What’s the role of New Mexico’s Attorney General? I know that’s not an easy question to answer. The attorney general’s website tells us:
As New Mexico’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, the protection of New Mexicans is a priority of Attorney General Madrid’s administration.
However, those words ring hollow. Instead of protecting New Mexicans, Patricia Madrid spent a great deal of her time – and our money – creating self-promoting commercials under the guise of attacking the Payday Loan industry. How do we know this was just a ruse to build name identification? Well, you didn’t hear a peep out of her when it was uncovered that Governor Richardson jetsets as a frequent guest of the Payday Loan industry, did you? Nope.
As usual, when it is politically inconvenient, she holds her tongue. Worse than holding her tongue was spending eight years turning a blind eye and letting political corruption flourish in New Mexico. What New Mexico needs now is an attorney general with a backbone who is willing to lead the charge to clean house of corrupt elected officials.
Unfortunately, an article in today’s Albuquerque Journal (subscription) makes it clear that not one of the Democratic candidates for attorney general have the anatomy necessary to stop business as usual in New Mexico:
King, for instance, would create a government corruption division in the attorney general’s office; Martinez says he would promptly investigate possible corruption cases but would avoid witch hunts; and Zamora would push for creation of an independent ethics commission.
Mr. King, we don’t need another division of government. We need leadership. Mr. Martinez, you haven’t even been elected, and you’re already making up his reasons not to investigate. We’re tired of lame excuses coming out of the attorney general’s office. Mr. Zamora, you have obviously been a student of your benefactor, Governor Richardson. The problem is that we don’t want more task forces or commisions. We want action.
It is time for an attorney general who will fight corruption. It is time for an attorney general who will not shy away from battle. It is time for an attorney general who will the war. We need to elect Jim Bibb.