Election

Shannon Bulman for Santa Fe County probate judge [spread the word]

Shannon Bulman co-authored the latest edition of Life Planning in New Mexico, written by former Bernalillo County Probate Judge Merri Rudd. In Santa Fe, Shannon’s opponents include the wife of the current probate judge and the clerk of the current judge. (In Bernalillo, vote for the incumbent Judge Willow Parks.Keep Judge Parks.)

Three vie for Santa Fe County probate judge position | Albuquerque Journal News

Shannon Bulman

Shannon Bulman
OCCUPATION: Attorney
PARTY: Democrat
CITY/TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Santa Fe
AGE: 51

POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT/JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE: Practiced law before New Mexico Courts for 24 years; trained probate judges and staff at state-wide conferences in 2012 and 2013; assistant general counsel, state Human Services Department, 1991-1993;  assistant general counsel at state Department of Public Safety, 1990-1991; law clerk to Chief Judge William W. Bivins, New Mexico Court of Appeals 1989-1990.

Suppose your father dies unexpectedly and you don’t have thousands of dollars to pay for his burial. You go to the probate court late Thursday to be appointed personal representative so you can access his bank account to pay for the burial, but you’re told that the judge won’t be available until the following Tuesday afternoon. What are you going to do?

The Santa Fe Probate Court must be made more accessible to our residents. The court is currently in session only three hours per week. I commit to working harder for Santa Fe. The probate judge can and should provide education about the probate process to our residents and thoroughly train the full-time court staff to better serve the public. District Courts and the Bernalillo County Probate Court provide online access to court records.

The Santa Fe Probate Court should provide the same level of transparency to families and the public. There is work to be done to professionalize and improve access to our probate court. The probate judge needs to understand probate law to better serve families during a time of loss. My qualifications include:

– Representation of countless families in Northern New Mexico to probate the estates of their loved ones.

– Provided legal training to probate judges from across the state; co-author of 5th edition Life Planning in New Mexico, a book explaining estate planning and probate to non-attorneys.

– The only probate judge candidate awarded an AV Preeminent rating, the highest possible rating, by the Martindale-Hubbell peer review process. This rating signifies legal ability and ethics that are highly regarded by attorneys and judges in our community; and routinely acknowledged for pro bono work in our community.

I would be honored to utilize my experience and energy to serve the residents of our county as probate judge.

Three vie for Santa Fe County probate judge position | Albuquerque Journal News

Elect Shannon Bulman for Probate Judge on June 3! – Home

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Elect Shannon Bulman for Probate Judge on June 3! – Home

APD

A pattern of hiding misdeeds (APD)

No video in several of officer’s arrests | Albuquerque Journal News

By Nicole Perez / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 12:05 am

Albuquerque police officer Jeremy Dear’s lapel video wasn’t recording when he allegedly punched a man while trying to arrest him during a Downtown brawl in January 2013.

His lapel video wasn’t recording when he allegedly kicked a man in the genitals during a traffic stop a month later.

And police were unable to recover any video from his lapel camera after he shot and killed 19-year-old Mary Hawkes, who he said pulled a gun on him after a suspected car theft, last month. The camera’s manufacturer is examining the camera, police have said.

There were at least two other instances, which didn’t involve use of force, when he didn’t record his full encounters with the public, according to Dear’s personnel file obtained by KOAT-TV.

Under department policy, officers are supposed to record every interaction they have with members of the public.

It’s unclear if Dear was ever disciplined for any of the previous incidents in which he did not get video of his encounters. …

The DOJ report said requiring lapel camera use is a good policy but that it’s inconsistently used and not enforced strictly by APD.

“We found very few examples of officers being reprimanded for failing to record force incidents,” the report reads. “The fact that few officers were reprimanded for this failure suggests that supervisors have also failed to insist on this form of accountability.”

No video in several of officer’s arrests | Albuquerque Journal News

Election, loco

Lopez points to her experience, background | Albuquerque Journal News

Lopez points to her experience, background | Albuquerque Journal News

By James Monteleone / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 12:05 am

Copyright © 2014 Albuquerque Journal

For Linda Lopez, running for governor means offering New Mexicans more than a decade of experience as a state legislative leader and the viewpoint of a Hispanic woman.

Lopez, 50, was first elected to the state Senate to represent southwest Albuquerque in 1996, and after one term was tapped to serve as chairwoman of the high-profile Senate Rules Committee.

She says her political experience, ethnicity and gender mean she is best-suited among the five Democratic gubernatorial candidates to challenge Republican Gov. Susana Martinez – the nation’s first Hispanic female governor – in November.

It also means she’s better-prepared to collaborate with the Democratic-controlled Legislature than Martinez, Lopez says.

Lopez points to her experience, background | Albuquerque Journal News

Election, loco

Democratic Governor Candidates | Albuquerque Journal News

Governor (D) – Howie Morales | Albuquerque Journal News

By Stephen Williams / Asst. Politics Editor
UPDATED: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 11:11 am
PUBLISHED: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 11:11 am

Howie Morales

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic

OCCUPATION: Educator/administrator at Gila Regional Medical Center (currently on leave); New Mexico state senator, Senate District 28

CITY/TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Silver City

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Member of Legislative Finance Committee; Grant County clerk from 2005 to 2008; special education teacher in Silver City from 1995 to 2000; special education and transition coordinator for Cobre School District from 2000 to 2005; LULAC Educator of the Year in 2005; longest-serving Big Brother in New Mexico

EDUCATION: B.A. in biology and special education from Western New Mexico University; M.A. in bilingual education from Western New Mexico University; Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University

CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: Morales4NM.com

CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I am running for governor because we deserve better for our state. We need to create new solutions for our problems that reflect the new reality that we are facing. As governor, my top priority will be to create an education system that will offer a world-class education to all children beginning before birth and will be available to everyone. I will also focus on getting New Mexicans back to work and ensure that our workers are paid a fair wage with equal pay between men and women. Together, we can move New Mexico forward.

