And, people who have had their identities stolen would be able to get an "Identity Passport" from the state that would identify them as victims of the crime to creditors and law enforcement officials, under the proposal, Chavez aide Barry Bitzer said Friday morning.

Two U.S. businessmen had strayed over the Kuwaiti border and ended up as Iraqi prisoners accused of espionage. Richardson was determined to get them out He describes the meeting as tense, but says when a contingent of press entered the room, he saw his opportunity to change the chemistry and took He remarked to Hussein,' 'This picture is not going to help my political career After translation, the hoped-for change in Hussein's expression or attitude was at first nowhere to be seen and Richardson says he feared the sarcasm had backfired. But then, without ever changing his expression, the despot leaned towad him and came back with "Not good for mine either."

The rest, of course, is history Bill Richardson had achieved another American rescue, as he would in the Sudan and North Korea, and did it at least in part with a wink or a one-liner, just as in other high-profile or high-tension-type situations.

It is, of course, not uncommon to see the governor on a front page horsing around or joking with friends or rivals. And throughout Bill Richardson's career humor has been a key element of his success.

In his first bid for Congress, against the legendary Manuel Lujan, Richardson acknowledges that his bid seemed rather quixotic, and he capitalized on that. "I was kind of a joke and I would play up to that.. .do things like the handshaking record."

Not only did Richardson set a Guinness record for a politician shaking hands, he nearly unhorsed Congressman Lujan in a year that otherwise saw Republicans doing particularly well, from Ronald Reagan's defeat of Jimmy Carter on down.

The near miss, combined with the winning style, were more than enough to burnish Richardson's reputation as a contender and, in 1982 he picked up his first of eight consecutive congressional wins in the newly created 3rd Congressional District.

During this time, Richardson refined his skills and solidified his position both in Northern New Mexico and in the halls of Congress. "Ya gotta have a sense of humor~ and use it to connect with voters:' he says.

Leaving Congress to serve in the second Clinton administration as ambassador to the United Nations, Richardson again found his sense of humor a key element of success. He describes having to meet with 20 very upset leaders from the Arab world after casting two 'pro-Israel" votes this way:

"On the streets of New York you can find just about anything, so I bought a tee-shirt with a bull's-eye on it and wore that to the meeting. It really brought the house down, and 'leavened' the event with those Arab leaders."

Richardson also describes an encounter with Cuba's Fidel Castro in yet another tense situation where he was out to get people released.

"With Castro I needed to use humor to get him to loosen up and let some people go. I mentioned that Cuban baseball seemed to be all about batting and not about pitching. He disagreed, so I pointed out that the day's sports score highlight in Havana had featured a duel that ended up 17 to 15."

After a good chuckle, and perhaps some other wrangling, he got the folks released and returned to New Mexico to run for governor

Richardson had this observation about his 2002 opponents. "He (Republican John Sanchez) was real serious. The fun opponent was the Green - 'solar' was the answer to everything."

In that contest, Richardson broke records in the "decisive win" category for a New Mexico governor's race.

Though he faces re-election next year; Richardson has also managed a national presence and made appearances in the presidential testing grounds of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Asked what the humorous do's and don'ts might be in those states, Richardson said that attempts to tease New Englanders about their accents did not go over well, and that in Iowa it was a bad idea to "mess with pork chops."This is evidently the Buck-Eye state's equivalent of dismissing New Mexico's official state question ("red or green?") about chile.

In working with the state Legislature, Richardson noted humorous repartee with two House members in particular - Albuquerque's veteran District 21 Rep. Mimi Stewart, whom he referred to as having a "salty, unique sense of humor," and Freshman Rep. Joni Gutierrez of Las Cruces.

"His timing is incredible, particularly in serious situations," said Gutierrez. "He always knows exactly what to say but more importantly when to say it."

She went on to add, "His delivery typically starts out with a few serious words and then you start to see the twinkle in his eyes and then BAM, the humor What's most amazing is he usually jokes about himself It takes a strong constitution to laugh about yourself'

The sentiment is echoed by Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle of Portales, the lone senator singled out by Richardson.

"He jokes about himself and decisions he's made that backfired," said Ingle. "We poke fun at each other He knows when you've got him and he jokes about himself."

