Tag: Jonathan Baca

Get to know the mayoral candidates

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By Daniel Montaño, Senior Reporter | Pictures courtesy of nmpolitics.net, joemonahansnewmexico.blogspot.com, abqjournal.com

Election day is almost upon Albuquerque yet again, and The Chronicle has gathered information on the Mayoral candidates and the 10 general obligation bonds that voters can expect to see on the Oct. 8 ballot.

According to a recent poll, 15 percent of voters do not yet know which candidate they will vote for, which could be problematic because the incoming mayor must receive at least 50 percent of the vote in order to enter into office, according to cabq.gov.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the top two will go head-to-head in a runoff election in November, according cabq.gov.

Richard J. Berry Party Affiliation: Republican Elected offices held: District 20 state representative from 2006 – 2009, Albuquerque Mayor 2009 – present Other: Owned and operated a general contracting company, eagle scout with the Boy Scouts of America, graduated from Anderson School of Management with a degree in Finance and Administration Current Mayor Richard Berry is seeking a second term in office and stands on the platform that, if re-elected, he will finish the work he has already started in order to “build a city with safer neighborhoods, respon¬sible budgets and more jobs,” he said in an open letter to the citizens of Albuquerque. Berry cites Albuquerque’s lowest FBI crime rate in 20 years and a balanced city budget that was achieved “without significantly slashing city services or laying-off city workers,” and his social service initiatives such as ‘Albuquerque Come Home,’ through which 200 home¬less people have been provided housing, as just a few of the many achievements in his first four years, he said. He also said that since he has been in office he has cut the size of local government by almost 200 posi¬tions producing more transparency, reducing fraud and increasing government efficiency, which combined has saved the city more than $14 million dollars, he said. “There’s a lot left to do. We’ve got the train on the track if you will, and now we need to get the train down the track,” he said.
Richard J. Berry
Party Affiliation: Republican
Elected offices held: District 20 state representative from 2006 – 2009, Albuquerque Mayor 2009 – present
Other: Owned and operated a general contracting company, eagle scout with the Boy Scouts of America, graduated from Anderson School of Management with a degree in Finance and Administration
Current Mayor Richard Berry is seeking a second term in office and stands on the platform that, if re-elected, he will finish the work he has already started in order to “build a city with safer neighborhoods, respon¬sible budgets and more jobs,” he said in an open letter to the citizens of Albuquerque.
Berry cites Albuquerque’s lowest FBI crime rate in 20 years and a balanced city budget that was achieved “without significantly slashing city services or laying-off city workers,” and his social service initiatives such as ‘Albuquerque Come Home,’ through which 200 home¬less people have been provided housing, as just a few of the many achievements in his first four years, he said.
He also said that since he has been in office he has cut the size of local government by almost 200 posi¬tions producing more transparency, reducing fraud and increasing government efficiency, which combined has saved the city more than $14 million dollars, he said.
“There’s a lot left to do. We’ve got the train on the track if you will, and now we need to get the train down the track,” he said.
Pete Dinelli Party Affiliation: Democrat Elected offices held: City councilor 1985 – 1989 Other: Former chief public safety officer, work¬ers’ compensation judge, chief deputy district attorney, assistant attorney general, director of the safe city strike force; graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a degree in finance, and from St. Mary’s University School of Law with a Jurist Doctorate, born and raised in Albuquerque. Pete Dinelli is no stranger to local politics: he first held office in 1985 and has been involved with local gov¬ernment in one capacity or another ever since, he said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal. During the last mayoral debate, Dinelli said his platform focuses on four major areas: improving public safety, increasing economic development (bring¬ing more jobs to the city), improving early childhood education by supporting coursework in math, science and technologies, and increasing transparency in local government. Dinelli has proposed a plan called Energize Albuquerque, which will bring twenty-thousand jobs to Albuquerque by investing $1.5 billion dollars in infra¬structure and public service upgrades which will mod¬ernize the city, he said. Throughout his campaign, Dinelli has been highly critical of how Mayor Berry has handled the Albuquerque Police Department, often highlighting that before Berry took office APD “was the best trained, best funded, best paid, best equipped and best manned department in the city’s history,” he said. “During a 24 month period under Mayor Berry, Albuquerque had 27 police officer involved shootings with 17 fatalities,” Dinelli said. If elected, one of the first things Dinelli said he will do is replace the chiefs of APD and the Albuquerque Fire Department — Dinelli has been officially endorsed by Albuquerque’s Firefighter and Police unions, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Pete Dinelli
