James Lewis has a sterling reputation among New Mexico’s state-level elected officials. His service as state treasurer has been unblemished by any hint of political scandal. But most of us haven’t a clue about what the treasurer’s office does. Maybe we should learn a little bit before the upcoming primary election.
Lewis is term-limited and will step down at the end of this year. The State Treasurer position is one of a number of state-level offices up for election in gubernatorial election years that don’t get much attention from voters.
These independently-elected positions — treasurer, auditor, secretary of state, attorney general and land commissioner — are important factors in the checks and balances of government, balancing the power of the governor. That’s especially important in New Mexico, where the legislature is in session for only one or two months each year. It’s not a comment on the current governor or any other particular governor, but on the general notion – in the words of a famous old proverb – that power corrupts.
Two past treasurers, a few years ago, went to prison after taking six-figure kickbacks for steering state investments to favored advisers. That alone should remind us that these second-tier positions are worth our attention. This year, only a few of these positions have contests in the fast-approaching June 3 primary.
Here’s a rundown:
Three Democrats are vying for the treasurer’s job: Tim Eichenberg, John Wertheim, Patrick Padilla. The winner will face Republican Rick J. Lopez.
Two Republicans are running for attorney general: James P. Baiamonte and R Susan Reidel. The winner will face Democrat Hector Balderas, currently the state auditor.
There are no primary contests for the other statewide positions. So you can focus your attention on these contests plus local races and take a little time to make an informed decision.
Democrats have contested primaries in two of the five districts of the Public Regulation Commission. The PRC is critical is for numerous issues, from the future of renewable energy to the cost of your phone bill.
Three Democrats are running in PRC District 4, the northwest quadrant of the state: Incumbent Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, former commissioner Lynda Lovejoy and Edward Michael. No Republican is running, so the primary will decide this election.
In District 5, the southwest quadrant, three Democrats are challenging incumbent Republican commissioner Ben L. Hall: Donald Wolberg, Merrie Lee Soules and Sandy R. Jones.
In PRC District 2, the entire east side of the state, incumbent Republican Patrick Lyons is unopposed and so has a free ride.
There are no primary contests for statewide judicial positions, Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Judgeships pose a different problem for voters. Judicial candidates can’t talk about their personal viewpoints on issues. They are supposed to refrain from expressing any opinions that could apply to cases that might come before them because they must decide cases based only on the law. So they can’t say much. As a voter, you have to rely on their reputations or trust the recommendations of the statewide Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
Finally, there’s the Public Education Commission. This commission has 10 districted positions with staggered terms. Candidates are running in seven out of the 10 districts. Candidates in districts 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7are running for four-year terms. In districts 1 and 4, candidates are running for two-year terms; they will fill a seat where a vacancy had occurred and a termporary commissioner had been appointed. You don’t have to trouble yourself about any of this because there’s only one candidate running in each district. You might wonder: if the commission has been rendered so powerless that hardly anybody wants to run for it, whether it’s worth keeping at all. That’s a conversation for another day.
Triple Spaced Again, © New Mexico News Services 2014