Indictments... Finally!

Now this is what we're talking about! Finally the long rumored indictments were handed down. Indictments that have been promised for at least six months now. Indictments that accuse political power broker Manny Aragon and three others of money laundering and mail fraud related to the construction of the Bernalillo County Courthouse. (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required)

Seems that former Senate Pro Tem Aragon, former metro court administrator Toby Martinez, P2RS engineering partner Raul Parra, and Sandra Mata Martinez, the afore mentioned Toby Martinez's wife, engaged in a scheme to pocket $4.2 MILLION of public money (at least according to the federal indictment).

Three others, architect Marc Schiff, contractor Manuel Guara, and former Republican Mayor Ken Shultz have already signed plea agreements relating to the scheme. According to KRQE News 13:

"Schultz worked as a lobbyist for one of the contractors on the courthouse construction project.

Schultz, Schiff and Guara admitted to conspiring with the other four defendants to defraud taxpayers of more than $4 million during the design and construction of the courthouse."

The reason that we emphasized Republican Mayor Ken Shultz is because news outlets both nationally and locally have either directly or indirectly implied that Congresswoman Wilson and Senator Dominici put pressure on former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in order to get Democrats. The fact of the matter is that this state is run largely by Democrats and has been for the last 80 or so years. It should come as no surprise that a prominent Democrat was caught up in the FBI's investigation.

Democrats don't hold the exclusive right to greed and unscrupulous Republicans can and do get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. That's why it is so important to have a strong U.S. Attorney that will face down corruption no matter who's involved.

Former U.S. Attorney Iglesias failed us all badly in this regard by letting this rabidly corrupt dog lie. Our Eyes on the Inside (yes we had eyes even before The Eye) have been telling us that indictments have been in the works since at least August of last year and that the FBI investigation had concluded well before that time.

Now it's all up to the attorneys, the judge and the jury... Finally!

City to Launch Red Light Camera Website

Looks like Mayor Marty and his red light camera crew have had enough Internet interference. The blogosphere has been overwhelmingly critical of Marty's camera cash cows and has apparently generated enough discomfort for the city that they've decided to fight fire with fire.

According to our Eyes on the Inside, the brain trust down at city hall has decided to launch its own website to counter the effect of blogs like ours. The site, set to be launched tomorrow, will undoubtedly tow the Marty party line and tout the virtues of photo enforcement.

Developing...

New Urbanist Jihad

We are in the midst of a Jihad. No... this has nothing to do with the Middle East (for a change) and no one is shooting or blowing things up (at least not yet). This is a lifestyle jihad being waged on the majority of us here in Albuquerque by a group known as New Urbanists.

Tuesday, The Albuquerque Tribune ran an article entitled "Can Northeast Heights neighborhood embrace new urbanism?" It's an interesting article in that it's one of the first that we've seen that addresses the conflict between New Urbanism and our primarily suburban lifestyle.

New Urbanism is being promoted by politicians and bureaucrats as the solution to almost all of our ills. The New Urbanist orthodoxy holds that density, mass transit, mixed use (mixing commercial and residential property uses) are the keys to a better, happier, healthier life.

The Tribune uses as its example the almost complete Leslie Plaza and describes it the following way:

"The sidewalks are wide and buffered from traffic by trees. The building, a little taller than two stories and featuring big storefront windows, is close to the sidewalk. The parking lot is relegated to the back and has separate entrance and exit lanes divided by a pedestrian-friendly island."

We've seen Leslie Plaza and it's a very nice looking building. It has the Tribune highlighted design features but, this particular building is not the example of New Urbanist ideals that the reporter makes it out to be.

Leslie Plaza, apart from the tree buffer, large windows, and parking in the back, could be any suburban office building anywhere in the city. In fact, pull the trees and put the parking lot in front of the building, and it would be another suburban office building much like any other you might find in the Northeast Heights. A more fitting example would be the Albuquerque High School lofts or some of the new condos downtown.

The core idea behind New Urbanism is density. Density makes all things possible from mass transit to walkability. New Urbanists even float the idea that somehow crime is reduced when more people are packed into less space and the costs associated with public safety somehow go down. To us, more people in a tighter space means more trouble and more people involved in that trouble.

Right now, in our city there is a movement to re-make Albuquerque into a New Urbanist paradise. The idea being that we need to all live closer to one another (density), close enough to walk (or use a trolley) to get to work, and have access to various forms of entertainment that are also close enough to walk to or catch a bus to. It's called live, work, and play and the proposed Mesa del Sol development is the poster child for that vision. If it's ever completed, Mesa del Sol will be a New Urbanist mini-city.

