URL: http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/08213634159opinionguestcolumns07-08-09.htm
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Denish Champions Accountability
By Ted F. Martinez
Chair of the Committee to Elect Diane Denish
I read with great disappointment, but not surprise, the latest attack by Republican Party Chairman Harvey Yates in The Sunday Journal. Clearly Chairman Yates' party responsibilities supersede his responsibility to the truth — particularly when that party's tactics and policies have been thoroughly rejected by the voters. Yates has decided that the GOP's collection of inexperienced newcomers and blind Bush-followers has so little to offer New Mexico that he must resort to misleading and untrue attacks on Lt Governor Diane Denish.
When it comes to standing up for tougher ethics laws, no one has been a stronger advocate for reform than Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. No one has been quicker or louder in their condemnation of those who violate the public's trust. And no one believes more strongly that those who commit acts of corruption must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
The lieutenant governor's record in the last legislative session is case in point. She fought for a law that would provide more transparency on campaign fundraising by requiring candidates to file online reports every quarter, something she does voluntarily. That's right — a leader disclosing more than the law requires. Go figure.
Denish pushed for a law that requires all state contracts to be posted on the Internet so that the public can know how their tax dollars are being spent. Denish wrote the new law to systematically reform New Mexico's Regional Housing Authorities, to ensure that taxpayers get the most effective government possible at the lowest possible price. And she pushed for legislation that would shorten the amount of time the government has to respond to requests for public records and make it harder to suppress information in those documents.
That's exactly the kind of leadership on ethics reform that New Mexico needs — leadership that identifies positive change and has the strength and experience to make that change happen. That's the kind of leadership Diane Denish offers.
False attacks like the one launched by Chairman Yates are a cynical attempt to distract attention away from the accomplishments of the lieutenant governor. Times are tough in New Mexico , no one doubts that. The Bush-induced national recession has hit our state like it has hit every other. But thanks to the leadership of the lieutenant governor and the Richardson-Denish administration, New Mexico has better managed the downturn than many other states. The lieutenant governor has shown tremendous leadership in helping New Mexico diversify its economy: attracting green jobs, jobs in the film industry and high tech jobs. Not only has New Mexico attracted new industries and new jobs, we are working to ensure that our state boasts the highly skilled workers necessary to attract the new jobs of tomorrow. We are doing that by investing in education at every level and in job training opportunities in every corner of our state. After the last six years, New Mexico is stronger, more economically dynamic state than ever.
That's the real record under Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, a record of accomplishment that New Mexicans are seeing in their daily lives and a record that was opposed by members of chairman Yates' Republican party at every turn. While there is much more to do, and much more that Lt. Gov. Denish plans to do should she be elected to serve as New Mexico's first woman governor, chairman Yates' decision to ignore this record is a tacit acknowledgement that his party's candidates are still bankrupt of ideas on moving our state forward.
Sadly, I have no doubt that chairman Yates and others that put politics over progress will continue to make false attacks against the lieutenant governor. After all, when you are trailing badly in the polls and have no new ideas to offer, it may seem like you have no other option. But New Mexico deserves better.