Richardson said Ingle has,".. .the best sense of humor - a deadpan, East Side sense of humor"

Between funny and serious, Richardson has joked and worked his way through a stunning series of successes since coming to New Mexico in 1979, from congressman to ambassador; and energy secretary to governor.

It will take a Republican with both a serious command of the issues and a seriously enlarged funny bone to match wits with Richardson.

Even Republican stalwart representative and partisan blogger Greg Payne of Albuquerque's 31 District has found himself won over; or at least softened up a bit, by Richardson in one of those lighter moments. In the Jan. 19 archive of his blog (www.gregpayne.com), Payne tells of an encounter in which the governor; with full entourage in tow, suddenly doubles back a bit and jokes with the Payne family about having put their two-year-old son Gregory to sleep with his freshly delivered State of the State speech. It is part of"...the guy's political prowess and appeal," said Payne. "…don't think for a minute we won't tell Gregory that story a few more times in the years to come."

2 Judges Named To Metro Court

Heavy Caseloads Called for Positions

By JEFF PROCTOR
Journal Staff Writer

Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday appointed two new judges to Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, one of whom will help shoulder the enormous load of DWI cases in the state's busiest court.

Rosemarie L. Allred, 42, will serve as criminal judge in Metro Court's Division 18; and Clyda DeMeraseman, 38, has been named civil judge to the court's Division 17.

Fifteen people applied for the positions; Allred and DeMersseman were selected from a list of five finalists.

"We couldn't be happier with these appointments," Chief Metro Judge Judith Nakamura said Friday. "The nice thing about these two is that they both have experience in crimicriminal and civil law.

"Rosie's strengths are in the criminal realm, and Clyde's are more in the civil end."

The Legislature created the positions to address heavy Metro Court caseloads - identified during a DWI summit earlier this year as one factor for the court's high dismissal rate in drunken-driving cases.

Allred is a private attorney who handles cases on a contract basis for the New Mexico Public Defender Department. She graduated from law school at Creighton University in Nebraska. She is married with two children.

Nakamura said Allred will handle primarily drunken driving cases.

DeMersseman is an associate with the law offices of James P. Lyle. He attended the University of Denver College of Law and is married with twins.

The two new judges will come up for election in November 2006.

Albuquerque Journal Saturday July 30, 2005

Republicans, calling the governor "a high-class showboat" in a radio ad, say his plane preference is a symptom of a lifestyle more suited to the rich and famous than that of the governor of one of the nation's poorest states.

Richardson, a Democrat who may have his eye on the White House, argues the plane will save money by getting state VIPs to destinations faster. He also says it is safer than the aging plane it will replace.

Deputy Chief of Staff Billy Sparks said Friday the plane is New Mexico's, not the governor's.

"Despite the attempt to make this a partisan issue, and in light of the fact that every member of the Legislature voted to authorize the purchase of a

"The fact is purchase is in the long-term best interests of the state's overall transportation needs." DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF BILLY SPARKS

The Legislature approved $5 million to buy new state aircraft this year, but the General Service Department moved ahead with plans to buy the $5.5 million jet. Lopez decided to sell its 1978 Beechcraft King Air C-90 and use that cash to make up the price difference.

That's wpere Payne intervened, arguing that lawmakers believed they were setting aside money for a new turbo prop, not a jet, and that Richardson was circumventing their intent by tacking on more cash to get a better plane.

Payne questioned whether the proceeds of the sale of the King Air turboprop, which an aviation company in Michigan has agreed to buy for $582,756, had to be returned to the state or go before state lawmakers to decide whether they wanted it spent on the jet.

Payne said he believes a provision in the state Constitution that says the state can only spend money that has been authorized by the Legislature supports his position.

Madrid's letter said a "narrow view" of the Constitution supports that. She said a 1969 Attorney General's opinion about a similar case involving the sale of the old State Police headquarters concluded the administration could use money from the sale of state property however it wanted.

"Under existing law ... we conclude that no further action by the Legislature is necessary prior to such an expenditure of those sale proceeds," Madrid's opinion said.

Payne called Madrid's letter "a case of playing legal Twister."

"I think it's incredibly disappointing that the Attorney General had an opportunity to stand up for the state Constitution and for state taxpayers and chose not to," Payne said.

Payne suggested that Richardson is losing political goodwill by pursuing the jet purchase.

"It's amazing to me that anyone with the political saavy of Bill Richardson would continue to insist on expending political capital on a plane that so ~many taxpayers absolutely detest," Payne said.

