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THE NEW MEXICAN Thursday, May 8, 2014
LOCAL NEWS Bridge work may again snarl traffic U.S. 84/285 project continues Friday By Daniel J. Chacón
The New Mexican
Motorists traveling on U.S. 84/285 near Tesuque last Friday may be in for déjà vu this Friday as work on a bridge rehabilitation project kicks into high gear again. Crews are scheduled to resume work on the North Tesuque Interchange north of Santa Fe at 9 a.m. and continue through the weekend. Northbound and southbound lanes will be reduced to one lane for about a half-mile in each direction and detoured through the off-ramps and on-ramps at the interchange, the state Department of Transportation said. The interchange, exit 172, and all the lanes on U.S. 84/285 will reopen at 6 a.m. Monday. For commuters and other motorists, the reopening of lanes won’t come fast enough.
Last Friday, the closing of lanes snarled southbound traffic for miles during the afternoon commute. Motorists were stuck in their vehicles for hours, prompting some people to take matters into their own hands to avoid the congestion. “They were moving barrels. They were moving barricades. They were driving up the curbs,” said Rosanne Rodriguez, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “It was amazing to see.” Motorists also tried to bypass the congestion by driving through the village of Tesuque on County Road 73, which connects with U.S. 84/285 on either side of the town. But transportation workers had blocked off the county road except to local traffic, forcing motorists to turn around. This created more congestion, said Javier Martinez, a traffic engineer. “There were signs,” he said. “They knew. They just didn’t want to believe it. And then they got there and got frustrated and
State ruling: Man swindled $170,000 from elderly Securities Division declares Ponzi scheme in civil ruling, issues fine By Milan Simonich The New Mexican
A road sign warns motorists of delays Friday on U.S. 84/285 due to construction on the bridge at the Tesuque exit. LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
decided to start moving barricades. The signage was in place. They just didn’t want to follow the signage.” Rodriguez said the transportation agency looked at opening County Road 73 but determined it would cause “further congestion.” During the North Tesuque Interchange closure, the county
road will continue to be open only to local traffic, and there will be no outlet to get back onto U.S. 84/285. Transportation officials anticipated traffic backups on U.S. 84/285, which is a major thoroughfare that connects Santa Fe
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EARLY VOTING BEGINS FOR JUNE PRIMARY
New Mexico’s securities director on Wednesday ordered an 80-year-old man to permanently cease his business operations, finding that he ran a Ponzi scheme and defrauded other elderly people of about $170,000. The civil ruling against Jerome Griggs Beery of Los Alamos also carried fines and penalties totaling $6,000. Beery first said he would appeal any adverse decision, but by day’s end, he asked how soon he would have to pay his fine. Alan R. Wilson, who is director of the state Securities Division and presided at Beery’s hearing, said his office would arrange a payment plan. Beery was the first person in at least seven years to seek an evidentiary hearing before the securities director, said Brandon Toensing, the state attorney who presented evidence against Beery. Though Beery took the unusual step of demanding the hearing, he offered no evidence. He also had no lawyer, so he represented himself. Beery, who says he holds a doctorate, built his defense around two technical arguments. First, he said the Securities Division had missed the 60-day deadline for holding the hearing, so the case should be dismissed. Then he said he had merely engaged in loans, not investing, so the Securities Division had no authority to investigate or punish him. Wilson ruled against him on both claims, enabling the state to call its witnesses. The most compelling were Celeste Raffin and Fred Edeskuty, grown children of a Los Alamos couple who said Beery swindled them out of more than $30,000.
