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What is the procedure for charging a governor with violation of a law? Who charges them with breaking a law?
If he is in fact breaking a law, he should be charged regardless of the attorney general's opinion.
I'm confused. When is the trip to take place? The letter is about an April 7 ceremony. Is he using the April opinion for this new event?
Mike the answer to your question is yes. The State Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is saying it is all right because the AG said back on 7 April that it was ok, mostly now because that decisoion said that the public get to ride free for the first 90 days. This is why you are not seening it in the press. The problem is that you can not get on that train on the 17th without a invite.
Should have put this in also. Any member of the public can bring a charge against any elected official through the State Suprem Court. Good luck however getting support.
According to this article, the public IS invited to the event.
http://www.krqe.com/expanded.asp...5BNews%
5D=16188
check out the last line.
So that's why it's not a scandal. Everyone can ride for free for the first 90 days, and the public is invited to the event. No laws are being broken, in letter or spirit.
This is a pretty weak attempt to make something out of nothing.
Sorry Anonymous, but that invitation did not go out to everyone, nor did it say on the invitation that the general public was invited. Below is the complete text of the invite:
"New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson along with The New Mexico State Legislature, The New Mexico State Transportation Commission, The New Mexico Department of Transportatlon, and The Mid-Region Councll of Governments cordially invite you to celebrate the start of the NEW MEXICO RAIL RUNNER EXPRESS
1:00 PM.
Monday July 17,2006
at the US 550/Sandoval County Station in Bernalillo
Directions:
From 1-25, take exit 242, and head west on US 550. After crossing the railroad tracks, the station will be on your left.
The train will make a brief stop at Los Ranchos/Journal Center on its way to the Downtown Albuquerque station for the culmination of festivities.
Shuttle service back to Bernalillo will be available at the Alvarndo Transportation Center following the event. A Rail Runner train is scheduled to depart Downtown for Bernalillo at 4:10 PM."
If the administration is now saying that the general public is invited, that is a defensive move on their part. Governor Richardson has a PR machine like no other, and if he had wanted to make this a public event from the get go, all he would have had to do was send out a press release and everyone would have known.
No, Mario, I'm sorry. You're trying to make a legal issue out of this. No where on that invitation does it say that the event is closed to the public.
Now Richardson's office is explicitly saying that it is open to the public. You can dislike Richardson all you want, but there's no laws being broken here, antiquated or otherwise.
Sorry anonymous as a former state Rep I received this invite personally however my neighbor did not. It wasn't until after the fact when the public was made aware of what was going on did the King Richardson invites all of the public i.e., he got his hands caught in cookie jar and back peddled.
Are we all invited to ride the train on July 17 with the Governor, or just watch?
I guess everybody is invited NOW.
Rory, are you pouting because Richardson didn't break the law? I'll say it one more time: the law was never broken because the event was never made explicitly private.
It's just common sense that he'd do the bi-partisan courtesy of inviting esteemed dignitaries like yourself. If Richardson had sent out engraved invites to everyone in the state, you, Mario, et al, would be screaming that the stationary was illegal, was practically a campaign event, and so forth. I'm sorry for you that the Governor didn't break the law. It seems to have really gotten you down. Maybe next time, buddy.
Anonymous quite the opposite, by razing the issue the proper thing was done, i.e., the public was invited to ride along with the dignitaries. Also it once again forces the dignitaries into the mindset that they cannot arbitrarily pick and chose which parts of the constitution to ignore. I do take on exception the event was explicitly private, by bring up the issue it no long is.
Commenting by HaloScan