· Richardson says a panel could recommend magistrate candidates

By MARTIN SALAZAR
journal Northern Bureau

ESPANOLA - Two days after his appointee to a Rio Arriba County magistrate judgeship resigned amid controversy, Gov. Bill Richardson said he would likely support establishing a judicial nominating commission for magistrate openings.

"I think we should study that," Richardson said Friday. "I think there should be a screening process beyond me. I would support that."

The governor makes his selection for magistrate judge vacancies from among applications he receives.

A broader process is in place for appointees to the district court bench. The Judicial Nominating Commission screens district judge candidates. After interviewing candidates, the commission forwards a list of nominees to the governor.

The discussion of changing the process for appointing magistrate judges comes in the wake of Tommy Rodella's resignation from his Rio Arriba County magistrate post. Rodella, husband of state Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-San Juan Pueblo, resigned Wednesday, a little more than three months after Richardson appointed him.

The resignation followed mounting criticism over Rodella's decision to travel from his home near Espaniola to the Tierra Amarilla jail on July 4 to hand-deliver a release order for an acquaintance accused of driving drunk. Rodella then presided over the man's arraignment.

Richardson's appointment of Rodella to the judgeship was controversial from the start. While working for State Police, Rodella was suspended for allegedly firing at a deer decoy in 1993. He had also been the subject of complaints about electioneering in his wife's campaigns.

After Richardson appointed him to the bench, additional allegations surfaced about Rodella, including a report that he was investigated by State Police for allegedly asking other officers to dismiss or cancel traffic tickets and that he was disciplined for using marijuana, physical abuse and improper use of a weapon.

"I have appointed 41 judges since I've been governor - 40 are doing a good job," Richardson said. "What we've instituted is tighter procedures, obviously: stricter background checks, more effective and efficient court record searches and thirdly more pointed questions at interviews." While the governor said an additional screening process for magistrates would be helpful, he said he wouldn't support any effort to require magistrate's to have law degrees.

"I think magistrate judges should be judges of the people," he said."

Albuquerque Journal Saturday July 23, 2004

Magistrate Criticized Over DWI Case Resigns

from PAGE Al

Rodella had been disciplined for marijuana use, improper use of a weapon, physical abuse and other charges during his 13-year career with the State Police.

That story was published Thursday morning, and Rodella's resignation was announced a few hours later. It was effective at the close of court business Wednesday.

Rodella's release of a drunken-driving suspect from jail during the July 4 holiday weekend triggered criticism from DWI activists and a legal reform organization..

The judge hand-delivered a jail release order for the acquaintance and later presided over his arraignment. After being appointed, Rodella had the opportunity to act above reproach and he didn't, Contarino said.

"The governor has made fighting DWI a priority, and this judge showed incredibly poor judgment and acted in a detrimental way - to those efforts," he said.

Background checks

Contarino sald much of what has been disclosed recently about Rodella's State Pplice career wasn't known to Richardson prior to the appointment.

"Essentially" because of that, the Governor's Office has taken steps to improve its background investigations of judicial candidates, he said.

"If he (Richardson) knew then what he knows now, he would not have appointed Tom Rodella to the magistrate judge," Contarino said.

Some of Rodella's background was known prior to his being named March 31 to the bench but much has been disclosed since that time.

What was known was that Rodella was suspended from the State Police for 30 days for firing at a deer decoy in 1993 that game officers had set up to catch poachers,

He had also been the subject of election-related complaints in 1996, 1998 and 2000. Rodella is the wife of state Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-San Juan Pueblo, and has himself run unsuccessfully for public office.

Shortly after Rodella's appointment to the bench, the Rio Grande Sun newspaper in Espafiola reported that Rodella was investigated by State Police in the early 1990s for allegedly asking other officers to dismiss or cancel traffic tickets.

The Journal story Thursday with additional details about Rodella's career with the State Police was based on an internal affairs report.

The report showed he was disciplined for use of marijuana, physical abuse and improper use of a weapon after an internal affairs investigation in 1985 and for using his position for personal gain following a .1993 investigation.

A 1994 investigation sustained allegations of abusing sick leave and falsifying official reports, but discipline was pending at the time the report was prepared.

Rodella, 43, retired from the State Police on a disability pension in late 1995.

He declined comment on the internal affairs report in a brief interview Monday but said he had been a good cop, excelling in the job.

