NM Farm, Livestock Bureau
Provides Political Forum

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau had 11 high-profile political candidates to grill, but the man who took a beating wasn't even running for office — and it wasn’t the farmers or stockmen criticizing him, but a gubernatorial hopeful who used the absent state employee as a surrogate for his own opponent.

State Engineer Tom Turney was blasted for a backlog of pending permits and applications.

The only other sparks in the low-key forum last Friday came when the federal Endangered Species Act came under attack.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Martin Chavez, who is seeking to unseat popular Republican Gov. Gary Johnson, called upon the governor to fire Turney.

Chavez, a frequent critic of Turney on the campaign trail, said the state engineer is "a very nice man," but that it's disgraceful for Turney's office to have a backlog of thousands of permits and applications, for it not to be computerized — and for it not to have a single attorney who specializes in water law. The office is responsible for administering water in New Mexico.

"The No. 1 issue in New Mexico is water, and we're not ready for it," Chavez said. "I'd like to call upon the governor today to seek the resignation of Tom Turney. ... If he doesn't do it, I will do it Jan. 1."

Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, appearing at the forum in Johnson's stead, dismissed Chavez's challenge and defended Turney.

"This is the first administration that has asked for, and received, the computers to computerize the engineer's office," Bradley said. "We've also gotten $6 million for a hydrological survey to inventory water use and water rights."

Bradley pointed out that Turney is working to clean up a mess created during previous Democratic administrations.

Chavez and Bradley did agree on one thing: the federal government's reintroduction of the endangered Mexican gray wolf along the New Mexico-Arizona state line has been a failure.

Eleven wolves were released this spring along the border. Two have been killed — one shot by a camper and the other killed by a mountain lion — and three more have been taken back into captivity.

Governors have no say in such federal programs, but Chavez said he would work with the state's congressional delegation to restore "rhyme, reason and balance" to the Endangered Species Act.

Bradley, who said the act needs to be rewritten, said he and Johnson opposed the wolf reintroduction all along.

"They're trying to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf to an area that was never its territory," Bradley said. "The Endangered Species Act has been taken out of context. It's now being used as a club to take over private property rights and shove people off their land."

Reform of ESA has been staunchly opposed by Democrats in Congress and by the Clinton administration.