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Elected offices held: City councilor 1985 – 1989
Other: Former chief public safety officer, work¬ers’ compensation judge, chief deputy district attorney, assistant attorney general, director of the safe city strike force; graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a degree in finance, and from St. Mary’s University School of Law with a Jurist Doctorate, born and raised in Albuquerque.
Pete Dinelli is no stranger to local politics: he first held office in 1985 and has been involved with local gov¬ernment in one capacity or another ever since, he said in a statement to the Albuquerque Journal.
During the last mayoral debate, Dinelli said his platform focuses on four major areas: improving public safety, increasing economic development (bring¬ing more jobs to the city), improving early childhood education by supporting coursework in math, science and technologies, and increasing transparency in local government.
Dinelli has proposed a plan called Energize Albuquerque, which will bring twenty-thousand jobs to Albuquerque by investing $1.5 billion dollars in infra¬structure and public service upgrades which will mod¬ernize the city, he said.
Throughout his campaign, Dinelli has been highly critical of how Mayor Berry has handled the Albuquerque Police Department, often highlighting that before Berry took office APD “was the best trained, best funded, best paid, best equipped and best manned department in the city’s history,” he said.
“During a 24 month period under Mayor Berry, Albuquerque had 27 police officer involved shootings with 17 fatalities,” Dinelli said.
If elected, one of the first things Dinelli said he will do is replace the chiefs of APD and the Albuquerque Fire Department — Dinelli has been officially endorsed by Albuquerque’s Firefighter and Police unions, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Paul J. Heh Party affiliation: Republican Elected offices held: None Other: APD Sergeant for 25 years, Hobbs police department for 7 years, only candidate not officially endorsed by a political party on the ballot. During a recent mayoral debate, Paul J. Heh said he is proud that he is not a career politician, and didn’t hesitate to interrupt his opponents’ answers by calling “bullshit” — his words. Heh’s campaign is based on the fact that he a self-proclaimed “blue-collar man” who has experience deal¬ing with the problems Albuquerque faces on a street level, he said. Heh believes that Mayor Berry has been lying about the crime statistics in Albuquerque, and that crime has actually been growing over the past four years because of the “hopeless drug addiction here in Albuquerque,” he said. Heh believes that many of Albuquerque’s problems, everything from corporations being afraid to move here to low performance in education, stem from unchecked drug use, he said. If elected, his first order of action will be to estab¬lish an inner-city drug rehabilitation center that will be used as an alternative to incarceration for criminal offenders with substance abuse issues, he said. “Jail is not always the answer for non-violent offend¬ers. Sentences can often be better served in drug-free rehabilitation and related programs,” he said. Heh said he is a man of action who is not afraid to do whatever work needs to be done to bring safety and prosperity to his city, and he is motivated to bring accountability back to local government. “The city should not be owned by the mayor's office; it is a public office and belongs to the people not the career politicians offering empty promises again and again,” he said.
Paul J. Heh
Party affiliation: Republican
Elected offices held: None
Other: APD Sergeant for 25 years, Hobbs police department for 7 years, only candidate not officially endorsed by a political party on the ballot.
During a recent mayoral debate, Paul J. Heh said he is proud that he is not a career politician, and didn’t hesitate to interrupt his opponents’ answers by calling “bullshit” — his words.
Heh’s campaign is based on the fact that he a self-proclaimed “blue-collar man” who has experience deal¬ing with the problems Albuquerque faces on a street level, he said.
Heh believes that Mayor Berry has been lying about the crime statistics in Albuquerque, and that crime has actually been growing over the past four years because of the “hopeless drug addiction here in Albuquerque,” he said.
Heh believes that many of Albuquerque’s problems, everything from corporations being afraid to move here to low performance in education, stem from unchecked drug use, he said.
If elected, his first order of action will be to estab¬lish an inner-city drug rehabilitation center that will be used as an alternative to incarceration for criminal offenders with substance abuse issues, he said.
“Jail is not always the answer for non-violent offend¬ers. Sentences can often be better served in drug-free rehabilitation and related programs,” he said.
Heh said he is a man of action who is not afraid to do whatever work needs to be done to bring safety and prosperity to his city, and he is motivated to bring accountability back to local government.
“The city should not be owned by the mayor’s office; it is a public office and belongs to the people not the career politicians offering empty promises again and again,” he said.