The Journal also reported Thursday that Rodella went through a nasty divorce while with the State Police, with his first wife in a subsequent lawsuit accusing him of repeated abuse, including threatening her with his service revolver.

During Rodella's career with the agency, the state paid $5,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging Rodella used excessive force in arresting a man suspected in an attempted forced entry of a home. Rodella has denied abusing his first wife and using excessive force in the arrest.

'Ultimate boss'

Contarino declined to say whether Public Safety Secretary John Denko, who oversees the State Police, should have disclosed, details of Rodella's record to Richardson prior to the appointment.

"John Denko is a fine public servant who has served the governor extremely well in a Lot of capacities," he said. "He lid what he felt was appropriate."

Denko, who was State Police chief near the end of Rodella's career, has said he didn't share internal affairs investigations of Rodella with Richardson because such matters are confidential.

But Darren White, a former public safety secretary and now Bernalillo County sheriff, said he knew of no state law or rule that prevented Denko from sharing the details of Rodella's record with Richardson.

"He (the governor) is the ultimate. boss," White said. "He is the chief executive officer."

He said Denko "sat on his hands while the governor made a judicial appointment that he knew would backfire.... You're supposed to protect your boss from getting jammed up." White, a Republican, applauded Richardson for' acting quickly to seek Rodella's resignation.

"The governor has committed himself to restoring public confidence in the judiciary," White said.

Denko couldn't be reached for comment Thursday but issued a written statement.

The Public Safety Department "is working with the Governor's Office to strengthen the vetting process (for job applicants) while respecting the laws regarding personal rights and privacy restrictions, Denko said.

He added, "Certain personal employment information is protected by law and cannot be shared with the Governor's Office or any other agency.

Albuquerque Journal Friday July 22, 2005.

Gov. Bill Richardson's office is pledging tougher vetting for future judicial appointments in the wake of the resignation of state Magistrate Judge Thomas R. Rodella of Espafiola.

"The governor has appointed about 40 judges, and, in this one case, that system didn't do a thorough job of vetting," said David Contarino, the governor's chief of staff. "Clearly, we need to be thorough here."

Contarino said the Governor's Office, for example, has instituted more comprehensive court checks on judicial applicants.

"It's also helpful to look an applicant in the eye and ask him or her pressing questions and that has also been added.

The governor is now asking pressing questions of applicants," he said.

Contarino said he wasn't part of the process that led up to Rodella's selection as 'a. judge and, therefore, cou1dn't say exactly what Richardson knew about his background.

Contarino said that issue isn't "particularly germane, he adding, "It's in the past and (we've) got to move forward.

Richardson didn't immediately name a replacement for Rodella. The term for the vacant seat expires at the end of 2006.

Albuquerque Journal Friday July 22, 2005.

N.M. Judge Has Faced String of Accusations

from PAGE Al

murder suspect, armed robbers and other felons, The resume says he also eradicated marijuana plantations. It made no mention of misconduct charges listed in the internal affairs report prepared in November 1994 near the end of Rodella's career with the agency. Rodella had at least three 30-day suspensions at the State Police and was transferred off the security detail for then Gov. Toney Anaya. Further discipline was pending against Rodella at the time the internal affairs report was prepared. The report is considered confidential by State Police, but a copy was disclosed in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against Rodella in December 1994. Records in the federal case had been archived in Denver. The state paid $5,000 to settle the lawsuit. Rodella denied the charge.

'Conduct unbecoming'

Rodella's term expires at the end of 2006, but he can seek election to a four-year term.

He joined the State Police as a patrolman in 1982 and was promoted to sergeant a decade later. He spent much of his career in the Espanola area before retiring on a disability pension in 1995.

The State Police internal affairs report says a 1985 investigation sustained charges against Rodella of "conduct unbecoming - use of marijuana, physical abuse and improper use of weapon."

The report says he received a 30-day suspension and was transferred. Rodella has said he was shifted from the governor's security detail to a post in Santa Rosa.

The internal affairs report says a 1993 investigation sustained an allegation of "use of position - personal gain" and that Rodella received another 30-day suspension.

A 1994 investigation sustained allegations of "conduct unbecoming an officer, abuse of sick leave and falsifying official reports." Discipline was pending at the time the report was prepared.

