About Pete Dinelli

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.

“Downtown Revitalization”: Deja Vu All Over Again!

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

As famed baseball player Yogi Berra one said it’s “Déjà vu all over again!”

Since the 1970’s, Albuquerque City Hall and virtually every Mayor of Albuquerque have been fixated and frustrated by the revitalization of “Downtown Albuquerque” hoping to return downtown to its old “glory days”.

Mayor Tim Keller took his plans of Downtown revitalization to the annual meeting of “Visit Albuquerque”.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1214363/mayor-lays-out-new-plans-for-downtown-safety.html

“Visit Albuquerque” is a tourist and business professional organization that markets the city as a visitor, convention and sports destination city.

Mayor Keller called himself the “promoter in chief” when it comes to promoting Albuquerque as a good place to live, work, play and invest.

When Mayor Keller called himself the “promoter in chief” for Albuquerque, he was using the same words used by former Mayors Harry Kinney, Ken Schultz, Martin Chavez and Richard Berry.

Saying “We rise and fall on Downtown” Keller announced three new initiatives to make Downtown Albuquerque as a safer, more attractive place for visitors and increase tourism.

The three initiatives are:

1. Opening a police substation at the Alvarado Transportation Center to address the serious crime and homeless problems in the Central Avenue downtown area that have reached a crisis point. Keller announced that the substation will be staffed by an APD Assistant Chief, police officers and a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) who are trained in dealing with behavioral and mental health issues.

2. In order to create a tourist, draw the city will begin remediation efforts and activate a second building at the Albuquerque Rail Yards after the city severs the existing contract with California-based Samitaur Constructs, the master developer for the site. In 2007, the city bought the site for about $8.5 million. The historic and vacant Albuquerque Rail Yards are within one mile of the Downtown area located south of Downtown between the Barelas and South Broadway neighborhoods. Albuquerque Rail Yards has 18 buildings still standing erected between 1915 and 1925 and include four major maintenance facilities built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

3. Keller announced he wants to ramp up plans to reinvent the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards by finding a development partner to transform a city-owned parking lot into “an amenity where thousands can gather year-round.” The city has upgraded one building, the blacksmith shop, where the Rail Yards Market Place has taken place on weekends each summer since 2014. Activating a second building will accommodate additional vendors and potentially be a big tourist draw according to Mayor Keller.

Mayor Tim Keller’s claim “We rise and fall on downtown” makes a great headline but the problem is it no way reflects what has been going on in the city for the last 60 years.

The truth is “Downtown Albuquerque” has been transforming during Mayor Tim Keller’s entire life of 40 years plus another 20 years before he was born.

ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

A very abbreviated history of “downtown revitalization” efforts is in order.

Central Avenue going West from Broadway Ave to the Rio Grande River is traditionally thought of as “Downtown” by many born and raised in Albuquerque or long-term residents.

Downtown Albuquerque should probably also be considered to include a mile north and a mile south of Central between Broadway and the Rio Grande river so as to include Old Town, the Albuquerque Museum, the Children’s Science Museum, the New Mexico History Museum, the Zoo, the BioPak, which includes the botanical gardens and aquarium, and various government buildings including courthouses and commercial office buildings.

From approximately 1952 to about 1965, Downtown Albuquerque on Central from Broadway to 1st street was considered the “hub of activity” for retail and business where you would shop, bank and go for entertainment.

In the 1960s and the mid-1970s, “urban renewal” was the big buzzwords at City Hall and the then existing City Commission.

Urban Renewal was federal funding “given to cities for the large-scale improvement of urban areas riddled with “blight,” a catchall term used to describe almost anything city planners may have found problematic or offensive with the city structure.

“Blight was used to describe otherwise healthy urban neighborhoods inhabited by a single ethnic group; historic and dilapidated buildings whose owners were either uninterested in renovation or unable to secure funding to do so; heavy, poor, or inefficient traffic flow through central business districts; and nearly any other sociological or psychological issue that was affecting the urban area.”

http://albuquerquemodernism.unm.edu/wp/downtown-urban-redevelopment/

The term “blight” provided ready justification for city planners and developer aspirations.

Today it is called “gentrification”.

The 1960’s-1970’s urban renewal in Albuquerque resulted in city government use of “eminent domain” condemnations and the leveling of entire neighborhood blocks and areas of downtown, including old government buildings.

The “Downtown Albuquerque” I remember, growing up as a kid, attending St. Mary’s Catholic School and my father’s barber shop “Paul’s Barber Shop” on Lomas and 3rd Street is:

The many retail stores on Central Street downtown or the Central Street area before urban renewal including Sears, JC Penny, Montgomery Ward’s, Fedway Department Store, Paris Shoe Store, Stromberg’s clothing, American Furniture, People’s Flowers, Russell Stover’s candies, Mc Clullens, Kurt’s Camera Coral, Krees’s , Levines, Woolworth’s, Payless Drugs, Zales Jewelry, Skaggs, Fogg’s Fine Jewelry, PNM (across from the KIMO) the Sunshine, KIMO, State and the El Ray movie theaters, just to mention a few.

Around 1965, from San Pedro going east and north east was basically vacant land that was developed over the subsequent years with many homes built by Mossman Gladden Homes and Dale Bellamah Homes.

The original Albuquerque Convention Center was built in the late 1960’s as was the old 5 story Frank Horan City Hall building and the 4 story downtown main police station were built and still stand on property that was condemned in the name of “urban renewal”.

To the north of the original convention center was built the “Hilton Double Tree” hotel, 201 Marquette, NW, built in 1975, to serve the convention center and the “semi-circular” architecture portion of the hotel was supposedly inspired by “hot air” balloons and originally painted in various colors.

During urban renewal, many residential areas downtown were demolished and replaced by office buildings and it had an impact on retail businesses along Central Downtown.

The 14-floor building known today as the New Mexico Bank and Trust Building, 3701 4Th Street, NW was opened in 1960.

The 13 story Dennis Chavez federal office building at 500 Gold, SW opened in 1965.

Both the 18 floor Compass bank building, 505 Marquette, NW and 12 story PNM office building, 414 Silver, SW, were built in the mid 1960’s and both opened in 1966.

