E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Friday, July 11, 2008
UNM Should Be Careful How It Uses Alford To Raise Money
By Rick Wright
Of the Journal
This just in: The University of New Mexico athletics department will gladly accept your generous donation, regardless of your political leanings.
Voted for Heather Wilson in 2006? Fine. Voting for Heather Locklear in '08? No problem.
OK? Now, maybe UNM can stop renting out men's basketball coach Steve Alford for anything other than weddings, bar mitzvahs and kids' birthday parties. I hear Steve makes terrific balloon animals.
In the past week, we've learned that Alford is scheduled to make an appearance at a fundraiser next week for Republican congressional candidate Darren White. Earlier, we subsequently were told, Alford appeared at a fundraiser for Gov. Bill Richardson's presidential campaign.
The intent, said UNM athletics director Paul Krebs, was to raise funds for Lobo athletics — not for Richardson or White. Democrats and Republicans alike have money and love sports. No endorsement of any candidate, Krebs said, should be inferred.
The fertilizer hit the fan, though, after it was reported that Alford had agreed to have his photo taken with White backers for $1,000 a pop — the money to flow into the campaign war chest. Those who wished only to be in the same room with the Lobo coach would pony up a mere $250. Invitations to that effect were mailed out.
It's not clear whether a kissing booth was considered, or what the price might have been.
Alford and Krebs were quick to say neither had agreed to anything more than an appearance by the coach.
White provided an exchange of e-mails suggesting, but not proving, that Alford did know the agenda. I'll take Krebs' and Alford's word that wasn't the case.
Thursday, in a statement, Alford said he would attend the event as agreed but would not participate in any fundraising activities.
Still, the whole mess — complete with the predictable Democrat-Republican oh-yeah-sez-you rhetoric— could and should have been avoided.
Rudy Davalos, I think, had the right idea when it came to politics and athletics fundraising.
Davalos, who preceded Krebs as UNM's athletics director, in some respects has suffered in comparison to his successor.
He presided over the hiring of Fran Fraschilla and Ritchie McKay as men's basketball coach, then watched his flagship program sink to the bottom of the conference standings. Krebs hired Alford, and presto; the Lobos were contenders again.
UNM, it was revealed, had been releasing padded football and men's basketball attendance figures under Davalos. Krebs stopped the practice.
When Krebs took the job two years ago, he praised Davalos' fundraising efforts but said he intended to find and exploit new revenue streams. Perhaps that explains Alford's ventures into the lobby of the political arena.
Davalos, in contrast, took political neutrality to an extreme.
"I don't even vote in elections," he said back in 2001, "because of the money we have to try and get from both the Democrat and Republican sides. … (That way) I can look them in the eye and say I'm right down the middle."
Maybe Davalos just never hired a men's basketball coach that anyone wanted to have a picture taken with. Still, there must be myriad ways in which UNM can access pocketbooks on both sides of the aisle — while avoiding the appearance of favoritism.
In the meantime, Steve and Paul, my nephew's birthday is coming up. So I'm just wondering.