Papponi defends record, picks up endorsement


By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

The race for the District 60 seat in the House of Representatives got more heated Friday as Republican Paula Papponi criticized opponent Jack Thomas and the Democratic Party for a mailer she says distorted her actions as superintendent of schools in Jemez Valley.

Papponi made her remarks at a news conference where Sandoval County Commission Chairman Joshua Madalena, a Democrat, endorsed her candidacy over Thomas, another Democrat on the commission. Madalena outpolled Thomas for the commission chairmanship earlier this year, but was outvoted 3-2 on the selection of new county manager earlier this month.

Madalena, vice-chairman of the Jemez Pueblo, was defeated in the Democratic primary for the state Senate earlier this year. Madalena said he plans to seek that Senate seat, currently held by Lynda Lovejoy, again in four years as a Democrat.

Madalena served from 2000-04 on the Jemez Valley school board, including the last 1 ½ years as chairman, while Papponi was superintendent. In giving up the commission seat to run for the senate, he also cleared the way for his cousin, Darryl Madalena, to win the Democratic nomination.

Darryl Madalena is being opposed by two-term Santa Ana Pueblo tribal chairman Leonard Armijo for the District 5 county seat.

Commission chairman Madalena blamed continuing water issues in the Jemez area on government failing to provide enough money to fix the problems. And he said it is important for state legislators in all area of the county to work together to bring money back to the area to fix that problem.

Papponi took the opportunity to criticize Thomas for campaign mailers critical of her performance when tainted water was discovered at school facilities.

 “The three mailings were a terrible insult not only to me but to the fine members of the board who served at that time,” Papponi said. “They and I acted immediately and always in the best interest of the children. That’s the truth.

“Whatever else was said is not true. I think that the voters of Rio Rancho deserve better than this kind of smear, lie and awful tactics.”

Asked directly if she believed Thomas was behind the mailers, Papponi said, ““We all know that every candidate approves the ads that go out. If their name isn’t on it, then ‘paid for by the party’ is on it. Yes. Definitely. Let’s tell the truth about it. I don’t care whose name is on it, every candidate at every level gets to approve or disapprove the ad. I’ve done it myself.”

Judi Walker, Thomas’ campaign manager, said the literature was sent out by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. She said the Thomas campaign would not back away from the literature, noting it was based on newspaper reports at the time.

“We stand with the DLCC. We stand with the DLCC mailer. We stand with it because it is the truth,” Walker said. “It was taken directly from an article in the Albuquerque Journal.”