The 6 story First Plaza building, 200 3rd St, NW, was completed in 1972 and was the corporate headquarters of First National Bank owned by the Maloof Family.

The 16 story Wells Fargo Building at 200 Lomas, NW opened in 1973.

The 10-story Bank of the West and Davita Medical building complex at 303 Roma, NW with parking structure across from the Wells Fargo Bank on Lomas also opened in 1973.

The 8 floor, city owned, Plaza Del Sol, 600 2nd, was opened in 1975 and was originally a bank building.

The 8 floor AT&T building at 111 3rd NW, was built in 1978.

The 8th floor “Plaza Campana” 400 Tijeras the houses Molina Health care was built in 1981 and has gone under significant renovations over the years.

Locally owned banks such as First National Bank, owned by the George G. Maloof family and Albuquerque National Bank started to establish branch banking before the banks were bought by bigger national banks.

It was not until the early 1980’s that the City-County Government Center, 11 story building located at 1 Civic Plaza west of the plaza and located between the Frank Horan City Hall building and the old District Courthouse was erected.

Urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970’s gutted or demolished many historic and government buildings in downtown Albuquerque.

The Alvarado hotel at 1st and Central was demolished in 1970.

The Franciscan Hotel at 5th and Central was demolished in 1972.

Parking lots replaced both the Alvarado and the Franciscan Hotels.

The demolition of the Franciscan Hotel and the Alvarado Hotel and restaurant contributed significantly to the demise of the downtown area.

The distinctly dome designed Albuquerque Civic Auditorium east of the old St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in 1957 and was demolished in 1987 and a city own entertainment venue never replaced it.

At one time, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce offices were located at the Albuquerque Civic Auditorium when the dynamic and visionary GY Fails was the executive director for many years.

Two businesses that have survived for decades on Central downtown have been the “The Men’s Hat Shop” and “Skip Mazel’s Indian Jewelry and Crafts Trading”.

It was with the building of the major retail shopping malls in the 1960s and when the city growth and population began spreading to the East and North East when the downtown area very slowly began to wither and die.

Winrock mall was opened March, 1961, Coronado Shopping Center was opened March, 1965 and both were “open malls” and two of the very first malls ever opened in the county.

Both Winrock and Coronado have expanded and transformed various times from open malls to closed indoor malls

Winrock basically closed down for years with only the Dillard’s Men’s and Women’s locations and is now going through yet another transformation.

The “Uptown” Commons stores complex was opened in 2006 and built on the original site of St. Pius High School.

After urban renewal of the 1960s and 1970s, Albuquerque’s population growth continued to the North East Heights with Coronado Shopping Center and Winrock eventually replacing the Downton retail shopping area of the city with many of the national downtown retail stores relocating to the malls such as Sears, JC Penny’s and Wards’.

In the early to mid-1980’s, the City Council attempted to revitalize Downtown as a place to go with the multimillion dollar “Festival Market Place”.

The Festival Market place was intended to be a large entertainment venue where civic plaza now sits and nearby areas.

“Concerned Citizens” of Albuquerque mounted a voter initiative to put it on the ballot that killed the festival market place.

After the demise of the Festival Market Place at the polls, the City Council exerted itself even further with Downtown revitalization by pushing the expansion of the Albuquerque Convention Center with the major addition of an east wing and a parking structure.

The 21 story Hyatte Regency and 22 story Albuquerque Plaza complex, which opened in 1990, were built in part with city bonding to coincide with the convention center expansion.

From 1985 to 1989, the Albuquerque City Council continued with efforts to try to revitalize in part Downtown Albuquerque.

In 1987, the City Council enacted the 10-year quarter cent “Quality of Life” tax which included funding for a Performing Arts Center, the Children’s Science Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the Albuquerque Aquarium and the Balloon Museum and the acquisition of critical open space in the Sandia foothills.

The Children’s Science Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the Albuquerque Aquarium and the Balloon Museum were all constructed.

The performing arts center was originally proposed to be built at a cost of $60 million and was to be built on the city vacant land located directly north of Civic Plaza in an effort to revitalize downtown.

Another voter petition drive initiative was undertaken that forced a vote on the proposed performing arts center and voters said no to the project.

From 1990 to 1994, downtown revitalization took the form of trying to build a new baseball stadium in the area of Broadway and Lomas to again revitalize the area and bring people to downtown.

Relocating the baseball stadium failed and the old baseball park for the “Dukes” baseball team was leveled and rebuilt calling it a “remodeling” and the stadium was renamed “Isotopes Park” after the city was able to lure another professional baseball team.

The BioPark, with the Rio Grande Zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens, is the number one tourist attraction in the State of New Mexico.

During the 2015 municipal election, Albuquerque voters wisely approved with an overwhelming majority the voter petition drive initiative to increase the gross receipts tax for the BioPark.

The tax will raise $255 million dollars over 15 years for the BioPark.

There are $40 million dollars in upgrades and exhibits needed to the BioPark facilities and without making those repairs, the city risks losing many national certifications.

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

“Downtown Albuquerque” has become the government and financial district for the city with the location of city hall, the City/County Government Center, the Metro Court, State District Court, the Federal Courts, the Social Security Administration, the main bank branches of Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Bank of the West Compass Bank and other banks and government agencies.

The center of Albuquerque and the new “downtown” is the uptown area of the city consisting of Coronado Shopping Center, the many shops at the Commons at Uptown, the Winrock development that will include even more retail shops and even luxury housing when it’s done not to mention all the restaurants that have popped up in the area with even more planned not to mention the commercial office space in the area.

Mayor Keller’s emphasis on Downtown revitalization and tourism should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone.

Frankly it is doubtful much will be accomplished and it is misguided on many levels.

Mayor Tim Keller is not proposing anything dramatic nor visionary to revitalize Downtown Albuquerque which is very disappointing given the platform of change and economic development he ran on.

Increasing law enforcement presence that is sorely needed and again trying to restore the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards is commendable, but is not a game changer and far more can and must be done.

