JohnAshman
06-13-2012, 01:04 PM
Albuquerque Journal Dec 22, 2002.
Time line of notable developments and moments during Gov. Gary Johnson's eight years in office:
1994
November
* Johnson, a 41-year-old Albuquerque construction business owner with no previous political experience, wins a three-way election, defeating Democratic incumbent Bruce King and Green Party candidate Roberto Mondragon. Former state Sen. Walter Bradley is Johnson's lieutenant governor.
December
* Among Cabinet and staff appointments, Johnson appoints Albuquerque lawyer Fred Ragsdale to begin negotiating Indian gambling compacts, even though the Legislature has not yet legalized casino gambling.
1995
January
* Johnson is sworn in on New Year's Day, his 42nd birthday.
* In his first State of the State address, Johnson vows to hold the line on state spending and the number of state employees while cutting taxes.
February
* Johnson signs first-ever gambling compacts with several New Mexico Indian tribes.
* Complaining about the level of spending in the Legislature's public schools budget, the governor accuses Democratic leaders of "living in la-la land."
March
* Johnson signs legislation to cut the state gasoline tax by 6 cents a gallon by 2003.
* Johnson signs bill to allow package liquor sales on Sunday.
* The governor gives himself a "C+" grade for his first legislative session.
April
* Johnson signs legislation to create a state lottery.
* Johnson vetoes 200 bills passed by the Legislature, setting a record for vetoes in a single session.
* Johnson holds the general fund spending increase for state government to about 6 percent. Over his eight years in office there will be only one double-digit increase a notable restraint on annual growth compared with previous administrations.
June
* Johnson flies off the Sandia Mountains on a tandem hang glider to promote the Sandia Classic International Hang Gliding Competition. He later remembers this as his best day as governor.
July
* The state Supreme Court rules Johnson exceeded his authority by entering into the casino gambling agreements with New Mexico tribes without the approval of the Legislature.
August
* The state Supreme Court nullifies state-tribal gambling compacts.
September
* Fifty-three percent responding to a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
November
December
* The state Supreme Court rules that Johnson can't withhold part of already appropriated monthly budget allotments to state agencies.
1996
January
* Johnson proposes a welfare reform plan that would cut off cash aid to recipients after 30 months over a lifetime.
February
* The governor undergoes surgery after seriously injuring his left knee in a ski race at Red River.
* After lawmakers refuse to confirm several of his appointees, Johnson responds at a Capitol news conference by saying, "Nanny-nanny, boo-boo."
March
* Legislators adjourn a special session without approving a bill sought by Johnson to eliminate state tax exemptions on gasoline sold on Indian reservations.
July
* A federal judge rules Indian casinos may stay open while they appeal that judge's ruling that Indian gambling is illegal.
September
* Forty-five percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
October
* Johnson reveals he bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle earlier in the year to try to "squeeze as much fun out of my life as I possibly could."
November
* The state's first privately run motor-vehicle satellite opens at a supermarket in Albuquerque, beginning another Johnson administration privatization effort.
1997
March
* Three health care companies win contracts to provide managed care to Medicaid patients in New Mexico, fulfilling a Johnson administration mission to control skyrocketing Medicaid costs.
April
* Johnson signs a bill legalizing casino-style gambling in New Mexico.
July
* Johnson signs new state-tribal casino gambling compacts with Indian tribes.
October
* Johnson competes in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.
December
* Johnson becomes the first governor to be held in contempt of court by the state Supreme Court when he fails to comply with a court order in a welfare reform case.
* Johnson says he plans to wear a ski helmet after hitting a tree with his left leg on a Taos slope.
1998
February
* Johnson signs the New Mexico Works Act, a compromise measure requiring welfare recipients to work in order to receive cash assistance.
* Johnson gets frostbite during a ski race marathon at Santa Fe Ski Area.
March
* Johnson signs a state tax-cut package worth nearly $60 million.
May
* Legislators override a Johnson veto for the first time.
* Wackenhut Corrections Corp. opens the first unit of a private prison near Hobbs.
* Johnson signs legislation banning drive-up liquor window sales statewide.
August
* Johnson and a State Police officer help victims in an accident on Interstate 25, about 20 miles south of Santa Fe.
September
* Sixty-one percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
October
* Johnson's highway and transportation secretary, Pete Rahn, kicks off construction on a long-awaited widening of a 118-mile stretch of N.M. 44 now U.S. 550 between San Ysidro and Bloomfield.
November
* Johnson wins a second term as governor, defeating Democratic challenger Martin Chavez 55 percent to 45 percent.
December
* Wackenhut Corrections Corp. opens a private prison in Santa Rosa.