 

Bond Issues

A general obliga­tion bond is money that Albuquerque borrows and pays back with inter­est within 13 years using money gained from prop­erty taxes; however the bonds on this year’s ballot will not require a prop­erty tax increase, accord­ing to cabq.gov.

Public safety:

$11,565,000 for Police and Fire depart­ments to repair existing and purchase new vehi­cles, buildings and land.

Community centers:

$10,429,000 to repair and revitalize community centers, build community proj­ects and general eco­nomic development projects.

Parks and recreation:

$12,544,000 to build new and revitalize cur­rent parks and the equip­ment within them such as tennis courts, play­grounds and more.

Energy and water conservation:

$12,853,000 to upgrade public buildings to be more water and energy efficient.

Libraries:

$5,798,000 to buy new books and other media for and other­wise repair and update city libraries.

Streets:

$39,085,000 to construct new roads, bridges and sidewalks and repair existing ones. Note that the Paseo and I-25 interchange project has already passed, so this bond money will be used elsewhere.

Public transportation:

$5,555,000 to improve and maintain public transit.

Affordable housing:

$2,525,000 to the Workforce Housing Act, which will con­struct facilities to house low and mod­erate income families and provide cheap rentals for seniors.

All information sourced from cabq.gov, mayorberry.com, pete­dinelli.com, heh4abq. com, abqjournal.com, koat.com, kob.com, krqe. com, bizjournals.com, ourcampaigns.com, The New Mexico Attorney General’s office (nmag. com), the New Mexico Foundation For Open Government (nmfog.com), the Bernalillo County Clerk’s office (bernco. gov/clerk) and the press releases contained therein.

Student turns hard times into good times

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By Jonathan Baca , Staff Reporter | Photo Courtesy of Catie Mathis

7.1

A large group of women and their families gathered excitedly out­side of Cliff’s Amusement Park in a scene of chil­dren jumping up and down with excitement. This sight did not seem much out of the ordi­nary, but this group was unusual because all of these women and their families happen to have been homeless at one point or another.

These women were part of a charity group called Crossroads for Women, and this trip to Cliff’s was the brain­child of Integrated Studies major Caite Mathis, with the help of her partner Lambert Lamphie and Crossroads’ Resource Development Coordinator Amanda Douglas, as part of an assignment for a business class last summer.

“It’s very excit­ing. I’m very grateful to them for doing this,” said Radiology major Angela McGoldrick, as she waited with her children to enter the amusement park.

McGoldrick said that Crossroads helped her to get back on her feet, and was the inspiration for her to go back to school.

Crossroads for Women is a nonprofit that, “provides comprehensive, integrated services to sup­port women working to break the cycle of home­lessness and incarcera­tion and achieve healthy, stable and self-sufficient lives in the community for themselves and their chil­dren,” according to the Crossroads for Women mission statement.

As part of his Managing Principles class, instructor Eric Strauss had assigned his students to create a virtual cam­paign to raise money for a charity organization. The assignment was simply an exercise, but Mathis and Lambert wanted to take it to the next level and make their project a real­ity, Mathis said.

“If I was going to put that much effort into something, I wanted to do it for real,” Mathis said.