The entire city has in fact “outgrown” and left downtown in many respects.

Make no mistake, the “Downtown Central” area must and can be revitalized because of its historical significance and being a part of historic Route 66.

Downtown Albuquerque is the sole of the city because of the history it represents.

There has been a very large number of multi-story apartments and condos developed directly south of Central between 1st Street and 6th Street within the past 10 years along with the Silver Street “grocery store” in one of the developments.

The residential developments are Downtown’s biggest hope yet for Downtown revitalization because it will sustain vibrant downtown activity, where people can live, raise a family and work and play which is the “walkable city” concept.

The Albuquerque High School condos and the Lobo Rainforest Building and Innovate Albuquerque development across the street at Broadway and Central will no doubt help with Downtown revitalization.

The “One Central” development located at 1st Street and Central, which is now opened, is a public-private mixed-use development, including at least 39,000 square feet of commercial space with an entertainment tenant initially described as an upscale bowling alley with at least two other retail or restaurant tenants, 60 residential units and a 429-space parking garage.

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/albuquerque-journal/20180830/281513637023190

Downtown Central dodged a fatal bullet when the decision was made not to run the ART Bus project and by pass the area entirely.

When the Albuquerque Civic Auditorium was demolished, the City did not replace it with any entertainment venue its size

With the demolition of the Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque began to rely heavily on “Pope Joy Hall” and “The Pit” as entertainment venues and later the Hispanic Cultural Center with its state-of-the-art venue.

The City should explore reinventing and changing the branding of the Downtown Albuquerque Central with an emphasis on historical Route 66.

An arts or entertainment district development that will expand further the new entertainment complex on 1st and Central should be explored.

The building of an entertainment venue for 5,000 to 6,000 people such as the civic auditorium with another dome type facility can be explored.

Rather trying to attempt to again remodel the convention center for an arena with bleachers that has been proposed, City Hall should place on the ballot a voter initiative to build a downtown, multipurpose entertainment and sports arena.

The number one tourist attraction in the State of New Mexico is the Bio-Park.

The City needs to expedite expansion and repairs to the of the Bio-Park wherever it can with the upgrades and repairs to the facilities.

Old Town will always be a critical component of Downtown Revitalization and projects to enhance Old Town, including expansion of the Albuquerque Museum and Children’s museums should be developed.

One project for the City to consider is acquire the “Romero Residence” on Old Town Plaza, convert it to a “Mayor’s Residence” to be used not for living but for City and ceremonial events.

Mayor Keller has time to make a difference in downtown revitalization if he really wants to but our city will not “rise and fall on downtown” as he claims especially if he fails as all other Mayor’s and City Councils before him have failed with downtown revitalization.

For more on economic development and growth see:

Investing In Ourselves To Achieve Economic Development

Vija Con Dios Senator John McCain

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

On August 27, 2018, Senator John McCain’s former campaign manager Rick Davis, acting as a spokesperson for the McCain family, read aloud the text of the late senator’s final letter to the public. “These are John’s words,” he said. What follows is a transcription of what Davis read:

“My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for 60 years, and especially my fellow Arizonians, thank you for the privilege of serving you, and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead.

I’ve tried to serve our country honorably. I’ve made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them. I’ve often observed that I am the luckiest person on Earth. I feel that way even now, as I prepare for the end of my life. I’ve loved my life, all of it. I’ve had experiences, adventures, friendships, enough for 10 satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life in good or bad times for the best day of anybody else’s.

I owe this satisfaction to the love of my family. One man has never had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America to be connected to America’s causes: Liberty, equal justice, and respect for the dignity of all people brings happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth were not circumscribed, but are enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.

Fellow Americans, that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history, and we have acquired great wealth and power in the progress.

We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down; when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.
We are 325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before, we always do.

Ten years ago I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening. I feel it powerfully still.

Do not despair of our present difficulties. We believe always in the promise and greatness of America because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit, we never surrender, we never hide from history. We make history. Farewell fellow Americans, God bless you, and God bless America.”

MEGHAN McCAINS EULOGY TO HER FATHER JOHN McCAIN

“The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for, and I hate very much to leave it.” When Ernest Hemingway’s Robert Jordan, at the close For Whom the Bell Tolls lies wounded, waiting for his last fight, these are among his final thoughts. My father had every reason to think the world was an awful place. My father had every reason to think the world was not worth fighting for. My father had every reason to think the world was worth leaving. He did not think any of those things. Like the hero of his favorite book, John McCain took the opposite view: You had to have a lot of luck to have had such a good life.

I am here before you today saying the words I have never wanted to say, giving the speech I have never wanted to give. Feeling the loss I have never wanted to feel. My father is gone, John Sidney McCain III was many things. He was a sailor, he was an aviator, he was a husband, he was a warrior, he was a prisoner, he was a hero, he was a congressman, he was a senator, he was nominee for president of the United States. These are all of the titles and roles of a life that’s been well-lived. They’re not the greatest of his titles nor the most important of his roles.

He was a great man. We gather to mourn the passing of American greatness, the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice, those that live lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.

He was a great fire who burned bright. In the past few days, my family and I have heard from so many of those Americans who stood in the warmth and light of his fire and found it illuminated what’s best about them. We are grateful to them because they’re grateful to him. A few have resented that fire for the light it cast upon them for the truth it revealed about their character, but my father never cared what they thought and even that small number still have the opportunity as long as they draw breath to live up to the example of John McCain.

My father was a great man. He was a great warrior. He was a great American. I admired him for all of these things, but I love him because he was a great father. My father knew what it was like to grow up in the shadow of greatness, he did just as his father had done before him. He was the son of a great admiral who was also the son of a great admiral. When it came time for the third John Sidney McCain to be a man, he had no choice but to walk in the same path. He had to become a sailor. He had to go to war. He had to have his shot at becoming a great admiral as they also had done. The past of his father and grandfather led my father to the Hanoi Hilton. This is where all of the biography, campaign literature say he showed his character, his patriotism, his faith, his endurance in the worst of possible circumstances. This is where we learned who John McCain truly was. And all is very true except for the last part.