The internal affairs report also shows Rodella received a letter of caution after a 1992 investigation for "failure to perforn duties of supervisor."

He has said he received the letter because he and other officers went bungee jumping at the State Fair.

The internal affairs report doesn't give details about the allegations.

Rodella was asked about the internal affairs report during a deposition in 1995 in the excessive-force lawsuit but he limited his responses on the advice of his lawyer. He did deny ever fi1ing a false official report.

Published reports in 1997 disclosed that Rodella was suspended for 30 days for firing at a deer decoy that game officers had set up to catch poachers on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in northwest New Mexico.

Shortly after Rodella took office as a judge, the Rio Grande Sun newspaper in Espanola reported that he was investigated by the State Police in the early 1990's for allegedly asking other officers to dismiss or cancel traffic tickets.

Rodella is the husband of state Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-San Juan Pueblo.

According to the Sun, an internal affairs report said some officers perceived that Rodella had tickets fixed to help his wife's political career. The newspaper reported thatthe investigation found Rodella violated State Police rules.

Rodella has denied he asked anyone to dismiss citations, and the internal affairs report obtained by the Journal shows an investigation in 1993 failed to sustain an allegation that Rodella solicited officers to dismiss citations.

That same investigation, however, sustained a charge that he used his position for personal gain, according to the report obtained by the Journal.

Rodella also has been accused of other misconduct related to his wife's politica1 career. She was elected in 19?? and has run for re-election every two years.

Election poll officers in Espaiiola complained in 1996 that Rodella threathened them, and the city of Espanola expressed concerns two years later that he had collected completed ballots from absentee voters.

And in 2000, agents from the St4te Attorney General's Office were sent to monitor early voting in Rio Ariiba County after Rodella helped escprt dozens of voters into voting booths.

The Rodellas have blamed the complaints on politics.

Excessive force suit

The excessive force lawsuit against Rodella was filed by Juan Cordova of the town of Cordova in Rio Arriba County, The case was first brought ir state court but moved to U.S Distict Court in 1995. The lawsuit said Rodella stopped Cordova's vehicle or Feb. 2, 1992, and ordered huff out of the car.

Rodella then knocked Cordova to the ground and kicked him "viciously on or about the legs," breaking Cordova's right leg, the lawsuit said. Cordova was hospitalized for treatment and claimed permanent disability.

Rodella denied kicking him in the legs.

A lawyer representing Rodel la said in the lawsuit that Cordova was a suspect in an attempted forced entry of residence and was believed to be armed and dangerous. The lawyer said Cordova resisted arrest and battered Rodeila. "Rodella's use of ford to subdue plaintiff was justfied and reasonable," he said.

Rodella again Moriday denied he kicked Cordova in the legs and said he used reasonable force to arrest him.

As a result of the incdent, Cordova was charged with resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, no proof of auto insurance, driving while his license, was suspended or revoked, reckless driving and drunken driving.

All charges except the drunken-driving offense were dropped in a plea deal. Cordova was convicted of the DWI but was neither fined nor sent to jail.

The excessive force lawsuit was settled out of court in May 1996, with the state paying Cordova $5,000. The state's legal fees and other expenses in defending the lawsuit totaled $7,600.

Cordova was convicted in 1985 of aggravated battery and in 1995 of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. The charges in the later case were unrelated to the arrest by Rodella.

Claims of abuse

Rodella and Bernice Gomez were married in November 1984, but she filed for divorce a year later. She alleged threats and physical abuse in the divorce filing.

"I fear for my safety because respondent is a state policeman who is armed at all times," she said.

The divorce was granted in June 1986 and the following 'month Gomez filed a lawsuit against Rodella, alleging assault and battery and seeking $100,000 in damages.

The lawsuit said Rodella threatened her with his service revolver while the two were in a patrol car just a month after being married.

Gomez also detailed nine other alleged assaults.

The lawsuit said that Rodella held a revolver to Gomez's face, beat her once until she couldn't walk, whipped her with a wire coathanger, kicked her and attempted to strangle her with a leather belt.

The case was settled in March 1988, with details not being disclosed.

Rodeila on Monday again denied the allegations and said Gomez agreed to dismiss the case without him paying her money.

Gomez has since died, the Rio Grande Sun has reported.

Disability checks

Rodella began receiving a disability pension from the state on Jan. 1, 1996. He has said he fell and tore ligaments in a wrist during a shootout in Chama in September 1994.

