Photograph by Mick Rich 12.06.2022
Corruption, New Mexico’s Recent History
When I moved to New Mexico in 1980, I was a Democrat.
Within a few years, I switched parties because I was disgusted by reading in the Albuquerque Journal about Democrat Governor Tony Anaya’s “Pay to Play” schemes.
In 1984, Bill Richardson was sworn in as New Mexico’s Governor. Richardson quickly made Anaya’s “Pay to Play” look like child’s play.
For veteran Republicans, Richardson’s corruption and ruthlessness are legendary and unforgettable.
For younger Republicans, the name Richardson means little. Why? because Richardson was never prosecuted (Gov. Bill Richardson Won’t Face Criminal Charges In Federal Probe, AP Reports, NPR 8/27/2019), and New Mexicans expect a certain amount of graft.
Yesterday’s graft was almost quaint compared to today’s corruption. New Mexico is ranked in the top ten states for per capita spending, yet it ranks at the bottom of all the states in the nation. How can this be?
Corruption.
Corruption, New Mexico Style
Through strategic policies (from the Richardson era), the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) has a vast base of loyal voters. These policies include expanding the number of public employees, increasing their wages, and recognizing public employee unions. They also heavily subsidize the union-only entertainment industry, mandate union-only agreements on major construction projects, and distribute state grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The effectiveness of this strategy is evident.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich began as a community organizer, as did current NM Speaker of the House Javier Martinez. NM Senate Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart is an Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) union teacher, as was past House Speaker Sheryl Williams Stapleton (who resigned only after a federal indictment).
While DPNM has successfully consolidated power, the state has suffered. New Mexico consistently ranks at or near the bottom in homelessness, poverty, child welfare, literacy and numeracy, crime, and violent crime.
The Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) has proven unable to counter the DPNM’s dominance.
However, two potential paths could reshape the state’s future. The worst-case scenario involves the depletion of the Permian Basin oil reserves and the state’s cash reserves originating from oil and gas revenues.
The best-case scenario involves a federal investigation and prosecution into the state's culture of corruption, which would break the DPNM stranglehold on the state.
The Trump Department of Justice
The DPNM machine has grown emboldened and careless in the last ten years and lacks Richardson's calculated ruthlessness to keep everyone in line.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has indicated plans to release Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “little black book,” which could significantly impact the DPNM elites.
While Epstein was investigated by federal authorities, NY’s Attorney General and FL’s Attorney General, the NM’s Attorney General turned a blind eye even though Epstein’s Zorro Ranch was just a few miles from their offices.
The question remains: Who else was Epstein’s guest besides Richardson? Check out "Jeffrey Epstein Chose New Mexico for a Reason," in the New Republic on Aug. 15, 2019.
Months after Biden took office, the federal DOJ raided the home and business of former NM House Speaker Sheryl Williams Stapleton on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering. Since then, there has been silence. The case is expected to proceed with Trump’s new U.S. Attorney for New Mexico.
Hopefully, they will expand their investigations.
In 2024, a thirty-year DWI bribery scheme was uncovered.
It included a respected attorney and members of the APD and the NMSP.
The crucial question is: who knew, and when? This is particularly concerning since the former County District Attorney is now the NM Attorney General, and former city council members now serve in the US Congress.
Has the UNM Hospital Children’s Psychiatric Department been using federal tax dollars to treat (counseling, pharmaceuticals, and surgery) minors for gender dysphoria? Is the new $36 million Children’s Psychiatric Center designed to make New Mexico a regional hub for gender-related treatments, similar to NM becoming a regional hub for abortions?
New Mexico’s own Deb Haaland, former congresswoman and up until recently, Secretary of the Interior. She was at the center of the Laguna Pueblo’s debacle to secure a casino in Louisiana. Haaland’s daughter and their Pueblo Action Alliance occupied a portion of the Department of Interior Washington headquarters.
As Secretary of the Interior, she stopped members of the Navajo Nation from escaping poverty with their own oil and gas wells, which the PAA advocated for. This action trampled the sovereignty of her Pueblo rival, the Navajo Nation. Check out my articles, The Breakup of Santa Fe Democrats and NM’s Peter Principle = Deb Haaland in the Grant County Beat.
We hope President Trump can break the cycle of corruption in New Mexico.