Site Map | Archives

Home › Opinions › Editorial

Vote 2006: Tribune recommends on Bernalillo County races, judicial elections and retentions

related linksMore Editorial
related linksMOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

related linksTRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

TRIBUNE RECOMMENDS

Today The Tribune continues its endorsements in the Nov. 7 general election. We are endorsing only in contested races in which Bernalillo County voters have a say.

BERNALILLO COUNTY RACES

SHERIFF

Darren White, Republican

Truth is, while there's a race for sheriff, there isn't much of a contest. White - sheriff since 2003, former secretary of the state Department of Public Safety - has proved an effective and innovative sheriff who is respected by both the public and his deputies. He ought to be allowed to keep his job.

Under White, arrests are up, impact teams are in play, as are crisis-intervention teams trained to deal with mentally ill people, and white-collar crimes and sex offenders are getting more attention. Deputies more often are using "problem-oriented policing" - a strategy that aims to prevent crimes, to involve the community and multiple agencies in creative solutions and to look more carefully into the causes of clusters of crimes, rather than just responding to isolated calls.

White also plays well with public officials - regardless of party affiliation - and with other agencies that deal with similar problems.

We thought it was a special honor that White's department was chosen to deploy into the heart of New Orleans to assist with law enforcement after Hurricane Katrina. It's a sign that the department is well-trained, well-equipped and respected.

White's opponent is very green and not even nearly a match. White is a true community resource and ought to be kept in office where he can do the public the most good.

ASSESSOR

Karen Montoya, Democrat

County assessor is one of those jobs whose dayto-day conduct is not much influenced by party affiliation. You want somebody in there who knows how the office is supposed to work and run it competently.

For relevant background and abilities in this race, Montoya is unmatched.

She worked for 13 years (1991-2004) in a mix of positions at the Bernalillo County Assessor's Office, before becoming (in 2004) a senior appraiser with the state Property Tax Division, which oversees assessors in all 33 New Mexico counties. Montoya is a certified appraiser and has served as chairwoman of the Bernalillo County Valuation Protest Board.

Montoya is ready to run this particular office, as if she had been training for it all her working life. She is the best qualified for the job.

SANDOVAL COUNTY RACE

SHERIFF

No endorsement

No, there are no Bernalillo County voters with a say in this race. But The Tribune has covered recent controversies involving law enforcement in Sandoval County, where political intrigues appear as abundant as the blades in a field of blue gramma grass. Our take is that there are too many unresolved charges in this race to make a reasonable decision. Candidates who look good are as likely at this point to be good as they are to be culpable. What we want to stress is that obscuring candidates' genuinely good and bad points is a tremendous disservice to voters. We urge folks with a stake in this race to act more professionally and to resolve the issues at hand.

JUDICIAL RACES, RETENTIONS

The judicial system is better today throughout New Mexico and in Bernalillo County - in large measure because of the merit selection system for judges.

The Tribune began advocating for such a system decades ago, long before it was adopted, and rarely has been disappointed since. As a result, The Tribune gives great weight to the recommendations of balanced, informed, bipartisan judicial nominating and evaluating committees to the judges who have been vetted, approved and reviewed by them. We consider these recommendations along with our own observations of the courts and, most often, find ourselves agreeing with the committees' findings.

This year is no different. The Tribune has endorsed three incumbent judges - Clay Campbell, Carl Butkus and Clyde DeMersseman - who are running in contested races in their mandatory first elections. The elections follow their nomination by selection committees, appointment by the governor and service on the bench. Should they win these elections, they will not have to face contested elections again. Instead, they will be evaluated regularly and subjected to regular "retention elections," in which voters can cast them out, starting the merit selection process for their seats all over again.

We also have endorsed all 16 judges running in retention elections, following the recommendations of judicial evaluators.

It's a good system. Readers can judge this for themselves by visiting the The Tribune's Voter Guide at www.abqtrib.com.

2ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT, DIVISION 12

Clay Campbell, Democrat

Campbell - earnest, intense and loving his job - went through the judicial nominating process and was appointed to the bench a year and a half ago. By all accounts, he has performed capably since then.

Campbell also is the best fit for Division 12. This is a Civil Division judgeship, and Campbell appears to have had the more and varied experience handling civil matters as an attorney, prior to being selected as a judge.

2ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT, DIVISION 16

Carl Butkus, Democrat

Butkus, appointed to the bench last November, brings a distinguished education, 30 years of experience as a private attorney and similar dedication in volunteer service to the community and his profession.

Though his practice as an attorney was mostly in civil law - and Division 16 is a Criminal Division seat - he also has a track record in criminal law, has a genuine interest in criminal cases and has found the transition to criminal court to be smooth and agreeable. He is gregarious, collegial, thoughtful and openminded - he enjoys strong bipartisan support - and gets good reports from court-watchers. He also has the weight of merit-selection-system approval on his side.

METRO COURT, DIVISION 17

Clyde DeMersseman, Republican

DeMersseman - a former assistant district attorney who headed the Metro Court Division and a private attorney in civil practice - has the best balance of diverse legal experience in this race.

This has given him the helpful ability to hear both civil and criminal cases in this mixed, but mostly civil, division. He has served as a Metro Court judge for a little more than a year and has proved sharp enough to sit on the state Supreme Court's Metropolitan Court Rules Committee. By all accounts, he has served capably.

He also has the advantage of having been vetted through the merit-selection system and found worthy. DeMersseman - a Republican, by the way - was appointed by Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson. That's a sign of the judge's even-handedness.

RETENTION ELECTIONS

Retain all judges

The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission makes a compelling case for retaining all 16 judges running for retention on Bernalillo County ballots.

What's especially impressive to us is that the commission gives judges feedback on ways they can improve any weaknesses they may have. The commission also will monitor efforts to improve. These aren't just boilerplate recommendations - they provide a level of accountability to court experts, beyond what voters provide on election day.

Here are the judges for whom The Tribune recommends retention:

SUPREME COURT

Edward Chavez, retain

COURT OF APPEALS

Cynthia Fry, retain

Lynn Pickard, retain

Jim Wechsler, retain

METRO COURT

Sandra Clinton, retain

Kevin Fitzwater, retain

Theresa Gomez, retain

Victoria Grant, retain

J. Wayne Griego, retain

Cristina Jaramillo, retain

Anna Martinez, retain

Judith Nakamura, retain

Daniel Ramczyk, retain

Frank Sedillo, retain

Victor Valdez, retain

Sharon Walton, retain

Tuesday: The Tribune recommends in state House races.