1999
January
* Johnson is sworn in for his second term and celebrates his 46th birthday on New Year's Day.
April
* Fifty-five percent of New Mexicans surveyed in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
May
* Legislators overwhelmingly reject Johnson's school voucher plan in a special session.
June
* Johnson calls the federal government's war on drugs a "miserable failure" and says decriminalizing drug use should be on the front burner of public debate.
July
* The state's collective bargaining law for public employees expires after Johnson vetoes an extension.
* A federal judge ends the Duran consent decree, a federal court order that governed state prison conditions since 1980.
October
* Johnson draws national attention when he stumps for drug legalization at a conference in Washington.
November
* Public Safety Secretary Darren White resigns, citing disagreement with Johnson's stance on drug policy.
2000
March
* Johnson signs legislation to phase in voluntary, full-day kindergarten across New Mexico over five years.
* The governor's voter approval rating plunges to a new low of 35 percent, according to a Journal poll.
April
* Johnson, a day after appearing on "60 Minutes" and advocating the legalization of heroin and marijuana, says he thinks only marijuana should be legalized.
May
* The governor helps extinguish fires at a house and trailer in Los Alamos as the massive Cerro Grande wildfire burns into the mountain town. He stays on the scene for 55 hours straight.
June
* Johnson's highway and transportation secretary Pete Rahn kicks off construction work on the $293 million Big I rebuilding project in Albuquerque. The project will be completed ahead of schedule in less than two years.
August
* Johnson pushes drug legalization in Philadelphia while the Republican National Convention takes place across town.
September
* Forty-six percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
December
* Johnson calls the state Human Services Department a "mess." He attributed some of the problem to what he called the agency's "revolving door" seven people running the department during his two terms and the Legislature's refusal to confirm many of his nominees to lead the agency.
2001
January
* Johnson is hospitalized with a spine injury after falling on the ice while running.
* Johnson acknowledges he lobbied Republican senators to oust Democratic leader Manny Aragon, his chief legislative foe, as Senate president pro tem. The Senate narrowly elects Sen. Richard Romero, D-Albuquerque, to the leadership position.
March
* Johnson says he is not "disheartened" by the mixed outcome of his drug reform package. Legislators approved three of his proposals, including expanded drug treatment, while rejecting the more controversial plans.
April
* Johnson signs a bill to allow New Mexicans to carry concealed handguns. The New Mexico Supreme Court later strikes down the law.
* Johnson vetoes an income-tax relief bill that was not as big or broad as he wanted. Johnson later says he regrets not signing the bill. In his two terms, he achieves little of his tax-relief agenda.
* Johnson vetoes a sweeping school reform bill, saying it's too costly.
June
* Johnson takes a spill while kayaking on the Rio Grande, ending up in a section of the river called the Toilet Bowl.
October
* Johnson signs a new state gambling compact that reduces revenue-sharing payments from 16 percent to 8 percent while requiring back payments of revenue-sharing money already owed.
* Johnson's competition in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race ends when dicey weather forces him and pilot Richard Abruzzo to land in a manure-strewn cow pasture in Wisconsin.
* Johnson says Terry Clark deserved to be executed for killing 9-year-old Dena Lynn Gore of Artesia. Clark becomes the first convict to be put to death in New Mexico since 1960.
December
* Construction of a four-lane, 118-mile stretch of U.S. 550 from San Ysidro to Bloomfield is completed.
2002
March
* Johnson signs into law several drug reform bills he sought, including a measure to grant judges more discretion in sentencing nonviolent habitual offenders.
* Johnson signs into law a bill requiring ignition interlock devices in the vehicles of certain convicted drunken drivers.
April
* Johnson competes in his first Boston Marathon.
May
* Lawmakers, after the governor refuses to call them back for a special session, call themselves back to the Capitol for the first "extraordinary session" of the Legislature in state history. They override his veto of their budget bill. Of Johnson's 742 vetoes, it is only the second time legislators override him.
* Construction of the $293 million Big I in Albuquerque is completed.
June
* Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, Johnson's second-in-command for eight years, is defeated for the GOP nomination for governor by freshman lawmaker John Sanchez.
September
* Forty-five percent say they approve of Johnson's job as governor.
October
* Johnson and Richard Abruzzo win the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race.
* Johnson competes in his fourth Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.
November
* Johnson fires or forces the resignation of several members of the state Racing Commission to prevent the commission from voting on a new racetrack in Hobbs. Johnson says a new track would jeopardize the state's gambling compacts with Indian tribes.
December
* Johnson says he plans to split his time between residences in Albuquerque and Taos and climb Mount Everest after his second term ends Dec. 31.
