By Cody Begaye

Sun Correspondent

The Democratic Party of New Mexico held a rally Nov. 4 in Gallup as part of the 'New Mexico for All' campaign. The event took place at Gallup Coffee Company, 203 W. Coal Ave.

Since launching in August, New Mexico for All has aimed to attain campaign volunteers, engage more voters, and help lead a slate of democratic candidates to victory in the November midterms.

The stop in Gallup was part of a four-day, statewide tour to reach every corner of New Mexico in order to urge supporters to get out the vote. After Gallup, similar events are scheduled by DPNM in Shiprock, Farmington, Taos, Roswell, Espanola, Carlsbad, Los Alamos and Las Vegas, N.M.

Supporters stopped by the Gallup Coffee Company to show their enthusiasm and to volunteer to canvass for the candidates.

Megan Duffy, who's running for the N.M. Court of Appeals, Position 4, said the court of appeals race includes five women vying for 10 seats, and each of them could be elected to those positions.

“We’re excited about the record voter turnout, and hopeful for the record [election] results,” she said.

Marg Elliston, chair of DPNM, said she was excited to see the turnout of early voters as well as supporters in Gallup.

“[This election] is important for the future of New Mexico,” she said. “[It’s the first step to] turn our state around.

At Gallup Coffee Company, Elliston shared a headline stating Michelle Lujan Grisham, candidate for New Mexico governor, had a projected 10-point lead over her opponent. Despite this claim, Elliston urged the crowd not to relax just yet.

“[We will] take back our state,” Elliston said to the room, a sentiment echoed by many of the other candidates.

McKinley County Chairperson Genevieve Jackson attended at the rally, too. She said the Navajo Nation has leaned heavily toward the democratic candidates due to shared interests and issues.

“[We have] hit every [tribal] chapter across New Mexico not just once, but two or three times [during this campaign],” Jackson said during the event. “[We need] candidates who care about issues like our sovereignty, health care and our veterans.”

Lujan Grisham took the stage near the end of the event and thanked the crowd for their support and enthusiasm about the campaign.

“What we’ve done is unbelievable, and it has everything to do with you,” she said.

Lujan Grisham then spoke about the current governor of New Mexico — she said the state has either slumped or not improved since Gov. Susana Martinez’ election. She said the people of New Mexico need someone who will lead and not look for scapegoats.

“[We’re going to do] everything we can to empower [our] state,” she said. “It’s time to show the country that [New Mexico] can lead [in any category].”

Martin Heinrich, candidate for New Mexico senator, also voiced his appreciation for the supporters, especially those who voted early.

“The early voting numbers [are unprecedented],” he said during the event. “We’re going to make the results look like [the turnout of] a presidential election.”

Heinrich told the room this is the year they will hit the reset button on the state.

“We will show that we are the United States, not the divided states,” Heinrich said. “To overcome the challenges [facing the country], we have to come together and work together.”

After the event concluded, Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, representative for New Mexico, took a moment to speak with the Sun.

When asked about the early voter numbers, Heinrich said the latest count came straight from the secretary of state. That tally was around 394,000 with around 20,000 added each day, which would likely the number above 400,000 before the Gallup event.

When asked about the state of education in New Mexico, a subject stressed by multiple candidates, Heinrich said there are two factors that will help improve the quality of education across the state.

“The first is a supportive governor, who will invest in education [at various levels],” he said. “The second is that we will have a surplus to fund education, like higher education. The Pell Grants would allow students to go to college without [going into excess] debt.”

voiced his appreciation for the turnout both in early voting and at Gallup Coffee Company.

“I just want them to be involved [with the election and voting],” he said. “[What we have seen] has been encouraging.”

Dominic Gabello, chief of staff for Lujan Grisham, said the early turnout and support of the community was encouraging.

“[It shows] voters are excited,” he said. “They want to see real change.”

Staff Reports

Albuquerque – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the successful prosecution of Francisco Saucedo, for charges related to sexual exploitation of children Nov. 2.

The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General secured multiple convictions against Saucedo, ensuring that he will stay behind bars for up to 30 years.

“People who commit horrific acts of child exploitation must face punishment,” Balderas said. “I am committed to putting predators behind bars and seeking justice for our children in New Mexico.”

In July, 2017, Special Agents with the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General discovered child pornography that was being distributed from Saucedo’s computer through peer-to-peer file sharing software.

Agents executed a search warrant at Saucedo’s home, at which time Saucedo was arrested and charged with Criminal Sexual Penetration of a Minor, numerous counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Voyeurism (under 18,) Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. On October 30th, 2018, Saucedo pled no contest to Sexual Exploitation of Children by Manufacture, Sexual Exploitation of Children by Distribution, Sexual Exploitation of Children by Possession and Voyeurism (under 18.)

Saucedo will serve a minimum of 15 years, and up to 30 years for these convictions alone and will be tried on an additional count of Criminal Sexual Penetration of a Minor in January brought by the Office of the Attorney General.

