Hector Balderas Made Right Decision

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On March 28, 2019, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that he will not be a candidate for the United States Senate to fill the vacancy the result of Tom Udall’s retirement.

Balderas also announced he will not run for the congressional seat of Congressman Ben Ray Lujan and would complete his second term as New Mexico Attorney General.

Balderas was just elected in November, 2018 a second term as Attorney General.

Attorney General Balderas served two terms before as State Auditor for 8 full years and before that was a NM State Representative from Wagon Mound.

Balderas announced he intends to finish his term as Attorney General which ends January 1, 2022.

There is no doubt that Balderas would probably have been one of the two top-tier candidates in the U.S. Senate race.

Balderas has now run 5 state wide races and has succeeded in winning 4, two as state auditor, two as attorney general and he did not win the Senate race against Senator Martin Heinrich.

During his first term as Attorney General, Balderas has maintained a high profile especially with has filing public corruption charges against several elected officials, including ex-Secretary of State Dianna Duran, a Republican, and former Democratic state senator Phil Griego.

The Attorney General’s office has also filed several lawsuits targeting the policies of President Donald Trump.

Although tempted to run for Unites States Senate, Balderas announced as the main reason for not running was his family.

Balderas, who along with his wife recently became the legal guardian of his 20-year old daughter, Arianna, who has Down Syndrome said:

“Quite frankly, we could not survive the travel schedule of a U.S. senator right now”.

ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY

All too often, elected officials after serving a period of time become intoxicated with the power and the attention bestowed upon them not realizing the toll it takes on their personal family life, especially if they have children.

Many a politician forget that running for office is in fact a team effort with their family and all too often politicians sooner or later wind up in divorce and very lonely.

Many elected officials forget that running for office is the life and profession they have chosen, but it is not the profession family members make, especially children.

With the reasons Hector Balderas gave for not running for a job he probably wanted, Balderas showed the true character of a person who knows that family means more in the long run than holding an elected position.

At the age of 45, time is indeed on the side of Hector Balderas and there is always time to run for office in the future.

Balderas made the right decision.

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About

Pete Dinelli was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is of Italian and Hispanic descent. He is a 1970 graduate of Del Norte High School, a 1974 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a 1977 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Pete has a 40 year history of community involvement and service as an elected and appointed official and as a practicing attorney in Albuquerque. Pete and his wife Betty Case Dinelli have been married since 1984 and they have two adult sons, Mark, who is an attorney and George, who is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Pete has been a licensed New Mexico attorney since 1978. Pete has over 27 years of municipal and state government service. Pete’s service to Albuquerque has been extensive. He has been an elected Albuquerque City Councilor, serving as Vice President. He has served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge with Statewide jurisdiction. Pete has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has served as a Bernalillo County Chief Deputy District Attorney, as an Assistant Attorney General and Assistant District Attorney and as a Deputy City Attorney. For eight years, Pete was employed with the City of Albuquerque both as a Deputy City Attorney and Chief Public Safety Officer overseeing the city departments of police, fire, 911 emergency call center and the emergency operations center. While with the City of Albuquerque Legal Department, Pete served as Director of the Safe City Strike Force and Interim Director of the 911 Emergency Operations Center. Pete’s community involvement includes being a past President of the Albuquerque Kiwanis Club, past President of the Our Lady of Fatima School Board, and Board of Directors of the Albuquerque Museum Foundation.