Will the last remaining senator at the Roundhouse please turn out the lights?
Well, it’s not that extreme but it looks like a seventh state senator in the 42-member chamber has announced his resignation.
This time it’s Democrat Steve Fischmann of Mesilla Park.
From blogger Heath Haussamen:
State Sen. Steve Fischmann told a group of Doña Ana County women on Saturday that he isn’t seek re-election this year.
NMPolitics.net hasn’t been able to reach Fischmann, D-Mesilla Park, for comment, but did confirm with multiple sources that Fischmann made the announcement at a Saturday meeting. He’s the third Doña Ana County lawmaker to announce his retirement in the last nine days, and all three were surprises to many.
Capitol Report New Mexico has also been unable to reach Sen. Fischmann. We left a voice-mail message Sunday morning (March 4). As soon as we hear from him, we’ll post an update.
Update 3/5: The statewide radio program News New Mexico published this statement from Fischmann on the program’s website:
“This is to announce that I will not be running for a second term in the New Mexico State Senate. I am making this decision for a combination of family reasons and the desire to pursue other endeavors where I can better focus my energies and have a greater impact. The highly partisan, and I believe, unproductive nature of the past two legislative sessions played a significant role in my decision. I plan to remain active in public service both through my involvement in the Children’s Reading Foundation and public issues advocacy. My term in the Senate has been a terrific experience and I want to thank all of the supporters and colleagues who helped me along the way.”
Fischmann joins the following members of the state Senate to announce they’re not running for re-election in November:
*Eric Griego (D-Albuquerque), who is stepping down to run for the US Congress.
*Clint Harden (R-Clovis), who announced his resignation just a couple days after he received a primary challenger
*Vernon Asbill (R-Carlsbad), who said he’s retiring to spend more time with his grandkids
*Dede Feldman (D-Albuquerque), who said she felt that after 16 years in the legislature it was time “to clear the way for someone new to carry the torch.”
*Mark Boitano (R-Albuquerque), who said he’s ready to concentrate more on his real estate business and his family after four terms in the Roundhouse
*Cynthia Nava (D-Las Cruces), who cited frustration over a deadlock in the Roundhouse over education reform as a factor in her decision (Nava was in favor of passing a “social promotion” bill that died one step shy of reaching the governor’s desk for the second straight year.)
If my rusty math is correct, Fischmann’s departure means that more than 16 percent of the Senate has resigned in recent months.
Fischmann has served one term in the Roundhouse. He was elected in November of 2008 when he knocked off Republican Leonard Lee Rawson by just 586 votes. Fischmann has a reputation for being a moderate Democrat, who told Capitol Report New Mexico in this past 30-day session that if a social promotion bill did not pass, it would indicate a failure on the part of the legislature and the executive.
Back in August, Fischmann said he would probably switch his vote in the Senate and favor Gov. Susana Martinez’s call for rescinding the state law allowing driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants after hearing from many voters in his district. But Fischmann never had to cast a vote in this 30-day session because the bill never reached the Senate floor.