1) State Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez got into a minor scuffle last week with the governor’s task force on ethics. He isn’t wild about holding a special session to consider ethics bills, as the task force suggested. Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Alibi columnist says the package doesn’t address one huge ethical problem in the state, which is: a. Government contracts, like the one for the Bernalillo County Metro Courthouse.b. Capping campaign contributions.c. Laziness.d. Politicians using expense accounts for personal purchases. 2) In the spring, Mayor Martin Chavez advocated a 13-foot height limit on business signs, which could have potentially spelled the demise of things like the landmark lumberjack near Central and Louisiana. On Monday, the proposal was: a. Given special status and rushed through the process. Bye bye, lumberjack.b. Voted on by the City Council and passed.c. Pulled from the Environmental Planning Commission, though a revised plan is in the works. d. Voted on by the City Council and discarded. 3) The state Department of Health announced it won’t be complying with which aspect of the new medical marijuana law? a. Only those with stomach ailments will be able to become registered users of medical marijuana.b. The department will relax the requirements for potential cardholders to make it easier for patients to access medical marijuana.c. The department will only grow high-grade marijuana in an effort to control dosage.d. The department won’t grow and distribute medical marijuana. 4) Regents established goals for UNM’s new president, David Schmidly. One of the boldest, according to Regent Don Chalmers, is to: a. Lower students’ tuition.b. Get UNM into the Association of American Universities.c. Decrease class sizes.d. Expand the scope of graduate programs.
Answer Me This
ANSWERS1) A. Sen. Ortiz y Pino is concerned that the ethics package doesn’t include fixes to the procurement code for government contracts. Senate President Pro Tem Manny Aragon was charged with taking $700,000 in kickbacks from the Bernalillo County Metro Courthouse construction. 2) C. The plan, which included a maximum sign face area of 75 square feet, was pulled from the EPC after meeting resistance from business groups. The mayor still favors smaller signs and another proposal is on the way, probably in early 2008. 3) D. If the Health Department opted to grow the marijuana, as the new law outlines, employees would be subject to federal prosecution, Attorney General Gary King warned. The department announced it wouldn’t comply with the distribution portion of the law, much to the dismay of advocates who say patients will be forced to procure their marijuana on the black market. 4) B. The Association of American Universities is made up of American and Canadian research universities. Chalmers called it Schmidly’s "big-hair, audacious goal."
