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Candidate for lieutenant governor

Name: Diane D. Denish (i), Democrat

Age: 57

Campaign Web site address: www.dianedenish.com

Occupation: Lieutenant governor

Family: spouse, Herb Denish; children Suzanne Schreiber, Spencer Schreiber, Sara Schreiber; one grandchild and one on the way.

Education: Bachelor's, political science, University of New Mexico.

Please list the experience you have that would make you a great lieutenant governor.

As lieutenant governor for the past four years, I have proven my ability to work closely with Gov. Richardson and the Legislature on tough policy initiatives including voluntary pre-kindergarten, expanded micro-lending opportunities for small businesses, tougher new anti-methamphetamine laws and increased access to health care for small employers and part-time workers through Insure New Mexico. I have developed the experience to build agreement around tough issues, have a record of working on behalf of rural New Mexico and a serious commitment to New Mexico.

Have you ever been arrested or charged with a felony or misdemeanor? If yes, explain. No.

What's the best meal you can cook from scratch?

Lowfat lasagna with a big green salad and garlic bread.

Last book you read: "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien

What was your biggest mistake in life and what lesson did you learn?

My biggest mistake to date has been to sometimes fail to balance work and personal life which has taught me that no title, paycheck, notoriety, or anything else can replace the warmth, support and guidance you receive from your parents, family, and lifelong friends.

Will you take campaign contributions from people who have contracts with the state?

Yes. Many people and businesses have contracts with the state over any given period of time. Accepting contributions from such entities in no way indicates an affirmative outcome for that contributor. Supporters have rights as private citizens to support candidates through any legal means - and that includes monetary contributions. I view elected office as a public trust, and I pledge to never have contributions impact any public decision. I also think Sen. Feldman's SB344, which prohibits potential contractors from giving during the request for proposals process and forces disclosure in the RFP of all political contributions over $250, is a great start toward developing a more transparent system.

What are your top goals if elected? Name only two.

1. To increase access to educational opportunities for all New Mexicans starting with quality early-childhood-through-adult basic education. Building a quality pre-K-20 education system and developing a strong workforce is the key to our future economic prosperity and to making New Mexico more competitive in a changing global economy.

2. To continue the work to insure all New Mexicans. We passed the premium assistance program that will help us cover every child age 5 and under, which is a great start, but more must be done to reach the goal of insuring all New Mexicans.

What can the state do to attract and support more small businesses?

1. I believe New Mexico needs to invest in our home-grown entrepreneurs and build our small-business network from the ground up. I have supported an increase in the amount of state permanent funds that can be invested in New Mexico small businesses - a program that has made micro-loans possible to more than 1,000 businesses around the state. We must strengthen the New Mexico Small-Business Development Center network, which has offices in 19 communities around the state, operates business incubators, and helps aspiring entrepreneurs with business plans.

2. Work to make health care more affordable to small businesses. In my travels around the state, aside from the need for more access to capital, the high cost of health care is the primary concern faced by small-business owners.

3. Strengthen workforce-development and educational efforts.

Studies show some New Mexicans are unfairly targeted by payday lenders. What steps should the state take to crack down on those who take advantage of residents in need of a loan?

Recent regulations go a long way toward eliminating the debt trap faced by consumers of these loans. However, regulations can be more easily challenged in court. Therefore, I believe a law passed by the Legislature that mirrors and strengthens the current regulations is the best vehicle to curb the practices of these lenders.

Gov. Bill Richardson has a $77 million plan to reduce the number of New Mexicans without health insurance. But given the increases in care costs, can the state afford that in the long run? How could the state better control those costs?

Resolving the health care crisis - increasing access and stemming the rising costs faced by thousands of hardworking families and small businesses - is one of the looming challenges of the next decade. I am very supportive of the governor's efforts and as chairwoman of the Coverage for New Mexicans Committee I will continue to seek out longer-term solutions to the problem including cost containment, maximizing Medicaid matching funds and creating opportunities for small businesses and non-profits to buy into larger coverage pools. Providing access to health insurance for early prevention, diagnosis, and treatment is a wise investment and will save taxpayers dollars in the long run.

Would you support a measure to allow chronically ill patients to use marijuana for medical purposes? Yes.

Do you have a concealed carry permit? Why or why not?

No. I personally don't feel the need to have one.

What should the state be doing to prepare for drought?

Gov. Richardson has brought water issues to the forefront by fighting to ensure that 10 percent of capital outlay projects go to water infrastructure needs and by naming 2007 the year of Water for the Legislature.

New Mexico will always have a dry climate and, despite the relatively wet summer, we continue to be in a drought cycle. I believe we need to plan long-term - growing and developing in a way that minimizes water use and fostering increased conservation efforts - and continue the path of investment in state water resources. The citizens of New Mexico and this administration have gone to great lengths to craft a long-term state water plan, and there are strong strategies in place that can help us effectively deal with this drought. I fully support the Interstate Stream Commission and the State Engineer's Office's efforts to implement a strategic water-reserve plan and support full funding for this program. I also support the regional water plans that have been adopted throughout the state. These plans have been developed through coordination and collaboration among local citizens, and local and state government entities. When fully implemented, these plans will help ensure that future generations of New Mexicans can have a sustainable water future.

What would you do differently in New Mexico if you were to step up to governor in the next term?

I believe our administration has done a wonderful job of getting state government to work for the people again. Through tax cuts, economic development and a focus on education we have begun to turn the corner on a lot of the bad lists that have dogged our state for so long.

As governor, I would increase investment in early-learning opportunities and adult basic education programs to shore up our current and future workforce so that all New Mexicans can enjoy the fruits of our economic-development efforts. I would focus my efforts and energy on making our smaller communities more sustainable and investing our current oil-and-gas windfall in human-services infrastructure and health care. I would also concentrate on technology development and work to use our world-class research resources to increase capacity for small businesses and support up-and-coming industries like film, aviation, space, renewable energy and water-resources management. The governor has worked to put New Mexico at the forefront of renewable energy and climate-change issues. As governor I would work to expand and push forward those efforts. I also would work to continue our efforts to combat meth and DWI, which are two serious concerns brought up regularly in communities across the state. Meth, in particular, is the one issue that is eating away at both rural and urban communities and is fueling violent crime. We must be very vigilant about enforcing our new anti-meth laws, locking away offenders who pose a danger to our society and developing treatment and prevention options to steer our young people away from this drug.

Name the top accomplishment of the Children's Cabinet.

The successful pre-kindergarten initiative of 2005 was developed by the Children's Cabinet.