Time line of notable developments and moments during Gov. Gary Johnson's eight years in office:
1994
November
* Johnson, a 41-year-old Albuquerque construction business owner with no previous political experience, wins a three-way election, defeating Democratic incumbent Bruce King and Green Party candidate Roberto Mondragon. Former state Sen. Walter Bradley is Johnson's lieutenant governor.
December
* Among Cabinet and staff appointments, Johnson appoints Albuquerque lawyer Fred Ragsdale to begin negotiating Indian gambling compacts, even though the Legislature has not yet legalized casino gambling.
1995
January
* Johnson is sworn in on New Year's Day, his 42nd birthday.
* In his first State of the State address, Johnson vows to hold the line on state spending and the number of state employees while cutting taxes.
February
* Johnson signs first-ever gambling compacts with several New Mexico Indian tribes.
* Complaining about the level of spending in the Legislature's public schools budget, the governor accuses Democratic leaders of "living in la-la land."
March
* Johnson signs legislation to cut the state gasoline tax by 6 cents a gallon by 2003.
* Johnson signs bill to allow package liquor sales on Sunday.
* The governor gives himself a "C+" grade for his first legislative session.
April
* Johnson signs legislation to create a state lottery.
* Johnson vetoes 200 bills passed by the Legislature, setting a record for vetoes in a single session.
* Johnson holds the general fund spending increase for state government to about 6 percent. Over his eight years in office there will be only one double-digit increase a notable restraint on annual growth compared with previous administrations.
June
* Johnson flies off the Sandia Mountains on a tandem hang glider to promote the Sandia Classic International Hang Gliding Competition. He later remembers this as his best day as governor.
July
* The state Supreme Court rules Johnson exceeded his authority by entering into the casino gambling agreements with New Mexico tribes without the approval of the Legislature.
August
* The state Supreme Court nullifies state-tribal gambling compacts.
September
* Fifty-three percent responding to a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
November
December
* The state Supreme Court rules that Johnson can't withhold part of already appropriated monthly budget allotments to state agencies.
1996
January
* Johnson proposes a welfare reform plan that would cut off cash aid to recipients after 30 months over a lifetime.
February
* The governor undergoes surgery after seriously injuring his left knee in a ski race at Red River.
* After lawmakers refuse to confirm several of his appointees, Johnson responds at a Capitol news conference by saying, "Nanny-nanny, boo-boo."
March
* Legislators adjourn a special session without approving a bill sought by Johnson to eliminate state tax exemptions on gasoline sold on Indian reservations.
July
* A federal judge rules Indian casinos may stay open while they appeal that judge's ruling that Indian gambling is illegal.
September
* Forty-five percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
October
* Johnson reveals he bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle earlier in the year to try to "squeeze as much fun out of my life as I possibly could."
November
* The state's first privately run motor-vehicle satellite opens at a supermarket in Albuquerque, beginning another Johnson administration privatization effort.
1997
March
* Three health care companies win contracts to provide managed care to Medicaid patients in New Mexico, fulfilling a Johnson administration mission to control skyrocketing Medicaid costs.
April
* Johnson signs a bill legalizing casino-style gambling in New Mexico.
July
* Johnson signs new state-tribal casino gambling compacts with Indian tribes.
October
* Johnson competes in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.
December
* Johnson becomes the first governor to be held in contempt of court by the state Supreme Court when he fails to comply with a court order in a welfare reform case.
* Johnson says he plans to wear a ski helmet after hitting a tree with his left leg on a Taos slope.
1998
February
* Johnson signs the New Mexico Works Act, a compromise measure requiring welfare recipients to work in order to receive cash assistance.
* Johnson gets frostbite during a ski race marathon at Santa Fe Ski Area.
March
* Johnson signs a state tax-cut package worth nearly $60 million.
May
* Legislators override a Johnson veto for the first time.
* Wackenhut Corrections Corp. opens the first unit of a private prison near Hobbs.
* Johnson signs legislation banning drive-up liquor window sales statewide.
August
* Johnson and a State Police officer help victims in an accident on Interstate 25, about 20 miles south of Santa Fe.
September
* Sixty-one percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
October
* Johnson's highway and transportation secretary, Pete Rahn, kicks off construction on a long-awaited widening of a 118-mile stretch of N.M. 44 now U.S. 550 between San Ysidro and Bloomfield.
November
* Johnson wins a second term as governor, defeating Democratic challenger Martin Chavez 55 percent to 45 percent.
December
* Wackenhut Corrections Corp. opens a private prison in Santa Rosa.
1999
January
* Johnson is sworn in for his second term and celebrates his 46th birthday on New Year's Day.