We don't really have a problem with Mesa del Sol as a concept or as an option. If the city and Forest City Covington want to build their preplanned paradise... let them. That is if the market will pay for it.

The current plan calls for massive tax subsidies provided by the city, county and state governments of up to 75% of all gross receipts and property taxes collected in the area (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required). That means that even the developers are skeptical about the market demand for such a project.

(Sidebar)
Has anyone else noticed that Mesa del Sol sits directly below the flight pattern for the Sunport? You can hear the sales people now... "after a decade or two you won't even notice those jet engines overhead as you walk to work."
(End Sidebar)

The real clash comes from the desire of New Urbanists to re-make the rest of the city in Mesa del Sol's image (or it's proposed image anyway). The reality is, Albuquerque is primarily a suburban city. We have lots of single family houses situated on .25 acre lots with front and back yards. We have strip malls and grocery stores scattered all over the place (at least on the east side). And we bought our little patches of paradise because we didn't want to live above, below, or right on top of our neighbors. The Westside is no different except that it suffers from a lack of shopping conveniences and a poorly planned traffic system. (Someone should let them know downtown that the Westside thing looks like it's going to go.)

The fact is we made the choice to live in this type of community and not live in more urban cities like Chicago, New York, Seattle, or San Francisco. Our choices should be respected but they are being shoved aside in a frenzy of New Urbanist jihad.

A perfect example is the development planned for the old Rowlands at Tramway and Montgomery. It's surrounded by suburban neighborhoods yet this highly dense development will reach three stories and have a density of 3 to 5 times the density of the surrounding area.

The development as approved by the City Council February 21st, will negatively impact the lives of all of the residents surrounding it. Further, it will sacrifice the choices made by all of people surrounding it on the alter of the New Urbanist god.

It's important that we take a step back and look at Albuquerque as it is. Could we stand some improvements? You bet! But overall, Albuquerque is a great place to live. We have everything from suburbia (NE Heights & Westside), to Urban (EDO and Downtown), to rural (North and South Valley). As a city we should be celebrating that diversity and encourage its continuation.

A New Fishing Hole

KRQE News 13 is reporting that the Almighty's Red Light Districts are on going to be on the move. Apparently the cameras have been so successful, bagging over $6 MILLION bucks so far, that they've decided to add locations without adding equipment.

As you know, we believe that the driving force behind these candid cameras is and always has been, MONEY. You can read our take here, here, here, and here. There's no doubt that this system is a money maker and that the city takes a large chunk of change to the general fund with every citation issued. Here's the problem... with "success" comes a drop in revenue.

If the program was truly about public safety, then enforcement would remain in these "important" intersections (Remember, they were ostensibly chosen due to their high accident rates.) and the Mayor and Chief Schultz wouldn't be playing Russian roulette with the photo enforcement equipment. The cameras would be a vital tool and therefore worth paying for just like any other form of public safety.

(Sidebar)
We're wondering if the Mayor has gotten word that the Governor plans to sign either or both of the red light camera bills sitting on his desk. If so, money for new Candid Cameras would instantly dry up and this administrative sleight of hand would allow the city to make at least some money from the existing program.
(End Sidebar)

Chief Schultz and Mayor Marty will tell anyone who will listen that the cameras change driving habits. Perhaps that's true... people are certainly slamming on their brakes rather than risking having their photo taken. But, are wary drivers simply avoiding photo enforced intersections? Route selection is certainly part of one's driving habit and the Eye Mobile has certainly been avoiding Marty's Picture Taker Money Makers. To date, we haven't seen a study that correlates the traffic count before and after installation of photo enforcement cameras, to accidents before and after installation.

If you look at it another way, Mayor Marty and Chief Schultz's favorite fishing hole is all fished out. What do you do when they aren't biting at your favorite spot? Yep... you move on, find a new fishing hole.

Beware Big Spenders Bearing Tax Cuts

Finally... a little tax relief, in fact very little. The Mayor on Sunday proposed a 1/8 of a percent reduction in the city's take of gross receipts revenue. (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required) The $18 Million tax reduction would add up to a whopping $70 per household per year.

According to the Mayor (the one with the "or" not the "er"), gross receipts income to the city is running at a 7.5% increase over last year as opposed to the projected 5.3%. Mayor Marty's generosity comes from his belief that "we've done a good job and we have extra money."