Today I want to share with you where I found out who John McCain truly was and wasn’t in the Hilton. It wasn’t in the cockpit of a fast and lethal fighter jet or on the campaign trail. John McCain was in all those places, but the best of him was somewhere else, the best of John McCain, the greatest of his titles and the most important of his roles was as a father.

Imagine the warrior the night of the skies gently carrying his little girl to bed. Imagine the dashing aviator who took his aircraft, hurdling off pitching decks in the South China Seas, kissing the hurt when I fell and skinned my knee. Imagine the distinguished statesman who counseled presidents singing with his girl in Oak Creek during a rainstorm to singing in the rain. Imagine the senator fierce conscience of the nation’s best self taking his 14-year-old daughter out of school because he believed I would learn more about America at the town halls he held across the country. Imagine the loyal veteran with his eyes shining with happiness as he gave blessing for his grown daughter’s marriage.

You all have to imagine that. I don’t have to because I lived it all. I know who he was. I know what defined him. I got to see it every single day of my blessed life.

John McCain was not defined by prison, by the Navy, by the Senate, by the Republican Party or by any single one of the deeds in his absolutely extraordinary life. John McCain was defined by love.

Several of you in the pews that crossed swords with him or found yourselves on the receiving end of his famous temper or were at a cross purpose to him on anything, are doing your best to stay stone faced. Don’t. You know full well if John McCain were in your shoes today, he would be using some salty word while my mother jabbed him in the arm in embarrassment. He would look back at her and grumble, maybe stop talking, but he would keep grinning. She was the only one who could do that.

On their first date when he still did not know what sort of woman she was, he recited a poem called The Cremation of Sam McGee about an Alaskan prospector who welcomed his cremation as the only way to get warm in the icy north. “Strange things done in the midnight sun. The arctic trails have secret tales that would make your blood run cold.” He learned it in Hanoi. A prisoner rapped it out in code over and over during years of captivity. My father knew if she would sit through that, appreciate the dark humor that had seen him through so many years of imprisonment, she might sit through a lifetime with him as well, and she did.

John McCain was defined by love. This love of my father for my mother was the most fierce and lasting of them all, Mom. Let me tell you what love meant to John McCain and to me.

As much as he comforts, he was endlessly present for us, and though we did not always understand it, he was always teaching. He didn’t expect us to be like him. His worldly achievement was to be better than him. Armed with his wisdom, informed by his experiences, long before we were old enough to assemble our own. As a girl I didn’t appreciate what I most fully appreciate now; how he suffered and how he bore it with a stoic silence that was once the mark of an American man. I came to appreciate it first when he demanded it of me. I was a small girl, thrown from a horse and crying from a busted collarbone. My dad picked me up. He took me to the doctor, he got me all fixed up. Then he immediately took me back home and made me get back on the same horse. I was furious at him as a child, but how I love him for it now.

My father knew pain and suffering with an intimacy and immediacy most of us are blessed never to have endured. He was shot down, he was crippled, he was beaten, starved, tortured and humiliated. That pain never left him. The cruelty of his Communist captors ensured he would never raise his arms above his head for the rest of his life, yet he survived, yet he endured. Yet he triumphed. And there was this man who had been through all that with a little girl that didn’t want to get back on her horse.

COMMENTARY

In her eulogy to her father Senator John McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain said in part “We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness. … The real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly.”

Meghan McCain also added the sentence “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great” and the line was met with immediate loud applause.

I seriously doubt if Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son in law Jared Cushner, who were in attendance, clapped.

John McCain, thank you for your service to this great country of ours.

Vija Con Dios Senator McCain.

“America In Wonderland” With Mad Hatter Trump

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

Following is an excerpt from Lewis Carrolls’ book Alice in Wonderland:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.” —Chapter 6, Pig and Pepper

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice Chapter 2, The Pool of Tears

https://bookriot.com/2017/11/24/alice-in-wonderland-quotes/

Following are a few choice classics from our President and from those who work for him:

TRUMP ON THE NEWS MEDIA

“Fake News”

“This country is doing better than it’s ever done before, economically. … But it’s all working out. Just remember: What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

“I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People!”

When you see “anonymous source,” stop reading the story, it is fiction!

TRUMP ON WOMEN:

“I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy.”

“You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women] — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. … Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” (Tump recorded conversation with Billy Bush)

Trump has called women he does not like “fat pigs”, “dogs”, “slobs”, and “disgusting animals”, has referred to “blood running out of places” of women when talking about a female news caster and says women need to be punished if they have an abortion.

TRUMP ON RACE RELATIONS

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists… And some, I assume, are good people.”

“I have a great relationship with African Americans, as you possibly have heard. I just have great respect for them. And they like me. I like them.”

President Donald Trump expressed frustration behind closed doors with people coming to the US when he said “Why do we want all these people from ‘shithole countries’ coming here?” referring Haiti, El Salvador and countries in Africa.

President Trump said in meetings about immigration that Haitians “all have AIDS”.

President Donald Trump described Nigerians as people living in huts and that they would not want to return to them. He reportedly said 40,000 had come from Nigeria and would never “go back to their huts” once they had seen America.

After a 20-year-old white man drove his car into a crowd at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one anti-racist protester and injuring 19 others, President Trump said that there was “blame on both sides” regarding the deadly violence that was instigated by white supremacists.

“No, no, I’m not a racist. … I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you.”

“Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person.”

“I am the least racist person that you have ever met.”

TRUMP ON NO COLLUSION WITH THE RUSSIANS

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. … I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press” Mr. Trump said, referring to emails Hillary Clinton had deleted from the private account she had used when she was secretary of state.

Since March of 2017, Trump has tweeted that there was “no collusion” no less than 90 times.

Trump has called the Mueller investigation a “witch hunt.”

Trump then said “There was no collusion, but if there was, it was not a crime.”

After his return trip from Helsinki meeting with President Vladimir Putin Trump said “I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t. … “The sentence should have been ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia. … I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself” with regard to who hacked into Democratic Party computers.

Trump has claimed that “the real Russian collusion has occurred on the Democrats side.”

