Schultz doesn't seem to care.

"Folks when I started this job [2]7 years ago, we were stacking calls. When Joe Bowdich started his job they were stacking calls. Who cares? Who cares if calls are waiting? I don't care if calls are holding."

- Chief Ray Schultz, September 12, 2008 Citywide Briefing

It all boils down to this... The taxpayers of Albuquerque are paying not once, not twice, but three times to secure their public buildings. We're paying for APD. We're paying for DMD security. And now - thanks to a bad ordinance and mayor worried about yet another public safety embarrassment - we're paying for ART.

Eye Poll: Marty's Biggest Scandal

We've been taking quite a bit of flack for not publishing the results of our early summer Eye Poll. One poster claimed that we were "pissed-off" by the results. Actually, concerned is the word we'd use but in either case, we hadn't posted the results due to some rather pressing vocational issues.

So here they are... According to May Eye Readers the biggest mayoral mishap over the last 8 years was (insert drum roll here)... coming in with 26% of the vote, exaggerating red light camera statistics! The ABQ PAC, Evidence Room, and Bode Aviation Scandals each came in with 10% of the vote, Marty's greenhouse gas got 8% and 2% didn't know.

What has us concerned (and what more than likely our pernicious poster wanted brought out) was that 36% indicated that they didn't care (view the results here). We suspect that Marty's Minions were busy clicking away at the only selection that they could vote for. And obviously if your job is dependent on Marty remaining on the 11th floor throne, it's in your best interest to not care.

Apathy is what got us to this point - locally and nationally. Too many people don't take the time to judge the content of the character of the people they elect. Multiple scandals that are brushed under the rug by election time are an indication of a character flaw - one that's easy to miss if you don't take the time to care.

The Alcalde Files: Bad Observation

After occupying the city's mayoral throne for almost 12 years, one would expect a few scandals and Marty's unprecedented reign is no exception. In fact, The Almighty Alcalde's tenure is replete with scandals but Marty has always managed to cover his scandals much like he covers the signs of gang activity - with a layer of paint just thick enough to hide the graphitti below.

After all, if the public can't see it - it's not really there. And that's the operational model Marty subscribes to. If it's bad news hide it and act like it never happened. Governance through public perception - it's a great formula to get re-elected but it doesn't lead to good government.

In campaigns perception is reality and the mayor knows that if he can hide his scandals or shift the blame, he'll more than likely spend another 4 years on the Throne of the Alcalde. Unfortunately, the public seems to suffer from some sort of collective amnesia every time Marty's on the city ballot.

So... In an effort to remind you just who it is that occupies the 11th floor, we're taking you on a trip down memory lane called the Alcalde Files. This week features one of The Almighty Alcalde's early scandals - The Sunport Observation Deck debacle.

Bad Observation

It was late in the Almighty Alcalde's first term as mayor. The re-renamed Albuquerque International Sunport was in the process of creating a food court for travelers spending their layover in the Duke City. Then and now Mayor Martin Chavez wanted an brand new observation deck for people to view the majestic planes taking off and landing against the beautiful New Mexico sky.

The only problem... the food court plans didn't include an observation deck. That little obstacle was easily overcome through the simple expedient of having the contractor who was already building the food court build the observation deck. It didn't seem to matter to Marty that doing so violated the law.

Among the policies that were broken, the city failed to put construction work for the project out for bid and neglected to get City Council approval. The case led to a grand jury investigation that nearly culminated in criminal indictments against city employees. The only thing that saved the city from criminal prosecution was a Stipulated Disposition Agreement that was signed by the city and the District Attorney's Office in 1999 that conceded the mistakes made by the city and amended the city's Purchasing Ordinance.

-Alibi.com

You'll notice the settlement was in 1999, two years after Marty left his chair to Jimmy Baca - Albuquerque's Jimmy Carter. The agreement was crafted by a contract lawyer for the District Attorney's office, former City Councilor and current Chief Public Safety Officer, Pete Dinelli. Also involved - or rather not involved as usual - was then Attorney General Tom Udall who chose not to investigate.

Most of you have probably forgotten that in the late '90s Marty was an up and coming star in the Democratic party. His ability to pull Rs and his connections through wife Margaret Aragon de Chavez to the powerful (now convicted felon) Manny Aragon, made him a force to be reckoned with.

So it's no surprise (especially in New Mexico) that Democrats of all stripes either ignored or buried Marty's bad observation. He had the connections. He had the promising future. And he had more than likely broken the law. But we'll never know will we? Because in New Mexico that's just the way it's done.

Taking Leave out of Administrative Leave

Administrative leave has always been an annoying. A city employee is accused of wrong-doing or even criminal behavior and we tax payers get to pay them for doing nothing. Officer Levi Chavez is the most famous admin leaver. After his wife's untimely demise, Chavez was placed on administrative leave. As of last May, Chavez was still collecting a paycheck while the investigation into his wife's suspicious death continues.

Apparently, the Chavez administration has decided that if they're paying an employee then they ought to be doing some work. According to our Eyes, they've decided that when a city employee is placed on administrative leave they'll be expected to pull weeds or even clean out kennels even if pulling weeds or cleaning kennels are not part of their job description.

