By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The great Damon Runyon said he preferred writing about losers because they were more entertaining than winners.
His premise doesn’t hold up in modern-day New Mexico.
Two big losers from the state’s 30-day legislative session are Democratic Sens. Peter Wirth of Santa Fe and Joe Cervantes of Las Cruces. They are lawyers who represent plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases.
Both senators should have excused themselves from every debate and all votes on a bill to cap punitive damages that juries can award in malpractice cases.
Cervantes introduced a series of amendments aimed at dismantling the bill. He caved only after it became obvious the measure in purer form would clear the 42-member Senate. The bill now is in the hands of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who called for reforming the Medical Malpractice Act.
Cervantes, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, had an obvious conflict of interest. So did Wirth, majority leader of the Senate. Between the two of them, leadership was nowhere to be found.
They could not look out for the public interest while looking out for their bank accounts. Both senators will claim their only concern is good public policy. Fine. Someone might believe them.
Democrats control the Senate, 26-16. Majority members should be brave enough next year to install new leaders. The correct standard for any legislator is recusal from lawmaking that affects one’s private business, negatively or positively.
Another attorney, Rep. Christine Chandler, is one of the session’s winners. She sponsored the reform bill on medical malpractice. Chandler, D-Los Alamos, remained cool and competent when Cervantes and Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, tried to bury her bill with amendment after amendment.
Chandler also was a sponsor of the proposed constitutional change to reduce cronyism in the appointment of university regents. That measure made the ballot and will be decided by voters in November.
Governors of New Mexico have always enjoyed enormous power in appointing university regents. Whether Democrat or Republican, governors have a history of choosing campaign contributors and political pals for these positions. Many regents have proven themselves uninterested in anything except the lofty title or prime seats at football and basketball games.
The proposal by Chandler and Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, would create nominating committees to broaden the field of applicants for regent seats. The names of top contenders would be sent to the governor, who would be bound to choose from those lists.
“I’m confident we’ll see good regents who would never have a chance to be considered under the current system,” Steinborn said.
He has worked on improving university boards of regents for 13 years. All his proposals failed until this session. As Lincoln said, the greatest challenge is rising again after you fall.
Steinborn benefitted from having a well-spoken ally in Chandler. Another factor was a scandal at Western New Mexico University, though legislators almost never mentioned it publicly.
Western’s five regents in December 2024 called a special meeting and unanimously voted to pay then-university President Joseph Shepard more than $1.9 million in exchange for his resignation. Shepard also received a full professorship that was to pay him at least $200,000 a year to teach two online classes in business ethics each semester.
Lujan Grisham appointed all five of those regents. The Senate confirmed them, not wanting to pick a fight with a governor who could veto their bills. Lujan Grisham belatedly called on Western’s spendthrift regents to resign, but enormous damage was done.
The governor has since appointed better regents at Western, especially stalwarts Steve Neville, a Republican from Farmington, and John Wertheim, a Democrat from Albuquerque. The new regents rescinded Shepard’s professorship, saying it was never valid. They hope to reclaim at least part of Shepard’s $1.9 million buyout — a long shot.
Every legislative session has winners and losers. Once in a while, a politician can simultaneously be both.
Rep. Cristina Parajón qualifies for the joint designation this year. Parajón, D-Albuquerque, was the point person on the proposed constitutional amendment to pay legislators a base salary now estimated at $67,800 a year.
She steered the proposal through the House of Representatives, receiving support from 40 other Democrats but no Republicans. Parajón’s measure then squeaked through the Senate. Those two outcomes make her a winner of sorts.
But New Mexico voters get the final say on whether legislators will receive a base salary. Parajón had hoped to delay the public vote until 2028. She lost on that point. A handful of her colleagues might end up losing, too.
The state attorney general said postponing the election on legislative salaries for two years might violate New Mexico’s constitution. Lawmakers had to shift the election to this November.
No state senators are up for reelection this year, but all 70 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot. House Republicans hope to make salaries for legislators a campaign issue. Their message is greedy Democrats want to enrich themselves.
The truth is different. A majority of lawmakers in the House and the Senate already voted to pad their compensation. They increased their own pensions by 27% in 2022 and another 50% in 2024.
Neither political party showed a commitment to altruism when it came to pensions. For instance, House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong was among the lawmakers who voted for both pension increases.
Parajón’s proposal contains an escape hatch for incumbents running in the June primary and the November election. They can promise voters they will not accept a salary. Nervous incumbents can also duck for cover by pointing out that base pay for legislators would not begin until 2029.
Every legislative session ends with members clapping one another on the back.
A few cheers are in order. They should hear the jeers, too.
Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505.986.3080.