TRUMP ON VLADIMIR PUTIN:

“Then Putin said, ’Donald Trump is a genius, he’s going to be the next great leader of the United States.’ No, no, think of it. They wanted me to disavow what he said. How dare you call me a genius. How dare you call me a genius, Vladimir. Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Wouldn’t that be good?”

“The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me!”

“But I have nothing to do with Russia, nothing to do, I never met Putin, I have nothing to do with Russia whatsoever.”

“I never met Putin. … I don’t know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me. He said I’m a genius. I said thank you very much to the newspaper and that was the end of it. I never met Putin.”

“I would treat Vladimir Putin firmly, but there’s nothing I can think of that I’d rather do than have Russia friendly, as opposed to the way they are right now, so that we can go and knock out ISIS with other people.”

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/03/politics/trump-putin-russia-timeline/

TRUMP ON GUN CONTROL:

“I like taking guns away early … Take the guns first, go through due process second.”

“No matter what you do – guns, no guns – it doesn’t matter. You have people that are mentally ill. And they’re gonna come through the cracks. And they’re going to do things that people will not even believe are possible.”

“I think that mental health is your problem here … We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, as do other countries. … But this isn’t a guns situation … I mean, we could go into it, but it’s a little bit soon to go into it. But fortunately, somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction, otherwise it would have been — as bad it was — it would have been much worse. But this is a mental health problem at the highest level.

Trump later said we need to arm teachers in classrooms.

TRUMP ON NORTH KOREA RELATIONS:

Donald Trump said if North Korea escalates its nuclear threat, “they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen!”

“Rocket Man” when referring to Kim Jong Un.

“The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself and its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” Trump said in his first address to the UN General Assembly.

“Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.”

After the Singapore Summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump had this to say:

1. “We will be stopping the war games [with South Korea] which will save us a tremendous amount of money. It is very provocative.”
2. “I think honestly he’s going to do these things.”
3. “I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey I was wrong.’ I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that, but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.”
4. “I gave up nothing. I’m here. I haven’t slept in 25 hours.”
5. On Kim Jong-un: “Well he is very talented. Anybody who takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it, and run it tough — I don’t say ‘he was nice’ or I don’t say anything about it,”
6. On North Korea: “It’s rough. It’s rough in a lot of places, by the way, not just there. But it’s rough.
7. On whether there was a recording of the meeting between Trump and Kim: “I don’t have to verify, I have one of the great memories of all time.”

“Kim Jun Un is ‘talented’ and ‘loves his country very much’.”

TRUMP ON IRAN :

Trump’s comments in response to earlier remarks by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who warned the US that war with Tehran would be the “mother of all wars” tweeted:

“To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”

KELLY ANNE CONWAY QUOTE

“Alternative facts” is a phrase Kellyanne Conway coined during a Meet the Press interview on in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s false statement about the attendance numbers of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States.

TRUMP’S CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY RUDY GIULIANI QUOTES:

“I have been sitting here looking in the federal [criminal] code trying to find collusion as a crime. Collusion is not a crime.”
“The hacking is the crime. … The president didn’t hack.”

“You can investigate an innocent person forever and forever and find nothing. When do we say enough is enough … No collusion, no obstruction. President Trump did nothing wrong.”

“Truth is not the truth.”

PEOPLE CHARGE AND CONVICTED IN MUELLER PROBE

Following is a listing of all those charged, convicted or who have plead guilty in the Mueller Russian probe of interfering in the 2016 US Presidential election:

Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman: convicted on five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of failure to report foreign bank accounts with another criminal trial pending.

Michael Cohen, President’ Trumps long time private attorney and “fixer”: Plead guilty to eight counts of tax evasion, making false statements to a bank and campaign finance violations in the criminal investigation in New York and implicated Trump in committing campaign finance felonies.

Rick Gates, one of Manafort’s business partners: plead guilty to one charge of lying to investigators and one charge of conspiracy in exchange for becoming a cooperating witness in the Mueller probe. He testified against Manafort as the prosecution’s star witness in its case in Virginia.

Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser: plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations last December with Russia’s ambassador to the US at the time, Sergey Kislyak.

George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser: plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. Papadopoulos had made at least six attempts to set up a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian representatives throughout the course of the 2016 presidential campaign, using a London-based professor named Joseph Mifsud and a female Russian national as conduits.

California businessman Richard Pinedo: plead guilty to one count of identity fraud. The plea deal’s release came immediately after Mueller’s office announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of interfering in the 2016 US election by mounting an elaborate and multi-faceted social media influence operation meant to sow political discord during and after the race. Pinedo ran a company called “Auction Essistance,” which offered services meant to get around the security requirements set by online payment companies like eBay, PayPal, and Amazon. Auction Essistance was shut down.

Alex van der Zwaan, a Dutch lawyer tied to Manafort and Gates: plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal investigators. Van der Zwaan represents the interests of numerous Russian oligarchs. He is also the son-in-law of German Khan, the Ukrainian-Russian billionaire who controls Russia’s Alfa Bank.The institution attracted scrutiny last year, when a dossier published by former British spy Christopher Steele alleged that Alfa Bank had played a role in meddling in the 2016 US election.

13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the indictments of 13 Russian citizens and three companies allegedly involved in meddling in the US political system. The charges focused on the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a notorious Russian “troll factory” that focused on sowing political discord during the 2016 US election by using internet bots to spread fake news and pro-Trump propaganda on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.

12 Russian intelligence officers indicted for the hacking of the Democratic National Committee before the 2016 US presidential election : All 12 Russian intelligence officers indicted are members of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence unit. The accusations against them include conspiring to interfere with the election by hacking computers, stealing documents, and releasing those documents with intent to interfere.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/who-has-been-charged-in-russia-investigation-mueller-trump-2017-12#12-russian-intelligence-officers-8

COMMENTATY AND ANALYSIS

At the Trump Tea Party, if you “don’t believe what you’re reading or seeing”, if it is all “fake news”, “alternative facts are not facts”, “truth isn’t the truth”, means that Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Alex van der Zwaan are all innocent people even though they were found guilty or plead guilty to the crimes they were charged with and therefore are entitled to Presidential pardons.

