Rick Lass for PRC

ELECTION DAY SUMMARY

As we make our final push before the election, Rick would like to thank the
many individuals and organizations who are supporting him. This race has
certainly caught the attention of the media and voters, and in spite of what
was clearly an uphill struggle, Rick is in a position to win the election
and be the next Commissioner from PRC district 3.

Rick’s victory on Tuesday will be a victory for everyone who believes that
our governemnt is here to protect everyday New Mexicans from what our
founding fathers referred to as ‘the moneyed interests’, and we recognize
today as unchecked corporate greed. The Public Regulation Commission is
designed to keep those interests in check, and that is exactly what Rick
Lass will strive to do as a Commissioner.

Rick recognizes that to be a Commissioner is first and foremost to be a
public servant. Rick’s career in New Mexico politics stretches back nearly
fifteen years, and, whether working for locally owned businesses, on behalf
of the working class to raise the minimum wage and repeal the food tax, or
on important election reforms, Rick’s underlying principle has always been
that government is here to serve the will of the people.

For the still undecided, we encourage you to compare and contrast the
candidates at our websites: www.ricklass.net and www.jeromeblockforprc.com,
and visit www.swingstateofmind.com for a litany of the problems with
opponent Jerome Block Jr, under ‘Blockgate’. Unfortunately, this campaign
has been too much about what disqualifies Block from holding a postion of
public trust and too little about the proper role of corporations in our
society and the importance of clean renewable energy as a viable source of
green collar jobs and electricity generation in New Mexico.

Lastly, we invite you to our victory celebration, beginning after the polls
close at 7:00 Tuesday, November 4, at Second Street Brewery, 1812 Second
Street, in Santa Fe.

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PRC DISTRICT 3 — Rick Lass: This Green Party candidate says his priorities will be to beef up the commission’s consumer protection efforts.
He would push the Public Regulation Commission to encourage alternative energy development, particularly in the northern region’s rural reaches and would make any PNM rate increase contingent on the utility reining in its spending.
This Green Party candidate has been an advocate for small businesses and for working people.
Overseeing utilities, health coverage and other insurance, telecommunications and transportation, the PRC makes decisions that touch everyone’s lives, affect every household’s budget. This position demands integrity, diligence and intelligence. Lass has demonstrated all three, plus a clear understanding that, if elected, his job will be to serve the public.
His opponent, Jerome Block, is battling the Secretary of State over allegations of campaign finance irregularities. The Journal recommends that District 3 voters support Green Party candidate Rick Lass.

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Rick Lass was interviewed by the Santa Fe Reporter about why New Mexicans should vote for him, regardless of party affiliation.

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On Tuesday Jerome Block, Jr. filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s office against Rick Lass about campaign financing. This was days after Block, Jr. had been slapped with an $11,000 fine by Secretary of State Mary Herrera and told to return $10,000 of the public finance funds that had been awarded to him for the general election. The letter is here. (click to enlarge)

Journalist Dave Maass of the Santa Fe Reporter has a response to this complaint here. Maas says the following about his qualifications to criticize Block, Jr.’s complaint:

If anybody wonders why I know/care so much about the intricacies of public campaign financing, it’s because that’s how I learned about politics: My first real reporting gig out of college was covering Arizona’s “Clean Elections” system leading up to and after the first publicly funded statewide race. Gov. Janet Napolitano (who’s been stumpin’ in New Mexico for Sen. Barack Obama) won her first term using public funds.

Rick Lass might be expected, as a founding director of Voting Matters, a New Mexico nonprofit dedicated to electoral reforms, to know a lot about the rules governing public financing. The following is Rick Lass’s response to Jerome Block, Jr.’s complaint:

This complaint is absurd. Mr Block’s campaign clearly does not understand the law, particularly the Voter Action Act, which spells out publicly financed campaigns for the PRC. Section 1-19A-8 of the election code clearly states that a candidate for PRC may accept donations from a political party in an amount up to 10% of the total received from the state. ($6,477.80 in this case)

He also does not seem to understand the difference between a PAC (Democrats for Rick Lass) and a candidate (me), or that the Green Party is not a “person”.

This complaint is frivolous, and is being used by the Block campaign as a feeble attempt to deflect attention away from his illegal and unethical practices. Mr Block has proven himself incapable of holding an office of public trust, and is desperately trying to win this election by falsely accusing me of invented charges.

I trust the voters will see through his charade.

If Jerome Block, Jr. has trouble understanding the rules governing his own publicly financed campaign, how can voters expect him to understand the complex regulations which the PRC is charged with enforcing?

