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Opinion editorials Handling of Pit Appeal Calls for a Time-Out |
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opinion editorialsThis editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Mayor's Race Shouldn't Be a Grand Old Party
It's apparently all too tempting to go partisan in what by law is supposed to be a nonpartisan race. Giving in to that temptation isn't a new thing. It cost a 2001 candidate for Albuquerque mayor — an air traffic controller — four months of his federal pay. Circa 2009, it has residents scratching their heads about why the Republican Party is again inserting itself in the race and backing a candidate.
The letter of the City Charter law does allow that involvement — as long as the group follows reporting requirements and contribution limits. But the intent of the law — that voters focus on local issues and local candidates rather than party ideologies does not.
That's why it was so striking when then-City Councilor Mike McEntee slapped “The ONLY Conservative REPUBLICAN for Mayor” on his billboards in 2001, requested campaign contributions from GOP members and received endorsements from the county GOP executive committee and other party entities.
A federal appellate ruling said those actions violated the 1939 Hatch Act, which is named for the late New Mexico Sen. Carl Hatch and limits the political activities of federal employees.
It's just as striking — if not as visible from an intersection — that current mayoral candidate Rep. Richard Berry is getting phone support from the state GOP. As a self-employed contractor Berry doesn't have to follow the Hatch Act, but he should be aware of the strings often attached to partisan support.
In this case the strings are phone lines. Berry volunteers have been using GOP phones to get the word out about their candidate. Some would say that makes him the GOP's candidate. And some would say that makes this a partisan election.
West Side resident Mike Ingram got one of the calls and says “being an independent myself, I don't want to get involved in all this party junk. I don't think it has any place in city politics.”
He's right — it doesn't.
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