I am really beginning to realize that the American public are akin to Alice in Wonderland and our news media is the “chesire cat” when the cat said to Alice:

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.”
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.” — Chapter 6, Pig and Pepper

We have all fallen down the rabbit hole in “Alice in Wonderland”.

President Trump is the Mad Hatter having a “tweeting party” instead of a tea party every single day stuffing his face with McDonalds Big Macs while sitting on his bed in the White House and Rudy Giuliani and Kelly Anne Conway are two March Hares and all three are totally mad.

We Have Moral Obligation To Help Our Homeless

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

Below is my Guest Editorial was published by the Albuquerque Journal August 29, 2018, page A13:

The greatness of a city is reflected by the commitment it makes to help its homeless who suffer from mental illness.

NIMBY stands for “Not in my backyard” relating to proposed projects opposed by homeowners, property owners and business owners.

Both of these philosophies are fiercely raging in Albuquerque when it comes to the tiny homes 35-unit transitional housing project, the 42-unit HopeWorks Project for mental health services and housing, and the effort to build a $100 million complex for the homeless on a desolate 20 acres of land on the West Side.

Opposition arguments range from negative impacts on well-settled business areas, residential areas, crime and neighborhood safety to cost justification.

Albuquerque is in the process of deciding between greatness or benign neglect of the homeless and treatment of the mentally ill.

Albuquerque has between 1,500 and 2,000 chronic homeless, with approximately 80 percent suffering from mental illness.

The city does provide extensive services to the homeless that include social services, mental or behavioral health care services, substance abuse treatment and prevention, winter shelter housing, rent assistance and affordable housing development, just to mention a few.

Charitable organizations such as Joy Junction, St. Martins HopeWorks project, Steelbridge, The Rock at Noon Day and Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless provide services to the homeless, and do so by being where the homeless can be found and where the homeless can seek out, reach and have easy access to services.

All too often, we tend to forget our humanity, our political philosophy and our religious faith and beliefs of hope and charity, and condemn the homeless for what we think they represent or who we think they are.

We condemn the homeless whenever they interfere with our lives at whatever level – such as pandering for money, begging for food, acting emotionally unstable, sleeping in doorways and defecating in public, and, yes, when we stand downwind from them and smell what living on the streets results in personal hygiene.

The sight of homeless camps, homeless squatters in parks and living under bridges usually generates disgust.

People condemn the families of the mentally ill for not making sure their loved one has been institutionalized or is taking their medications.

All too often, the families of the homeless mentally ill are totally incapable of caring for or dealing with their loved one’s conduct.

Calling law enforcement in Albuquerque to deal with the mentally ill has a history of ending tragically, as was the case with mentally ill homeless camper James Boyd who was shot and killed by the Albuquerque Police Department SWAT in the Sandia foothills.

We easily forget the homeless are human beings who usually have lost all hope, all respect for themselves and are imprisoned for life in their own minds, condemned to fight their demons every hour, minute and second of their life until the very day they die.

One thing that must never be forgotten is the homeless have human rights to live as they choose, not as anyone says they should live.

The homeless cannot be forced to do anything against their free will or change their life unless they want to do it themselves.

The homeless should not and cannot be arrested and housed like criminals or animals.

Many homeless do not want to be reintroduced into society, and many have committed no crimes and they want to simply be left alone.

The homeless who suffer from mental illness cannot be forced or required to do anything for their own benefit without due process of law.

Too often, the homeless are the victims of crimes, even being bludgeoned to death for fun as Albuquerque saw a few years ago when three teenagers killed two Native Americans sleeping in a vacant lot on a discarded mattress.

We as a city have a moral obligation to make every effort and make available to the homeless services they desperately need.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1214429/we-must-help-our-homeless.html

Endorphin Power Company Take On Tiny Homes Project

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

Below is a guest commentary article written by Jeffrey Holland, the Executive Director of the Endorphin Power Company (EPC) regarding the proposed Tiny Home Project.

The Tiny Homes project is a joint effort by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County to develop and construct a “village” or campus of 35 “tiny homes”.

The Tiny Homes will be one room structures measuring 116 square feet, with electricity only, and the village will have 25 to 35 homes in a gated community design.

The Tiny Homes will be “portable” units built on a chassis like a mobile home.

The village will be constructed on one acre of land with a common area structure for toilets, showers and a kitchen.

Six sites have been identified as a possible site for the project.

Here is a link for more on the Tiny Homes project:

https://www.petedinelli.com/2018/08/07/tiny-home-village-creates-giant-nimby-probl/

JEFFREY HOLLAND, LCSW

Jeffrey Holland is a clinical therapist and is currently the Executive Director of the Endorphin Power Company (EPC).

He has been Executive Director for 7 years and was the program director 2 years prior to that.

EPC is arguably the most sought-after transitional living facility in New Mexico and offers a very unique program designed to help individuals dealing with addiction/homelessness.

The EPC program also offers intensive case management and therapy for those in need.

EPC also operates a community center, fitness center and recently purchased a step-down housing triplex to help clients with their transition process while also building a rental history (if necessary).

They have operated for almost 11 years without governmental assistance.

For approx. 20 years, Jeffrey Holland Jeffrey has been involved in helping individuals who face addiction, homelessness and related problems.

Jeffrey Holland started off by volunteering with North Americas first syringe exchange program (National AIDS Brigade). This included street level outreach to sex workers, homeless, those with addiction and mental health issues as well as those individuals with Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Holland has also worked at multiple “halfway homes”, the Bernalillo County MATS (detox) facility, Centro Savila, and volunteers at multiple sites doing pro bono work in the field of addiction and mental health.

ABOUT ENDORPHIN POWER COMPANY

“We provide single occupancy, transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness as a result of substance abuse. We provide a safe, clean and sober living environment where people become part of a healthy community and are encouraged to set and reach goals.

We at the Endorphin Power Company see substance abuse and homelessness as both an individual and social problem. Our goal is to address that problem on both levels at once. We want to contribute to the greater good of local and global communities by promoting the benefits of healthy-living, healthy connections and environmental consciousness.