The project included working out all the details, including which charity would benefit, how much money was needed, and how the money would be raised. As a private life coach and dance instructor, Mathis had worked with dozens of children, helping them to find direction and joy in their lives, she said.

For the project, she and Lambert decided they wanted to help homeless children, and they chose to work with Crossroads, Mathis said.

“I wanted to plant some seeds of pure joy, from a total stranger, so these kids can have faith in life later and know that there are people out there who care about them,” Mathis said.

Crossroads had always wanted to send the women and children they worked with on a trip to Cliff’s, but they had never been able to get free tickets, Douglas said. Through sheer enthusi­asm and tenacity, Mathis was able to secure a dona­tion of free passes for all the families at Crossroads, an estimated $3,000 value, she said.

“I was totally sur­prised when she pulled it off. It was way beyond what I thought they were going to do, and it has just been great,” Douglas said.

Douglas said the trips to Cliff’s have been a ter­rific experience for her and Crossroads’ staff, and have meant a lot to the families who attended.

“We know that the women and children are more successful when they feel connected to a community that supports them. Special events that create that sense of com­munity are really impor­tant, and having fun is a big deal for someone who has been through a lot of trauma and stress,” Douglas said.

Mathis said she and Lamphie had always been concerned with home­lessness, and before they started their project, something happened that made the issue real for them. One night Lambert found a child sleeping in his truck, and discovered that an entire family had been using the truck for shelter.

Instead of calling the police or kicking them out of his truck, Lambert decided to invite them into his home, and he let them stay at his house for an entire month, rent free, she said.

“Isn’t that amazing? What if we all did that?” Mathis said.

Douglass said the main challenge for Crossroads is finding resources and volunteers. Several CNM students have volunteered, and students from UNM and several high schools have worked with Crossroads for class credits, some­thing Douglas said she would like to see more of in the future.

Douglas said there are several ways people can help at Crossroads, which the organization is always looking for vol­unteers, as well as dona­tions of cleaning supplies for the women, she said. Crossroads could also use help with food drives before the holidays, so that the women can pre­pare meals for their fami­lies during Thanksgiving and Christmas, she said.

Another need is dona­tions for the Crossroads emergency fund, which exists to help women with emergency medi­cal expenses and other unforeseen needs, Douglas said.

Mathis and Douglass agree that homelessness is one of the greatest prob­lems in our society today.

“It is just terrible. We are not taking care of our children. Any woman who makes it out of the cycle of homelessness, substance abuse, prison and all that goes with that, is a heroine,” Mathis said.

Disbursement goes off without a hitch

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By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter | Photo by Jonathan Baca

