Marty In The Middle

Since solid information has been lacking in this editorially saturated environment of late, let me just put forward a few facts to help the opinionators such as the tag team of Jim Scarantino and Jerry Ortiz y Pino better understand the landscape in which they are running around. …

First there is Soltari consultant Eli Il Yong Lee. To be a Soltarian at the municipal level, it seems one must not only pay him money, but one must toady in toto for all his other clients as well. I would actually like to be proven wrong, but nobody I know has so far managed to find a substantive instance where any of his local clientele—wearing any of their sometimes multiple hats—has ever deviated from the Soltari line. Indeed, the three city councilors who've been in the Soltari orbit the last couple years are joined by the likes of the Alibi's own columnist—and state senator—Ortiz y Pino, in their uniform and lockstep approach to politics, policy and in particular their venom toward Marty Chavez.

Most recently, Soltarian Debbie O'Malley saw fit to accuse the mayor of “doctoring” official Council documents—a charge that led to all manner of factually deficient hyperventilating and an attack from the Republicans utilizing their now legendary e-mail list.

The facts, of course, are that an attachment was necessary when the Council incorrectly sent up a document that said an ’enterprise agency' budget had ’failed' because the Council had failed to pass it. Never mind that the statute clearly says that what the mayor sends the Council becomes law in 60 days unless they affirmatively pass something different. The bill passed as a matter of law, plain as the black and white the city charter is written on (Albuquerque City Charter 2-11-19 B).

And then there is Republican National axe-man Jay McCleskey, who just two years ago was part of the hit squad that went after Brad Winter. Before that, he was John Sanchez' campaign manager who decided to pull the trigger on former Lt. Governor Walter Bradley.

“Going negative” is what McCleskey does. And his D.C. masters this year perceive that Marty Chavez is a deep threat in this decidedly purple state.

But they couldn't roll out the nuclear option against the mayor without a vehicle through whom to shoot. Hence the wild-eyed attempts at candidate recruiting that finally settled on Brad Winter—the very same Winter that McCleskey had tried to nuke just two years ago.

The GOP bosses will make some passing efforts to pump Brad up as a viable alternative. But their real agenda is simply to take some shots at Marty Chavez. They may also be hoping to do some party building during this odd-numbered year as a prelude to going after the governor and Sen. Bingaman next spring.

The Scarantino/Ortiz y Pino calculation is simply that the mayor can be brought down if only there's enough blasting away at him from all sides. So they'll do it, all for the purpose of serving their own polarizing patrons and at the expense of Albuquerque's citizens and its future.

Between the long knives of various special interests is Marty in the Middle, doing the one thing no other candidate or campaign seems to care about—moving our city forward.