We seek to cultivate an environment in which individuals and communities foster health, happiness, and awareness through the “Four Pillars” of education, exercise, community and service to others.”

Here is a link and phone number for more information on Endorphin Power Company:

www.endorphinpower.org

Phone: 505-268-3372

GUEST COMMENTARY FROM JEFFREY HOLLAND, LCSW

“I’ve done some serious thinking over the past several days.

When I look at the Tiny Home Village project and think of all the positive outcomes that it might produce. I can easily imagine it helping many people in need. In my mind, there is little reason it should not happen. Then, I am suddenly reminded of the enormous elephant in the room. This elephant is the city and the county. Neither the city nor the county has substantial proof they can build, run or administer anything like a Tiny Home Village with any measure of success.

ABQ residents might or might not be familiar with the Supportive After Care (SAC program) apartments located on the county property at 5901 Zuni SE. This is the same location of the county run Metropolitan Assessment and Treatment Services [detox] program known as MATS. On this property sits a million dollar plus apartment complex built approximately a decade ago to create transitional housing for people dealing with addiction and homelessness.

If I’m not mistaken it has 12 apartments and can house approximately 40-60 people. I’m fairly certain it has never been at capacity. Over the years, they have tried various types of programming and even house other programs such as the women of the Milagros program (It’s called Mariposa under the county). Only recently has it started to operate near capacity. This is not a slight on the county, but it does show how difficult it can be to actually get something of this size and magnitude up and running properly.

The 5901 Zuni SE location would be ideal for a Tiny Home Village pilot project due to the already existing infrastructure, security, walled perimeter, access to services, public transportation, etc. I feel this is an absolute necessity before scaling up to what the city/county is proposing.

It is my opinion that we face a very big problem here. A problem that is very realistic. That problem comes in the form of potentially, wasteful spending. We have actual proof that this has type of endeavor has been tried in a similar fashion with the result being less than stellar or, at least, so it seems. If the city/county move forward with the Tiny Home Village quickly rather than appropriately, the results could be bad, really bad. If that happens, this will be another ART-type situation and they will never have the public’s trust in this area again. The only people who will lose are those people who need the help are the homeless, the addicted, the mentally ill, etc.

This “little brother” complex that seems to be present amongst some politicians appears to guide a lot of policy and decision making. If history has taught us anything it has taught us that New Mexico (Albuquerque, in this case) is a very unique culture and just because something works in Denver, Austin, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, etc. does not guarantee it will work or even be embraced by the citizens of Albuquerque. I believe a lot of ABQ politicians want our city to move in the direction of the previously named cities. However, the question is, are they going to do it right or do they just want to do it quick.

It is my opinion that for a Tiny Home Village to be accepted, embraced and supported, our elected officials must show the people of ABQ that it will work not just tell us it will work. This can and should be done appropriately and NOT quickly.

Therefore, as much as I want a Tiny Home Village to move forward and for it to be successful, I am beginning to realize I have very little faith in the city/county doing something they have failed at in the past. I am seriously rethinking my support of the Tiny Home Village until an actual pilot program can show efficacy, competence, trust, fiscal responsibility, and, accountability. When was the last time we had all those from any governmental project?

Here’s what I would like to see before a full-scale Tiny Home Village moves forward:

• 5-10 person/couple pilot project that will outline exactly how much it costs to provide services, support, etc. for a minimum of 6 months. This will give us an approximate multiplier on how much we can expect a much larger Tiny Home Village to cost.

• A women’s only project. The women of our community simply do not have enough resources in this area. Quite frankly, we should be ashamed of this fact. These women face challenges and trauma that most men/people will never be able to comprehend. They deserve better and we need to consider this a priority. This population has been ignored for far too long.

• After a pilot program of at least 6 months, we should see detailed financial accounting along with tangible results regarding how and why the program is working and will continue to work moving forward. Positive results cannot be ignored/denied and if it is truly a benefit, positive results will speak for themselves.

• When you can buy a 320sq ft Tuff Shed barn for under $10,000 but a 116sq ft Tiny Home is projected to cost $17k-$20k, something is a little off. These homes should go out to bid. That is not to say the cheapest bid is the best, but I have a strong feeling we can do better than the current project price per sq. ft. while keeping the Tiny Homes aesthetically unique and environmentally friendly.

These are just a few things that come to mind for me regarding this project.

I’ve seen what it takes to provide services for this population and I have run a 20-unit (single occupancy) program for almost 10 years. As a matter of fact, the city/county solicited advice from us for this project.

Let’s do it right, not quick. People’s lives are at stake.

Here is a link for more information on the Bernalillo County, SAC program see:

https://www.bernco.gov/addiction-and-treatment-services/supportive-aftercare-program.aspx

Phone number: 505-468-1569

Good luck getting an answer.

Jeffrey Holland, LCSW

DA Torrez Fails To Tackle Resource Problem For Preliminary Hearings

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Pete Dinelli

On August 25, 2018 Presiding 2nd District Court Judge Nan Nash notified District Attorney Raul Torrez that the District Court decided to drastically scale back the planned reduction in the use of grand juries that had been scheduled for October.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1212980/court-alters-plan-to-decrease-grand-juries.html

The District Court has decided that the decline will be gradual and will take place over time.

Chief Judge Nash notified DA Torrez that the court will decrease the number of grand jury by four days a month, or one day a week, in November and December.

The decision was made that there will be no change in grand jury panels in October because APD and the Bernalillo County Sherriff’s Department will be busy with the Balloon Fiesta.

The court has made no decision as yet what the decrease in grand jury time will be in 2019.

The 2nd District Court is the only judicial district in New Mexico that relies extensively on grand juries as opposed to preliminary hearings to charge defendants with felony crimes.

According to Second Judicial District Court data, in 2017 there were 2,551 cases indicted by the DA’s office and there were 650 preliminary hearings held by the court’s criminal division.

From January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018 there were 418 preliminary hearing with 1,688 cases indicted.

In 2017, 61% of felony preliminary hearings in the 2nd Judicial District Court led to a plea agreement at the hearing.

