Why we got involved in the Albuquerque mayoral race

Keller will not address issues facing city unless it benefits him

GDC is the asset manager for Western Albuquerque Land Holdings LLC. We contributed to the measure finance committee Make Albuquerque Safe. WALH’s investment in the Albuquerque economy exceeds $250million. WALH has a vested interest in competent, ethical elected officials focused on creating jobs and opportunities for New Mexicans representing the city, county and state.

We met with the four leading mayoral candidates and found Wayne Johnson, Brian Colón and Dan Lewis each to be honest, ethical, tough on crime and pro-jobs.

Unfortunately, we found Tim Keller lacking. Keller acted as if he had already won the mayoral election. His arrogance as a political opportunist was disturbing. He appeared only interested in his political career. While a smooth and polished talker, he is not someone that will seriously address the major issues facing Albuquerque, except as it benefits him. When we learned that Keller had voted “yes” for Senate Bill 184, which would eliminate the city’s ability to restrict the locations in which sex offenders and child molesters could live, we were shocked. Keller’s inexcusable support for pro-sex offender legislation and failure to stand up for protecting families, for any reason, directly conflicts with what is best for Albuquerque.

We are pro-jobs and pro-business. We work hard to attract employers to the city. This work is complicated by Albuquerque’s crime and education problems. Keller’s soft-oncrime legislation only makes economic development recruitment harder. It is impossible to explain away how Keller supported the most hideous criminal offenders in society.

As state auditor, Keller preaches “transparency and accountability,” but as it relates to his SB 184 “yes” vote, Keller’s “spin doctors” claim foul and that he “fought hard” for subsequent 2013 legislation that closed a sex-offender loophole. However, the 2013 legislation was unrelated to SB 184, and there was, in fact, no “fight” for the 2013 legislation, given that (almost all) legislators voted in favor of it.

Keller claims that right-wing special interests that want a “buddy in the Mayor’s Office” funded the ad. Our only interest is supporting great public servants, whether Democrat or Republican, that have New Mexicans’ best interests in mind.

With only 2 percent of Western Albuquerque Land Holdings’ holdings located in the city, we are not worried about having a “buddy” as mayor. We are worried about having someone in political office that misleads the public and is solely focused on their political future rather than representing the interests of our community. Keller’s actions are not transparent or accountable. He uses his State Auditor’s Office for grandstanding and political gain. Albuquerque deserves better.

Keller’s claim that the ad is “unconscionable” is absurd and a cheap attempt to change the subject and avoid responsibility for his actions. Albuquerque cannot afford to elect a hypocrite that takes $380,000 in taxpayer money to run a “clean campaign” and then takes over $230,000 in private PAC money and illegal monetary in-kind contributions. This is disingenuous and contrary to the spirit of “clean campaign.” Keller claims to be a progressive champion, but just a short time ago, he switched from (being) a lifelong Republican to registering in the Democratic Party to win a state Senate seat.

We urge everyone to read SB 184 and ask yourself how could anyone have voted “yes.” Think of the $380,000 in public campaign funds he took from all taxpayers while scheming to have his former campaign manager form a PAC and collect hundreds of thousands more in private campaign funds. Think of how he collects cash contributions for his campaign operatives and then calls them “in-kind” contributions. Ask yourself, is this a “transparent, accountable and clean campaign”? And then decide which one of the other three gentlemen you are going to vote for in this mayoral election.