1Disbursement is always a logistical challenge, and CNM had made several changes to the process this year to make things more efficient, and are discussing even more options for the future, Lee Carrillo, Vice President of Student Services said.
CNM disbursed $21 million to 11,777 students last week, and things went smoother than ever, thanks to less paper checks and a new office at the West Side campus, Carrillo said.
“I’ve done this for 23 years, and I think over all, this is probably the best,” he said.
For students with part-of-term or short term courses, their funds may be split and disbursed in two or more parts, with subsequent checks going out ten days after the start of their late starting classes.
This is an optional federal rule that CNM opted to comply with, mainly to discourage students with short term courses from receiving all of their disbursement, and then leaving school before the end of the semester, Carrillo said.
“This was a way of keeping the student in the classroom, and hopefully making them successful,” Carrillo said.
4,676 students opted for direct deposit this term, having their money sent directly to their bank accounts. This is a 10 percent increase from last semester, and a trend that CNM hopes will continue, Carrillo said.
“It is something we’ve worked towards for forever. Go direct deposit if you have a bank account,” he said.
Students who signed up for direct deposit got their money two days before students who received a paper check, and this has made the process easier and faster for both the Cashiers office and the students, Bursar Christine Duncan said.
“The less paper checks we have to handle, the faster it is,” Duncan said.
Financial Aid and the Marketing and Communication Office teamed up to encourage students to switch to direct deposit, using emails and social media to let students know about the option, Duncan said.
The other big change this semester was the start of disbursement at the West Side campus, which lessened the load for Main and Montoya campuses, Duncan said.
With more staff and resources this year, the West Side campus gave out checks to over 600 students. Montoya campus handled disbursement for over 900 students last week, and this has meant more convenience and shorter lines for everyone, Duncan said.
“We tried to make it a little more convenient for those students at the other campuses, so people didn’t have to drive as far,” Duncan said.
An email was sent out to students, letting them know which campus to go to in order to get their checks. Checks were sent to whichever campus the majority of a student’s classes were held, Duncan said.
Disbursement is a joint effort between Financial Aid, the Cashiers office, and Accounts Payable, and is a team effort, Duncan said.
“This term we changed a couple of things, so we had meetings, talked about it, and made decisions together,” Duncan said.
Financial Aid processes a student’s award eligibility, and the Cashiers office cuts the checks, once a student’s tuition and fees have been paid, Carrillo said.
“We work very well together,” Carrillo said.
With the success of the direct deposit option, CNM has begun discussion about another possibility for disbursement; replacing paper checks with plastic credit cards from a bank, Carrillo said.
The cards would be free to students, and would work like a gift card, with no possibility of overdrafts or further debt, Carrillo said.
The main issue with this option is that many banks would charge a transaction fee every time the card was used, Carrillo said.
Carrillo said the school has received presentations from several banks, but they have not made a decision to go with a particular one yet, and are waiting for the best possible deal, one that would work best for the students.
“We just need to make sure that whichever bank we choose to go with has none, or the minimal fee, so it doesn’t affect the students’ money,” he said.
Carrillo said it would most likely start out as an optional program, like direct deposit, but that it might become mandatory at some point down the line.
No decisions have been made yet, and it is ultimately up to the Executive team whether CNM will implement these cards in the future, Carrillo said.
Most of the student problems with disbursement last week were about confusion over whether they would be getting the full amount of money, and when, said Duncan. According to Carrillo, students get their money ten days after the start of their classes, but for Freshmen and first time borrowers of loans, there is a thirty day wait before their funds are disbursed.
“We want to make sure that they are here and they are doing well before we disburse those loan moneys to them,” Carrillo said.
Carrillo said that many students at times get confused about disbursement because of attending hours, short term courses, ineligibility because of repeat courses, and other issues.
The Financial Aid office tries to communicate with students as much as possible through emails throughout the year, including award letters, schedules, and deadlines, so hopefully students will be less confused if they read these emails carefully, Carrillo said.
“We always have the student in mind when we are sending out these emails, to make them as simple as possible so they understand them,” Carrillo said.

 

Self made stand-up Albuquerque comics take back the scene

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By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter | Photo by Jonathan Baca

Comedy
The world of stand-up comedy is changing, and a handful of dedicated comics in Albuquerque are taking back the scene and doing things their own way, said professional comedian and Burque native Mike Long.
One local comedian who has broken out in the scene is Digital Media major Curt Fletcher. Fletcher has become a big name in local comedy, and has had success performing at clubs and comedy festivals throughout the country, he said.
“I like the scene here. Everyone is super supportive,” Fletcher said.
Since he started doing stand-up twelve years ago, Fletcher has performed all over the country, to audiences in 24 states, he said.
He has moved up through the ranks of the comedy world, battling critical club owners and drunken hecklers along the way, he said.
“I think it takes a certain kind of person. You definitely need to have thick skin,” and Fletcher said “You have a lot of bad shows before you get good.”
He first started performing there, despite his extreme nervousness and shy personality, and feels that he has come a long way since then, he said.
A new style of do-it-yoYurself stand-up is changing the local comedy scene, replacing the old model of the comedy club with a looser, more democratic system that puts the power back into the hands of the comics themselves, giving comedians and their fans the power to do things their own way, Long said.
“There’s a real resurgence of comedy as an art form, but it’s more accessible. All the gatekeepers have been removed, so it’s more do-it-yourself. Everyone has access to the same kind of network and scene,” Long said.
Just like many other comedians in Albuquerque, Fletcher got his start at Laff’s Comedy Club, where he previously worked.
“I’ve known Curt Fletcher for eight years and he’s one of the hottest comics coming out of New Mexico now,” said local actor Steven Michael Quezada, best known from his role as Agent Gomez on Breaking Bad.
Quezada also got his start as a stand-up comic in Albuquerque, and has since been the host of a local late night talk show, where he helped put the spotlight on many local comedians.
Former student and fellow comedian Terrance Brown said, “There’s a lot of funny guys here, but Curt is on another level.”
Local comedian Sarah Kennedy, along with ten others, will be hosting Comedy Awareness Week from October 12 to 19, with multiple shows every night, performances at UNM, and many other events, all with the goal of putting the spotlight on Albuquerque’s comedy scene and letting people know about the caliber of talent the city has, according to their Facebook page.
Kennedy runs the website AlbuquerqueComedy.com, which has become a much needed source of information for local comedy fans, with a calendar of performances, profiles of local performers, and other useful information.
“Since I started doing comedy, I think we’ve become so much more connected and so much more collaborative, and I think we’ve grown a lot,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy hosts several stand-up open-mic nights at Blackbird Buvette downtown and at Broken Bottle Brewery on the west side, as well as a showcase at The Box on the first and third Saturdays of the month. With so many options, new talent has a chance to shine, Kennedy said.
“I would put any comedian from here up against what happens elsewhere in the country, and they would shake out to be equal if not better,” Kennedy said.
Comedy in Albuquerque has evolved from the days since Laff’s Comedy Club closed its doors years ago. Back then, if a local comic wanted to perform, Laff’s was the only stage in town.
“Now, with the internet and the local hubs of connectivity that we’re seeing, it’s a whole new world. We’re seeing people having amazing success without having to go through those traditional channels,” Long said.
Big name touring comedians also have plenty of venues at their disposal, Long said.
The Kimo Theater, the Kiva Auditorium, the Guild, and the Launchpad are all hosting touring comics, as well as the casinos, especially Santa Ana Star casino’s new comedy spot The Stage, and all of these are helping to make New Mexico a lucrative destination for national talent, Long said.
“The fact that there is a good paycheck to be made for a national headliner in New Mexico is a really big boom,” Long said.
National acts like Doug Stanhope, Seth Meyers, Steve Hofstetter, David Tobey, and many others have made New Mexico a stop on their tours is a testament to the growing importance of the Land of Enchantment as a comedy destination, Long said.
This helps the local scene because many of the opening acts for these shows are local up-and-comers, said Kennedy. Kennedy, Long, and fellow local Matt Peterson recently opened for Doug Stanhope at the Launchpad, which was a great opportunity for them to get stage time with a high-profile headlining act, Kennedy said.
Many exciting things are happening in the local comedy scene, and the challenge now is getting the word out, Long said.
“There’s half a million people in Albuquerque who don’t know that comedy shows are happening in this town,” Long said.
Thanks to people like Long, Kennedy, and dozens of others, the scene is alive and well, and should only continue to get bigger.
“There is always room to grow, and I hope Albuquerque stays on top of things, and remains ahead of the curve instead of just following,” Kennedy said.

Holiday events

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By: Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter

It’s the most wonderful time of year again, and Albuquerque is buzzing with things to do. Here is a list of things the Chronicle recommends.

River of Lights

What: The Albuquerque Botanic Gardens becomes a wonderland of light sculptures this time of year. Local musicians, dinner at the Shark Reef Café and free arts and crafts projects on the first three Wednesdays make this a great one for the kids, too.

Where: Albuquerque Botanic Gardens

When: Nov. 24 to Dec. 13, 6-9 p.m.; Dec. 14 to 30, 6-10 p.m.; Closed Dec. 24 and 25

Cost: Adults- $10, Children 3-13 yrs- $5; Children under 3- free

Continue reading “Holiday events” →