The National Center for State Courts has recommended that Bernalillo County use more preliminary hearings and fewer grand juries citing preliminary hearings as a best practices model.

Torrez said that after seven years of significant growth in crime rates, Albuquerque is now seeing crime on the decline.

Torrez worries that scheduling conflicts and having witnesses or others not show up for preliminary hearings will change that trend by saying:

“The effects of a 70 percent reduction [in grand juries] in under two months would have been catastrophic. … My concern is that we are going to have the same reduction, we’re just going to implement it through slow cuts over time. This is not the time to mess with a good thing … While that allows everyone to adjust, you’re still not tackling the fundamental resource question.”

District Attorney Raul Torrez strongly opposed reducing the grand jury time available arguing it would make launching new criminal cases far more challenging and far more resource intensive.

https://www.abqjournal.com/1202062/court-plans-major-cuts-to-grand-jury-system.html

According to Torrez, preliminary hearings are more financially and administratively burdensome for the District Attorney’s office and a drain on resources the office does not have to channel more cases through the process.

COMMENTARY AND ANAYISIS

District Attorney Raul Torrez’s proclamation that his office simply does not have the resources to do preliminary hearings is so laughable as to be embarrassing.

Torrez’s comments that “you’re still not tackling the fundamental resource question” and “This is not the time to mess with a good thing” will likely be challenged during the 2019 New Mexico legislative session and by none other than Democrat Senator John Author Smith.

Torrez himself has been a failure in tackling the resource problem himself after he secured significant funding increases from the New Mexico legislature and his failure to fill 55 vacant positions within his office.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney Office is the largest law firm in the State of New Mexico employing 315 full time employees including attorneys, paralegals, administrative assistants, victim advocates, investigators, IT managers and personnel and finance divisions.

During the 2018 legislative session, Torrez to his credit lobbied for and received a $4.2 million increase in total funding for the office.

Effective July 1,2018, Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez has a $21.5 million-dollar budget to run the office.

More than half of the District Attorney’s $21. 5 million budget is dedicated to salaries with the budget for salaries now at $13,523,842.35.

According to the State of New Mexico Government Sunshine Portal the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office has 315 fully funded full time personnel positions.

http://sunshineportalnm.com/sample/#section=Employee

Of the 315 full positions funded, only 260 positions are filled.

Torrez has 55 vacant positions that are fully funded.

According to the New Mexico State Government Sunshine Portal, among the vacant positions with salaries listed include:

1 Chief Deputy District Attorney, $97,281.60 yearly salary.
1 Deputy District Attorney: $88,046.39 yearly salary.
10 Senior Trial Attorney positions: $79,684 yearly salary.
2 Assistant Trial Attorney positions: $65,270.39 yearly salary.
12 Legal Secretary positions: $33,238.39 yearly salary.
7 Trial Attorney positions: $72,113.60 yearly salary.
5 Prosecution Specialists: $49,545.60
1 Chief Financial Officer/Manager: $79,684.79 yearly salary.
1 Financial Specialist: $36,712.00 yearly salary
3 Program Administrator: $65,270.39 yearly salary.
5 Program Assistants: $33,238.39 yearly salary.
3 Secretary positions: $30,076.80 yearly salary.
1 Victim Witness Assistant: $44,824 yearly salary.
1 IT Administrator: $49,545.60 yearly salary.
1 Clerk position: $27,227.19 yearly salary.
1 Clerk Apprentice: $24,627.19 yearly salary.

In the event that Torrez does not fill any one of the vacant positions, the money will revert back to the State General Fund and will likely be cut by the New Mexico legislature in the 2019 legislative session.

Raul Torrez is paid $120,999.00 a year as the elected District Attorney.

District Attorney Raul Torrez employs Deputy District Attorneys, Senior Trial Attorneys, Trial Attorneys and Assistant Trial Attorneys earning as low as $53,287.32 and as high as $115,791.01 in base salaries depending on the positions held.

Base salaries paid do not include benefits paid such as bar dues, continuing legal education costs, sick leave and annual leave earned and retirement contributions to PERA made by the state to match employee contributions.

Fifty-two attorneys are paid more than $60,000 a year, thirty-eight are paid more than $70,000 a year, thirty-one are paid more than $83,000 a year, and 16 are paid more than $90,000 a year.

Forty-two attorneys are paid less than $60,000 a year.

There are 40 trial attorneys and are entry level positions with their average pay at $53,287.32.

Average starting salaries in the private practice of law for an attorney fresh out of law school with larger firms is approximately $65,000 to $85,000 a year.

Recent graduates from law school usually seek employment with the District Attorney to gain trial and courtroom experience at the expense of being paid lower wages and they usually move on within 2 years.

Virtually all the attorneys employed are “at-will” and serve at the pleasure of District Attorney Raul Torrez.

Many of the current attorneys employed can be considered “career prosecutors” given the years of experience and the amount of their salaries.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez employs at least 2 special Assistant District Attorneys on $75,000 contracts each who are retired prosecutors and are tasked with reviewing the backlog of police officer involved shooting cases.

Each attorney is commended and thanked for their service to people of New Mexico.

The higher the salary paid suggests to many that the attorneys carry higher caseloads, but that is not the case and managing attorneys carry a lower-case loads or no case load at all.

In 2017 there were 2,551 cases indicted by the DA’s office and there were 650 preliminary hearings which by appearance were handled without difficulty despite the fact Torrez had at the time 45 vacancies out of 304 full time staff and he complained about lack of resources.

Confidential sources have said that the District Attorney’s office is “hemorrhaging” with resignations with Torrez attempting to recruit experienced prosecutors from smaller District Attorney offices in the state and Torrez considering recruitment from out of state.

Senator John Author Smith, the Chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee delivered a very strong message to District Attorney Raul Torrez after his success in securing more funding during the 2018 legislative session.

Senator Smith said in an on camera in interview many feel Torrez had been given “enough rope to hang himself” with the increase in his budget.

http://www.koat.com/article/senate-finance-calls-for-2-million-more-for-bern-co-da/17009425

NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Author Archives: Pete Dinelli