Governor (D) – Howie Morales | Albuquerque Journal News

Governor (D) – Alan Webber | Albuquerque Journal News

By Journal Staff
UPDATED: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 11:11 am
PUBLISHED: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 11:11 am

Alan Webber

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic

OCCUPATION: Author, entrepreneur

CITY/TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Santa Fe

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: My experience is in entrepreneurship— in fostering innovative business models for small and midsize businesses. Before co-founding Fast Company magazine, I worked in city and federal government and as editor of the Harvard Business Review.

EDUCATION: B.A. from Amherst College; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Boston Architectural College

CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.AlanForNM.com

CANDIDATE STATEMENT: New Mexico needs great schools, with early education for every child. We need a minimum wage that pays $10.10 an hour. We need clean energy jobs from New Mexico’s plentiful wind and solar. As an entrepreneur, the tiny magazine I started out of my garage grew to become the most successful tech publication in American history. We can do all this and more if we stop giving tax breaks to big out-of-state corporations, and start listening to what New Mexicans want, rather than what the Koch brothers and tea party want. A better future starts right here with us.

Governor (D) – Alan Webber | Albuquerque Journal News

Governor (D) – Gary King | Albuquerque Journal News

By Stephen Williams / Asst. Politics Editor
UPDATED: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 11:11 am
PUBLISHED: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 11:11 am

Gary K. King

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic

OCCUPATION: New Mexico attorney general

CITY/TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Moriarty

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Married to Yolanda Jones King. Maintained private practice as an attorney; served for 12 years in the New Mexico Legislature. U.S. Department of Energy, director of the Office of Worker and Community Transition.

EDUCATION: Attended New Mexico State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Received Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Attended law school at the University of New Mexico; received J.D.

CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.garykingforgovernor.com

CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I was raised in a family where public service was a way of life. I watched my father speak for those with small voices, fight for those unable to fight for themselves and lend a hand to those who needed one without worrying if it was a handout or a hand up. As a young legislator, I wrote laws to protect everyday hardworking New Mexicans. As attorney general, I’ve focused on protecting our families from ruthless corporations, big insurance and power companies. I’ve focused on protecting our children from Internet predators. That’s what politics is to me — serving you.

Governor (D) – Gary King | Albuquerque Journal News

Low-key King runs his own race | Albuquerque Journal News

By Deborah Baker / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 12:05 am

Low-key King runs his own race | Albuquerque Journal News

Governor (D) – Lawrence Rael | Albuquerque Journal News

By Stephen Williams / Asst. Politics Editor
UPDATED: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 11:11 am
PUBLISHED: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 11:11 am

Lawrence Rael

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic

OCCUPATION: Consultant

CITY/TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Albuquerque

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Thirty-five years serving New Mexico, creating jobs and growing local economies as: director, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency; president, New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce; director, Mid-Region Council of Governments; chief administrative officer, city of Albuquerque.

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in public finance, also from UNM. Attended Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as part of a program for senior executives.

CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: www.raelfornewmexico.com

CANDIDATE STATEMENT: I have spent my life creating jobs, expanding opportunity and making New Mexico a state we can all be proud to call home. I’m tired of New Mexico being last on all the good lists and first on all the bad lists. Changing this requires a governor who knows how to bring people together to get things done. From developing transportation infrastructure, to collaborating with farmers and ranchers to conserve water, to recruiting companies to New Mexico  — I have what it takes to put New Mexico back to work and on track to prosperity. I’d appreciate your vote June 3.

Governor (D) – Lawrence Rael | Albuquerque Journal News

WTF?!

We cannot punish the Rich.

A guy saunters into a cave and shoots a captive cougar point-blank. I think it is fair to call shameless Jason Roselius of Oklahoma City an over-privileged amoral cowardly prick. I’d be willing to contribute to the costs of putting up a billboard in OK City that says just that.

If you think justice was served in fining Roselius less than $600 while not even inconveniencing him with a court appearance, note that he paid $900,000 for Teddy Roosevelt’s shotgun. Teddy is spinning in his grave, fuming with rage over this rich bastard.

Lawyer makes deal in cougar killing | Albuquerque Journal News

According to Game and Fish officer case reports, Bidegain met Roselius in Tucumcari on the day of the hunt. When they arrived at the ranch, hunting dogs already had a male cougar cornered in a cave. Roselius got out of a truck, walked to the cave and killed the cougar with one shot from a .243-caliber rifle.

Roselius, Bidegain and the other men allegedly involved in the kill were charged with unlawful hunting because Game and Fish regulations say a hunter who kills a cougar must be present continuously once any dog is released.

Roselius also was charged with hunting without a license. While he had purchased a cougar license in New Mexico, he had failed to buy a required general game-hunting license and habitat management access validation stamp, according to Game and Fish.

Roselius entered his no contest plea in state Magistrate Court in Tucumcari as part of an agreement with the office of state District Attorney Timothy Rose.

In exchange for Roselius’ plea to unlawful hunting and his agreement to pay restitution and court costs, the DA’s Office dismissed the charge of hunting without a license. ..

Roselius didn’t appear in person for the plea hearing before Judge Buddy J. Hall, instead taking part by telephone.

Lawyer makes deal in cougar killing | Albuquerque Journal News

Judge Hall may have followed the letter of the law but he failed to teach this guy anything or to administer true justice. I’d have made Roselius serve 90 days mucking out mountain lion pens at the zoo and banned him from ever hunting again in New Mexico.

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams