FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept.

30, 2013

Six Debates, Same Story: Pete Dinelli Too Risky to Lead City
ALBUQUERQUE, NM The candidates for mayor finished up their sixth and final debate tonight on KNME, but voters got more of the same from Pete Dinelli: a risky choice who lacks ideas and doesn't believe in Albuquerque. "The people of Albuquerque saw tonight an angry and shrill candidate in Pete Dinelli. Not only does he make it a point to tear down the city with false claims, but it's clear that he doesn't even believe in the city and its people," said Chris Sanchez, a spokesman for the campaign. "Maybe this is his way to scare voters into voting for him. But it's not working because the people of Albuquerque know that if Pete Dinelli couldn't even keep his small Safe City Strike Force under control, there's no telling how badly he'd mismanage the city. He's just too risky." BACKGROUND: The Safe City Strike Force, which Pete Dinelli oversaw, was so out of control that it cost the city a $1.7 million civil rights lawsuit because the unit illegally evicted tenants and humiliated them. Source: Albuquerque Journal Below is pour fact-check of the KNME debate.

FACT CHECK: Dinelli Misleads Voters with False Statements During KNME Debate
ALBUQUERQUE, NM During this evening's final debate on KNME, Pete Dinelli did what he does best: Tell the voters false claims about Mayor Berry. Here are the facts: CLAIM: Mayor Berry used Sanctuary City as a wedge issue. FACT: 84% of Albuquerque residents supported Berry's position on Sanctuary City, according to the Albuquerque Journal poll. Source: Albuquerque Journal CLAIM: Mayor Berry did not condemn the outside group that protested at the Holocaust museum. FACT: Pete Dinelli continues to tell false statements to voters. Unfortunately for him, his word is going up against the Albuquerque Journal's, which published a story that contradicts his statement. The lead sentence? "Albuquerques three mayoral candidates agree on this, at least: The New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum isnt the right place for an anti-abortion exhibit." Source: Albuquerque Journal

CLAIM: Mayor Berry is soliciting donations from city contractors. FACT: Dinelli's claim is completely false. Mayor Berry has not received any donations from corporations that have contracts with the city. Dinelli, on the other hand, is receiving support from special-interest groups that are using dark money for his political gain. Furthermore, Dinelli has a lobbyist on his payroll who has illegally accepted contributions from the campaign.

CLAIM: The Albuquerque Police Department is suffering under Mayor Berry's leadership. FACT: In his first term, Mayor Berry put into place 60 tough reforms to clean up the police department that was left in shambles under Pete Dinelli's leadership. Under Dinelli's leadership, the Safe City Strike Force illegally evicted tenants and humiliated them. His failed leadership cost the city $1.7 million in a civil rights lawsuit. Source: Albuquerque Journal

CLAIM: "Mayor Berry has been a complete failure when it comes to economic development." FACT: Albuquerque added 7,200 jobs in between June 2012 and June 2013. Source: Albuquerque Journal FACT: Home sales continue to increase every month. In fact, Albuquerque home sales in August rose 17.2 percent more than the previous year. It is the highest August home sales month since 2006. Source: Albuquerque Business First FACT: When Mayor Berry first came into office, unemployment topped above 8 percent. With steady and responsible leadership, Albuquerque has added jobs, and the city has turned a corner. Source: Albuquerque Journal FACT: According to data released by the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors, the Albuquerque metro had 2,256 home sales in the second quarter of 2013 a 22% gain from the same quarter last year. FACT: When Mayor Berry first came into office, the city of Albuquerque was in the midst of a national recession and struggled from deep federal budget cuts. Source: Albuquerque Journal

CLAIM: Pete Dinelli's Energize Albuquerque will boost the local economy. FACT: Moody's projects 20,000 to 25,000 more jobs in Albuquerque in the next four years. Pete Dinelli's Energize Albuquerque actually aims much lower, creating far fewer jobs than what's already projected on the current path.

CLAIM: Crime is up in Albuquerque. FACT: During Mayor Berrys time in office, APD cracked down on property crimes and double the number of property crime arrests. Last year our city had 650 less auto thefts than the year before he took office. Furthermore, Albuquerque has seen the lowest FBI crime rates in the past 20 years. While violent crime has gone up all across the country, it has gone down in Albuquerque.

CLAIM: Response times are up. FACT: According to city data, response times have actually decreased for Priority One calls that involve threats to life, shootings, stabbings, armed robberies and car jackings. ###