Staff Reports

LAS VEGAS — Rodeo opens the doors to education and career opportunities, President Russell Begaye told a crowd of Navajo qualifiers Friday at the 43^rd annual Indian National Finals Rodeo.

For the second year in a row, the Office of the President hosted a luncheon reception for Navajo contestants and their families at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center.

More than 75 Navajo athletes and fans took a break from rodeo events to celebrate their culture and exchange words of encouragement.

“It takes a lot of time and commitment to get to this level,” Begaye told athletes. “We’re behind you, cheering for you. You make our Nation proud.”

Athletes representing more than 50 tribal nations contended in the weeklong competition, which pitted the best native rodeo athletes in the United States and Canada against each other. Navajos dominated every event.

Of the eight winners of the average races, six were Navajo. They were crowned during a ceremony Saturday night.

The 2018 Navajo world champions are: Delvecchio Kaye, bareback; Taniah Nez, ladies breakaway; Creighton Curley, saddle bronc; Donovan Yazzie, tie-down roping; Ed Hawley and Myles John, team roping; and Latrell Long, bull riding. Nine-time qualifier Faith Holyan took the women’s all-around title.

“Hard work always pays off,” Begaye said. “Rodeo teaches you discipline. Use that discipline to get to the next level, to achieve your education goals, to keep making the Navajo Nation proud.”

Seeks to help protect children and victims of sex-abuse scandals

Following an inquiry from New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas Sept. 5 requesting documents and records, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup invited Balderas and Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to review files relevant to investigations into clergy sexual abuse.

In the wake of an August Pennsylvania grand jury report, the AG’s office began to investigate all three Catholic dioceses in New Mexico — Gallup, Las Cruces and Santa Fe — for material related to priest-abuse allegations.

The August report showed that more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania sexually abused more than 1,000 children over 70 years, beginning in the 1940s.

The records Balderas requested from the Gallup diocese were sealed by the federal courts following the conclusion of the diocese’s recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

The diocese declared bankruptcy at the end of 2013, and a fund of $23 million was set up to compensate the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy within the diocese.

The Sun conducted an Oct. 30 interview with three members of the Gallup diocese — Communications Director Suzanne Hammons, Deacon Randolph Copeland and Patrick Mason, partner at Mason & Isaacson, PA, a Gallup law firm.

Hammons said the issue of sexual abuse initially gained attention with the introduction of the Dallas Charter, a set of procedures established in 2002 by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops to combat clerical sex abuse.

Cathy McCarthy, archives manager for the Diocese of Gallup, said the diocese keeps a meticulous record of their files, many of which are stored in a vault beneath their new building at 503 Route 66 B.

The documents in the vault range from marriage tribunals to school records to records of members of the diocese. Some of the documents pertain to clerical sex abuse.

McCarthy discussed the process of manually sharing thousands of documents with the attorneys general. She said some of the documents stored in the vault date back to 1939 and risk incurring damage from photocopying and faxing.

Upward of 11,000 documents pertaining to the bankruptcy and lawsuit need to be copied in order to have them in digital format to share remotely with the attorneys general.

Hammons said the diocese aims to clean up and possibly digitize all of its historical records, but until that process is complete, and because of the amount and age of many of the documents, the Diocese hopes the attorneys general will come to Gallup to view them.

“We can’t give all the documents in the available time frame,” she said, referring to the volume of documents that would have to be shared in the span of one month.

Copeland supported Hammons’ claim — he said it could take up to two years to properly preserve the files.

“The documents have to be manually copied [because of their age],” he said.

Despite the challenge of copying the documents, the diocese stressed their desire for transparency and to protect the victims of abuse.

“The case is about the survivors of abuse,” Hammons said. “We’re encouraging Sun readers to write to us about this case.”

And according to Hammons, the AG investigation might even help specify areas in which the diocese could improve.

“As a church, we should be held to a higher standard,” she said.

Copeland said following due process and letting the proper authorities investigate the files is the best way to present an unbiased and informed record to the public.

“Anywhere there’s power, there’s potential for abuse,” he said.

Mason has represented the diocese for nearly a decade. He said his firm advised the diocese to work with the attorneys general through weekly communication and updates on the overall state of the case.

“The diocese can truly look after the victims,” he said. “We need to make sure the record is straight.”

Copeland said the Diocese of Gallup’s willingness to share its records has led other dioceses and groups to follow their lead.

“[We] all have ways we can improve,” he said. “The goal of protecting children has been broadened [because of a vested interest in it].”

Copeland said the more people know about the diocese’s dealings, the more likely victims will be protected.

When asked about the diocese’s next move, Mason said they would request permission from the appropriate judges to overcome privacy restrictions to obtain information on abuse victims in order that the attorneys general could review the victims’ cases.

Once those restrictions are cleared, the diocese can take action on the cases.

“We have to make sure confidentiality is protected,” Mason said.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent