Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 124, No. 43 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
February 19, 2015
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Roundhouse lobbyists explain their craft
By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer As the 60-day legislative session of state lawmakers nears its midpoint, two veteran lobbyists told the Chaves County Republican Women Wednesday how the legislative process works from within. Sharon Lombardi, former executive director of the Dairy Producers of New Mexico, and Sonia Phillips, a former lobbyist for Southwestern Public Service Co., shared their insights as Santa Fe lobbyists. Lombardi and Phillips, both of Roswell, explained on how legislation is passed in the New Mexico
House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate, and the roles lobbyists play in the legislative process. Lombardi said there are many different types of lobbyists. “We have special interest groups,” said Lombardi, who lobbied in Santa Fe for nearly 20 years. “There are attorneys. Individuals can get up and lobby. Usually, there are representatives from industries. “We need to be up there to watch our interests. It’s a day-to-day type of arena. It’s not coming and going.” Lombardi and Phillips said there are both written
and unwritten rules for lobbyists. In addition to state laws governing lobbying, Lombardi said there are different rules for both chambers of the Legislature. “There are House rules and Senate rules,” Lombardi said. “Each chamber has their own rules. And we need to know those rules, too. And then leadership has rules, minority and majority. “Our rules are personal rules. Our No. 1 rule is that we never, ever lie to a legislator. If you lie to a legislator, your reputation is shot and you never get it back.” Lombardi said one of the
unwritten rules for lobbyists is to never follow a legislator into the restroom to ask a question. “And you never, ever follow a legislator onto the legislator’s elevator, yes, they have their own elevators,” said Phillips, who lobbied in Santa Fe for 19 years. “You never do that. You also don’t approach another legislator if he’s in conversation with someone. You might stand 2 or 3 feet away and let him finish that conversation.” Phillips said each committee chair also may have his or her own rules for See LOBBYISTS, Page A3
Jeff Tucker Photo
Sharon Lombardi, center, and Sonia Phillips, right, discuss lobbying Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the Chaves County Republican Women. Pictured in the background is Chaves County Republican Women President Joan Boué.
Nominations sought for 2015 Community Leadership Awards
Flipping out
Staff Report
Shawn Naranjo Photos
Above: Who says church pastors can’t have a friendly competition? A pancake flipping contest with three local church pastors participating was held Tuesday in the fellowship hall at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Rev. Dale W. Plummer (wearing chef’s hat) of St. Andrew’s was the winner, flipping a pancake 60 times in 60 seconds. Coming in with a close second was Pastor Kent Leydens of First Presbyterian Church (tall man in blue T-shirt) with 58 flips. Pastor LaVonne Johnson-Holt of
The Leadership Roswell Alumni Association is soliciting nominations for its 2015 Annual Community Leadership Awards. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, March 31. The criteria for each award and nomination form are below. The nomination form is available online at lraa.info. Nomination forms can be submitted in writing (with background explaining how the candidate meets the criteria) to: Leadership Roswell Alumni Association, P.O. Box 2959, Roswell, NM 88202-2959. Forms can also be submitted by email to: Elaine Mayfield: roswellzoo@dfn. com or faxed to 575-6246941. Those selected for the awards will be recognized at the LRAA Annual Banquet in June.
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, center, placed third with 54 flips. Just to make sure everything was on the up-and-up, each pastor had a counter that was not from his or her church. (Not that pastors would ever cheat.) Counting for Leydens was Del Jurney, counting for Johnson-Holt was Robert Willis and counting for Plummer was Carol Overholtzer. The pastors raised $143 for the Assurance Home. Right: Rev. Dale Plummer of St. Andrew’s won the pancake flipping contest by two flips.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This person must be in his or her later years (70s or older). He or she must have a documented history of improving and giving to Chaves County; a leader
Key issues in immigration lawsuit
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s plan to shield more than 4 million immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation is on hold after a judge temporarily blocked the effort. One program to help immigrants brought to the country as children was scheduled to kick in Wednesday, but instead Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wouldn’t accept applications. And preparations for a second program aimed at protecting millions of parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents have been idled until further notice. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen wrote in a lengthy ruling that without a temporary injunction “the genie would be impossible to put back in the bottle.” Twenty-six states sued the Obama administration last year to block the programs. A trial date has not been set. Obama on Tuesday said he disagreed with the ruling.
“The law is on our side, and history is on our side,” he said. “This is not the first time where a lower court judge has blocked something or attempted to block something that ultimately is going to be lawful, and I’m confident that it is well within my authority.” Here’s a look at the case and the programs targeted:
The lawsuit
In November, Obama announced two programs to protect immigrants in the country illegally from deportation. In the first, Obama expanded eligibility for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program first launched in 2012 by eliminating age caps and allowing immigrants who arrived as recently as 2010 to apply. The second program extended protections to parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. Both groups would be protected from deportation for three years and get work permits. Twenty-six states, led by Texas, filed suit in December arguing that the president does not have the Today’s Forecast
HIGH 77 LOW 40
in his or her industry a person that has not much recognition in past years for his or work.
and had the her
Outstanding Leader Award
The nominee must be a role model in the community. They should be known as a supportive, motivational employer to his or her employees and must have a documented history of improving and giving to Chaves County over a span of many years. This person should have a history of support for the Leadership Roswell Program, should be involved with the Chamber of Commerce and should epitomize the definition of “leader.”
Award for Commitment to Youth
This person must have a documented history of giving his or her time to youth activities spanning many years. This person should be a reputable person known for their commitment to youth, respected in the community and recognized for high moral standards.
ILEA-Roswell welcomes new class
authority to allow the groups of immigrants to legally stay and work in the United States. Hanen said in his ruling that the federal government violated the Administrative Procedure Act by not allowing for public review or input in the new policies. The White House said it will appeal the judge’s ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
States suing
Texas is leading the coalition of states suing the administration over the immigrant programs. The other states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The judge
Hanen routinely handles border cases in his court in See LAWSUIT, Page A3
Max Scally Photos
Above: The 26th training session began Tuesday at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Roswell with 35 delegates attending from Albania, Kosovo and Romania. The delegates are a combination of police officers, judges and prosecutors. Each country had a representative speak on behalf
of its delegation, and all of them said they were grateful to be in the United States for the training, which lasts for four weeks. Bottom right: From left, Brad McFadin, RPD deputy chief; Fil Gonzales, RPD commander; Bogdan Despescu, head of Roma-
Today’s Obituaries Page A6
• Naomi Sturgeon Atkinson • Sherry Ann Glenn • Robert Jesse Allen
• Sarah O’Connor-Green • Joseph Laddie O’Michael • Billy Warren Goode • Lorenza Cortez Robles
nia delegation; Besa Nikehasani, head of Albania delegation; Izet Aziz, head of Kosovo delegation; and Joel Ramirez, Chaves County deputy sheriff. Ramirez, who was deployed to Kosovo while serving in the military, is holding that nation’s flag.
Index Classifieds...........B6 Comics..................B5 Entertainment. ....A8 Financial..............B4
General...............A2
Opinion.................A4
Horoscopes.........B6
Sports. ................B1
Lotteries. ............A2
Weather...............A8