News New Mexico: 06/23/12

Jim Spence

Sometimes you see a “tweet” that reminds you of a unresolved issue and it just makes you shake your head. Yesterday, New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales had the brass to use the term “hypocrite” via Twitter to describe a political opponent.

Coming from Gonzales the charge would be amusing if it wasn’t so ironic. Not enough people in New Mexico know that Javier Gonzales has been the target of disturbing investigations by the Santa Fe New Mexican, the New Mexico Watchdog, and News New Mexico regarding his dubious financial involvement in a publicly funded - but privately owned movie studio, Santa Fe Studios. With the all too familiar help of public and media apathy, Gonzales has somehow been allowed to refuse to provide any disclosure whatsoever regarding his personal involvement in this taxpayer funded scheme.

Javier Gonzales

And absent Gonzales explaining precisely how $20 million worth of public funds and public land was used to locate and build a private business that he just happened to own an interest in, his activities cannot do anything but lead those still following this unfinished story to conclude he must have engaged in some of the most blatantly successful influence peddling in the history of the State of New Mexico. This is a pretty extraordinary result considering the fact that the Land of Enchantment has few rivals when it comes to its history of corrupt elected officials and party bosses lining their pockets via the taxpayer trough.

Amazingly, public officials in New Mexico have been reluctant to call for Gonzales to come forward with full financial disclosures in Santa Fe Studios. And thus far, other than the progressive Santa Fe New Mexican, the conservative New Mexico Watchdog, and pro-business News New Mexico, all television stations, newspapers and other publications around the state have not provided the necessary tenacity to continue to demand a full accounting until this matter is cleared up.

Still, facts are stubborn things. More than twenty million dollars in taxpayer resources went to a private project Gonzales had a personal interest in. And the Gonzales stonewall and general media apathy is not going to change the desire of many people on all sides of the political spectrum to continue to remind state residents and elected officials that very serious questions remain unanswered. In the meantime one has to wonder where is the outrage amongst Democrats, Independents, and Republicans? Where is the rest of the media?

So buried has this incomplete story become it would seem that Gonzales feels perfectly at ease charging others with hypocrisy. Only in New Mexico.