Breaking: Commission Censures Wiener

Bernalillo County commissioners just voted 3-0 in favor of a motion to censure Michael Wiener.

Wiener offered a vigorous defense of himself but declined to vote on the matter. Fellow Republican Wayne Johnson also recused himself.

That left Maggie Hart Stebbins, Michelle Lujan Grisham and Art De La Cruz to vote in favor.

More in tomorrow’s paper, of course.

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Bernalillo County commissioners have agreed to consider the censure of Michael Wiener tonight, following those controversial photos of him in the Philippines.

They voted without opposition to add the censure proposal to tonight’s agenda. The meeting may last until 10 or 11 p.m., however, so it could be awhile before we learn whether there are enough votes to approve a censure.

The commission also voted 4-1 in favor of appointing Maggie Hart Stebbins as vice chairwoman of the commission. She replaces Wiener, who gave up the position voluntarily.

He did, however, vote against Stebbins’ appointment without offering any comment on it.

The crowd is sizable,  but not overwhelmingly so. Some are wearing red “No More Wiener” stickers.

Stebbins and Michelle Lujan Grisham are sponsoring the motion to censure Wiener. They need one more vote for approval, and it’s not clear they’ll get it.

Commissioner Wayne Johnson has been critical of the idea. He has called on Wiener to resign but says a censure is essentially meaningless.

Commission Chairman Art De La Cruz has said action against Wiener would be premature, absent more information.

And, of course, I’d be surprised if Wiener decides to vote for censuring himself.