[Sidebar]
You may have read some of our posts about Levi Chavez. Our argument that Mr. Chavez should be terminated stemmed from the evidence found at the scene - in particular, a stash of marijuana which the last time we checked was an illegal substance. At the time, Chavez was a probationary officer and we'd call possession of a controlled substance a violation of that probation.
[End Sidebar]

We're pretty sure that the move would be generally popular with the public... at least until they think about it. Admin leave is used to get an employee out of the way until the allegations against them can be fully investigated. You know the whole innocent until proven guilty thing.

The Chavez administration has never been too concerned about due process. To wit, Marty's red light Scam-era program. Now the mayor wants to expand his guilty until proven innocent theory to administrative leave.

Let's say that you're an administrative assistant, a cop, a bus driver, or any other city employee whose job doesn't include weeding or cleaning kennels. If you were placed on administrative leave, you probably wouldn't appreciate having to muck out a kennel or be seen on the street pulling weeds. You might even consider it a form of punishment.

Now don't get us wrong... we need people to pull the weeds and clean the kennels and they're honest jobs. But forcing someone on administrative leave to join the city chain gang doesn't make sense and may not even be legal.

We doubt very seriously that the employment contracts of those not hired to pull weeds or clean kennels include that kind of service to the city. So, forcing city employees into alternate service in a different department is probably not going to happen.

Our Eyes Behind the Badge believe that the new policy is targeted directly at men and women of APD. Police officers deal with people on a regular basis and no matter where they're needed there's generally at least one person who's less than happy to see them arrive. As a result, police officers more than any other city employee generate complaints that can result in administrative leave.

The move makes it easy for The 5th Floor to punish officers without bothering to investigate or even finding a reason for administrative action. APD already has a track record of using never ending IA's as a weapon against officers who aren't in favor with the administration. Now they're going to have one more tool in their toolbox and this one can be used against any city employee.

Eye Poll: Berry

As summer begins to wane and the election season begins, Eye readers have chosen who they would like to be the next mayor of Albuquerque. In our unscientific poll, Richard "RJ" Berry took the honors with a solid 45% of the vote. The Almighty Alcalde came in 2nd at 28% edging out Richard Romero by 1 point at 27% (view it here).

Granted the Eye Poll is unscientific and our readers tend to be of the center-right variety, but these numbers have to be a concern for the Chavez campaign. After all, Republicans - particularly Northeast Heights Republicans - have been largely responsible for keeping Marty in the Alcalde's chair.

If Marty's numbers slip with Republican voters and Richard Romero mounts a credible challenge, it's pretty easy to see the mayor held below the magic runoff line. Should Marty be held below 40%, Berry could very well end up the new mayor. Of course Berry needs to run a solid campaign of his own, otherwise the beneficiary of a Chavez 40% failure would be Richard Romero.

In either case, if Chavez is kept below 40% the likely beneficiary would be the other guy that's left standing for the runoff. They would likely receive all of the anti-Marty / Marty-fatigue vote making them the new occupant of the Alcalde's chair.

This week we're looking at another race where the two Ds could split to put an R in office. That of course is the District 5 race where incumbent (and former mayoral candidate, then out of politics, then back in the council race) Michael Cadigan is trying to defend his seat against two opponents - Republican Dan Lewis and Democrat Jeremy Toulouse.

This race is interesting because the Republican is on the public dole (and you know how we hate public financing) while the two Democrats are earning their way with voluntary donations from contributors. We have a regulator, a candidate already feeding from the public trough, and a third candidate that probably can't raise enough money to make a serious challenge (unless there are enough District 5 voters on Facebook and MySpace where we're all cooler 'cause we're on line).

This is an interesting race folks and don't be surprised if there are a few surprises before the final votes are tallied in October. Don't forget to vote!

More Cash for Clunkers

Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives rushed to restore funding to the Cash for Clunkers program. The wildly successful program has started a stampede to car dealerships where people could dump their 1984 or newer vehicle in favor a brand new more fuel efficient model.

Apparently, the program was a bit too successful as Americans drained the available funding in a mere 4 days. Hence the rush to dump more borrowed money into the program.

The whole thing seems a bit odd to us. We're in a financial crisis precipitated by excessive debt that could not be repaid. Obama and his allies in Congress - acolytes of John Maynard Keynes all - decide to dump TRILLIONS of dollars into the system in an effort to "stimulate" the economy. The idea was to make enough money available so that people would begin to spend again. The problem is all of the "stimulus" money is borrowed.

The Cash for Clunkers program gives up to $4,500 for qualifying customers (one must always say "qualifying customers" like a bad disc jockey) to apply towards the purchase of a new vehicle that meets all of the qualifications of the program and the old vehicle must be sent to the wrecking yard in the sky.

Now last time we checked, a new vehicle is considerably more expensive than $4,500. Most people - even with the $4,500 Clunker Check - will need to take out a loan in order to purchase their shiny new vehicle.

So, we're using borrowed money to encourage people to borrow money in order to get ourselves out of a crisis precipitated by the wrong people borrowing too much money. To make matters even worse, the program was so popular that it emptied the Clunker Coffer of borrowed money so quickly that we needed to borrow more money so that even more people can go out and borrow even more money.

Is it just us or does it bother you that we're using borrowed money so that people can borrow money so that we can fix a borrowing crisis? Not to mention the fact that it now quite literally takes an act of Congress to extend an automotive incentive program.

We're living in strange times indeed.