April
* Fifty-five percent of New Mexicans surveyed in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
May
* Legislators overwhelmingly reject Johnson's school voucher plan in a special session.
June
* Johnson calls the federal government's war on drugs a "miserable failure" and says decriminalizing drug use should be on the front burner of public debate.
July
* The state's collective bargaining law for public employees expires after Johnson vetoes an extension.
* A federal judge ends the Duran consent decree, a federal court order that governed state prison conditions since 1980.
October
* Johnson draws national attention when he stumps for drug legalization at a conference in Washington.
November
* Public Safety Secretary Darren White resigns, citing disagreement with Johnson's stance on drug policy.
2000
March
* Johnson signs legislation to phase in voluntary, full-day kindergarten across New Mexico over five years.
* The governor's voter approval rating plunges to a new low of 35 percent, according to a Journal poll.
April
* Johnson, a day after appearing on "60 Minutes" and advocating the legalization of heroin and marijuana, says he thinks only marijuana should be legalized.
May
* The governor helps extinguish fires at a house and trailer in Los Alamos as the massive Cerro Grande wildfire burns into the mountain town. He stays on the scene for 55 hours straight.
June
* Johnson's highway and transportation secretary Pete Rahn kicks off construction work on the $293 million Big I rebuilding project in Albuquerque. The project will be completed ahead of schedule in less than two years.
August
* Johnson pushes drug legalization in Philadelphia while the Republican National Convention takes place across town.
September
* Forty-six percent in a Journal poll say they approve of Johnson's job performance.
December
* Johnson calls the state Human Services Department a "mess." He attributed some of the problem to what he called the agency's "revolving door" seven people running the department during his two terms and the Legislature's refusal to confirm many of his nominees to lead the agency.
2001
January
* Johnson is hospitalized with a spine injury after falling on the ice while running.
* Johnson acknowledges he lobbied Republican senators to oust Democratic leader Manny Aragon, his chief legislative foe, as Senate president pro tem. The Senate narrowly elects Sen. Richard Romero, D-Albuquerque, to the leadership position.
March
* Johnson says he is not "disheartened" by the mixed outcome of his drug reform package. Legislators approved three of his proposals, including expanded drug treatment, while rejecting the more controversial plans.
April
* Johnson signs a bill to allow New Mexicans to carry concealed handguns. The New Mexico Supreme Court later strikes down the law.
* Johnson vetoes an income-tax relief bill that was not as big or broad as he wanted. Johnson later says he regrets not signing the bill. In his two terms, he achieves little of his tax-relief agenda.
* Johnson vetoes a sweeping school reform bill, saying it's too costly.
June
* Johnson takes a spill while kayaking on the Rio Grande, ending up in a section of the river called the Toilet Bowl.
October
* Johnson signs a new state gambling compact that reduces revenue-sharing payments from 16 percent to 8 percent while requiring back payments of revenue-sharing money already owed.
* Johnson's competition in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race ends when dicey weather forces him and pilot Richard Abruzzo to land in a manure-strewn cow pasture in Wisconsin.
* Johnson says Terry Clark deserved to be executed for killing 9-year-old Dena Lynn Gore of Artesia. Clark becomes the first convict to be put to death in New Mexico since 1960.
December
* Construction of a four-lane, 118-mile stretch of U.S. 550 from San Ysidro to Bloomfield is completed.
2002
March
* Johnson signs into law several drug reform bills he sought, including a measure to grant judges more discretion in sentencing nonviolent habitual offenders.
* Johnson signs into law a bill requiring ignition interlock devices in the vehicles of certain convicted drunken drivers.
April
* Johnson competes in his first Boston Marathon.
May
* Lawmakers, after the governor refuses to call them back for a special session, call themselves back to the Capitol for the first "extraordinary session" of the Legislature in state history. They override his veto of their budget bill. Of Johnson's 742 vetoes, it is only the second time legislators override him.
* Construction of the $293 million Big I in Albuquerque is completed.
June
* Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley, Johnson's second-in-command for eight years, is defeated for the GOP nomination for governor by freshman lawmaker John Sanchez.
September
* Forty-five percent say they approve of Johnson's job as governor.
October
* Johnson and Richard Abruzzo win the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race.
* Johnson competes in his fourth Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii.
November
* Johnson fires or forces the resignation of several members of the state Racing Commission to prevent the commission from voting on a new racetrack in Hobbs. Johnson says a new track would jeopardize the state's gambling compacts with Indian tribes.
December
* Johnson says he plans to split his time between residences in Albuquerque and Taos and climb Mount Everest after his second term ends Dec. 31.