State senator feuding with Wirth resigns leadership post
Candelaria disliked fellow Dem’s message on killing PNM bill, which he sponsored
A rift in the Democrat-controlled state Senate widened Tuesday as one of the chamber’s younger members resigned from his leadership position as caucus chairman.
Sen. Jacob Candelaria of Albuquerque said he was resigning immediately as caucus chairman because of a disagreement with Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth.
Wirth, D-Santa Fe, wrote in an email to his constituents that a highlight of the recent 30-day session was stopping Public Service Company of New Mexico’s bill that sought state bond security when it shutters a coal-fired power plant near Farmington.
Candelaria sponsored that measure, Senate Bill 47.
Wirth wrote: “… While this financial tool is important and should be encouraged, I voted to table this bill because it went too far by guaranteeing 100 percent stranded asset recovery, deregulating the replacement power, and taking away competition. This legislation needs more work during the interim to find the right balance.”
Candelaria’s letter, first published by blogger Joe Monahan on his Facebook page, criticized Wirth’s characterization of the bill and the vote against it.
“In my short time in the Legislature, I have never seen legislative leadership message against a bill sponsored by a member of their own caucus. Your use of the collective ‘we’ also implies that stopping this bill was a Democratic initiative/priority,” Candelaria wrote.
He also objected to Wirth calling the measure “a utility bill,” saying, “This was my bill.”
Wirth was conciliatory Tuesday. “Sen. Candelaria has been a valuable member of our leadership team and I am sorry to see him resign as caucus chair,” Wirth wrote in a text message.
For his part, Candelaria said he spent weeks bringing together PNM and environmental groups to find a compromise.
His bill also called for increasing the state renewable energy portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, and it would have required PNM to reinvest nearly $20 million in the Farmington area for job training and economic redevelopment.
“By requiring that PNM rebuild its assets in the Farmington community, the bill would help prevent the loss of thousands of jobs. That’s why the private sector unions supported it, I believe,” Candelaria wrote.
He said that none of that was mentioned in Wirth’s email. “I believe your messaging against the legislation makes bringing the parties together that much harder moving forward.”
Following a three-hour hearing that drew dozens of supporters and opponents, the Senate Conservation Committee voted 5-4 to block Candelaria’s measure. No environmental groups supported the bill.
As the caucus chairman, Candelaria presided at closed-door meetings of Senate Democrats.
Candelaria said he had been considering resigning from that position for “some time.” He said Wirth’s email confirmed to him “that diverse voices and opinions are not being represented, or empowered, in our caucus. … My own sense of integrity will not allow me to continue in my role as caucus chair until that happens.”
Candelaria remains as one of 26 Democrats in the 42-member Senate.