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The following letter was sent on Monday afternoon, October 20, to the Secretary of State, the Director of the Bureau of Elections, and every county clerk in PRC District 3, and to the media. It highlights a matter of concern to every candidate and every voter worried about their votes being accurately recorded. If you receive bad information about how to vote a straight party ticket while making an exception to vote for Rick Lass or any other candidate, please convey that information to us and we will pass it along to the county clerk and the Secretary of State’s offices.

TO: Secretary of State Mary Herrera
CC: Director Gerald Gonzalez, Bureau of Elections, and the County Clerks of PRC District 3
FROM: Rick Lass, candidate for PRC District 3
Re: Confusion About Straight Party Voting Procedures

It has come to my attention today that poll workers and judges in at least four counties in District 3 have given voters erroneous information in answer to questions about how to vote a straight party ticket with an exception for one position. Last Thursday, October 16, Secretary of State Herrera sent a memo to all of New Mexico’s county clerks with instructions on this issue. It clearly stated that voters could be assured of having their ballots counted accurately if they chose to vote this way.

I participated in an audit of the optical scanners used in New Mexico and can attest that, if a voter fills the oval for straight party voting as well as the oval next to a candidate of another party, the machine accurately tallies both the votes. This was confirmed during machine testing for early voting and absentee machines before the 2008 general election in a number of counties.

For an election to reflect the will of the electorate, it is imperative that instructions to voters be accurate and uniform throughout the state. Please take measures to immediately reiterate to all precinct judges and election workers that voters who wish to vote a straight party ticket with exceptions for particular races may do so and be assured that their ballots, when counted, will accurately reflect their choices. A failure to convey these instructions accurately has implications for every candidate on the ballot and could alter citizens’ voting choices and the outcome of this election.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Rick Lass
Candidate,PRC district 3
ricklass@newmexico.com
505-507-3000

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By Rick Lass

Published in the Santa Fe New Mexican on October 19

The national financial meltdown should be a concern to all of us, and was caused by a number of reasons, including bad governmental policies, poor investments, and lack of proper regulatory oversight.

In New Mexico, we are fortunate to have safeguards against this sort of meltdown, like a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, steady income from severance taxes on oil and gas extraction, and a Public Regulation Commission to oversee corporate activity in the state.

Simply having a regulatory agency is not a safeguard. [Read more →]

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The New Mexican asked the candidates,

• Why do you want to serve on the PRC?
• What is the PRC’s most pressing issue, and how will you deal with it?
• Why do you think you are more qualified than your opponent?
• What about title insurance reform?

. . . and other pertinent questions. The answers show the sharp contrast between the positions of Lass and his opponent. You can view the entire questionnaire and the candidates’ answers at the New Mexican’s web site. [Read more →]

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In the large collection of missteps committed by Jerome Block, Jr. during his campaign for the PRC, the worst has been his admitted lie about his use of public funds to pay San Miguel County Clerk Paul Maez for a concert that never happened. The Secretary of State demanded a letter of explanation from Block, Jr. He delivered the letter just before the Secretary’s deadline on Friday. You can read it here. Rick responds:

First, it is clearly illegal to use primary funds for the general election
under the campaign financing law. For Jerome to make a payment to the band
using primary funds for a gig to be played in September is against the
law, and he acknowledges in yesterday’s letter that that is what he did.
His campaign finance report of July 3 shows he made the payment June 9,
after the primary election was held.

He says that he lied to Giuliani because of the pressure of media calls. If
he can’t handle the pressure of accounting for his actions to his
constituents, how will he stand up to the pressure of industry lobbyists and
the media spotlight if he is a PRC Commissioner? [Read more →]

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Rick Lass’s speech to the citizens of Los Alamos at the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women.

Thank you so much for coming out tonight and being involved in our democracy, and thanks so much to the League of Women Voters and the Association of University Women for hosting this forum.

My name is Rick Lass and I am running for the Public Regulation Commission. For those of you who don’t know, the PRC regulates utility, insurance, telecommunications, transportation and other corporations doing business in New Mexico.

I am in this race because I believe it is critical that our government stands up for everyday New Mexicans- consumers, working people, and small business owners who are struggling every day to make ends meet. [Read more →]

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Our long-awaited Yard Signs are in, and they look terrific! To reserve yours, send us an e-mail . You can pick them up at the campaign office during office hours (see below) or at our Tuesday coffees at Celebrations (see the Events calendar to the right).

Yard Signs

We have placards for storefront windows. You can download and print them from right here. They measure 8.5 X 11. Let your customers know that an independent voice on the PRC is as important to local businesses as it is to working New Mexicans.

Business Window Placard

We also have campaign cards, bumper stickers and literature that you can hand out to voters or place on the front counter of your business. Come by during office hours and get what you need to help.

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