Posted at: 01/15/2012 11:20 PM | Updated at: 01/16/2012 10:54 AM
By: Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4

KOB Eyewitness News 4 asked viewers to grade Governor Susana Martinez on how she has tackled five subjects in her first year in office.

On a KOB.com web poll, Martinez received a C- for her performance on job creation.

When Gov. Martinez took control of state government, unemployment in New Mexico was at a record high.

Phone operators at the Department of Workforce Solutions worked overtime to answer calls about unemployment insurance and it seemed bad economic news dominated headlines.

What has Martinez done in her first year in office to make the situation better?

"First, we put our fiscal house in order,” said Martinez. “We balanced our budget, we did not raise taxes and we did not cut classroom spending. That was huge. That was an enormous accomplishment. Unemployment was at 8.7. Today it’s at 6.5."

The governor boasts in the past year, New Mexico regained 9,000 new jobs of the 53,000 lost since 2008.

She said her team worked out the deal with Lowe’s bringing 600 new jobs to staff a customer support center in Albuquerque.

The governor takes credit for creating another 600 new jobs in the border town of Santa Teresa by changing a train fuel tax exemption that lured the Union Pacific rail hub away from El Paso and into New Mexico.

She is confident she has the right people to help fix the state's economic woes.

“John Barela, the cabinet secretary, is fabulous," she said. "He travels the state constantly. He makes sure I am meeting with the right people of companies who are looking at New Mexico."

State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino sits on the New Mexico Senate Finance Committee and he watches the governor’s moves closely.

“There hasn't been, frankly, as much leadership on economic growth as I would have liked to have seen," Ortiz y Pino said. “So far, to be honest, it's been really weak. Talking about making New Mexico open to business by regulatory hurdles for business to start on and trying to reduce taxes is pretty minimal stuff."

The governor argues she has bills she’s backing in the 2012 New Mexico Legislative session that will make the state more competitive for private sector jobs.

One such bill removes tax pyramids, where a tax is layered on another tax multiple times.

“I'm not sure we've seen any real tangible proposals that we could say—hey, this is a Susana Martinez project,” Ortiz y Pino said.

KOB Eyewitness News 4 will unveil her grades on other topics throughout the week.

The New Mexico Legislative session begins Tuesday.

Governor’s Lack of Action on Jobs Puzzling

By RICHARD D. ELLENBERG
5/7/2011
Santa Fe New Mexican

Jobs are priority one, but Gov. Susana Martínez has blocked practical jobs initiatives not fitting her national conservative image.

Film credits create jobs. The governor's most visible effort was limiting these credits. The result so far: Loss of two movies budgeted at a total of $70 million. Loss of the post-production facility with 175 construction jobs and 120 permanent skilled jobs.

Studies conclude that a state maximizes its benefits from films when it has a trained local labor market. Our colleges have invested in film curricula and have created that job force, just in time to lose business.

The governor is attempting to break contracts with films signed prior to the film-credit reductions. She is sending the clearest message to film jobs that they are not welcome.

Film credits are the only credit the governor allows to be questioned. No asking if oil and gas credits are a good investment. Oil companies are spending fortunes to find and extract oil in difficult places and not replacing supplies as fast as they use them. It would be fair to ask if their tax credits increase the number of jobs significantly. Yet the governor vetoed the bill to examine the benefit of all credits, not just film credits. Why? Politics. The film industry tends to support Democrats. The oil and gas industry tends to support Republicans.

Democratic job-creation bills were dead on arrival since she would not sign them. She would not support: green job initiatives; depositing state funds in local rather than national banks to increase local lending; and a development bank based upon the successful models in other states. Nor did she have her own job-creation initiatives.

One bill, passed unanimously, allowed universities to issue bonds for renewable energy improvements, creating jobs and saving money. She pocket-vetoed this initiative, with her staff saying she did not support renewable energy.

She vetoed the Health Exchange Act to protect her Republican image. New Mexico would have received $1 million to work on planning for this exchange with more to follow without that veto. Now New Mexico loses those dollars and the odds that the federal government will have to step in and set up New Mexico's exchange are substantially increased.

She vetoed an unemployment-tax increase supported almost unanimously to protect businesses from much higher assessments that will hurt jobs. This helps her record of not supporting tax increases, but harms our business community.

Most damaging to the state's long-term growth was breaking her promise not to cut education. A weak education system is the primary reason we do not attract high-paying businesses. Yet school districts are facing a 4 percent to 5 percent cut in their budgets. The Legislature could have avoided this by closing loopholes used by multi-national companies gaining an unfair advantage over local businesses. But the governor would not support this or other revenue-raising proposals. Why? To protect her record opposing any tax increase, loophole closing or tax-credit reduction, except of course for cutting tax credits for those Democratic film jobs.

Richard D. Ellenberg is chairman of the Democratic Party of Santa Fe County.

URL: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Opinion/My-View--Richard-D--Ellenberg-G...