After leaving the State Police, he ran unsuccessfully for the Espafiola school board and Rio Arriba County sheriff.

Rodella also earned a bachelor's degree in university' studies from the University of New Mexico, according to the resume he provided to the Governor's Office.

For nine months before his appointment as a judge, Rodell.a worked for Richardson at the Department of Military Affairs as an administrative assistant.

Rodella's resume said his duties included conducting vulnerability assessments and reviewing military intelligence. His annual salary was about $53,550.

His new job as judge pays $64,000 and he continues to receive an annual state pension of about $32,160.

When the ticket-fixing allegations became public in April, Richardson has said he hadn't known about the investigation before Rodella's appointment. He said he found the matter"troubling.

"But I do stand behind my decision," the governor said. "I believe that Tommy Rodella's a man of character and substance and wide knowledge of the community in Rio Arriba.

"Sometimes you don't have all the background information but he's going to be a good judge."

Public Safety Secretary John Denko, who was chief of the State Police near the end of Rodella's career with the agency, has said he didn't tell Richardson about the ticket-fixing investigation because internal affairs investigations are confidential.

The Governor's Office expressed disappointment last week when informed that Rodella had hand-delivered a release order to a jail holding an acquaintance on a DWI charge.

Rodella then presided over the man's arraignment.

"If these accounts are true, it certainly has the appearance of impropriety," Richardson chief of staff Dave Contarino said. "The governor finds that very. disappointing."

In picking Rodella for the judge's position, the governor passed over 15 others who sought the job, including a state prosecutor, probate judge and rancher.

Albuquerque Journal Wednesday July 21, 2005.

Goveror Appoints 4 New Judges

Kenneth Martinez Joins 2nd District

Journal Staff Report

SANTA FE - Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday said he has appointed four state district court judges, including Kenneth H. Martinez to a new judgeship in Bernalillo County.

Martinez, who was appointed to the new 2nd Judicial District judgeship, has worked as an assistant district attorney in the 11th and 12th judicial districts.

He later was deputy district attorney in Bernalillo County's Violent Crimes Division and has worked in private practice for the last 12 years.

Richardson also appointed James Thomas Martin as a judge in the 3rd Judicial District in Dona Ana County. Martin has been branch chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office since 1991.

Martin succeeds Grace Duran, who resigned in May.

The governor appointed Matthew G. Reynolds to a judgeship in the 7th Judicial District, which Includes Catron, Torrance, Sierra and Socorro counties. Reynolds Ms run his own law office in Truth or Consequences since 1992.

Reynolds succeeds Thomas Fitch, who resigned in April following his drunken-driving arrest in February.

Richardson appointed Robert S. Orlick to a new judgeship in the 9th Judicial District in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

Orlick is a Clovis resident and has worked in private practice since 1978.

Albuquerque Journal Wednesday July 21, 2005

I don't want to accuse the Richardson Administration of intentionally misstating facts regarding the purchase of a new $5.5 million luxury corporate jet but its claims about the role of the Legislature in this purchase aren't accurate. In 2004, the administration tried to buy a new turboprop airplane with $4 million from the Road Fund. The rationale was that the state's 1966 Aero Commander needed to be replaced because of safety concerns. The effort to use road money for a new airplane ended, however, when the Attorney General ruled the purchase required legislative approval.

During the 2005 Legislature the administration requested $5 million in capital outlay to replace the 39-year-old Aero Commander turboprop rind perpetuated the idea they would replace it with another (albeit brand new) turboprop. By the way, there's no law that says the Governor must spend every penny the Legislature appropriates for a plane. He's free to come in under budget and return the remaining amount to the state treasury.

Nevertheless, the Legislature approved money for a turboprop and not a luxury corporate jet for a number of reasons, one of the most important being the enormous difference in cost to maintain and operate a jet versus a propeller-driven plane.

The Administration's decision to purchase a more expensive and luxurious aircraft than the Legislature intended was wrong, misleading and poor public policy. The additional on-going effort to finger legislators for that decision is simply an attempt to shift blame.

Misery may love company but the state's executive branch of government is going to have to go it alone on this one. After all, that's how and where the decision to buy a very expensive and unnecessary luxury jet was made.

Glenwood Hills Gazette
Summer 2005

marc.lachey@worldnet.att.net
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