Milan Simonich

3 days ago | santafenewmexican.com | Milan Simonich

Howie Morales this week will either become the fourth Democrat running for governor or shift his attention to pursuing the presidency of a state university. The sitting two-term lieutenant governor, Morales said he was not inclined to enter the gubernatorial race until he received an outpouring of encouragement. "The calls coming in really made me second-guess the way I was leaning," he said Tuesday. Morales will meet with advisers and announce his decision this week. I will be surprised if he runs.

5 days ago | santafenewmexican.com | Milan Simonich

Never has a politician had a marketing opportunity like Taco Don, a shell of a man. Instead of raging and ranting over his new TACO tag, President Donald Trump should embrace the acronym and an accompanying nickname. Doing so could be good business for the man who failed because of the inferiority of Trump Steaks and the fraudulence of Trump University. In case you missed the genesis of this subject, Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong made sport of Trump for wobbling on tariffs.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Milan Simonich

One advantage of living in New Mexico came into sharper focus this week. For all the state Legislature's sloth and wasting of time, it is too blue and too smart to favor one religion over another. That counts for something in a time when three red states see religious faith as monolithic and religious freedom as the domain of a political majority. Legislators in neighboring Texas this week approved a bill ordering public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Republican Gov.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Milan Simonich

With a nine-year losing streak in New Mexico’s statewide elections, Republicans might want a fresh voice as their candidate for governor. At least that’s the hope of political neophyte Brian Cillessen. He is promising civility and says he will listen to everyone, especially ordinary people. Cillessen already is listed by the Secretary of State’s Office as a registered gubernatorial candidate, but he says he submitted the paperwork too soon.

1 week ago | santafenewmexican.com | Milan Simonich

To be sure, amphitheaters are more fun to talk about than potholes and sewage systems. And concerts are more inviting than weedy public parks dotted with hypodermic needles left by addicts. But chatter about pouring tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into a new amphitheater is worth no more than a roll of the eyes or a belly laugh. Boosters calling for a new music venue in Santa Fe are apt to envision it as a public-private venture.