For Immediate Release Contact: Scott Forrester

March 17, 2011 505-934-5681

(ALBUQUERQUE) -- It's been just a little more than two months in office for Susana Martinez, and she has already potentially run afoul of the state constitution for the second time.

At issue this time is Martinez's refusal to appoint a new State Labor Board, which hears and adjudicates most state employee grievances. Not having a sitting State Labor Board in place to hear grievances is a violation of state law and potentially a violation of the state constitution.*

The New Mexico Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) and individuals unions this week filed a writ with the Supreme Court about this issue asking the court to force Martinez to constitute the board.

"For someone elected as a law and order governor, Martinez sure has trouble following the laws governing our state," said DPNM Chairman Javier Gonzales. "The Labor Board is in place for a reason -- it guarantees that state employees have a fair and predictable hearing process for grievances and disciplinary actions. Martinez can't just refuse to convene it. Apparently, Susana Martinez in proving that she's trying chip away at the rights of workers like Wisconsin's Scott Walker -- she's just doing it in a much more sneaky and insidious way."

###

*[50-1-1 to 50-1-9 NMSA 1978] Labor and Industrial Commission

(ALBUQUERQUE) -- The Democratic Party of New Mexico today launched "Where are the Jobs?" an ad questioning Governor Martinez's actions when it comes to the most important issue facing New Mexico -- jobs.

The 60-second ad will run in the Albuquerque metro area through the end of the legislative session. You can listen to the ad below:

"Here we have a governor who's clearly pushing a political and divisive agenda when the most important issue facing our state is job creation," said DPNM Chairman Javier Gonzales. "Apparently Governor Martinez's plan is to do nothing and wait for the economy to improve on its own. That won't cut it." 

"At least the Democrats in the Legislature have been talking about investing in our workforce and preserving new and innovative industries like film and renewable energy," Gonzales continued. "I don't think one innovative idea has escaped Martinez's lips this entire legislative session. What we have heard is a lot of political hot air.

The script for "Where are the Jobs?" is below:

Gail: Hi Teresa, How are you?

Teresa:  Oh Hi Gail, I’m ok - Have you seen the news lately? I can’t believe what Governor Susana Martinez has been doing.

Gail:   Well obviously she hasn’t been focused on creating jobs, my husband is still out of work and Governor Martinez is spending all her time on her divisive agenda. Ugh, thought the campaign was over.  Does she even have a jobs plan?

Teresa:  I don’t think she has one and didn’t she just attack the film industry?  I heard New Mexico just lost the possibility for 1,500 new jobs including 700 construction jobs.

Gail:    Well, we better start clipping more coupons because with Governor Martinez’s backwards priorities my husband is never going to find a job.

There are just a few days left in the legislative session.   Call Governor Martinez at (505) 476-2200 and ask her to stop playing political games.  She needs to get NM’s priorities straight and stop killing the jobs our families need.  Paid for by the Democratic Party of New Mexico, not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      Contact: Scott Forrester

March 2, 2011                                                                                                505-934-5681

Clear Contrast: While Democrats Fight for Jobs, Working Families and Protecting Homeowners, Martinez Continues to Play Political Games

(SANTA FE) -- This past week, while Democrats fight for film jobs here, keeping teachers in classrooms, and homeowners facing foreclosure, Susana Martinez focused her energy and her campaign funds on producing radio ads against Democrats who had the audacity to disagree with her policy proposals.

Now, both the Attorney General and Secretary of State are investigating whether Martinez's political expenditures were legal.

"Clearly, when it comes to focusing on what's important it's the Democrats that are concerned with the economic security of New Mexicans," said DPNM Executive Director Scott Forrester, referring to Sen. Michael Sanchez's bill to help homeowners facing foreclosure. "New Mexicans want their leaders to work together to get something done for struggling families, but what they're getting from Martinez is a non-stop divisive political campaign."

Just a little more than two months into her term as governor and Martinez has so far been rebuked by the State Supreme Court for cutting a back-room deal with powerful lobbyists, seen her climate-change denying energy secretary nominee go down in flames and now is being investigated by both the AG and Secretary of State for the potentially improper use of campaign funds.

"Thank goodness Democrats in the Legislature are actually working on solutions to our state's problems." Forrester said. "Someone should send a memo to the governor informing her that the time for juvenile political games is over."

Below is a rundown of recent coverage of Martinez's political games.

Is Martinez lobbying or campaigning? – by Heath Haussamen, nmpolitics.net, http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2011/03/is-martinez-lobbying-or-campaigning/

Martinez Must Respond To Complaint Over Ad Funding – by Sean Olson, ABQ Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com/news/xgr/022132420357newsxgr03-02-11.htm#ixzz1FStqnbbZ

SOS Duran Launches Investigation of Gov. Martinez's Radio Ads – by Steve Terrell, Roundhouse Roundup, http://roundhouseroundup.blogspot.com/2011/03/sos-duran-launches-investigation-of-gov.html