April 12, 2013 08:39 AM UTC

Attention CACI: New Mexico Is Not a Role Model

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• by: Colorado Pols

A brief side note from our neighbors to the south, as reported by the AP yesterday:

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is in Colorado to raise money for her re-election campaign and speak to a business group…

Martinez will attend a reception by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry at Coors Field. The owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team will speak at the event and Martinez will talk briefly about an economic development package of tax cuts that was approved by the Legislature and signed into law.

We haven't seen any post-event coverage of New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's fundraiser yesterday hosted by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry (CACI), where she presumably touted her policies as governor of New Mexico on economic development. To be honest, we don't know exactly what she said. What we do know is that the state of New Mexico is no role model for "economic development." 

Dead last. 

That is New Mexico's record for job growth over the past three years compared with the other 49 states. 

The details are not pretty. 

–New Mexico is one of two states still showing negative jobs growth during the 34-month period. 

–New Mexico's nearby states — Colorado, Texas and Utah — have among the best economic growth in the nation. 

–New Mexico even trails California and Nevada, which have crawled back from recession despite massive problems with home foreclosures. 

Now, maybe Gov. Martinez is going to turn it all around with these tax cuts she came to Colorado to praise before our state's foremost "business community" lobbying group–who, in case you haven't heard, loves tax cuts. But as the hard numbers show, most business in New Mexico would be better off in Colorado. There are a lot of reasons for the persistently tough economy and high poverty in New Mexico, and of course, you can't blame all of it on Gov. Martinez's two years in office. But where other states (like Colorado) have come back relatively strongly after the Great Recession, New Mexico under Gov. Susana Martinez has not.

Naturally we wish our southern neighbors well, but they can probably keep their advice.