Contact: Erika Martinez
(505)986-4263
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2014
Senate Rules Committee Stood Up by Gov.’s Office and State Fair Director
Former & Current State Fair Commissioners Testify About Racino Lease
Santa Fe, NM – Today, the Senate Rules Committee awaited members of the Administration as well as the State Auditor’s Office to speak about the controversial racino lease that was signed between the State Fair and the Downs at Albuquerque.
Committee Chair Senator Linda Lopez (D-11-Bernalillo) told the audience that the invitation to attend the meeting was extended to Governor Susana Martinez, her political adviser Jay McClesky and State Fair Director Dan Mourning.“Mr. Mourning’s failure to be here is something I find unacceptable,” said Sen. Lopez.
However, the meeting wasn’t spent in vain as committee members hosted other invited guests, including former State Fair Commissioners Tom Tinnin, and Charlotte Rode, as well as current State Fair Commissioner Kenneth Smith. All guests testified about their resistance to the controversial racino lease and their experience as commissioners and interactions with the Martinez Administration.
Tannin informed the committee that he personally told the governor that the commission was told to follow direction from her advisors rather than handling business on their own authority. However, his comments fell on deaf ears. “When I found out how this (racino lease) would be handled, I was appalled,” said Tinnin. “This is a state fair issue, why is it run by the governor’s office?”
Tinnin explained that his efforts to speak about how the commission was being run and that the racino deal “didn’t smell right,” kept him out of the loop when important decisions were being made by the board. He was ultimately removed as chair of the board. “Let’s face it, Tinnin was gone because he knew too much,” he said. “My integrity is not going to be compromised…I don’t care if you’re president or governor.”
“Moving the governor’s agenda forward trumps everything,” said Rode as she quoted Jay McCleskey’s words to her when she first joined the commission.
“Susana Martinez was a decider…she actually had the duty to pass or not to pass this contract. We really need to keep that in mind. They did ask at my interview how I felt about the downs deal. The overall idea is that they wanted to keep info and process secret,” Rode added. She also informed senators that there was never a fiscal impact report down for the Downs contract and that the governor’s office chose the selection committee, whose members were not revealed to the commission. “If you take a stand in the face of corruption, you are going to be retaliated against,” Rode said as she told the panel about the threats she received for speaking out against the racino deal.
Senators expressed their concerns about the revenue being lost at the State Fair because of the public response to the issues, which have impacted attendance and participation. “It worries me that it seems like only one person is making money off the state fair and it worries me that we have this property that’s supposed to be an exciting place and it seems like…a planned vacancy process is there,” said Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto (D15-Bernalillo). “It’s supposed to be where the state can show its best. It was a place where people came from all over the state to be a part of.”
“I think the problem is by signing the lease, the way it was done, blocked any kind of economic improvement,” added Senator Tim Keller (D-17-Bernalillo).
Kenneth Smith, the last of the committee’s guests, also spoke to the panel regarding his experience as a board member. Smith explained to the panel that commission meetings hardly ever addressed business decisions except the racino deal, which was rushed because commissioners were pressured by the Administration to get the lease passed.
Senators praised guests for their courage to be a part of the committee and taking a stand on such a controversial issue so publicly.
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