Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Kool Aid for the Mayor

The GOP is ready to serve up some Kool Aid for Mayor Richard Berry.  Just days after the voters approved by a margin of two to one a higher minimum wage, the GOP City Councillors want to overturn the election with a simple majority council vote.  I can't think of a better way of making Berry a one term mayor than saying to the voters, "Screw you!"  Right now, his popularity is high and reelection looks good for him a year from now.  He has been non visionary and uncontroversial.  In other words he has made few enemies even after his problematical police department's numerous shootings and misconduct issues.

It now looks like there is a possibility that Albuquerque might turn to a run off election system.  That would be a good thing.  But even if it doesn't the Mayor will face a new paradigm in the democrats ability to turn out the vote.  If he helps undo a pay raise for our city's neediest that machine will turn on him.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This even made The Daily Kos (where they quote KRQE, and not the Journal, which looking at today's paper seems to the Rio Rancho paper now and not the Albuquerque paper.)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/12/1160835/-Albuquerque-city-council-might-repeal-minimum-wage-increase-passed-by-66-of-voters

And Daily Kos has a page with the councilor's phone numbers and so forth or you can write the Journal. (Let's hope they recycle, when they toss all those letters in the trash.)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/13/1161210/-TAKE-ACTION-Albuquerque-City-Council-might-repeal-minimum-wage-increase

The Daily Kos mentions a city council vote in 2005 to increase the minimum wage led by a Martin Heinrich.

That can't be the same Martin Heinrich who went up to Washington and never even bothered to join the Progressive Caucus, who sits there and leaves Social Security and Medicare on the table where President Obama put them and doesn't march up there and snatch them off and defy anybody to put them back on while brandishing his elk gun?

Anonymous said...

I respectfully disagree. He has made enemies with virtually all his city employees, he has avoided leadership on every significant issue facing Albuquerque from the Paseo overpass to Mary Han. While he seems to have strong popularity numbers, he has a glass jaw that will not withstand scrutiny. His reelection is less than assured....very less.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they should put the Mary Han matter up to a vote, too? Seems our city leaders can't do anything without voter deciding for them.

Anonymous said...

What is an elk gun?

Anonymous said...

I like how the Mayor disagrees with the police union, says everything is great, crime is down, JetBlue will take travelers to NYC (!) then he goes to the zoo and feeds a baby rhino. Smoke and mirrors.

Anonymous said...

Could the Albuquerque Journal be any more obvious in its bias? Another cop in trouble and an editorial is out byvweek's end yet when the Apd's entire leadership AND the mayor's top advisors are caught in gross misconduct...nothing but silence from the paper. That speaks for itself.