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N.M. nonprofits net $853K from Give Grande By Uriel J. Garcia
The New Mexican
Arlene Decker, right, helps Claire Wiener, left, and former New Mexico first lady Barbara Richardson deposit their ballots Wednesday at the Santa Fe County Commission Chambers during early voting for the June 3 state primary. Early voting runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until May 31 at the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office, 102 Grant Ave. LUIS SANCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
Thousands of people donated to hundreds of New Mexico nonprofits Tuesday as part of a national online campaign, raising about $853,000 for organizations statewide. The campaign, called Give Grande New Mexico, was part of the national Give Local America campaign and organized by the Community Foundation Coalition of New Mexico. In total, 409 New Mexico nonprofits signed up for the event, said coordinator Denise Gonzales, including about 75 organizations that do work in Santa Fe County. People could go to www.givegrandenm.org, select their favorite participating nonprofit and donate a minimum of $10. The national fundraising campaign, Give Local America, has promised to “amplify” those totals with additional funds, based on how much money each nonprofit received in donations. Give Local America raised nearly $52 million, according to its website. Among the local nonprofit organizations was Santa
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ELECTION AD WATCH
Webber targets Martinez’s ties to Kochs in new TV ad Governor touts savings from selling state plane By Steve Terrell
The New Mexican
Two candidates for governor apparently have aviation on their minds. Alan Webber — one of five Democratic candidates — and Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who is seeking re-election, released campaign ads that talk about aircraft. Webber’s ad features a helicopter, which he uses as a metaphor for the controversial billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, major GOP funders. The Koch brothers held a conference last year at Santa Ana Pueblo, where Martinez spoke. Martinez’s spot discusses the stateowned jet, purchased during her predecessor Bill Richardson’s administration and sold at the outset of Martinez’s term. Webber is the second Democrat running for governor to take to the television airwaves this year. Lawrence Rael launched a 30-second spot last week in which he made general statements about improving the economy and education.
Here’s a look at both commercials, beginning with Webber’s. Title: “Choppered” Duration: 30 seconds Text: “The Koch brothers choppered into New Mexico just like this. Out-of-state billionaires looking to spread their radical agenda here. Susana Martinez may take orders from them. I never will. “I’m Alan Webber. I’ll invest in early childhood education. End tax breaks to out-of-state corporations. And up the minimum wage so folks can actually live on it. “Those are my ideas. I want to hear yours. Because it’s time we had a governor who listened to you, not them.” Description: The ad starts out with footage of a helicopter landing at Double Eagle II Airport in Albuquerque. Webber himself is the narrator, although he’s not seen until he says, “I’m Alan Webber.” When he says Martinez “may take orders” from the Koch brothers, a headline from an online news site, New Mexico Telegram, reading “Martinez attends secretive Koch brothers event” flashes across the screen for several seconds. When he says, “It’s time we had a governor who listened to you, not them,” Webber points with his thumb to the
Democratic challenger Alan Webber, left, and Republican Gov. Susana Martinez have released campaign ads. Webber’s criticizes Martinez while her spot touts how she saved the state money through spending cuts. See the ads at www.santafenewmexican.com. COURTESY CAMPAIGN ADS
helicopter behind him. Analysis: To begin with, the Koch brothers flew to New Mexico in their own plane, not a helicopter. KOB TV reported that a private jet parked at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque was registered to a Koch company. Martinez spoke at the event at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, which was attended by national Republican leaders, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, who was the GOP’s 2012 vice
Section editor: Howard Houghton, 986-3015, hhoughton@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Richard Olmsted, rolmsted@sfnewmexican.com
presidential candidate. As for taking orders from the Kochs, there’s no evidence this literally is true. Webber said in a recent interview that Martinez has adhered to the Koch brothers’ agenda in areas including loosening environmental regulations and giving tax breaks to corporations. There is one instance in which Martinez was criticized by a Koch-affiliated group, Americans for Prosperity. In late 2012, the group’s state director issued a news release blasting the
governor over her decision mandating the state establish a health-insurance exchange to help small businesses and uninsured people find affordable insurance. The Koch brothers are bitterly opposed to the Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare.” Martinez’s campaign finance reports do not show any direct contributions from the brothers, their businesses or groups associated with them.
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