Political roundup
Truck stop: A Santa Fe man has covered his SUV with handwritten messages urging people not to vote for mayoral candidate Ron Trujillo. Now the motorist, Arthur Valencia, claims he was told by city police that his vehicle was subject to being towed because of its “political” markings.
Valencia received a voice mail left Monday by someone claiming to be a Santa Fe police officer. The caller said the black Chevrolet Tahoe, which was parked over the weekend in the lot at Franklin Miles Park, “is gonna to be towed … due to the fact that it has political, um, saying do not vote for Ron Trujillo” scrawled on the windows.
A message left for the officer whose named the caller used was not immediately returned.
Valencia, 57, said he moved his car into his nearby driveway shortly after receiving the message but was not happy about it.
“That violates my civil rights,” he said. “There’s vehicles parked out there with for-sale signs. What’s the difference between for-sale signs and something about the campaigns?”
He added someone had slapped a yellow Trujillo bumper-sticker onto his car Monday while it was parked in his driveway.
A resident of the south-central district Trujillo has represented as a city councilor for 12 years, Valencia said he marked his car because he believes Trujillo is “only out for himself. He has never done anything for his constituents in this area.”
Valencia, a retired city employee, has tagged anti-Trujillo messages on both of his Tahoes, one gold and one black, but the “white lettering stands out a lot better” on the latter, he said.
G.R.R.M. speaks: Famed Santa Fe author George R.R. Martin on Monday endorsed entrepreneur Alan Webber’s mayoral candidacy.
“I’m happy to endorse Alan Webber for mayor and look forward to working with him on projects to help Santa Fe’s economy and young people after the election,” Martin said in a news release posted to the Webber campaign’s Facebook feed.
Webber, in a statement, credited the author’s work in supporting local artistic development, mentioning his influential support for the burgeoning arts collective Meow Wolf as well as the local film industry. He also purchased, renovated and reopened the Jean Cocteau Cinema in the Railyard.
Martin, state voter records show, is a registered Democrat in District 1, which covers the city’s north and northeast sides.
He is best known for his beloved high-fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, the source material for the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Petition challenge: An Albuquerque man has filed a lawsuit claiming Libertarian Party U.S. Senate candidate Aubrey Dunn’s nominating petition should be thrown out and Dunn, currently the state land commissioner, should be thrown off the ballot.
However, the lawsuit, dated Feb. 20 in state District Court in Santa Fe, was filed four days after the legal deadline for petition challenges.
Both the Dunn campaign and the Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Monday they had not been served with the lawsuit. The action was filed by someone named Steve Gendorn — identified only as a voter in Bernalillo County.
According to the 2018 Candidate Guide on the Secretary of State’s website, “The law provides for legal challenges to petitions if filed in District Court within 10 days after filing a declaration of candidacy.” Candidates for statewide offices and congressional seats filed on Feb. 6.
The challenge claims 54 of the 276 signatures submitted by Dunn are invalid. Many of those disputed names were not registered as Libertarians, according to the lawsuit. If true, that would put Dunn’s number of signatures below the 230 needed.
The lawsuit also claims all of Dunn’s petitions are invalid because he used his post office box in Mountainair instead of his street address.
Dunn’s lawyer, his son Blair Dunn, said the suit is frivolous because it was filed after the deadline. He also said all of the disputed names registered as Libertarians in January.
Libertarian candidates typically draw more votes away from Republicans than Democrats. Aubrey Dunn, until recently, was a Republican.
A spokesman for GOP Senate candidate Mick Rich said Monday: “If career politician Mr. Dunn failed to turn in enough valid nominating petitions, then it is clear the strength and seriousness of his candidacy is utterly lacking.”
Aubrey Dunn’s response on Monday: “Let’s go to court on this. If I lose, I’ll drop out. If [Rich] loses, he drops out.”