Elegant country home on the market in La Cienega Home, inside Santa Fe Real
Our view: To end shutdown, House speaker must take charge Opinions, B-2
Estate Guide
Octo ber 2013
Locally owned and independent
www.santafenewmexican.com $1.25
Cienega
Courageous innovators
‘Know Your Neighbor’
The Santa Fe Community Foundation names this year’s Piñon Award recipients. LOCAL NEwS, C-1
A former inmate writes about his time at the territorial prison, calls for corrections reform. NEIghBORS, C-8
FEDERAL BUDGET CRISIS
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What’s the profile of the perfect Democratic challenger to Gov. Susana Martinez?
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The New Mexican
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u Pentagon plans to bring back 350,000 furloughed workers as House approves bill to give federal employees back pay. pAgE A-5
BRIAN BARKER/THE NEW MEXICAN
today Sunshine and warmer. High 67, low 38. pAgE D-6
Obituaries Lorraine (Lori) Joyce Ertel, 83, Sept. 26 Paula Gage, 55, Santa Fe, Oct. 1 Pasqualita V. Gerlach, 84, Sept. 29 Edward W. Hopkins, 62, Santa Fe, Oct. 2
Bernie Martinez, 69, Santa Fe, Oct. 1
ew Mexico’s next gubernatorial election is still more than a year away, but already, many political watchers here and across the country have written off the contest as safely in the Republican column. That’s bad news for Democrats as they struggle to define — and find — the perfect candidate they believe can oust Republican Gov. Susana Martinez from a seat that early poll numbers suggest is hers to lose.
Michael Alexander Siegel, 58, Santa Fe, Oct. 2 Lawrence P. Bonaguidi, 78, Santa Fe, June 13
Gary King
pAgES C-2, C-3
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Linda Lopez
Música Antigua de Albuquerque
Calendar A-2
Interviews with Democratic officials and activists suggest a common belief that neither of the two Democratic challengers to emerge so far, Gary King, the state’s attorney general, and Linda Lopez, a longtime state senator from Albuquerque, have what it takes to get voters excited enough to displace Martinez. And getting Democrats to agree on what attributes the ideal challenger should possess is no easy task, either. The challenge of finding those perfect ingredients, and then the person who possesses them, underscores the uphill battle Democrats face in 2014 as they try to unseat a Republican governor whose popularity in national GOP circles is steadily growing. “There’s a lot of malaise,” said one
elected New Mexico Democrat. Both King and Lopez are “fine public servants,” the elected official said. But neither is doing a good job of inspiring Democrats, he said, echoing a view expressed by many Democrats interviewed. “We don’t have a deep bench. I’m even concerned about four years from now.” The official, like many Democratic officials and activists interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid damaging friendships and potential working relationships with someone who may well be the next party nominee. When asked what attributes the ideal challenger to Martinez should have, Democrats provided a variety of answers. Several said the candidate
Please see ChOICE, Page A-4
A colorful grouse with a loud, entertaining courtship ritual is the latest symbol of an ongoing battle over the federal endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide by March if the lesser prairie chicken, found in five states including Eastern New Mexico, is threatened enough to make the list. Some farmers, ranchers, oil producers and county commissioners oppose the listing, and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., agrees. They say the prairie chicken is already protected by state regulations and voluntary conservation programs, and that listing the bird could cause job losses in the state. Environmental groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity and Audubon New Mexico say the grouse
Please see BIRD, Page A-4
Lesser prairie chicken numbers in New Mexico Year
Estimated population
2012
2,300 6,100
2011 2010 2009
3,013 4,968 9,443
2008
7,489
2007
8,427
2006
5,615
2005
Something Borrowed, Something New, music of the Renaissance, 4:30 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church, 1701 Arroyo Chamiso, $16, discounts available, 842-9613. More events in Calendar, A-2 and Fridays in Pasatiempo
Index
BY STEVE TERRELL THE NEW MEXICAN
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Battle rages over bird in peril By Staci Matlock
Please see BORDER, Page A-5
INSIDE
COURTESY N.M. GAME AND FISH
Lesser prairie chicken’s fate in hands of feds as sides grouse about pros and cons of protection
cam ted Gif
McALLEN, Texas — By early next year, the Border Patrol’s busiest sector on the Southwest border was supposed to receive about 350 freshly trained agents from its academy in New Mexico. But that training center and three others like it that train thousands of federal law enforcement officers each year from 91 different federal agencies have been shut down by the budget fight in Washington. Trainees at the Border Patrol’s academy in Artesia, N.M., have been sent home. That means the Rio Grande Valley sector, which saw a 58 percent increase in arrests in the fiscal year that ended last month, will have to wait longer for reinforcements. How much longer depends on the duration of the budget dispute. “The guys in Rio Grande, they need the help, but unfortunately right now there will be no one to send, and the classes that were being trained will now be delayed,” said Shawn
Seeking a choice candidate
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The Associated Press
2014 GUBERNATORIAL RACE
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By Christopher Sherman
The undefeated St. Michael’s football team bounces back after a rough week of practice to overcome Capital High’s young squad 40-7. SpORtS, D-1
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Shutdown halts border training at N.M. center
Horsemen rout Jags
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in La Casual beauty
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Classifieds E-9
The challenge of finding the right combination of ingredients, and then the person who possesses them, underscores the uphill battle Democrats face as they try to unseat Martinez.
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