Journal editors, ignore public corruption, endorse Chavez.

Good and bad news for Mayor Marty Chavez in the Journal
this morning, link, link.

On the good news for Chavez side; the editors have endorsed him. The editors caution voters against changing horses in mid-stream. They would have voters ignore the public corruption in City Hall, and re-elect their guy; Chavez.

The most nonsensical part of their endorsement for Chavez read;

He not only accepted an ethics reprimand in 2001 over
ABQPAC — a campaign fundraising arm that helped pay
his expenses with cash from city contractors and others
who had a stake in city issues; he became a vocal advocate
for open government and ethics reform.

He "accepted" the reprimand like a convict accepts a prison
sentence; not so much "accepts" as, what other choice did he
have? He was clearly behaving unethically and got caught, link.

Does anyone really believe that he could behave so unethically in 2001, but be ethical now? Does a zebra change its stripes? If anything, he has just gotten more sophisticated in hiding ethical misconduct.

It is easy to be an "advocate" for open government and ethics
reform, all you have to do is stand up on a soap box and
proclaim your support of both. Well talk is cheap.


As recently as last week Chavez was opposing City Councilor Ray Garduno's bill to provide more transparency in government, link.

Within the last two weeks, Chavez allowed the Ethics in Public Service Act, to die after languishing in committee for a full year and Chavez did nothing to move it out for passage by the full council, link.

Chavez an ethics reformer? Not!

On the bad news for Chavez side, a Journal poll revealed that Albuquerqueans disagree with the editors' blind support of Chavez, and are prepared to hold him accountable for the fact that 12 years in the Mayor's Office, has not seen him end the culture of incompetence and corruption in City Hall.

Apparently voters believe that the Chavez administration really was shaking down a local businessman, link, and retaliating against that same gentleman over complaints over safety and misspent federal grant dollars. Voters watched a video tape, link, of ducks walking and quacking, and they know whose ducks they are.

The editors might want to ignore the independent audit, link, that revealed contract management in City Hall, so egregiously incompetent as to be corrupt, but voters will not.

Perhaps, with the election of a new mayor, we really will see
the end of the corruption and incompetence in City Hall.

One can only hope.




photos Mark Bralley