First of all, the city hasn't necessarily done a good job here. The economy has generated (or is predicted to generate) additional income for the city. That means we have done a good job. It's our money that's flowing into city coffers at an unexpectedly high rate.

Second, the council and the mayor have done a terrible job keeping city spending under control. Since Mayor Marty took office the city has out spent inflation by $125 MILLION, which is roughly 25% above the rate of inflation (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required).

This tax cut is particularly curious in light of earlier forecasts that predicted a $22 MILLION shortfall for next year. Don't get us wrong here... we're all for a tax cut, even a tiny one. It's certainly a baby step in the right direction. However, the council is already trying to find a way to hold on to the dough saying:

'"I think a tax cut right now would be like pulling a rabbit out of a hat," said Sally Mayer. "I'm in favor of cutting taxes as long as we don't cut services, but I just don't see how that can be done."

Ken Sanchez said he'll be anxious to look at the overall budget proposal. Previous forecasts have suggested the city might need to tighten its belt in the next several years, he said."

(ABQ Journal - Subscription Required)

Just last week Councilor Mayer justified her support of extending the Transportation Infrastructure Tax by claiming that the city would be unable to continue to fund roads, bike trails, and buses without the extension. (Read about it here.) Even the mayor hedged his tax cut announcement with the statement, "I think it is time, for at least a year [emphasis added], for the city to change course financially."

Something is not adding up here. We've got shortfalls, tax extensions, and tax cuts. We've got proposals to build arenas, trolleys, and to rent pandas, all of which will place additional burdens on the city's general fund. From a broader perspective none of this makes any fiscal sense.

However, it does make sense from a political perspective. The mayor has been taking a lot of heat over how much money the city is taking in and how much the city is spending. He's proposing all sorts of new capital programs that will require maintenance and operating money. Now he wants to give us a tax cut "for at least a year."

Politically a "tax cut" is a smart move. Mayor Marty is buying your good will with your own money. He's framing the tax cut as a temporary relief so that when he needs the money back he can raise your taxes and claim that he really hasn't raised your taxes.

Remember the Chavez tenure in the Mayor's Office has not been known for its tax cutting proclivities. It has been known to spend and spend big. Which leads us to believe that this tax cut is more about public relations than about actual tax relief; beware big spenders bearing tax cuts.

Keeping the Hamsters Running On Time

You've gotta love this city... when your streets need clearing due to record snows it could take a week or more. When they promise to repeal the extension of the transportation tax it could take 4 months. But when the Petco Rodent Races (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required) are canceled due to the idiocy of the HEART ordinance... the city acts with blinding speed (ABQ Journal - Subscription Required).

Seems that if we have an issue of real urgency on the table (or on the track as the case may be) the Mayor can act with astonishing speed. Thus the Petco hamster race is a go... and we can all rest easier knowing that city will be keeping the hamsters running on time.

By the way... we're concerned about Dukes, the Mayor's constant companion during the 2005 election. We haven't seen nor heard from the 1st dog in quite a while.

Tax Addiction - How it Starts

Addictions come in all shapes and sizes these days. Addictions to alcohol, illegal drugs, sex, money, power, have all become common place. In the world of government, the most tempting addiction is your tax dollars... the crack of government. An addiction so strong that once tried, it's almost impossible to break away from.

Our Eyes tell us that last Thursday night, The Mayer (Councilor Mayer) used the most common excuse known to addicts when justifying her support of the extension of the Transportation Infrastructure Tax... we need it and we can't live without it. Like any addict Councilor Mayer believes that without her fix of 1/4 cent, the city's streets, bikeways, and walkways would cease to exist or fall into utter disrepair.

Unwittingly, she also gave us the reason why we should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER impose a tax on ourselves... It will never go away. Once we let those addicts down at city hall get their first fix, they're hooked.

They become dependent through a process called supplanting. Once the public passes a tax on itself to achieve a specific goal that was originally funded through the city's general fund, the money in the general fund is shifted to pay for other things that are usually more about leaving a legacy (See Marty's MyCentennial Towers) than about the basic and most important functions of government.

Sometimes we have a hazy memory, but we're pretty sure that the City of Albuquerque had roads, bike paths, and walkways before the imposition of the Transportation Infrastructure Tax back in 1999. Now addicts like The Mayer tell us that there's no way we can survive without that tax, an addiction shared by the Almighty One's Chief of Operations, Ed Adams who defended the tax extension in just those terms.

It always starts innocently enough... that first taste of taxation bliss. A tax to fund public safety, or for better parks, or transportation or quality of life; before you know it they're hooked and you're broke.