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Date Posted: 07:21:57 03/03/06 Fri
Author: Hap
Subject: Our governor and his buddy. What's in this for them? Inside>>>>>
In reply to: Hap 's message, "Here's the caption from the board where I copied that,"Rodeo sending mixed signals (PRCA moving to Albuquerque)"" on 23:19:02 03/02/06 Thu





On the face of it, the state of New Mexico's offer to bring PRCA Headquarters and the HOF to Albuquerque seems very generous. But then again, you never get something for nothing now do you...

Just ask Paul Blanchard, co-owner of the Albuquerque Downs located on the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. He was washed up in the 80s and early 90s with IRS liens piling up against him.

Then he met O.D. McDonald, who helped him make the purchuse of Albuquerque Downs along with several other partners. And that's where the funny stuff starts.

Since whoever runs the ABQ Downs has to lease it from the state, it's important that you get a good deal. What better way to get that good deal than to grease the palm of the person in charge, soon-to-be New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Thanks to $100,500 donation directly from the ABQ Downs and another $20K from Blanchard and his wife in 2003, future Gov. Bill warmed up so much to Blanchard he made him his Campaign Finance Manager.

The ever so generous Mr. Blanchard help organize $5,000-a-plate fundraisers for Richardson, and rounded up tens of thousands more from other Casino Barons, presumably out of the goodness of his own heart.

Coincidentally, as soon as Gov. Richardson took office, the plan to put the operation of ABQ Downs up for competitive bidding was scraped. And you'd never guess who signed a sweetheart of a deal to extend his lease on the Downs through 2010.

If you picked Blanchard then go to the head of the class.

Later that year, when Blanchard needed approval from the State Racing Commission to open another Racino (Race Track/Casino) in Hobbs, Richardson's hand-picked commission okayed Blanchard's Hobbs Racino with no delay, even though his ownership of the other racino in ABQ was supposed to make him ineligible to operate another one.

But the favors didn't stop there. Blanchard became such great friends with Richardson, that the Governor appointed Blanchard to a public seat of the State Board of Finance, where he's Gov. Bill's right-hand man, literally. The two men sit right next to each other at Board meetings.

Maybe that's why Troy got confused at his news conference the other day when he said, "This was an unsolicited offer by the state of New Mexico."

The Albuquerque Tribune reported in their March 1 issue that it was Blanchard "who first approached the group about relocating to New Mexico" and it will be Blanchard who Troy meets with when he flies to Albuquerque later this week to "study sites along I-25, specifically at Mesa del Sol, the planned development south of Albuquerque International Sunport projected to bring 30,000 homes to the Southeast quadrant."

Mesa Del So is 14,000 acres of pasture south of the ABQ Airport, and its is owned by the State Land Trust with all proceeds from the sale of said lands going to benefit the University of New Mexico.

But at only $9M, the Forest City Covington land development group is getting their own sweatheart of a deal. Current appraisals say their offer is a bit short of the fair market value - 80 cents on the dollar short! Except Richardson's Land Trust board seems to think it's the best offer they could find.

And what better place to build a new Fairgrounds, complete with a new, better equipped and more profitable racino than Mesa Del Sol. If the plan goes through, Blanchard's $120K "investment" in Richardson's governorship could pay dividends worth millions.

Bringing PRCA Headquarters and the Hall of Fame to Mesa Del Sol will give the planned development a cornerstone business that pumps millions into the local community. Too bad all Blanchard's interested in is making sure that money gets pumped right into the slots.

Whatever good or ill may come from the PRCA's move, it's sad to think the PRCA's already sullied reputation will be further scandalized by dealings with crooked businessmen and corrupt politicians.

Cowboy up, Troy.

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